New Beginnings (4 page)

Mike looked down at the rings. They were all shiny, big, and expensive. But that wasn’t a problem for the Prestons.  “What do you think?”

“What does she like?” I asked.

“I don’t know. She’s not picky.”

“Then get her something simple. Scarlet’s ring is pretty ordinary, but that’s what she wanted. If I got her a huge rock, she’d chuck it at my head then reject my proposal.

“How romantic,” he said sarcastically. “I hope Cassandra and I are as happy as you someday.”

“Let’s see if she even says yes first,” I teased.

“If we weren’t in the store right now, I’d punch you.”

“And I’d punch you back.”

He shook
his head then looked at the rings again. “How about that one?” He pointed to one in the corner.

“It’s nice,” I said. “But
how about that one? It doesn’t have diamonds in the band, but it is a princess cut.”

“Princess cut?” Mike asked.

“It’s what Scarlet has.”

He clearly knew nothing about rings. “I just want something nice.”

“I can help with that.” The sales associate came to us. She was blonde and young. “What does your girlfriend like?”

“She’s pretty simple,” Mike said.

She opened the case and took out a few. “This is really popular right now. It has two rings, one with diamonds in the band and one with just the ring.”

He shook his head. “That’s too much bling for her.”

“Bling?” I asked with a laugh.

He ignored me. “What do you recommend?”

She pulled out a plain band with a single diamond in the center. “This diamond isn’t huge by any means, but it’s of the highest clarity and it’s an exceptionally rare diamond. That’s why the price is so high. It’s clean and sleek, so it’s simple but nice at the same time. One look at that diamond and all her friends will know how expensive the ring was—if you’re looking to pay that much.”

Mike picked up the ring and inspected it. Rainbows flashed in my eyes every time it moved. It definitely was high clarity. “How much?” I asked.

“Thirteen thousand.”

Pocket change.

Mike stared at it for a long time. “I’ll take it.”

Her eyes widened slightly but then her reaction faded. “Excellent choice, sir. Ring size?”

“Umm…” He looked to me for help.

“Scarlet and Cassandra are about the same size, so I would go with a size six.”

“Okay,” she said. “Anything else?”

“Yeah. Can you engrave it?” Mike asked.

“Sure. What do you want it to say?”

Mike blurted out a date.

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s special about that day?”

“It’s the day I fell in love with her—the day I met her.”

I smiled. “That’s awesome but you’re still a pussy.”

He smiled. “I don’t care. I love being a pussy.”

The woman looked uncomfortable by our choice of words. “After you purchase it, you can pick it up tomorrow.”

“Can you take care of that
for me?” Mike asked.  “I don’t want her to suspect anything.”

“Of course.”

Mike paid with a credit card and we walked back to the car.

I suddenly realized something. “Why didn’t you want to bring Scarlet? I thought you turned to her for everything? She would have been perfect for this.” I wasn’t offended he preferred my wife over me. I let it go a long time ago.

“You’re my brother. I wanted it to be you.” He gave me a serious look then started the car.

My heart squeezed at his words. The last time we got mushy-mushy was when he protected Scarlet and risked his own life to keep her safe. Everything that he did to me in the past was forgotten. And now he did it again. “That means a lot to me.”

“I know I act like I hate you all the time, but actually, I…I love you. Most of the time.”

“I love you too.” I clapped his shoulder. “And congratulations.”

“Thank you. Now Cassandra and I will be two idiots in love just like you and Scar.”

“The four of us are a recipe for disaster.”

“You can say that again.”

Scarlet had dinner on the table when I got home. “What did Mike want you for?”

My dad was sitting at the table, and he looked at me as he waited for a response.

Mike didn’t tell me to keep it a secret, but he didn’t even know Mike and Cassandra were back together. I assumed Mike wanted to break the news to him. “He wanted me to help him pick out new rims for his car.”

“Didn’t he just get new ones?” my dad asked.

I shrugged. “You know Mike. He’s always changing his mind.” I grabbed Scarlet’s waist and gave her a kiss. “I like your apron.”

She smirked then glanced down. “You like catfish?”

“I like you.”

“I think she looks cute in it,” my dad said.

“She looks cute in anything,” I said.

We sat down together and ate quietly.

“Dad, I have good news.” I inhaled my spaghetti then wiped my face with a napkin.

“Oh?” He sipped his wine.

“Mike and Cassandra got back together.”

He didn
’t react for a moment then a wide grin stretched on his face. A beacon shined in his eyes. “That’s…absolutely wonderful. I’m so glad to hear that.” I could tell my dad was genuinely happy. “I knew it would work out.”

“He seems pretty happy,” Scarlet said.

‘This is great.” My dad finished the rest of his spaghetti, still nodding. “Really. That girl made him more into a man than I ever did.”

“That’s probably because she has tits and a pussy,” I said.

He shook his head. “I’m too happy to berate you for the language. Mike deserves to be happy. I’m glad those two found their way back to each other. How did it happen?”

“Actually,” Scarlet said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk to him.”

“And I don’t suspect we will for a while,” I said with a grin.

“I’m staying away from his apartment…” My dad cringed and smiled at the same time.

We fell into a comfortable silence. Scarlet nibbled on the garlic bread and my dad had another glass of wine. Ever since I was little, my dad had two glasses every night. That never changed.

“Your wife and I had a talk the other day,” he said while he swirled the wine in his glass.

“She’s taken, Dad.”

He smirked. “She invited me to stay here permanently. And I’m considering extending my stay for a while, maybe a year, unless you aren’t okay with it.”

“Okay with it?” I asked incredulously. “Dad, you can stay as long as you want. We both love having you here.”

“That’s very generous of you,” he said.

“You don’t even need to ask. This is your home, man.”

His cheeks tinted. “Thanks.”

“Besides, I like knowing Scarlet isn’t alone on most days. You can keep an eye on her.”

“Keep an eye on me?” she asked with irritation.

“You know what I mean,” I said. “Like, go to the store with her and stuff like that.”

“You want me to babysit your wife?” he asked with a laugh.

This was going south. “Dad, I want you here as long as you want to be. We both love you, and not just because you help Scarlet. Stay as long as you want. But I do expect you to babysit on Friday night so I can take my wife on a date.”

“Babysit?” he asked. “I’m going to be partying, man.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

I laughed. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

We finished dinner and I helped Scarlet with the dishes. We did everything as a team, even housework. That was my motto. The last thing I wanted was to alienate her to do wifely chores, like that was her role. I knew she was a feminist.

We sat together on the couch and watched a movie. Scarlet cuddled in my side and rested her head on my chest. I used to party all the time, even a Tuesday, but this was so much better, hands down. I didn’t realize cuddling with a wife under a blanket could be so thrilling.

My dad fell asleep
on the couch, snoring in front of the TV.

“I’ll get him to bed,” I said.

She moved off me and kept watching TV.

I shook my dad. “Pops, time for bed.”

He stopped snoring and opened his eyes. “Sorry. Pasta puts me to sleep.”

“It’s okay. I just don’t want you to hurt your back.”

He yawned. “I’m going upstairs.”

“Good night.”

My dad moved like a sloth up the stairway. I came back to Scarlet then ran my fingers through her hair.

“What were you really doing with Mike?” she asked.

I smiled. “How’d you know I was lying?”

“I know when you lie, Sean.”

“But I never lie.”

“That’s exactly why.”

My hand rested on her neck. “I picked out an engagement ring with him.”

“Are you shitting me?” She sat up, eyes wide.

“Nope. He had it engraved and everything.”

“Wow…that was quick.”

“I said the same thing but he sounded sure.”

She smiled. “That’s great. Mike deserves his happily ever after.”

“Yes, he does.”

“That was really sweet that he took you.”

I felt the emotion in my throat. “It was.”

“He’ll turn to me for certain things, but I’ll never beat you, Sean. You’re his brother.”

“I guess he does love me after all,” I said quietly.

She kissed my cheek. “He adores you.”

I shrugged. “He’s alright…”

She snuggled into me again.

“There’s something I need to tell you but I didn’t have a chance.”

“What?” she whispered.

“I arranged a lunch date with my parents but my dad wasn’t interested in something more.”

“I’m sorry, Sean.”

“But my mom told me something…”

“What?”

“She went to the doctor and found out she had a brain tumor. It’s benign and not cancerous but it was the culprit for her mood swings and anger. She’s on medication now. That’s why she’s been so different.”

Scarlet sat up again. “Is she going to be okay?”

“She’s fine. It’s nothing to worry about.”

She slapped her forehead. “Everything makes sense now.”

“It does,” I said. “Now I feel guilty for yelling at her so many times.”

“It’s not your fault, Sean. No one would have known that.”

“I guess.”

“Does your dad know? That would change everything. He would go back to her right now.”

I sighed. “She doesn’t want him to know. He isn’t in love with her anymore and she wants to win him back on her own. She says she doesn’t want him out of obligation.”

“But…I’m sure Andrew still loves her.”

“I know he does. But my mom doesn’t think so.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

I shook my head. “It’s not my secret to tell.”

“Well, what if they never get back together? He’ll never know.”

“In that case, I’ll tell him. But I’m going to give her a chance first.”

Scarlet processed what I said for a long time and I did the same. A lot of things were
changing and they were changing fast. She and I were the only thing that was unaffected.

3

Hazel

When I saw a cockroach the size of my hand in the bathroom, I screamed and ran out. I locked the door behind me then put a chair in front of it just so the killer couldn’t get to me. Then I stuffed a towel under the door so he wouldn’t be able to fit his fat body through the cracks.

“Eww. Eww. Eww!” I paced in a circle, unable to think about the disgusting parasite in the corner of my bathroom. “So gross!” I didn’t want to touch that thing. But I just woke up and now I really had to pee. I hopped on my feet, knowing I had to kill the cockroach in order to use the bowl. We were going to battle, and the urinal was the prize.

But I couldn’t do it. Bugs grossed me out. Anything with more than two legs needed to stay away from me. But I didn’t know what to do. It was nine in the morning on Sunday. I didn’t want to bother any of my neighbors. Actually, I was pretty certain my closest neighbor grew weed on the roof. That wasn’t a good idea.

I decided to turn to Flynn. I thought about calling him
but I didn’t want to wait in the apartment when only a door was separating me from that…thing. So I just went to his apartment.

I knew I look
ed like hell because I didn’t have a chance to brush my hair or wash my face. Oh well, Flynn had seen me like this before. And I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t do this, I’d be killed.

When I knocked on the door, I heard voices. I was surprised he had company this early in the morning on a weekend. The door opened and I was face to face with
a pretty brunette. She was a little older than me, maybe a few years, and her hair was styled perfectly. She had more curves than I did, but then again, who didn’t?

The first thing I did was panic. Why the hell was this girl at Flynn’s this early in the morning? Why was she so pretty? He didn’t have a sister, so they weren’t related. I immediately feared the worst. He betrayed me. He’s a dog just like all the others.

But this is Flynn. He’s different. I forced myself to remain calm and rational. There was an explanation for this. This girl was at his apartment on Sunday morning for a very real reason…she didn’t sleep here.

“Did you hear me?” she said.

I zoned out for a second. “Hi…”

“Um…can I help you?”

“Flynn…I’m looking for Flynn.”

“He’s in the bathroom.”

“Oh.” I tried not to cry. That tended to be my initial reaction for everything.

“Do you want to wait outside…?”

“Yeah,” I said immediately.

“Okay.” She walked away from the door and sat on his couch.

Flynn came back into the living room.

“Some girl is here to see you,” she said indifferently.

“Who?” he asked.

“I didn’t ask.”

I was liking this less and less.

He came to the door and his eyes widened when he saw me. “Hazel? What are you doing here?”

A smartass comment came to mind but I didn’t say it. “I needed your help with something.”

“Are you okay?” he asked immediately.

“Yeah, I think so.” I eyed the girl on the couch. “Who’s your friend?”

“Oh.” He glanced at the girl then turned back to me. “Come in and I’ll introduce you.”

Introduce me?

He led me to her. “
Paula, this is my girlfriend, Hazel.”

She extended her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Girlfriend?
He introduced me as his girlfriend. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Paula is an executive producer for HBO. I was pitching my story to her.” Judging the distressed look on his face, I knew he felt rushed to explain just exactly who she was and her platonic purpose. “We were both busy this week so Sunday was the only suitable day.”

Hallelujah.

Paula grabbed her purse. “I need to run. But I’ll think this over.” She held the manuscript under her arm.

“Sounds good. I’ll walk you out.”

“It was nice meeting you, Hazel.”

“You too,” I said quietly.

Flynn said goodbye then shut the door. He eyed me cautiously as he came back to me. “So, what’s going on?”

I completely forgot about the cockroach. “Oh yeah. Um, I need your help.”

“With what?”

I realized how stupid it was in light of what he was just doing, pitching his script to be made into a film. I was worried about a mutant cockroach making a home out of my bathroom. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“You came all the way over here. It must have been something.” He waited for me to tell him.

“It’s…a cockroach.”

He smirked. “A cockroach?”

“It’s in my bathroom and it’s hogging the toilet. This thing is the size of my head. I’m not kidding.” The fear started to come back. “When I walked in there it tried to kill me.”

His eyes lit up in mirth. “And you need me to come to the rescue?”

“I feel bad asking you to risk your life, but I can’t afford an exterminator.”

“Risk my life?” He chuckled.

“You don’t understand how big this sucker is.”

His eyes softened when he looked at me. “You’re so cute.”

“Cute?”

“Yeah. You’re scared of a bug?”

“This thing is not a bug,” I said quickly. “It’s baby Godzilla.”

He laughed again. “Now I have to see this thing.”

“Do you have a gun?”

He laughed a third time. “You’re making my sto
mach hurt, Hazel. Stop making me laugh.”

“I’m being serious.”

“I’m sure my foot will suffice.”

“So you’ll help me?”

“Yeah,” he said as he chuckled. “I can take care of it.”

“I’m sorry to bother you. I didn’t mean to just stop by…”

His hands moved to my hips. “You don’t need to apologize. You’re welcome here anytime.”

I still felt like I was intruding. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your…meeting.”

His face moved close to mine. “Thank you for not assuming the worst. It means a lot to me that you trust me. I realize that didn’t look good at first.”

“I trust you more than anyone.”

He kissed my forehead. “I’m glad we’ve made so much progress.” He grabbed his keys and wallet. “Let’s kill this thing.”

We left his apartment then walked to mine. When we reached the door, I stopped him.

“Are you ready?”

He didn’t justify that with a response. He just rolled his eyes.

I unlocked the door and we got inside.

Flynn moved to the bathroom and stopped when he saw the chair and table in the way. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Really?” I could tell he was amused.

“I didn’t want him to get out!”

He smirked then moved the furniture away. Then he pulled out the towel. “Why is this here?”

“So he can’t crawl under the door.”

“But you said he’s the size of your head.”

“Well, maybe he can flatten himself or something.”

He shook his head. “You are something else…” He unlocked the door then opened it.

I jumped on the couch then held my hands to my chest. “Kill it. Kill it.”

Flynn disappeared into the bathroom. “It’s so small I can barely see it, Hazel.”

“Just kill it!”

“Done.” I heard the toilet flush.

I released the breath from my lungs and relaxed.

He came out, amusement on his face. “I thought you were a badass that jumped your coworker, but when a little bug comes to town, you tuck your tail between your legs and take off.”

“Not the same thing.” I moved to the ground and finally felt the fear disappear. “Thanks for doing that. You’re my hero.”

He smiled. “Thanks for asking me.” He sat on the couch.

I eyed the bathroom.

“Hazel, I got him.”

“But I still remember it…”

He rolled his eyes. “Does that happen often?”

“They are everywhere.” My body twitched in disgust.

“And what do you do then?”

“I either put a jar over them and wait for them to die or ask Cortland to kill them.”

“A
jar?” he asked. “Wouldn’t that take weeks for them to die?”

“Unfortunately…”

“And what does Cortland do?”

“I don’t look.”

“And why didn’t you ask me instead of him?” He studied my face.

“I don’t know…you’re my boyfriend. I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s more than okay, “he said. “I would have been offended if you didn’t.”

I suddenly remembered I looked like hell inhaled me then spat me out. My appearance must have been hideous, disgusting.

Flynn eyed me. “You look beautiful first thing in the morning.”

“Is that a joke?” I blurted.

“No.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. “Not at all. In fact, I should be rewarded for coming to your aid...”

“I knew you didn’t help me out of the goodness of your heart…”

“I always have one thing on my mind.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The look in his eyes made me fidget in place. He was so handsome, it hurt. Sometimes I couldn’t understand why he wanted me.

Flynn pulled me on to his lap as he leaned back against the couch. His hands moved under my shirt and up my back, feeling my bare skin. He dug his fingers into me, making my muscles tense.

I gripped his shoulders then pressed my mouth to his. His hips automatically rocked up as our lips touched. He was an amazing kisser. I was glad I got to reap all the benefits of his talent.

He pulled my shirt off then snapped my bra. It happened quicker than I could see. Flynn was a pro at undressing me. I wanted to see his naked chest so I peeled his shirt away. My hands automatically moved to his chest, fee
ling the hard muscle underneath. I loved his lean and toned body. He was perfect.

He unbuttoned his jeans underneath me then kicked them off. I grabbed his boxers and yanked them off. His hard cock popped out then leaned against his stomach. It was long and thick. Sometimes I couldn’t believe it fit inside me.

The heat burned in his eyes and his fingers went to my jeans. He yanked them off and pulled me forward so he could get them off my ass. Together, we got them off. Then he fingered my thong, his fingers moving to the front where he rubbed my clitoris through the cotton.

He didn’t kiss me. Instead, he stared up at me while he touched me, getting harder by watching me. His fingers were a godsend. Even separated by fabric, he touched me in just the right way, making me quiver and moan. I was already wet but
now I was soaked. When his breathing increased a notch, he gripped the string and yanked them off. I sat on his lap, his cock between my folds.

I’ve never been on top before. I was always too scared to do it with Kyle. And the one time I did, he got limp. He was always impatient in the bedroom. I think my lack of spontaneity led him to cheat on me and find someone else. Ever since, I felt even more self-conscious about it. I knew I was bad in bed. “I don’t know how…”

Flynn didn’t seem irritated. “I’ll show you.”

“But I suck at it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re a gorgeous woman sitting on my cock. You could be terrible and it would still feel good.” He gripped my hips then lifted me. He adjusted his hips then moved his tip to my entrance. I grabbed his shoulders because I didn’t know what else to do.

He lowered me slowly, stretching me with his thickness. It felt so good. I moaned immediately when he was completely inside.

He moaned loudly. “You feel so good. Every time.”

I pressed my head
to his, knowing my small breasts were in his face. I was self-conscious about those too.

Flynn sucked each nipple then kissed the barely physical valley between them. “I love your body.”

I didn’t argue with him. His cock felt too good to think of anything else.

He guided my hips up and down, showing me how to sheathe his cock over and ov
er. Every time he moved inside me, felt even better than before. My hands dug into his shoulders and I gasped every few seconds.

“Fuck, this is hot,” he said. “Don’t make me come too quickly.”

I had no control over that. After I bounced up and down for a minute, he slowly released his hands, letting me go on my own. His hands moved to my breasts and he squeezed them both as I rode his cock. His breathing was heavy and he didn’t look like he would last long.

He grabbed my hips again then guided me to pop my ass repeatedly, taking him in a different way. “Hmm…” One hand moved to my neck and he squeezed me gently. “Fuck.”

Seeing how turned on he was by me excited me in a way I didn’t understand. The confidence allowed me to move harder and faster. I sheathed him far and whimpered because it felt so damn amazing. When the pleasure started in my center, I bounced on him harder, wanting more of him. “Flynn…” I exploded, my nails digging into his skin. “Oh god…”