“Although I don’t think I’ll ever look at the bar the same,” I tease as he collects himself. He turns with a lazy smile, his hair sticking to the back of his neck in sweaty, limp waves. “What?”
“Next time I’ll show you the other useful things it can do.” He adjusts himself in his jeans, shaking them up over his hips, and leans down to find my shorts for me. He says it with such nonchalance I almost don’t catch the tone in his voice.
“Wait—” I lean forward, hiding the ache I feel between my legs. His eyes narrow at my expression. “Do you dream of bending me over things?” I tease.
“Every. Fucking. Day.” Brighton shakes his head, the euphoria gone and replaced with his routine casual annoyance for me.
“Is this really a smart idea?” Sunday helps me push some of the tables together downstairs. We were closing the Hollow for the evening for a private event. One that should be the funeral of Cael Cody and Silas Shore—my two least-favorite people in Harbor.
“It’ll be fine, and Daisy is excited.” I push until the table clicks together and stand back. “Boone is making some extravagant French five-course meal to impress Ri, and Rhea is upstairs helping Daisy do her hair.” I groan.
“You’re a good Dad,” she says to me, wiping her hands on her jeans as she moves around the table to start setting it.
“I’m a tolerant Dad,” I correct her, and she laughs.
“You were always a good Dad,” she argues, her eyes meeting mine.
Yeah, I know, Sunny.She’s pointing out the fact that I’ve been doing this longer than just Daisy—and with much higher stakes. I look away from her because she’s burning a hole in my heart with her glare.
“Auggie is a really sweet kid, and this means a lot to Daisy.” She continues to talk as she moves around the table.
“I keep forgetting that he’s met everyone else at this fucking party,” I grumble and hand her cups as she goes.
“That’s why he hasn’t met you,” Sunday groans. “Curb the attitude.”
“There’s no attitude,” I sigh as the kitchen door clangs open and Boone starts excitedly yelling around. “They’re here…” I swallow tightly and shift around in my shirt uncomfortably. It’s going to take every ounce of patience I have to get through this dinner.
“You’re a better man than anyone in Harbor,” Sunday stares at me like she can hear me panicking. “Just be yourself.”
“That’s the problem, isn’t it?” I joke, and she shakes her head, wandering past me.
I follow her into the kitchen, and Boone already has a little redhead with a spoon between her lips, tasting the food he’s making. Silas Shore stands rigid with his hand in his pocket and his eyes on the girl.
There’s not a man in Harbor that gets under my skin quite as easily as him. At first it was nothing, he was simply someone who helped Riona relax. I might be a little more possessive now but if Riona wanted it, she got it. And back then she wanted Silas. So I swallowed the venom and made them comfortable. But he changed something in her, rewired a part of her I couldn’t untangle and I resent him for it. Vocally. And as often as I can.
Cael, Riona’s nephew, brought his girlfriend—Clementine, I think—and she’s already causing trouble. Kaia is in tow, all three are getting scolded by Riona, who wears the most unfamiliar smile I’ve ever seen on her face.
The most surprising addition to the evening is Ryan. I haven’t seen him in a while, and he looks old but still as grouchy and as sharp as ever.Great, this night just went down the drain.
“I’ll go get Daisy,” I announce, but Sunday stops me with a glare.
“I’ll go,behave.” She warns before disappearing up the stairs.
“Brighton,” Silas nods, and Riona turns her head.
“Silas,” I give him a tight smile and then toss Riona a dirty look with a smile on my face. “Riona.”
“It smells wonderful in here, Boone,” she says to him instead of acknowledging me. She’s still pissed off about the way things were handled with Daisy and Ricky’s kid, but that’s life. She’s likely more upset that it was out of her control.
“It’s Boeuf Bourguignon,” he tells her, bringing her over.
I point to the redhead, and Silas inhales slowly, “Drew, this is Brighton Black, Daisy’s father and Riona’s ex.”That makes two of us, you spineless shit.
It’s like a bad joke. What do you get when your ex-wife, her ex-boytoy, his current wife walk into a bar?
“Oh.” Drew sidesteps Riona in her sundress and holds out her tiny hand to me to shake. “It’s nice to finally meet you. They all act like you’re scary. I even got a rundown of things not to bring up, but you look harmless to me.”
I grind my teeth together and force a polite smile to my face.
