Chapter Seven

Aiden

 

I was surprised, and a little relieved to see Luke sitting on my front porch. I stepped out of the truck, grabbed mine and Blake’s bags from the back, and headed towards him.

“What’s up?” I asked casually.

“I hope you don’t mind, I decided to hang around,” Luke smiled, grabbing one of the bags from my hand.

“Not at all,” I grinned, thankful not to be alone with Blake just yet.

“I know you got a lot of explaining to do, so I’m gonna hang around town for a while. I’ll head over to the bed and breakfast this evening,” Luke insisted.

I wasn’t looking forward to facing Liam, especially not after Blake convinced me he was gonna flip.

Blake followed slowly behind us as we entered the house. She stopped in the doorway, seemingly unsure of what to do.

“Make yourself at home,” I offered, receiving a slight smile.

She was nervous. It was cute.

“Where should I put this?” Luke asked, holding up Blake’s bag.

“In my room for now,” I said slowly, hoping Blake wasn’t getting the wrong impression.

Luke disappeared down the hall. I set my bag down and moved towards Blake with my hand extended to her.

“Let me give you the tour,” I boasted, gripping her hand in mine.

The living room was large, extending the width of the brick ranch. Blake looked around, unwilling to display any signs of her impression.

I guided her to the kitchen, where off to the side, a formal dining room was decorated with roosters and chili peppers, compliments of my mother. The kitchen was huge, offering an island complete with sink and a thick chopping block. It was a gourmet kitchen, one that was designed for a wanna-be chef, which I was not.

“Do you like to cook?” I asked.

Blake rolled her eyes and sighed. “Do you think I’m gonna cook and clean for you?” she chuckled.

“I was hoping,” I smirked, walking her to the back door, a set of French doors I’d installed myself last summer.

The patio was cleaned, the chairs already cushioned, and the in-ground pool cleaned and ready for summer. The house sat on a large lot, a private one, with very few neighbors nearby. I generally preferred to be left alone, but now, that was all about to change.

“I didn’t know you had a pool,” Blake perked up as she pushed through the back door.

“We have a pool,” I corrected her.

She turned towards me with a smile, a warm smile that soothed my soul. Whatever Liam said about the arrangement, however mad he got, that smile made it all worth it.

I watched Blake walk around the yard, stopping at the pool to reach down and run her fingers through the clear blue water. We walked back inside where Luke was already digging in the fridge for a beer.

“You want one?” he offered, holding a bottle towards me.

“Yes,” I agreed, gripping the cold beer in my sweaty palm.

He handed one to Blake, who quickly untwisted the cap and took a long swig. Yeah, she was nervous.

“Let me show you the rest of the house,” I offered, motioning for Blake to follow me as I walked out of the kitchen.

I turned down the wide hallway, stopping at the first door, a bathroom. Blake peeked inside, smiled, and then followed me to the next door.

The office was already furnished with a large wooden desk but lacked any signs of decorations. Blake walked inside, looking out the window that led to the backyard.

“Is this where you work?” she asked.

“I never have. I usually do all my paperwork at the office. You are welcome to make it your own,” I offered.

“That would be great,” she agreed.

I knew she was a freelance writer and that she’d need her own space. I was happy to offer her that and was pleased to see that smile of hers once again.

The next room was empty and quite small. I watched as Blake walked around the room, taking inventory of the space. I assumed this would be her room, at least to sleep, once we got her a bed. But her stuff would have to be in my room, giving the appearance that we were indeed husband and wife when my family was around.

“We’ll get it fixed up,” I noted as she followed me down the hall and towards my bedroom.

Blake walked into the large room, checked out the attached bathroom with the large shower stall and deep soaking tub, and then walked into one of the two large closets. It was obvious she noticed the difference in size between the rooms, and I was quite certain she wasn’t pleased that she was staying in the small room.

“We’ll have to put your stuff in here,” I stated.

She turned towards me, her face wrinkled with disapproval.

“I don’t like the idea of my stuff being in here with you,” she snapped.

“Then you’ll just have to stay in here with me,” I laughed.

I’d known Blake for a long time, and even though things were a little tense between us, awkward even, I knew that wouldn’t last. I doubted that she would ever sleep in the other room at all. I didn’t want to admit it, but I started remembering some of the night before as we drove home from the resort. I remembered her snuggling up to me, pushing her head under my arm, and telling me she loved me. I knew she was drunk, we both were, but it felt good, and we were both comfortable.

“Are you ready to tell Liam?” I asked.

Blake shrugged, her face turning slightly paler than usual. It was obvious she wasn’t sure she was ready, but we couldn’t wait any longer, not if we didn’t want things to be worse.

“I’ll call him,” Luke offered.

I nodded, agreeing that was best. If I called, Liam would know I was hiding something.

Blake walked into the kitchen, grabbed another beer, and then sat at the table.

“You okay?” I asked.

Her face was tight, her lips pursed, and her skin still pale.

“I’m just worried how he’ll react,” she admitted.

I was too, but I didn’t want her to know that.

“It will be fine. Hell, it was Alyssa’s idea, and he agreed,” I assured her.

A faint smile appeared on her face, and she nodded. She’d already told me that he wouldn’t be okay with the idea when his little sister was involved, and I knew she was right, but she didn’t say anything. She just smiled.

I grabbed a beer, sat with her at the table, and listened as Luke made the call. It was obvious Liam was happy to hear from him, and I hoped that would put him in a better mood when he arrived.

Luke hung up the phone, walked into the kitchen, and grabbed a beer.

“He will be here in a few minutes,” Luke said cheerfully, obviously unaware of the tension that was about to erupt.

“Wanna wait on the front porch?” I asked, grabbing three more beers from the fridge.

Luke agreed, grabbing his beer and heading out of the house, while Blake stared up at me with her beautiful blue eyes.

“Might as well get it over with,” I smirked.

“True,” she agreed, offering a fragile smile.

She stood, took the beer from my hand, and pushed into me playfully with her shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her, guided her to the front porch, and took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this either.

Luke lounged on the front porch steps, sipping his beer as he stared down the long drive. I was nervous, anxious about telling Liam the news, unsure how he’d truly react.

Half my beer was gone by the time I noticed Liam’s truck rolling down the dirt path drive towards my house. Dust pushed behind his tires, creating a fog, but not enough that I couldn’t make out Alyssa and Holly inside the cab alongside him.

Liam immediately made his way to Luke, offering him a quick hug while Alyssa helped Holly from the truck onto the gravel below.

“What the hell are you doing in town?” Liam asked Luke, his smile wide and sincere.

“I’m thinking about staying for a while,” he answered, thankfully leaving out the part why he’d come in the first place.

“It’s so good to see you,” Liam said, his eyes drifting over Luke’s shoulder to Blake.

She stood in front of her brother, her heart racing, I knew it. Her hands were trembling, and she didn’t speak as Liam eyed her.

“Blake,” he said softly.

She nodded, her cheeks starting to blush.

“What’s going on?” Liam asked, looking towards me now.

I cleared my throat, not ready to speak yet. I took a step from the porch, standing in front of my friend, my now brother-in-law.

Holly was picking up rocks from the drive, sorting them as if she hunted for treasure. Alyssa stood, silently, watching, waiting for the next move.

“I’ve got some news, we got news,” I stammered.

Liam’s eyes stared into mine, bright blue like his sisters, but filled with curiosity and confusion instead of fear.

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” he asked nervously.

“Luke came into town to be my witness,” I started, clearing my throat again from nerves.

Liam looked more confused than before, tilting his head to the side. “Witness?”

“Blake and I, uh, got married,” I chuckled nervously.

Liam’s eyes grew dark, squinting as if into the sun. I waited nervously for his reaction. It was growing clear with the silence that it wouldn’t be a good one, and as his hand lifted, his fist clenched, and then darted towards my face, it was obvious I was right.

On impact, I stepped back, stumbling on my feet. Liam was much smaller than me, but he carried one hell of a punch. My hand gripped my mouth, holding it in shock as I stabled my stance.

“Liam!” Blake screamed out, but it didn’t appear that Liam heard her cries.

His hand lifted again, and his fist slammed back into my face, this time making contact with my nose.

Blake screamed out again, and this time joined with Alyssa.

“Holly is here,” Alyssa scolded, gripping Liam’s arm and pulling him back.

My knees were wobbly, but I was still standing. My nose burnt, my lips swelled, and a metallic taste filled my mouth.

Luke hadn’t moved. He was still lounging on the porch step, sipping his beer. He didn’t try to intervene, which I appreciated. This was between me and Liam, no one else.

“What the fuck?” Liam shouted, still trying to work his way from Alyssa’s grip.

She jerked him back, whispered something in his ear, and then grabbed Holly’s hand, pulling her into the house.

“Don’t act like you care now, Liam. When I needed you the most, you didn’t care enough to even come home,” Blake snapped, tears in her eyes as she slammed through the front door.

“Look, man, it’s just what Alyssa suggested: a marriage of convenience,” I stammered.

Liam stepped back, his chest lifting and falling quickly as he caught his breath, and tried to piece this all together.

“She wasn’t suggesting you marry my fucking sister,” Liam snarled, looking as if he was ready to throw another punch.

Luke stood up, obviously not willing to allow Liam to make contact one more time with my face. I was thankful he decided to step in finally, worried now that he’d break my nose with one more hit.

“I haven’t touched her. I won’t touch her. It’s just to get my mom and abuela off my back, and that’s it,” I insisted.

Liam’s eyes were still dark, and his hands were clenched into fists by his side. He looked towards Luke as if to ask for permission. Luke shook his head in disapproval, leaving Liam to take another step back.

“It’s just fucked up that you kept this from me,” Liam snapped.

“I’m sorry. Blake didn’t want to tell you until it was done,” I explained.

“Yeah, cause she knew I’d tell her it was a stupid fucking idea,” he growled.

“Probably, but she’s sticking around,” I injected.

Liam unclenched his fist and ran his fingers through the short hairs growing atop his head. It was obvious he wasn’t as angry as he had been, that the shock had worn off, and he was accepting what he couldn’t change. Having Blake stick around was a good thing, regardless of how it was done. It was going to be a good thing for everyone, even Liam.

“You lie to me again—about anything—this friendship is over. You hear me?” Liam warned.

I nodded and didn’t offer any further explanations or apologies. I knew they were unnecessary and would most likely only bring up more anger. I’d lied to him about Holly, and now Blake.  I knew he had a right to be mad, hurt even.

Liam walked up the porch steps and hollered into the house for Alyssa and Blake. When they arrived out the door, he gripped Alyssa’s hand, told her they were leaving, and didn’t say a word to Blake as he lifted Holly into his truck and then drove off.

Luke finished his beer, tossing the empty bottle in the recycle bin on the porch.

“That didn’t go as bad as you thought it would,” Luke chuckled.

“Tell that to my face,” I laughed, spitting out blood onto the gravel.

“It’ll all work out. I’ll stick around a while, but for now, I’m headed to the bed and breakfast where it’s peaceful,” he smiled, turning to Blake to offer a sincere wink with a quick laugh.

I watched him head to his truck, his suitcase already in the back. He honked his horn and waved as he headed up the drive, right through the dust stirred up from Liam’s tires.

It was just me and Blake, alone at the house for the first time. I was exhausted, and just wanted to go to bed, but I wasn’t sure where that would be for the night.

“Let me clean you up,” Blake offered, extending her hand to mine.

I followed her into the house, into the bathroom, and sat on the toilet seat as instructed.

She dug through my closet until she found a first aid kit. I watched her carefully as her delicate hands opened the anesthetic wipes, and then worked on cleaning up the blood under my nose.

“It’s not broken,” she informed, pushing her thumb along the bridge of my nose.

“It feels like it is,” I whined as she shoved gauze up my nostrils and tilted my head back.

I let her play doctor, fixing me up until she was satisfied. Her eyes were heavy, and it was obvious that she, too, was tired.

“You ready for bed?” I asked sweetly.

“I, uh, yes, but,” she stammered.

“I’ll sleep on the couch tonight,” I offered, dreading a night of the stiff piece of furniture my mom chose for the living room.

“No,” she sighed, and then paused as she stared towards the bedroom.

“It’s okay,” I insisted.

“No, it isn’t. We can sleep in the room together, but only because we don’t have a bed yet for the other room,” she explained.

That sounded perfect to me. All I wanted was to climb into my soft bed, the one thing in the house that I’d selected myself. I would keep my hands to myself and make sure that Blake felt comfortable lying beside me for the night. In the morning, we’d start working on finding a bed for the other room, if that’s what she still wanted.