Chapter Sixteen

Blake

Hadley Jacobs had to be the most infuriating woman on the face of the planet. One minute we were laughing and having a great time and the next she was ice fucking cold. I shouldn’t have teased her about the noise, but honestly, it was too funny not to. Of course, she didn’t belch. I’m pretty sure she didn’t even know how to. As my grandfather used to say, that woman was wound tighter than a two-dollar watch.

Hadley wasn’t the only source of my frustration, though. After last night, Sazerac’s was minus a piano player. While Hadley was upstairs getting cleaned up this morning, I gave Saul a quick call, thinking that I could convince him to at least stay until we had someone else lined up. It was a firm no. Damn Patrice! Had I known she was so high maintenance, I would never have hired her.

“Isn’t this your day off?” Elaine, one of the hotel managers, called out as I passed by the front desk.

“I wish!” I returned as I continued my path down the hall. I enjoyed quiet Sundays. It was then that I got several hours of uninterrupted work accomplished. My phone dinged with a text message as I entered the bar. Hoping it was Hadley, I fished it from my back pocket and read the screen. It was Zane, telling me to call him. Dialing his number, I lifted the phone to my ear and waited for him to answer.

Instead of hello, he said, “You can thank me now, because I’ve found the perfect solution.” The pressure that had been building since Saul had declined my earlier offer, slightly lifted.

Shifting the phone to my other ear so I could unlock the office door, I said, “Give it to me.”

“I spoke with Dillon this morning and he put me in touch with Grant Hardy.”

“I’m surprised Dillon is speaking to you after you stole Lena from him, and why does that name sound familiar?” I asked.

“Dillon understands the difference between business and friendship and does the name Meltdown ring a bell?” That’s it. Grant Hardy was the lead singer for Meltdown. Holy fuck! Zane was pulling out the big guns.

“Damn, I’m impressed. Go on,” I encouraged.

“As it turns out, Grant’s wife is pregnant, so the band is on an extended leave.”

“You got Evan Walker to play for us!” I shouted, excitement bolting through me. Evan had recently joined the band, and in my opinion, made them a million times better than when Luke Brose played for them.

“No, but Evan contacted a buddy of his on our behalf. Are you sitting down?” he asked, excitement tinging his every word.

I plopped onto my desk chair. “I am now. Hit me with it.”

“His buddy is none other than Ashe Gibson.” I broke into excited laughter.

“You’re shitting me!” Several years back, Ashe Gibson played for a band called Fubar. The band broke up, but the guy was a legend on the keys. “What the hell did you offer him, your first born?”

“Let’s just say it’ll be tight for the next few months,” he responded, still laughing. I didn’t care. This was amazing news. And then I remembered Patrice.

“Shit. Have you spoken to Patrice, yet?”

“Nope, I’m leaving that to you.” My mood slightly dimmed at the thought of Patrice running someone like Ashe off. Even without Patrice, the guy would make us a fortune. I’d just have to make sure that didn’t happen.

“When does he start?”

“He’s flying in tomorrow. He’s agreed to a trial run. If he likes it, I’m considering offering him an apartment in Riverbend. For now, he’ll have to settle with a suite at The Mitchell.” Hadley popped into my head. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of Ashe living so close to her. Of course, I didn’t tell Zane this, but I sure as hell thought it.

Around five, I called it a day. Before locking up, I checked my emails. My breath seized in my chest when I noticed an email from the doctor’s office, instructing me to view my patient portal. This was it, the moment I’d been waiting for.

“Shiiiiiit,” I whispered, on a long, scared-as-hell breath. I knew what it would say, but I needed to see it with my own two eyes. Placing the curser on the link, I clicked on it. My fingers fumbled over the keyboard as I typed in my password and hit send. The portal opened. I clicked on the file marked “Test Results” and waited for it to open. Slowly, I scanned the document. At the bottom was a percent symbol. Sitting next to it in bold was the number 99.9.

Shoving the laptop back a few inches, I lowered my head to the desk and practiced deep breathing. In and out. Holy shit. I was going to be a dad. There was so much to think about, so much to do, but first I needed to tell Hadley. I thought about calling her and decided it would be better done in person.

Riverbend was older than dirt, which is probably why it had so much character. It was also the only thing of Zane’s father’s that his mother didn’t sell off, but only because she needed a place to stay. Suffice it to say I hated Zane’s mom and was perfectly happy she was no longer alive. Tenants came and went. Some of them, like Miss Weston and Mr. Burns, had become permanent fixtures along the way. Zane complained about them, but I knew the truth. When he needed a family the most, he’d discovered he had one in this eclectic group of people.

I pulled into the front drive to discover Zane’s car gone and his parking space empty. “You snooze, you lose,” I murmured with a snicker as I parked in his spot.

The first thing I noticed when I stepped into the foyer was the noise. Normally this place was as quiet as a tomb. Taking the stairs two at a time, I stepped into the upstairs hallway and stopped. What the hell? The hall was full of people and all of the apartment doors were standing wide open.

“Blake, my man!” someone called out. I turned to find Rich bearing down on me. Rich and Dani Brass moved into Riverbend right after Zane’s mother died and he moved back to the States to take possession of the place. I’d known them for a few years, now. Rich helped Cat when necessary and she and Dani had become good friends in the process. I waited for him to approach before asking what was going on. “It’s a pub crawl,” he answered, as if stating the obvious.

“A pub crawl,” I repeated.

“Yeah, isn’t it great? Maureen set the whole thing up. Each apartment has a different alcohol and hordiervre station.” Leaning forward, he whispered, “I’d stay away from Apartment E. He’s wearing a kilt and claims he’s serving mead, but it tastes more like piss. Also, his food smells like rotten fart bombs.”

“Who’s Maureen?” I asked, thinking that I should probably correct his mispronunciation of hors d’oeuvres.

“You know the new girl, Hadley? Of course, you do,” he chuckled, ramming his elbow into my ribs. “I remember you two making goo-goo eyes at each other during the wedding. Maureen’s Hadley’s mom. She and the sister, Tilly, or is it Telly? I forget, but they put it together this morning.” Shit! I should have walked Hadley to the door. Instead, I’d taken off and left her to this.

“Thanks Rich.” Before he could respond, I took off down the hall in the direction of Hadley’s apartment.

I found Hadley sitting in the middle of her sofa eating what appeared to be a giant bowl of Mac & Cheese. Surrounding her was Miss Weston, a woman I’d never seen before, and her mother. Miss Weston and her mother were dancing to Latino music and just so happened to be wearing matching shot glass togas.

“Blaze! You made it!” Tilly shrieked from across the room. When all eyes swiveled to me, I realized she was speaking to me. She was also staggering drunk.

“I’m pretty sure it’s Blake,” the woman next to her corrected.

“That’s what I said,” she drunkenly responded.

My eyes dropped to Hadley, who was watching her sister with a look in her eyes I couldn’t quite decipher. When her gaze shifted back to me, I asked, “You got any room on that sofa for me?”

“I don’t know, Blaze. Are you going to be nice to me?” she asked. If I wasn’t in a roomful of people, I would kiss the smirk from her face.

Instead, I gave her a smile. “I suppose I can do that,” I nonchalantly responded.

“Then by all means, please take a seat.” She scooted over and I plopped down beside her.

“Aren’t they just the cutest?” Hadley’s mother sighed.

Ignoring her mother’s comment, Hadley held up a spoonful of Mac & Cheese. “Want some?” she asked. Just to be polite, I let her push it into my mouth. My taste buds literally exploded.

“Holy shit! Did you make this?” I asked once I’d swallowed it down.

A wary look appeared on her face. “Yes. Do you like it?”

“Hell yes. Give me more, woman.” She giggled and spooned more inside my mouth. After a few more bites, I told her I was sorry about this afternoon.

“Don’t be. I got mad at Mom, locked myself in my room, and managed to take a three-hour nap.” Her confession and the matter-of-fact way in which she delivered it, was both refreshing and funny.

I glanced around the room, which thankfully had thinned out, and asked, “So, which pub is this?”

“Tequilas and tacos,” she answered through a mouthful of noodles. She held up the bowl and smiled. “I didn’t want tacos.”

“I bet Maureen loved that,” I muttered.

“Yeah, well, Maureen’s on my shit list right now.”

“I heard that!” Maureen shrieked from across the room.

“Good!” Hadley screamed back.

“Hey.” Her brown eyes shifted to me. “Can I...uh...speak to you privately?” She sized me up for a minute before nodding her head in consent.

Dropping the coveted bowl of noodles on the coffee table, she said, “We can hang in my room.”

As if sensing our pending escape, Tilly shouted, “Where you goin’ Blaze?”

“It’s Blake!” Hadley shrieked at her.

“God, you’re acting like such a hormonal brat! Hopefully Blaze will screw the nice back into you!” Tilly shouted back at her.

Without another word, Hadley grabbed my hand and jerked me into her bedroom. Once there, she locked the door and collapsed onto her bed with a loud huff. “I really hate them sometimes.” Hadley’s mother and sister seemed to be incredibly selfish women. It was hard to believe she was related to them.

“You want me to get rid of them? Say the word and I’ll have Zane put them up in a room at The Mitchell.” Her eyes softened and her lips turned up into a smile. She was so damn beautiful, but especially when she smiled.

“Naw, it’s all good. Now, what’d you want to chat about?” As I lowered myself onto the bed next to her, I thought about how to tell her and decided to just go for it.

“I got the paternity results back and...well...it looks as if we’re having a baby.”

Her smile widened. “And, how do you feel about that?” she asked.

I toed off my shoes and lay down beside her. “I don’t know. I have no idea how to be a father. I didn’t exactly have one growing up. If you want me to be truthful—” I paused for a second to gather my thoughts.”

“Always,” she replied.

“It kind of scares the shit out of me.”

For the longest time, she didn’t speak. I was beginning to worry I’d stuck my foot in it again, when she said, “If you’ll notice, standing in the room out there is a woman wearing a shot glass kimono. That was my role model growing up.” Her head turned and her caramel gaze seared through me. “You’re a good man. I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll be a wonderful father, Blake Moreno,” she whispered. This amazing woman had just handed me a gift and she didn’t even know it. As a thank you, I leaned over and kissed her. She tasted like Mac & Cheese...and Hadley. She was carrying my child, but that wasn’t the only thing she held in the palm of her hand. She also had my heart. Her lips parted beneath mine and I deepened the kiss. We both groaned. It felt like ages since we’d been together. As much as I’d tried to forget, I couldn’t. Now, I didn’t want to. I wanted to relive it over and over again.

Taking her hands in mine, I rolled onto my back and pulled her up to where she was straddling my thighs. Even though she was wearing sweatpants, I could feel the heat of her pussy burning a hole through the front of my pants. It would take two seconds for me to unzip my fly and bury myself inside her. As good as that sounded, I wanted more. I wanted her naked and begging for it. I wanted to taste every inch of her, to mark her as mine. I wasn’t a possessive man...until now...until this woman.

“Don’t move,” Hadley ordered. Why? I thought. My question was answered when she grasped the bottom of her shirt and jerked it over her head. Her perfect tits were encased in a black, lace bra. My cock strained against my zipper as I drew my eyes down to her belly. My child is in there. My child. The knowledge of this was a fucking turn on and only heightened the instinct to make her mine.

Dropping my head to the pillow, I closed my eyes and groaned, “You’re fucking killing me, baby.” I felt her weight lift and jerked my head back up to see what the little minx was up to. Holy shit, she was stripping off her sweatpants. I immediately zeroed in on her pink silk panties. Yes! This was so going to happen. And then it came. A fucking knock at the door. Hadley froze, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Hadleeeeeey!” her mom called out. “You have company!”

Hadley’s eyes darted to mine and I mouthed, “You’re sleeping.”

“Tell them I’m sleeping!” she called back.

“It’s Zane and Cathryn!” her mother responded.

“Fuuuuuck,” I said, dropping my head back onto the pillow.

“We’ll be right out!” Hadley told her mother. As I watched her get dressed, I willed my poor, tortured cock to go down.

Once she was put back together, she turned to me and teased, “Come on Blaze. Apparently, we’ve got people to see.”

“Fine, but tonight you’re in my bed, and stop calling me Blaze or I’m going to start calling you Gold Digger,” I warned as I opened the door. She passed by me and strode out the door, leaving a trail of laughter in her wake, and I couldn’t help but smile. I was fucking crazy about this woman.