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Chapter six

Gage

“That’s the last box we can take right now.” One of the Salvation Army workers shuts the door on the moving truck, wiping his hands on his jeans.

“No problem.”

“We’ll come back tomorrow to get the big stuff. Furniture is always in high demand.”

“Sounds good.”

With a nod, the guy hops into the truck, fires it up, and slowly pulls out of the driveway, leaving me alone at my aunt’s house yet again.

I look back at the home that holds a lot of memories for me, especially from when I was a kid.

My aunt took me in every summer for a few weeks so I wasn’t alone while my father worked.

I’d help her in the yard, pulling weeds and planting flowers.

She’d take me to the beach so I could build sand castles, use a metal detector to hunt for treasure, and boogie board on the waves.

And she taught me how to cook. Hell, if it weren’t for her, I’d probably still be surviving off of TV dinners.

It’s memories like those that haunt me more than I care to admit, reminding me of how alone I truly am in this world now.

Wel l…except for Hazel. But that’s temporary, which I have to keep reminding myself of.

A car door slamming shut behind me pulls me from my thoughts. I turn—and immediately size up the tower of a man walking toward me, a tool belt slung around his hips.

“You must be Gage.”

I eye him warily. “Do I know you?”

The man steps toward me with an outstretched hand. “Penn Sheppard. I believe you know my sister,” he says with a laugh.

Realization clicks into place, and my guard instantly goes up. “You’re one of Hazel’s brothers, huh?”

“Did the last name give me away?” There’s a joking tone in his voice before he shoves his hands in his pockets, resting his weight on his heels.

“That, and I can see the family resemblance.”

“Don’t tell her that or she’ll rip your head off. She hates being told she looks like her brothers.” He chuckles. “Something about not wanting to be ‘built like a linebacker.’”

An amused grin stretches across my lips, but I think I’ll keep that bit of knowledge tucked away for later—just in case.

“Sorry to drop in unannounced, but when I saw the ‘For Sale’ sign out front, I had to stop by. I own a contracting business and turn homes into rentals for tourists. I’d be a fool not to see if you’ve found a buyer yet.”

I glance behind me at the house. “Not yet. The sign just went up this morning. Pam at Cove Realty said it wouldn’t take long for the place to sell, though.”

“Normally, Pam gives me a heads-up about houses coming on the market, but I guess she forgot about me this time.”

“ In her defense, I only found out about it last week and just got the paperwork going a few days ago.”

Penn nods in understanding. “I’m sorry for your loss, by the way. Diane was a wonderful person. I know she meant a lot to my sister, too.”

Just the mention of Hazel makes my pulse spike. “Thanks. And yeah, Diane never stopped talking about Hazel and how amazing she is…and was always trying to set us up.” I huff out a dry laugh, knowing my reluctance to take her up on that is what got us in this mess.

He laughs. “Yeah, so I guess you’ll be a part of the family now, huh?”

“As of yesterday, yes.”

Penn’s brows draw together. “Wait, you two already got married?”

Fuck . “Um, yeah.”

Penn shakes his head in disbelief.

“Hazel didn’t tell you guys about the wedding?”

He pushes a hand through his hair. “We knew you were getting married, but not this fast. But honestly, it doesn’t surprise me we weren’t invited, given how Dallas reacted when she told us about you two.” Before I can reply, he continues. “I guess that makes you my brother-in-law now, doesn’t it?”

I shrug, hating the label since I know this marriage is only temporary, and any relationship I have with her family will be too. “Yeah, it does.”

He clasps a hand on my shoulder. “Well, hopefully that means you’ll be willing to consider my offer for this house when the time comes.”

“I’m sure we can discuss it.”

Knowing that her brothers don’t know the true reason we’re married doesn’t sit well with me. Penn thinks I’m in love with his sister. He thi nks we fell madly in love and couldn’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.

With each passing day, I’m hating the arrangement we agreed to more and more.

“I appreciate that,” Penn says, taking a step closer to me, his size suddenly feeling a whole lot more intimidating. Then he lowers his voice and I see the nice guy demeanor slip away.

Here we go.

“Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let me be clear about something.” His jaw clenches.

“My little sister is one of the best fucking people on this planet. She may be outspoken, stubborn, and a little crazy, but that girl loves hard. If you do anything to hurt her, you’ll not only have me to answer to, but her two other brothers as well.

” His eyes narrow. “I have a hard time believing that my sister—who swore off love last year—met some guy and decided to marry him within a week. It’s not like her at all.

So, if I find out that you’re hiding something, that your motives are anything but pure, just know that I have many power tools at my disposal.

” He holds my gaze, unblinking. “Have I made myself clear?”

I swallow around a lump in my throat but straighten my spine. “Crystal. Though, if you have questions about anybody’s motives, she’s the one you should be speaking to. I’m just going along with what she wanted.”

Penn grunts. “She can be a difficult person to say no to.”

“Believe me, I’m discovering that myself.”

We hold eye contact for a beat before he finally takes a step back. With a dip of his chin, he says, “Pleasure to meet you, Gage.”

And just like that, he turns and heads back to his truck, leaving me standing there, realizing how much more complicated this marriage is getting by the hour.

***

“ So, Axel said you could work there for now?” Hazel flicks the blinker on and waits for traffic to clear before turning.

We’re headed to her brother Dallas’s house for her nephew’s first birthday party. I offered to drive, but she said arriving on my motorcycle would only add fuel to the interrogation waiting for us.

“He did. He was happy to have an extra set of hands. And once I showed him my portfolio, including work I did on Fletcher Adams, he was more than eager to hire me.”

“Wait… Fletcher Adams, the receiver for the Carolina Thunder?”

“The one and only.”

She lets out a low whistle. “Oh, how the plot thickens.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” she says too quickly.

Yeah, okay. I make a mental note to return to this topic later.

“By the way, I met Penn yesterday.”

Her grip on the wheel tightens and she darts a glance my way. “And you’re just now telling me this?”

I wasn’t exactly eager to bring it up, and last night she got home late from a wedding shoot, so we barely got a chance to talk.

But now that we’re almost at our destination, I figure I should give her a heads-up so she isn’t blindsided like I was when Penn showed up and delivered his big brother spiel.

He clearly assumes real feelings are involved, and Hazel and I agreed there’d be none of those—no matter how hard my heart beats around her, which isn’t a great thing for me for multiple reasons.

“ He stopped by my aunt’s house while I was packing up the first load of stuff to donate. Saw the ‘For Sale’ sign and asked if I had a buyer yet.”

Hazel rolls her eyes. “Of course he did. He buys houses and turns them into rentals.”

“That’s what he explained to me…before he threatened me.”

She scoffs. “God, of course he did. Let me guess—fishing accident? Power tools?”

“Bingo.” I clear my throat. “So, I’m guessing your brothers don’t know the real reason we got married?”

She’s quiet as she turns onto Bayshore Drive, a road I recognize from when I was here as a kid. The houses on this street are the type you see in Hallmark movies—grandiose, picture-perfect dream houses with wraparound porches and ocean views.

“They don’t,” she admits, swallowing hard. “I was debating whether I should tell them the truth, but I guess Penn’s behavior made that decision for me.”

“Yeah, I mean, I’d love to avoid all of them threatening to chop my balls off if I break your heart. Although, I’ve gotta say, Penn’s power tools threat was both creative and terrifying.”

Hazel groans. “It’s Dallas you should really be worried about.”

I try to recall everything Hazel told me about her siblings and their significant others, plus their children…and something about geese? I actually made an effort to keep track because, for some reason, I care what these people think about me.

And that’s not sitting well.

Penn’s big brother speech and meeting Hazel’s mom made one thing perfectly clear—this marriage won’t just affect the two of us.

Her entire family is going to be a part of this, too.

And since I’ve never really had to worry about family opinions, I’m not too bothered by it.

But I can te ll that it’s bothering Hazel, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, I want to make this as easy on her as I can.

After all, we both agreed to this. We both stand to benefit. She shouldn’t have to take all the judgment alone.

“I can handle Dallas,” I say.

Hazel snorts. “Okay.” Patting me on the shoulder, she says, “Just let me know when your balls have fully retreated into your body after you’ve endured his big brother death glare for too long, and we’ll call it a night.”

“I’m sure my balls will be fine.” As the car comes to a stop, I take a look at the back of the house she just pulled up to. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah.”

“This place is incredible.”

Hazel turns to me. “It is, but there aren’t many places to hide, just so you know. And remember, the geese are territorial. Watch your back.” She takes a deep breath. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

I wipe my sweaty palms on my shorts. “As ready as I’m going to be.”