by Hope Jones
“I’m sorry too,” he said back softly, kissing my forehead. “I’m also sorry for not talking to you about it first. Next time, I will.”
While Hux settled back in bed beside me, pulling me as close as I could get, I half-jokingly told him, “There better not be a next time.”
He ignored me, instead demanding, “Sleep.”
I rolled my eyes but actually listened to him.
_______________
The next morning, I woke up more rested than I had been in a while. It was barely 6:00 a.m. and I was already showered, dressed, and making coffee. Somehow, I managed to escape Hux’s bed without waking him up. I needed to text Millie and see what her plans were for the day. I already called Davina to see if her babysitter could watch Cal so we could have a girls’ day out.
While the coffee brewed, I threw bread in the toaster.
Strong arms wrapped around my middle, and Hux’s stubble hit my shoulder.
“Up early,” he commented.
I hummed my response.
I turned in his arms, hugging him tightly around his waist. Our height difference put my head exactly at his chest, so when I rested my head on him, I could hear the strength of his heartbeat.
The sound of it calmed me.
The soft boom-boom, boom-boom cleared all my thoughts, all my worries, and all my fears. As if the sound of his heart beating strong and wild could take away all my previous pain and anger.
Hux’s arms wrapped around me tighter than before, as if he could sense I needed him.
“Baby?” he asked softly.
I shook my head slightly, silently commanding him not to speak. He obliged me, swaying back and forth with me for minutes until the toast popped and scared the shit out of me.
Pulling back, I rested my chin in between his pecs and gazed up at him with a subtle smile on my face.
“You okay?” he wondered aloud, tilting his head.
I gave him a big, open-mouth smile and nodded.
He grinned back in confusion but didn’t ask any more questions.
“Sit, I’ll bring you some coffee and toast,” I demanded, pointing to the dining table.
“Yes, ma’am,” he smarted back, quickly moving out of the kitchen before I could playfully swat him.
After I buttered the toast, I gathered everything on a plate, nabbed his coffee mug, and set it down in front of him then went back for my own mug.
“You have plans for today, I assume?” he asked, nodding to my fully dressed body.
Tucking my feet under me in the chair, I answered, “Yeah, I was going to see if Millie and your sister wanted to have a girls’ day before I have to dive back into work full force, since Hector and Sheriff Douche’s story is down the drain.”
Huxley’s eyes went from his cup to me and softened even more. I could see the guilt on his face, plain as day.
“You don’t have to be sorry, honey. I get it,” I offered, giving him a reassuring smile.
“The story doesn’t have to go down the drain,” he stated.
“What do you mean?” I blurted, moving my feet out from under me and scooting closer to him.
“Wait until we catch Hector, Romer, and most of his right-hand men, and you can do the story. So long as it doesn’t put you in danger, I don’t mind,” he stated casually, taking a sip of his coffee and sitting back to open the paper that was always on his dining room table every morning.
“Oh my God, are you serious?” I beamed, moving from my seat and rushing to his side, kissing his cheek over and over.
He turned to look at me with serious eyes and kissed me full-on.
This kiss was not innocent like mine.
He took control quickly, opening my mouth with ease and sliding his tongue along mine. The bitter taste of his black coffee lingered on his mouth, but the flavor was intoxicating.
He pulled away all too quickly and gave me a hungry look.
“I like it when you get excited for me,” he whispered, licking his lips.
Leaning against him, I tried to regain my balance, so I could stand up and move back to my seat.
I was going into a Hux Fog.
For some reason, I thought I could escape the Hux Fog now that I was with him.
Apparently, I was wrong.
Very wrong.
I was totally okay with being wrong this time though.
The article on Hector and Sheriff Douche coupled with my article on Huxley Carson, badass extraordinaire would shoot my career through the roof.
Thirteen
Putting Two and Two Together
LATER IN THE day, I picked Millie up, and we were on our way to get Davina from her apartment farther west of East Haven. She lived a good thirty minutes from Hux’s condo, and I wondered why she chose a place so far away from the hospital.
“So, what’s the deal?” Millie asked, buckling her seat belt and settling into my car.
“What do you mean?” I asked, playing innocent, because I liked screwing with her.
“Oh, don’t be coy now!” She giggled. “What’s the deal with Hux’s sister?”
“She’s a nurse and single mother, and her son Cal is adorable. From what I can tell, she and Hux are pretty close.”
“That can’t be all—keep going,” Millie demanded.
I rolled my eyes but continued. “Anyway, she didn’t bring a husband or boyfriend, so I asked her about Cal’s dad and Davina kind of shut down and Hux silently warned me away from the topic. I asked Hux about Cal’s father and he’s just as clueless as I am.”
“I don’t understand,” she mused.
“Hux said that Davina has refused to tell anyone who Cal’s father is. She doesn’t want to talk about it, he said. His family has asked over the years, but after it was clear they weren’t getting anywhere, they stopped bringing it up.”
“Maybe I can hook her up with Carter.” She got her usual dreamy look in her eyes when she was plotting something romantic.
“Jesus,” I muttered.
“I need to meet her first, make sure she’d be right for him. I’ll decide then.”
I laughed but said nothing. I’d gotten used to Millie being like this. I was a realist, and she was a dreamer. She wanted the romance and hearts and flowers, and I thought chivalry was dead. Hux may have been changing my view on some of those things, but alas, that was a story for a different time.
“I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.”
“Oh snap,” she said in a goofy voice. “Give it to me, Mama!”
“I know who Cal’s father is.”
“Shut the front door!” Millie yelled, slapping me on the arm.
“Ow! Millie, tone down your excitement.”
“Shit, sorry. You gotta tell me though. Do not leave me in suspense,” she threatened.
_______________
A while later, Millie, Davina, and I were sitting at the nail salon in the pedicure chairs. We had finished with our fingers and moved on to our toes.
Davina seemed nervous when I first picked her up but had loosened up some since then. I really wanted to bring up Cal to her without offending her. I still wasn’t sure how to do that. I knew it wasn’t my business, but from the little I knew about Davina and Roman, they seemed like decent people. They deserved a happily ever after.
Jesus, Millie must be rubbing off on me.
How does one say, “Oh yeah, I think I figured out that Cal’s father is your brother’s best friend and right-hand man, Roman”?
That’s not a brunch topic.
Or a light topic in general.
“Thank you so much for inviting me, Phoebe. I didn’t realize how much I needed this.” Davina sighed, leaning back in the chair while our nail technicians massaged our legs.
She and I were in hog heaven with the foot and leg massages. Meanwhile, Millie looked like she was in pain. For whatever reason, she had this thing where she hated being massaged.
I knew hate was a strong word, but it was the appropriate one to
use in this case. Millie’s face was screwed up, her lips puckered, and she looked as if she were being tortured for information.
I giggled but replied, “You’re so welcome. I’m sure working full-time and taking care of Cal has got to be exhausting.”
“You have no idea,” Davina said, leaning up and looking at Millie through heavy lids. “Are you okay?” she asked with wider, worried eyes.
“Millie is a massage therapist who hates being on the receiving end of massages,” I explained, so Millie didn’t have to break a tooth to talk through a gritted mouth.
Millie nodded vigorously and finally snapped at the nail technician, “Can you please go ahead and do my toes?”
Her nail technician looked at her in confusion but nodded, and Millie smiled sheepishly.
“I hope you know you’re the only female on this planet who doesn’t like any kind of massage, much less a foot massage.” I giggled again, biting my lip to hold in the laughter that wanted to escape.
“Well, when you go to school to become a professional masseuse, you know what you do and don’t like,” Millie snapped back, sinking farther in her chair, cringing.
I held my hands up but laughed at her nonetheless.
“What do y’all want for lunch when we’re done?” I asked the group, admiring the army green color on my nails that reminded me of Hux’s eyes.
“Whatever is good with me,” Davina stated.
“Same here,” Millie gritted out.
Well shit. I hated picking restaurants.
Forty minutes later, we were at Applebee’s. We’d already ordered our entrees and an appetizer for us to share. I was wringing my hands in my lap, unable to keep it from Davina any longer that I knew who Cal’s father was but also unable to tell her. I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable or tarnish the relationship we were building. From what I could gather, Hux and I weren’t splitting up any time soon. As much as it scared me to admit it, I was already madly in love with him. I needed to have a relationship with his sister if we were going to work out.
“So... I met someone,” Millie blurted out of nowhere.
“What?” I yelled a little too loudly for a restaurant.
“Shhh!” Millie said back.
Ducking my head sheepishly, I apologized and asked again in a much softer tone, “What do you mean you met someone?”
“Well, it’s kind of obvious, Pheebs,” she smarted, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
Davina’s eyes were bouncing back and forth between us, unsure of how to contribute to the conversation given my reaction.
I decided to fill her in on the reality TV show that was Millie’s dating life.
“Millie is a romantic soul. She has two ex-husbands and is still actively sure love exists despite her last marriage. It was a shitshow,” I told Davina, looking pointedly at my best friend.
At this point, Millie was used to my pessimistic outlook on love, so it rolled off her shoulders as if I said nothing at all.
“Oh, um… well, I’m happy for you, Millie. I hope this guy turns out to be the one.” She smiled.
Our mozzarella sticks were placed in front of us with the warning that they were still piping hot. I didn’t give a damn and dove in, dipping one in the marinara sauce and shoving it in my mouth.
Both girls in front of me looked at me like I had grown a second head.
“What?” I mumbled around my food.
Millie shook her head and took her time with her own mozzarella stick, Davina following suit shortly after.
“What’s his name?” I singsonged.
“William,” Millie sighed dreamily.
Swallowing my food, I pretended to gag.
“Will you shut up and just let me enjoy it?” Millie snapped.
“All right, all right, I’m sorry. I just worry about you. You have such high standards, and no guy is that good. I don’t want you to be disappointed, and I also don’t want you to change who you are for a guy,” I expressed, setting my food on the plate and reaching across the table to squeeze her hand.
“I’m not changing for anyone. My standards are high, but they aren’t ridiculous. Besides, Hux fits my standards, so they must not be outrageous,” she said, pulling her hand away, giving me a tight smile. Understandably, I had upset her. But I’d seen her hurt many times and didn’t want her to have to go through it again.
“Hux may have some redeeming qualities, but don’t let him fool you. He can still be an ass. Tell me about William,” I insisted, hoping to take back some of my bitchiness.
The smile returned to Millie’s face, and I could see she was truly smitten.
“He’s so sweet. He came in for a massage two weeks ago and we talked the entire time. Normally, we don’t talk to the customers to help them relax as much as possible, but he kept asking me questions about myself and seemed genuinely interested in my answers. When his massage was done, he refused to leave until I gave him my number. We went out to dinner the following night.”
Popping another mozzarella stick in my mouth, I asked, “What does he do?”
Millie set her glass back on the table. “He’s in construction. That’s why he came in for a massage. He works long hours and it’s rough on his body.”
I waggled my eyebrows. “I bet he really likes your hands then.”
Millie giggled, rolling her eyes.
“So why is he the one?”
“There’s just something about him. Tidus was so self-absorbed, but William isn’t like that. He always makes sure to ask how my day went or how I’m feeling. He never talks about himself first. He’s so considerate, and I feel like I’ve never had that in a relationship.”
My heart was happy for Millie. I was concerned she was moving too quickly, but who was I to talk? Hux and I were practically living together in under a week, and I didn’t want to ruin her happiness. For all I knew, William could be the one and they’d end up married with two kids and spend their lives together.
“Enough about me, how did last night go anyway?” Millie asked, gingerly eating another stick, stopping in between bites to blow on the cheese.
“He told me I can write the story after he catches Sheriff Douche and Hector! I freaking won that argument!” Fist pumping, I laughed hard, knowing I got what I wanted at the end of that.
“Well good for you. I’m happy. He wasn’t an ass about you running to my house again?”
“No, he pretty much laughed it off. I texted him before I left my house to come to yours. I didn’t act like a child and wander off after being told not to.” I smiled triumphantly.
“Wow, I’m shocked. Phoebe Danvers actually acting like an adult. Are you sure you aren’t sick?” Millie reached across the table and put the back of her hand to my forehead as if feeling for a fever.
Millie wasn’t wrong. Before, I would have run off, making sure to ignore any and all communication with Huxley. While I was still worried about how our relationship would go, I knew Hux was good for me. I knew he was helping me heal, and I’d never be able to thank him enough.
“Shut up.” I swatted her hand away, rolling my eyes and catching a glimpse of Davina’s face.
She was clearly amused by Millie’s and my banter. Just then, our food arrived, and I waited until our waitress had walked away and no one was paying attention to our table before I shared my life up until that point with her. By the time I was done, we were halfway through eating and she expressed her sympathy about my mom and grandparents and also her fears about the cartel.
I told her it wasn’t nothing but a chicken wing at this point, since together, Hux and I had scared Hector away from East Haven. Plus, Hector thought we had evidence that could tie him to the drive-by shooting. It was also worth noting that Hux was on Hector’s trail. He may not have said so to me, but I knew Hux. He wasn’t going to let Hector get away without any repercussions.
Hux wanted justice, so he would get it.
One way or another.
We finally changed the
topic, and I felt it was the best time to bring up Roman and Davina’s relationship.
“Davina, I want to talk to you about something. I really don’t want to overstep my boundaries, so let me know if I screw that up, okay?” I told her gently.
“Okay?” she asked back with the same tilted head as her brother.
Must be another Carson thing.
“The night you came over to Hux’s condo with your parents to meet me, I noticed something about Cal. He looked familiar.”
Davina’s eyes snapped to mine and seemed to harden a little while still looking very anxious.
“His hair is identical to Roman’s. He has the same playful nature to him as Roman does,” I stated, hoping I wasn’t totally screwing up our growing relationship.
Her eyes closed so tightly it almost looked painful. Her face puckered like she was in agony and I almost wanted to take my words back.
“Cal is Roman’s,” she whispered, her chin tucked into her chest, so it was hard to hear.
Millie looked at me with wide “what the hell do we do now” eyes and I shrugged, expressing to her I was just winging it.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you tell your family or at least Roman?”
Davina sucked in a sharp breath then took a sip of water before moving her plate away.
“We all grew up together, you know?” she asked rhetorically, but I nodded anyway. “It was always Hux, Roman, and me. They never treated me like the little kid sister who annoyed the shit out of them. Any game they played, they included me. Any time they went anywhere, they asked if I wanted to tag along. Roman is a year younger than Hux, so three years older than me, so when I turned 14, I started to look at Roman as more than just my brother’s best friend. I started to notice the muscles under his shirt and the facial hair he was growing. I knew I wanted some kind of relationship with him, but I was still too young. We got pretty close, but he never expressed any desire to date me until I turned eighteen. It was an unspoken agreement. When I did turn eighteen, all bets were off. He asked me out, and we dated behind Hux’s back. Hell, behind everyone’s back. No one knew about us. We dated for several years, keeping it from everyone.”
Davina paused to take another sip of water and started to munch on her food again.
