Page 157 of The Way I Hate Him
“I don’t know . . . your brother?”
“Ew.” She pokes my side. “What is wrong with you that you think I’d take my brother to a romantic spot like this?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m still recovering from the flowers incident.”
“I think we’ll all be recovering from that for a while, including Mac.”
“I don’t know. She seemed to shake it off pretty quickly. But good luck getting her to stop saying dick. I think that’s ingrained as a core memory now.”
“Something Ryland will have to deal with. He started it, so he’ll have to try to take it back,” she says, her hair brushing against my chin as she snuggles.
“I still can’t believe he’s technically a dad.”
“I know. Despite being a teacher, he never showed interest in having kids, but he’s always had a soft spot for Mac. I think Cassidy knew he’d be able to step into the role naturally. I’m not saying it’s been easy for him, but he’s finding his way.”
“And are you finding your way?” I ask.
Her head tucked into my shoulder and chest as her hand rests on my pec, she says, “Umm, not really. I mean, I’m getting my master’s in business management, but I don’t know what to do with that. I always thought after I was done, I’d come home and help Cassidy at the store. But I don’t know now. Maggie has told me I should help her with her wedding business, but in all honesty, I don’t think I want to stay in San Francisco, and I’m also not into her hours. I swear she’s always working and I’d always feel I should work the same hours.”
“I can understand that. Not to mention, you should never go into business with friends.”
“I’ve heard that as well. So that leaves me with no ideas regarding what direction I want to take.”
“You have time to figure it out.”
“Not really,” she says. “I mean, it’s not like I’m swimming in cash over here. I’ll have to get a job. And after a failed semester, my scholarship is on the line.”
“You have a job with me,” I say.
“I feel weird working for you now. When we hated each other, I had no problem taking money from you. It felt great, actually.” I chuckle. “But now that we’re, you know, seeing each other, it doesn’t feel right.”
“Listen,” I say, tilting her chin up to look at me. “My house is a goddamn disaster because of you. You started a job, and you will finish it. After you’re done with that job, you can do whatever the hell you want, until then, I own you.”
She laughs. “Do you really think that kind of attitude will get you what you want?”
My hand that’s wrapped around her back slides to her hip, and I tug on her dress, pulling up the hem so I can feel her skin under my palm. “Yes, I do.”
“Why did you bring me out here?” she asks, her fingers making a slow circular motion on my chest.
“Remember when we were sitting by the firepit when Maggie visited?”
“Yes. That was one of the first times I felt butterflies in my stomach. I’ve always heard Cassidy talk about that feeling you get in your stomach when something truly excites you. Do you remember giving me your sweatshirt because it was chilly? The moment I put it on, it felt like my stomach was being lifted by thousands of butterflies.”
“Fuck, if only I knew that,” I say, sad that I couldn’t capitalize on that moment.
“You wouldn’t have done anything. You and I both know that.”
“True, I wish I could have.”
She tilts my face toward hers with her fingers. “Do something about this moment.”
My teeth fall over my lip, and my hand draws up to cup her bare ass. The solid palmful immediately makes me hard.
But I control myself as I say, “That night, as we stared at the stars, I told you how they’d become the key to keeping me sane, to remembering where I’m from and who I am.” She nods, her fingers toying with the collar of my shirt. “I wanted to bring you out here so I can add another grounding spot. So I can look up at the stars and remember this moment with you.”
“Hayes,” she says softly.
“We had a brutal beginning, Hattie. I hurt you several times. And I don’t want you to recall those moments when you look back at us. I want you to remember this moment, where we lie under the stars, grounding us in time to this spot, and started something new.” I cup her face. “I don’t know where this will take us or what’s going to happen in the future, but I do know I like you, a lot, and I want to try with you. In the future, there will be moments like commercials with Odette, or tours, or my attention being pulled in different directions, but this right here, us under the stars, it’s what I’ll always come back to in my mind. You, me, and a blanket of the peaceful night sky.”
