Chapter 31: Chapter 30

I’D BEEN LYING on the swing on his front porch since the sun came up. I’d barely slept. I’d texted him a dozen times this morning, before my phone died, because I’d never taken the time to charge it last night.

None of that fucking mattered.

I’d texted him that I was here on his front porch.

I’d assumed he’d come home this morning. The light was on inside, so I knew he was in there.

I’d banged on his door a few dozen times over the last few hours, and he’d continued to ignore me.

I pushed to my feet and pounded on the door again. “I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me. You can ignore me all you want, but I’m going to live on this fucking porch until you talk to me.”

“That’s a commitment right there.” His voice came from behind me.

I turned around to see Hayes walking up the steps to his porch. “You haven’t been here this whole time?”

“No. I’m not a complete dick. I would have answered the door to give you a tablespoon of water.” He raised a brow. “How long have you been out here?”

“Since around five-thirty this morning?” I shrugged.

“Jesus. You’ve been here for seven hours?”

“And it’s bee season. So, I’ve risked my life just to talk to you.”

He put his key in the door and pushed it open before raising a brow at me. “You coming in?”

“Are there any weapons or sharp objects nearby?” I asked as I followed him inside.

“Dude, you threw a damn good punch, too.”

“Sorry about that. I planned to let you kick my ass, but then you pissed me off.” I took a seat at his kitchen table, and he put a pot of coffee on.

He leaned against the kitchen cabinets, crossing his feet at the ankles. “I stayed up all night talking to Saylor.”

“Oh, yeah? How’d that go?”

“Well, she told me how she’d been in love with you for a while. How you tried to stay away, blah, blah, blah.” He smirked. “I begged her to skip the gory details because I can’t hear that shit. But, the bottom line is, she’s the reason you didn’t talk to me about it. And she explained why she didn’t want me to know anything, and as much as this is going to pain me to say—” He looked away for a moment.

“I can’t wait to hear it.”

“She was right. It’s none of my fucking business, King,” he said, setting one mug of hot coffee in front of me and another in front of himself before he dropped to sit across from me. “I need you to know something.”

“That you’re going to tie me up in a white van, hire a clown to drive me around town, and then set me free in a swarm of bees?”

He barked out a laugh. “Last night, I might have considered it. But I was drunk and exhausted, and let’s face it—I can be a real hot-headed asshole when I want to be.”

“No? You? Seriously?” I said over my laughter. “Listen, Hayes, I wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt Saylor. I think I’ve loved her since I was a teenager.” I held up my hands in defense. “I never acted on anything back then. Not a single thing ever happened.”

“Relax. She told me.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I need you to know something.”

“What is it?”

“This was never about me thinking you’re not a good guy. King, you’re my best friend. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever known. It was never about that. My fear was that you’d just fuck around with her, not realizing the impact that would have on her. She’s special, you know?”

“Dude, you’re preaching to the choir. She’s always been special. I would kill someone who hurt her, and I mean that.”

“I figured that out when you knocked me in the face, which, by the way, still hurts like a bitch.”

“Yeah, mine, too. And we better make sure there’s no bruising for Romeo’s wedding pictures, or Demi’s mom will have our asses.” I laughed. I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders as we sat here talking, and I knew everything would be okay with us.

“I know there are no guarantees in life, King. And I can’t ask you for that kind of promise. But I need to know that you love my sister, and you will try like hell not to hurt her.”

“Dude. There are few things in life that I can guarantee. I will love my grandmother until I take my last breath. I will love my Ride or Die brothers until I take my last breath. And I will love Saylor with everything I have until I take my last breath. Hand on my heart, I give you my word.” Our eyes were locked, and he studied me. “It’s not a hardship, Hayes. Your sister… she makes me want things I never thought I’d want.”

His eyes were wet with emotion, and then he smirked. “A white van?”

“Never going to happen.” I barked out a laugh. “But in all seriousness, I’d propose to her today if I thought she’d say yes. I’d even have a dozen babies with her if she were willing.”

“For fuck’s sake. Know your audience, you dickhole. I do not want to hear about you putting babies in my sister.” He tried to act offended, but I heard the humor in his voice.

“Little baby Kings could be running around, looking for Uncle Hayes,” I said, and I jumped to my feet when he lunged at me, and we both bellowed out in laughter.

“How about you wait until she’s ready, and you start with a proper proposal when the time comes?” He raised a brow.

“Should I come to you for permission?” I asked, my voice teasing.

“Well, you kind of fucked that one up the first time when you kept your relationship a secret. So, yeah, you better ask my fucking permission if it gets to that. And I’m going to be a real asshole. Make you mow my lawn and polish my shoes. Really put you through it.”

“Really? Those shoes?” I asked, quirking a brow as I looked down at his dusty cowboy boots.

“These bad boys could use a shine.”

“You know I’ll do it if it means I get your blessing.” There was no humor in my voice because it was the truth. It meant everything to me.

“King,” he said, his voice hard.

“Yeah.”

“There is no one I would trust my sister with more than you, knowing what I know now. You are my brother in every way, and hearing you say that you love Saylor—that’s all I needed, man. Had you come to me and told me that, I would have given you a hug. Instead, you made me punch you first.” He chuckled. “But as much as it pissed me off, I kind of like that you did what she asked you to do by keeping it a secret.”

“Why?”

“Because it shows me that you’re her little bitch, and I think I’m going to enjoy this.”

Laughter filled his kitchen, and he pushed to his feet and pulled me into a hug.

“I love you, brother.”

“I love you, too.” I cleared my throat and stepped back. “I just love your sister a little more than I love you.”

More laughter.

His phone vibrated on the table, and he held it up for me to see.

“How about we have a little fun with them before we tell them we’re good?” Hayes said.

“They don’t call me Good Time Pierce for nothing.”

“Nobody calls you that. Do you just make this shit up as you go?” He chuckled.

“Damn straight.”

I pulled my chair over beside him and watched as he typed.

“Dude. That’s harsh.” I shivered dramatically.

“Relax. This is going to be fun.”

“Give me that fucking phone right now.”

Hayes was laughing hysterically now.

A slew of emojis came through, and Hayes and I talked for another hour before I took off.

I made my way to Saylor’s house because I needed her to know that everything was okay.

I parked in the driveway and walked to the door just as it flung open before I could knock.

“Where have you been? I’ve called and texted,” she said, and I saw the concern as she took in my fat lip.

“Baby, I’m fine. My phone died. I was with your brother.”

I stepped inside and pushed the door closed before pulling her into my arms. She had my shirt bunched in her hands like she wanted to hold onto me.

“Hey, everything’s okay.” I pulled back, and she looked up at me.

“Yeah? He and I talked all night. He said he’d talk to you today, but then when I didn’t hear from you, I just got worried.”

“No more worrying, Dandelion. He knows everything. He knows how I feel about you. He knows this is the real deal, and he’s good with it.”

She let out a long breath. “I’m sorry that I caused a lot of this. You were right. We should have told him from the beginning.”

“Nope. As much as I hate that we hurt him, I think this is how it was meant to play out. And the truth is, we needed that time. Just you and me.”

“And now?” she asked.

“Now it’s you and me, and we don’t need to hide it. I can dance with my girl on country music night and kiss you at the Golden Goose and hold your hand when we’re out in public.”

“I like the sound of that.” She sank her teeth into her juicy bottom lip. “Anything else you want to do?”

“I want to bury myself deep inside you without any worries that I’m betraying anyone. And then I want to go get Beefcake and take him to lunch and tell him that you’re my girl. Because little dude has been pushing for it.”

“He’s always been an old soul. Wise for his years. So, how about you have your way with me, and then we’ll go pick up our boy and take him to lunch.” She smiled up at me before I reached around and grabbed her ass, lifting her into my arms. Her legs came around my waist, and I walked her down the hallway.

I dropped her onto the bed and hovered above her. “I remembered something today when I was talking to Hayes.”

“Tell me.”

“It was all those years ago when you were staying at our house.” I cleared my throat. “You were telling me about a wish you made on a dandelion that day.”

“I made a lot of wishes back then.” She chuckled as her hand came up and stroked the side of my face. “What did I wish for?”

“You told me that you hated the instability of your home. You said that you’d had this dream the night before that you were standing in a field of dandelions, wearing a white sundress, and you described everything so vividly. The way your hair was styled and the way the sun was shining down on you.”

She smiled. “Wait. I remember this, I think.”

“You said that a man was walking toward you and that you realized you were getting married there in that field. But the man’s face was blurred out, so you didn’t know who he was. But you knew that he would protect you and love you to the ends of the earth, and you made a wish the following day that you’d find that someday.”

She covered her face with her hands. “Oh my gosh. Yes. I still can’t believe I admitted that to you back then. I wanted that, you know? Someone who would love me as fiercely as I loved them.”

I pulled her hands away. “I think that’s the moment I fell in love with you. I didn’t know what it meant back then because I was a dumb kid at the time. But I remember thinking how cool it was to know what you wanted. To not be afraid to say it and find it and live it, you know?”

“You ready to live it, King?”

“I already am.” I pinned her hands above her head. “I want to be that man for you today, tomorrow, and forever.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. “You already are.”

I leaned down and kissed her.

Because forever started right fucking now.