“So what? You think he’s gonna come home and get a job? Support Hannah and the baby? Forget his dream. Is that what you want?” I shook my head. “What about Hannah? You think that’s what she wants?”
The door opened before my dad could respond, and Detective Michaels came in with Hannah.
I was angry Hannah came, after I asked her not to and I was still upset with my dad. I wound up taking it out on Hannah, and she gave me hell for it. It was so unexpected coming from Hannah that I couldn’t help but sit back down. A small smile escaped me when she told me I could ‘turn my frown upside down.’ It was classic Hannah.
She and my dad started discussing what to do like I wasn’t even in the room. I was frustrated by my helplessness in this situation. I could only sit there and hope they could get her parents to drop the charges. I protested at Hannah pressing charges against her parents, because I didn’t want her to do something she’d later regret. They’re her parents after all, even though I’d like nothing better than to watch them rot in jail for abandoning Hannah when she needed them most.
It was hard watching them leave to fight my battles, so I grabbed Hannah for a tight hug. I had faith she’d fight for me and win, but I whispered what a badass she was into her ear anyway. I wanted her to know I believed in her. We finally let go, and I watched them leave, my jaw tight.
An officer came in to escort me to a cell where I spent the longest night of my life. Luckily, I had a cell to myself, but I spent the entire night staring at a water stain on the ceiling.
The mattress was thin and lumpy underneath me, making the long night even more uncomfortable. Around dawn, I was finally forced to use the urinal in the cell. A little while later, an officer came by with breakfast, which was surprisingly palatable.
After I ate, I was restless thinking about Hannah meeting her parents and begged them to have me released. I slammed my hands against the bars at the thought. I was frustrated at being trapped in this cell, while Hannah was going through hell with her parents for me.
I remembered her tears when her mother ignored her in the parking lot and the thought of that happening again sent me into a fresh rage. I hit the floor and started pressing out pushups. The physical work and monotony calmed me down and allowed my head to clear.
A few hours passed, and I was about to go stir crazy when Detective Michaels finally appeared.
“The charges have been dropped. There’s some paperwork I’ll need you to complete before you can go, but you are no longer under arrest.”
I leaned my head back and gave a small prayer of thanks at this news. I was grateful to Hannah and my dad, and I couldn’t wait to see them.
I swallowed and give him a nod. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Your father and Hannah arrived this morning with Hannah’s parents.” He shook his head and laughed. “They didn’t look too happy as they dropped the charges against you. I got the impression they were forced to,” he smirked, “Looks like they may have pissed off the wrong young lady.”
I laughed, “It’s a mistake to cross her. She protects the people that matter to her.”
“Sad that her own parents aren’t on that list, but I understand her bitterness towards them. It’s why I came to release you. I wanted to make sure we get you outta here quickly.”
He escorted me out to the desk where I saw my dad, dressed in his famous power suit. Mom always joked that when he wore that suit the jury better watch out, because they wouldn’t know what hit them. Dad only wore it for the win.
Dad gave me a broad smile and hugged me tight, whispering in my ear, “Let’s get you out of here.”
“Where’s Hannah?” I asked, hugging him back.
“I took her back home. It was a rough morning,” he answered quietly.
We filled everything out in silence, and when we finally left it was dark outside. My dad drove us to a diner a few blocks over.
“I’m hungry,” he said, getting out of the car. I followed him, giving him space. I knew my dad, and he was still trying to sort everything out in his mind. He was a fair man, but he tended to look at everything in black and white. The choices Hannah and I had made were all gray.
We gave our orders to the waitress, and I pushed my water around watching the condensation on the glass. The seat underneath me was worn, cracks in the surface of the red vinyl. Billie Holiday played in the background.
“What does Hannah want?” he finally asked me.
“For Colt to pursue his dream.” I held up my hand, as I saw he was about to interrupt me. “She wants to go to college and get a degree in civil engineering. She wants the baby, but she’s realistic. She can’t do it alone. She doesn’t love Colt, and he doesn’t love her.”
“You know a lot about her,” he muttered, frustrated.
“I live with her. We talk. I know her better than Colt ever did,” I snapped back, aggravated by his remark. I took a deep breath. “There’s no good answer. What do you think Colt would have done if he’d known she was pregnant?”
“He’d have stayed.” My dad grimaced, as he admitted it.
“Exactly. Hannah plans to give the baby up for adoption. She didn’t want to ruin his chance over this.” I leaned toward him. “She’s making the most difficult decision a woman can make. She’s doing it for Colt. Can’t you respect that?”
“Yes. I don’t agree with it, but I can accept it,” he sighed, “Son, I love you, but you are walking a slippery slope. Be careful.”
“I am. But Hannah is my priority.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” he said, with a rueful smile. When the food arrived we ate in peaceful silence. We hadn't resolved anything, but the air between us was clear then.
He drove back to the office to drop me at my car. Before I could get out, he grabbed my arm.
“Bring Hannah over tomorrow. I’d like to speak with her, and I know your mother is going to want to as well. This is coming as a huge shock to us. We’re going to need time to process it.”
“I understand, Dad.” I looked at him, grateful he was my father. “I’ll bring her by. I know she’s missed y’all.”
The hot water ran out, and I turned the shower off. I grabbed a towel and dried off roughly, wrapping it around my hips. I wiped the fog off the mirror and ran my hand over my face. It was rough, but I didn’t feel like shaving.
I touched the tattoo on my arm; the one Hannah had noticed as new; the day she’d told me she was pregnant. It was a Chinese symbol for brother. It was a word that had defined my life, since the day Colt was born. I’d always been his protector, the one that taught him how to throw a football and a punch. We’d discussed girls, sex, and cars.
I’d never kept a secret from him, until Hannah. And somewhere along the way, Hannah had become my priority, instead of Colt. I leaned against the counter, staring at myself in the mirror. I considered myself an honorable guy, but my dad was right. I was skating close to the edge with Hannah, wanting things that I shouldn’t.
I heard a click and turned, as the bathroom door opened.
“Ford?” she questioned sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
“Yeah, I got home a few minutes ago. Took a shower to get the stench off.”
She smiled, blinking her eyes, trying to wake up. “That place did stink. Made me nauseated.”
She attempted to move past me to get to the toilet area. “I have to pee,” she laughed, “But I bet you figured that.”
“Yeah,” I said distracted by her. Her hair was tangled around her shoulders. There was a red crease on her face where it pressed against the pillow, and she was sexy as hell.
She paused, looking at me, and reached out to touch my chest, her fingers lightly tracing the dragon tattoo wrapped around my torso and arm. “I love this tattoo. It’s so you. Sometimes I think the dragon can come off your skin and protect us. Crazy, I know,” she said, her words soft and sleepy.
I grabbed her hand, stilling it. She looked up at me, her eyes slumberous, and I rea
ched down, brushing my lips against hers. I pulled back immediately, unwilling to risk our relationship. She leaned into me, her arm coming up to pull my head down. Our noses bumped, and I felt her smile against my mouth.
“Oops,” she whispered, and I couldn’t resist any longer.
I pressed kisses against the edge of her jaw, nibbling gently. I moved to her mouth, placing light kisses along her lips, not kissing her full on the mouth. She gave a soft moan, her mouth seeking mine.
I tilted her head, searching her eyes, mesmerized by the look in them. I sealed my mouth across hers, slipping my tongue in, as she gasped. One of her arms wrapped around my back, and the other clung to my neck, as our tongues explored. My hand tangled in her hair controlling the depth of the kiss.
I could feel her straining toward me, her hips shifting into the cradle of my thighs. I was hard and I knew she could feel it, but she settled more firmly into me. Her teeth grazed my lip, and she nipped me. I growled, deepening the kiss. We were desperate, our lips moving frantically. My tongue plunged into her mouth, stroking in and out, and she caught my tongue sucking lightly. My hand slipped to her ass, cupping it as I tugged her closer. Her moan vibrated in my mouth, as her hand slipped down my back to the edge of the towel.
I felt the little control I had slipping away, and I pulled my mouth from hers, resting my head against hers, both of us breathing heavily. Her fingers were running along the edge of my towel, and I realized my hand was stroking her ass. I stilled my hand and looked up, our reflections staring back at me in the mirror. Her head was tucked into my chest, one hand buried in her hair, the other on her ass.
I wanted to walk her straight to my king size bed, pull my sweats off her body, bury myself inside of her, and hear her call my name as she came. I groaned, knowing that wasn’t going to happen.
“I really do have to pee.” My chest rumbled as I laughed, and I let her go, pushing her lightly toward the toilet. She dashed into the little room, shutting the door behind her.
I ran my hand over my head and pulled the towel off, dragging on sleep pants. I padded into the bedroom barefoot, glancing at the big bed before heading to the twin bed I’d claimed. As much as I wanted to crawl into that bed with Hannah, I wasn’t going to.
I’d begun to realize I loved her, but it was too soon for a relationship of that nature. Hannah had major things going on in her life and, by extension, so did I. We owed it to each other to take things slowly. Every decision we’d been making felt like a crucial life choice, and we had more coming.
The bathroom light went off, as Hannah came into the bedroom. She crawled into her bed, and I let the silence settle over us. Maybe it was better if we didn’t discuss what just happened.
“That was the most amazing kiss of my life. I can already feel you pulling back, and I get it. But don’t think for one second that I’m going to forget it. Or that it’s the end of this” I heard her say quietly. “Goodnight, Ford.”
“Goodnight, Hannah,” I answered, with a smile.
We headed to my parent’s house the next day for lunch. It was awkward. Mom was in tears. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was arrested or the obviousness of Hannah’s pregnant belly.
No one ate much, as we spent the afternoon going around and around about the fact that we had no plans to tell Colt about the baby. They both decided to respect Hannah’s decision in the end, because neither of us budged.
Dad wanted to see about lining up an adoption for the baby, and Hannah gave him the go ahead, even though I knew the decision was killing her.
Mom fussed about us sharing a bedroom and started demanding that Hannah move in with them. Hannah roundly refused, shocking my mom. Hannah had always been agreeable to anything my mom suggested, but she’d developed a backbone of steel, once she’d found out she was pregnant. Finally, we make our escape, as the sun set.
We headed down the steps to the car and Mom asked, “Will you come for Sunday dinner next week? Together.” I’d been avoiding Sunday dinners, not wanting to leave Hannah alone, but we had no secrets. I glanced at Hannah for her opinion and she smiled, “Yes, Mrs. Anderson. We’d love to come. Would you like me to bring a cake?”
I could tell my mom was about to say no when my dad jumped in. “That would be great. German chocolate, by any chance?”
Hannah smiled, “Of course.” I saw my mom elbow my dad over requesting the type of cake he wanted, but he dodged her, smiling. Hannah giggled and climbed into the car. We waved as we drove off.
“Thank God that’s over,” Hannah said, collapsing back into the seat, her hand on her belly. “I’m worn out.”
“Too tired to get some food?” I asked, “I didn’t get a chance to eat much at lunch.”
“Pizza at home. We can watch TV,” she said hopefully, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.
I laughed at her, “Grimm or Suits?”
She pondered this, as I pulled into the pizza place. “Let me grab the pizza, while you decide,” I said, heading inside. The place was a buffet, but they had a chocolate chip pizza Hannah loved. I ordered one, along with a large supreme, no mushrooms.
They’re ready a few minutes later, and as soon as I got into the car, Hannah was opening the box with the chocolate chip pizza. She looked at me, as she grabbed a piece. “It’s better when it’s hot,” she told me convincingly, biting into the crumbly pizza. She gave a little moan when the chocolate hit her tongue and I shifted in my seat, my pants tight. We hadn’t mentioned the night before, and we weren’t going to if I had my way. Knowing Hannah though, she was biding her time before she sprung it on me … blindsiding me with some insane idea that I wouldn’t be able to resist. She was good at that. I kept my eyes on the road, because watching her eat would have me causing an accident.
“Colt texted me,” she said unexpectedly.
I couldn’t stop the jolt of fear I felt. Did my parents take things in their own hands? Did he want to try and get Hannah back?
“What did he say?” I asked, striving for calm.
“Happy Birthday. That’s it. I thought your parents told him. I almost had a heart attack when I got his text,” she told me with a sigh.
“Well, thank you for giving me a heart attack,” I told her tartly, my heart still racing from my thoughts.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to do it to you too!” she apologized, her voice sincere.
“It’s alright. Just a stressful couple of days,” I said, reassuring her.
As we walked into the apartment, she immediately headed to the bedroom to change, calling over her shoulder, “I want to watch Suits.” I put the pizzas on the coffee table and queued the show. She came back and sat cross legged on the couch next to me.
I was hyper aware of her next to me, but after a few minutes I relaxed. We hadn’t changed. It was only now there was a new layer to our relationship was all. After a couple of episodes, I saw her dozing off. I turned the TV off and nudged her. “Come on, bedtime.”
She stretched, blinking at me, giving me a cross look. She could be temperamental when she was tired.
“You want me to carry you to bed?” I asked her, not affected in the least by her temper.
“No, I’ll go,” she grumbled, heading to the bathroom. I picked the pizza boxes up and threw them away. We’d demolished them in short order.
She was lying in the bed when I finally climbed into mine. It should have felt odd sharing a bedroom with her, especially after the fuss my mom made today, but instead it felt natural. There’d never been any type of weirdness between us.
“I think I feel the baby,” she whispered, joy evident in her voice. “It’s like flutters, wings brushing inside of me.”
“Your birthday wish come true,” I told her, smiling, incredibly happy she got this wish on her birthday.
“You know this might be the best birthday ever.”
“Seriously?” I asked her, dumbfounded. “You missed your dinner, because you had to bail me out of jail, because your parents had me a
rrested. We spent the day with my parents explaining ourselves instead of doing what I planned for your birthday. And this is still the best birthday?”
“Yep. To start with, we kissed, which was incredible. We spent the evening on the couch watching my TV show and eating pizza, and it ended with me feeling the baby move, my biggest wish,” she explained happily. I couldn’t help the warmth in my chest at the knowledge that our kiss had made the list for best birthday ever.
“But I do regret we didn’t do what you planned. I know you were excited about it, and I love surprises!” she continued, rolling onto her side to look at me. The room was bright, because there was a full moon and I could see her clearly.
“You want me to tell you what I had planned?” I asked, not sure if she wanted to know. She hated if a surprise was ruined.
The Anderson Brothers Complete Series Page 10
