Thrasher (9 page)

Mikey piped again. “Nothing, we haven’t been drinking at all, ma’am.”

I knew better than to believe them, so I continued. “So if I got on your boat, I wouldn’t find any empty beer bottles or smell alcohol on any of your breath?” I asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

And that’s when Angela Henderson, the current valedictorian of our senior class, broke down in tears. “Yes! We’ve all been drinking. There are beer bottles everywhere. Please, Miss Hamilton, please don’t call the coast guard. I promise we’ll go straight home.”

The rest of the kids groaned, obviously knowing they’d been busted.

“You’re right,” I said sternly. “You’ll go straight home because we are going to see to it that you get there safely.” I glanced over to Tripp. “Your turn to play captain.”

He stood and hopped onto their boat. “My pleasure. Which way are we headed?” he asked the kids, and Angela stood, pointing in the direction of her residence.

Once we’d delivered them all safely back to her house, I made all of them line up on the dock as I began to lecture them. “I know senior year is all about having a good time, but for God’s sake, guys, don’t be stupid. You all have bright futures ahead of you, and one mistake could ruin that in an instant. Just imagine what could have happened had I not been the one to find you all. What if it’d been the actual coast guard who’d pulled you over? You’d all be in a heap of shit right now. I understand you’re going to drink. That’s fine. We all do. But don’t be stupid about it. Stay at home. Have a good time. Don’t be an idiot and get behind the wheel of a vehicle. You could end up killing yourself — or worse, someone else.”

Positive they’d learned their lesson, or at least been scared shitless for the time being, I turned to Duke. “I think it’s time to call it a night.”

He started the engine and made his way back toward my parents’ house while Tripp went on and on the entire way back about what a nice boat those kids had and how he was going to look into buying one for himself.

I walked Megan and Tripp around to the front yard while Duke got everything squared away on the docks. “Thanks for coming over tonight. It’s been fun. Megan, I’ll see you at school on Monday, and Tripp, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon as well.” I hugged them both before they made their way toward the car to leave.

When I got inside, Duke was sitting on the couch with the TV turned on, watching Fox News. I rolled over the back of the couch next to him and rested my head in his lap. His hand instantly began to rub my head as I snuggled up and closed my eyes. I lay there in silence for a few minutes, and then he asked me a question completely out of left field.

“If those were our kids, would you have wanted their teacher to reach out to us and let us know what’d happened, or would you have wanted her to handle it like you did.”

I opened my eyes and sat up, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “First off, our kids are going to be perfect angels, so we won’t have to worry about them ever drinking underage and pulling a stupid stunt like that.”

He laughed, amused at my statement.

“But, if for some insane reason, they lost their mind for a split second and acted like that, I would hope that their teacher would use her best judgment and do what she felt to be right.”

“So you wouldn’t want to know about it?” he probed.

I shook my head. “If they were younger, I’d definitely want to know, but those were all of my seniors, good students. Most of them are getting ready to turn eighteen and head off to college in a few short months. Things like this are going to happen, and my hope is that I have made a big enough impact in their life that when I ask them to do something, they do it. I could go into school on Monday, tell the principal, and call all their parents, but what good would that do for any of them? I don’t condone what they did. It was reckless and dangerous, but I don’t think they should be lined up before the firing squad on their first offense. Now you can bet your sweet ass I will rat all of them out if I catch them again, because now they’ve been warned, and they should know better.”

I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t necessarily agree with me, but that was how he was. Duke was by the book with everything he did, everything except me. With me, it was like he did his best to relax and not take things so seriously.

Still reeling from his question regarding
our
children, I figured I’d try to keep him on the subject. “So, do you want to have children one day?”

He stretched his arms and locked his fingers behind his head, his taut muscles flexing. “One day, not any time soon though.”

Butterflies began to flutter in my stomach, and I tried my best to hide the smile that was forcing itself onto my face. “How many?” I continued.

Duke inhaled and let out a big breath of air. “Seven or eight, maybe more.”

My hands flew to my mouth, trying to hide the horror on my face. “Eight kids!” I shouted, utterly shocked by his answer.

His lips curled up, and he reached over to me and forced my body up against his. His arm slung tightly around my hip. “I’m kidding. I’d never be able to handle eight kids, at least I don’t think I would. I guess I’ll have to see if that day ever comes. I was an only child, so I never got to experience what siblings were like until I joined the Marine Corps and instantly had tons of brothers. I think it’d be more fun having someone to grow up with, so maybe two or three kids. I guess that’ll be up to my future wife.”

I pushed up on my knees, hopped on top of Duke’s lap, and straddled him. “Well, if I happen to be your future wife, then those numbers sound perfect to me. I loved having an older brother growing up, and I definitely want my children to have siblings. It just makes life more fun. Besides, it’s like having an instant friend who will always be there for you.”

Duke nodded. “Unless they don’t get along. Then it’s a natural-born enemy.”

I nodded my head and leaned in to kiss his lips. His sweet breath caressed my face before I demanded his lips give me their undivided attention. His strong hands gripped hard at my hips, pulling my body closer against him, molding us together as one. Duke tugged at my bottom lip with his teeth, and a slight moan escaped from deep within. My body was sensitive to his every touch and well aware of what was about to happen next as my insides began to tighten in anticipation.

I reached for the buckle of Duke’s pants when the sound of the front door swung open. “Hello! Anyone home?” A familiar yell came from within the foyer, and I jumped off Duke’s lap. “Oh my gosh, it’s my brother. Hurry, get up. He will kill you if he sees us in here like this.”

Duke pointed to his pants. “And what exactly do you want me to do with this?” he asked, trying to adjust his hard on.

I cupped my mouth to keep my laugh from bubbling out and shoved him toward the patio. “Go outside. I’ll distract Connor while you get some fresh air. I’ll give you five minutes, and then we’ll head outside.”

Duke groaned as I turned and rushed into the foyer and jumped into my brother’s arms, hugging him for dear life. “Connor! I’m so glad you’re home. What an unexpected surprise! What are you doing here?”

He set me down, and I noticed the blonde standing next to him.

“Hey, Brie, I wanted to come home to tell you the good news face to face. I’m getting married.”

Shocked, I glanced from him to the woman and then back to him.

“Married? Congratulations! Do Mom and Dad know?” I extended my hand out to the stranger who was standing before me, my brother’s fiancée. “Hello, I’m Brianna Hamilton. Pleasure to meet you.”

She pulled me into a hug as a dainty southern accent floated from her lips. “Brianna, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Abigail Templeton, but you can just call me Abbey.”

When she released me from her embrace, I smiled at her and my brother, still completely shocked. “Well, why don’t you both come outside. I’ve got somebody I’d like to introduce you to as well.”

CHAPTER TEN

Connor and Abbey followed me outside where Duke was standing near the edge of the pool, a beer in his hand. I rushed over to him.

“You good?” I asked, and he smiled, nodding his head.

“Duke, this is my brother, Connor, and his fiancée, Abbey. Abbey, Connor, this is Duke Thrasher, my boyfriend.”

My brother’s eyebrow lifted. “Boyfriend?” he questioned.

“Oh, don’t you dare even start,” I began. “You come home with a fiancée who we’ve never met, and you want to get all
I’m her big brother, hear me roar
about my boyfriend? I don’t think so!”

Abbey laughed before pulling Duke into a hug. “Pleasure to meet you, Duke.”

Then Connor stuck out his hand. “Yes¸ pleasure.”

“Why don’t we have a seat. Would either of you like something to drink?” I asked.

Connor held up two fingers. “Red wine, please.”

“Of course, my brother, the wine connoisseur. You wouldn’t want something normal like a beer,” I teased, making my way into the kitchen. I poured two glasses of wine and grabbed a beer for myself from the refrigerator.

After placing the drinks down in front of them, I took a seat next to Duke. “So, tell me about the proposal. And the ring… let me see the ring,” I begged.

Connor lifted the glass of wine to his mouth, and Abbey slid her hand across the table in my direction. “Isn’t it gorgeous? He picked it out all on his own.”

I admired the platinum teardrop diamond that sat perfectly on her finger. “It’s beautiful.”

Then Abbey went on, “We were walking in Central Park after just having dinner together at a new restaurant that’d just opened, and your brother stopped to tie his shoe. I was looking off at another couple who were also sharing an evening stroll, and when I looked back, he was holding the ring up toward me. I was so excited I could hardly breathe. It took me at least five minutes before I could answer him.”

I watched on as my brother admired his fiancée, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Well, I am just so elated for the two of you. I know you’ve just gotten engaged, but have you set a date yet?”

Connor took a sip of his wine and nodded, Abbey answering for the two of them. “June sixth, at The Plaza. My maid of honor has already reserved the date.”

I nodded, a grin on my face, positive my mother was going to have a heyday with the fact that the wedding wasn’t going to be at the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee. Smiling, I winked at my brother. “A New York wedding… Mom and Dad will be thrilled.”

Connor kicked me underneath the table, and I couldn’t help but laugh before he tried to change the subject. “So, where is Megan? I was expecting that she’d be here. I wanted her to hear the good news as well.”

Abbey’s eyebrow raised. “Megan?”

“My best friend. She’s like a little sister to Connor. We’ve been best friends since birth. I’m sure she’s at home with her boyfriend. Maybe tomorrow we can all get together and have a barbeque or something.”

“No can do. We’re taking the plane up to Tallahassee tomorrow morning to see Mom and Dad, and then we’re back off to New York,” he stated matter of factly before turning the conversation to Duke. “So, Duke, how did you and my little sister meet?”

I quickly interrupted, knowing full well that he didn’t need the details of me being shoved around like a ragdoll in a nightclub. “We were both out one night, Duke with his friends and me with Megan, and just happened to run into each other. Nothing special really,” I said before I lifted my beer bottle to my mouth.

Duke smirked as he glanced over at me from the corner of his eye. “It may not have been anything special for Brie,” he said, slipping his fingers through my free hand, “but it was for me.”

I couldn’t help but blush. Abbey’s hands lifting to her heart as a huge smile took hold of her face. “You two are just precious!” she exclaimed in her southern accent.

We all four sat around outside, drinking and enjoying each other’s company for a few hours before my brother and his new fiancée decided to call it a night.

Connor rose and took Abbey’s hand. “Brie, it was great to see you, and Duke, a pleasure to meet you. Be good to my sister. I may not look like a tough guy, but I’ll kill you if you hurt her.”

Not able to help the laugh that bubbled up, I leaned in to hug my brother. “Love and miss you so much. Don’t be such a stranger.”

He kissed the top of my head before passing me off to his fiancée who was practically bouncing up and down to hug me.

“I’m sure I’ll be in touch real soon,” she said happy as could be. “I’ll need your measurements for a bridesmaid dress.”

The two of them said goodnight before making their way up to Connor’s bedroom, leaving Duke and me outside on the patio.

Duke had taken a seat on one of the couches next to the pool. Once I reached him, I climbed onto his lap. His muscular arms wrapped around me as his deep voice whispered into my ear, “So, meeting me was nothing special, huh?”

The prickliness of his five o’clock shadow brushed against my neck, sending shivers throughout my body. I slid my hands up his sculpted chest and linked them around his neck before I leaned my forehead against his. “Meeting you, my dear, was the most special day of my life.” My lips puckered out and brushed against his.