Page 9 of That One Night (The Heartbreak Brothers Next Generation #4)

Chapter

Seven

“Hey Mom, did you hear that Hendrix has a pretty new neighbor?” Pres asked, sending a sly look at Hendrix, who was minding his own damn business, eating the barbecue their dad had cooked.

“Emery Reed?” their mom replied, not missing a beat. “Yes, I heard.” She pressed her lips together. “And I also heard she’s engaged to Trenton Montclair, so that’s a no-go.”

She sounded almost sad about that, like setting him up with her would have been a good idea otherwise. Hendrix sent his brother a dirty look. Sometimes it felt like the three of them had never grown up.

“Don’t make me regret coming over here,” Hendrix warned him. Pres shot him a dirty grin. Most of the family was here, despite the clouds starting to form a grey canopy over the blue sky. There was a storm warning for later. He’d head home after this and make sure everything in the farm was secure.

“Trenton Montclair,” their dad said, deep in thought. “Wasn’t he the one who…”

“Yes, he was.” Their mom’s voice was low. “And the less said about that the better. Who wants cake?”

“I haven’t finished my burger yet,” Marley pointed out.

Nor had anybody else for that matter. There were about twenty members of his family there, sitting around tables in his parents’ backyard.

Marley and Presley and their families, along with their cousins Michael and Grace were here, as well as Sabrina, who was entertaining them all with stories of her recent dates.

“He doesn’t need somebody who’s engaged. I already told him I could set him up with my friends,” Sabrina said, biting off a mouthful of burger. She had a glint in her eye that Hendrix knew meant trouble. But then trouble and Sabrina went together like a gin and tonic.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Hendrix told her.

“Mariah is sweet,” Sabrina said. “She still asks after you even though you’re a bore.”

“Which one is Mariah?” his mom asked his cousin. Hendrix internally groaned. He wasn’t interested in any of Sabrina’s friends. They were too young. And even if they weren’t, the thought of dating anybody his cousin confided in was way too horrific.

“She’s the one who trashed her dad’s car driving home from a bar,” Michael said, winking at his sister.

“Eek.” Their mom wrinkled her nose. “Maybe not then.”

“There’s also Lila,” Sabrina mused. “She’s been single for a while.”

Hendrix’s eyes met Marley’s. For once his brother looked sympathetic. He’d been through this himself before he’d settled down with Kate and her kids.

“Didn’t Lila get caught setting fires last year?” Grace asked.

“Well, yeah, but she had a legitimate reason,” Sabrina answered, shaking her blonde hair. “She’d found her ex in bed with another woman. She took a pile of his things and set them on fire.”

Jesus Christ. “You know what?” Hendrix said. “I’ll find my own girlfriend, thank you.”

Delilah patted his hand, in an ‘I’ve got this’ kind of way.

“Why are you all trying to set him up anyway?” she asked her aunts.

“You keep telling me not to bother with boys. To be a strong independent woman.” She folded her arms across her chest, looking older than her years.

“So why can’t Hendrix be a strong independent man? ”

Pres lifted a brow.

“She’s gonna be trouble,” Marley said to him.

“Already is.” Pres looked resigned.

“If you’re really not interested in Mariah, maybe you should try online dating,” Sabrina told Hendrix, ignoring her niece and cousins. “I’ve met so many guys on there.”

“What guys?” Michael asked. “Who are they? Do Mom and your dad know?”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Of course not. I’m not an idiot.” She looked at Hendrix. “I’ll come over next week. Make you a profile.”

“Over my dead body,” he replied. “Thank you, but no thank you.” Even if he wanted to online date – which he didn’t – there was no way he was putting his love life in Sabrina’s hands. He loved his cousin fiercely, and he’d fight to the death for her.

But he trusted her about as far as he could throw her.

“Shame about Emery Reed,” Pres murmured. “She looks exactly like Hendrix’s type.”

His mom’s gaze landed on Hendrix.

“Oh honey, she’s engaged. You don’t want to be getting the reputation of being a home wrecker,” his mom said.

“I’m not a home wrecker.” He frowned at being accused of something he hadn’t done.

“I barely even know the woman.” And he definitely wouldn’t be admitting that she got drunk on his porch with him the other night.

He glanced over at his brother, shooting him a dirty look because Pres knew exactly what he was doing. Shit stirring, mostly.

“Guys don’t get called home wreckers,” Grace said, thankfully pulling the attention away from Hendrix. “The double standards are so annoying when it comes to cheating. They get called studs.”

“True story,” Sabrina said, poking her tongue out at Hendrix. “I hate that so much.”

“Me too,” Kate, Hendrix’s sister-in-law agreed. “And don’t get me started on the way dads get called great when they do the bare minimum of taking care of their own kids.”

Marley choked on his burger bun. Pres hit his back, and a lump of bread flew out of his mouth.

“I hear ya,” Cassie agreed. “Double standards all round.”

Christ, Hendrix was getting a headache. “There you go,” he told his mom. “There’s nothing to worry about. Now, can I enjoy my food in peace?”

“I just want you to be happy,” his mom said, looking hurt. “After everything…”

“I know,” he said quickly. “And thank you. I am happy.” He shot a look at Pres. “And as for you…”

“What?” Pres asked, looking innocent.

“It wasn’t that long ago you were in my position. Or you,” he said to Marley.

“And you gave as good as you got whenever Mom tried to set us up,” Marley pointed out. “I remember you teasing me about Kate.”

“You two fought about it, as I recall,” Pres said, grinning.

“You fought over me?” Kate asked, looking confused.

“He gave me a nuggie trying to get me to admit I was attracted to you.” Marley laughed, and Kate reached out to squeeze his hand.

“I hate the way you boys fight,” their mom said, shaking her head.

“Boys will be boys,” their dad murmured. He was the one who taught them how to fight, after all.

“It’s all a load of macho bullshit if you ask me,” Sabrina said. Grace and the other women nodded. “If you just talked things out you wouldn’t get into so many problems.”

“But where would the fun be in that?” Pres asked.

“Talking of macho bullshit, anybody want a beer?” their dad said, standing up. “Women included, of course.”

The sky was streaked with layers of pink and red with smudges of dark gray that only seemed to be getting worse as the sun slowly slid toward the horizon.

Hendrix had spent the last hour moving his uncle’s cattle safely to the barn, and now he was home, checking that his own place was ready for the summer storm the forecasters had promised was coming.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Emery crossing the lane and walking his way. He immediately bristled. He was still salty after Pres teased him at their mom’s place and the accusations of being a home wrecker.

As he’d been leaving his mom had asked him if he was okay, and if he knew dating a taken woman was wrong.

Of course it was wrong. And he wasn’t dating her, anyway. They were barely friends. But the memory of his mom’s worried face still played in his mind.

After the mess last year, and all the mistakes he’d made over the years before, the last thing he wanted was to cause her more pain.

So yeah, he was avoiding Emery Reed. And for good reason. He closed up the shed where he’d put Frank, because as much as the goat was a pain in the ass, he didn’t want him getting caught in the storm.

“Hey,” Emery called out. She was smiling, and it hit him in the gut. Her gaze dropped to his arms, taking in the rolled up denim shirt he was wearing, as his tan, hair flecked arms locked up the shed.

“You ready for the storm?” she asked him once she was standing a couple of feet away.

“Just put Frank away.” He kept his voice low. Trying to let her know he wasn’t interested in conversation.

“You think it’ll be bad?” She frowned like she noticed the way he wasn’t being friendly. It made him feel like an ass.

“Probably not. Just the usual storm.” He caught her eye. “Is your generator ready in case you need it?”

“Jed checked it this morning. It’s good to go.” She looked over her shoulder at the shed where the generator was housed. “Though hopefully we won’t need it.”

“Always good to be ready. Good luck tonight.” He turned away, ready to walk back into his house.

Emery cleared her throat. “Is something wrong?” she asked before he made it to the front steps.

“What?” He turned to look at her.

Her pretty brow furrowed. “You seem distracted. Is everything okay?”

He sighed. Why were women so damn perceptive? “Everything’s fine, Emery,” he told her. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know.” She shifted her feet. “I guess you look angry. Did I do something wrong?”

Ah fuck it. He was going to have to say something. And he hated that.

“You’re an engaged woman,” he finally managed. “You probably shouldn’t be talking to me.”

She recoiled, like he’d slapped her in the face. “What?”

“Would your fiancé like you talking to me?” he asked her.

For a second she said nothing. He could see the hurt in her eyes, though. And it made him feel like an asshole of the highest order.

And when she did speak, he felt even worse. “So I’m not allowed to talk to members of the opposite sex anymore?” she asked him. “What kind of sexist bullcrap is that? And anyway, why would I care?”

He blinked at her words. They sounded way too much like his cousins and sister-in-laws. “People talk. You have a reputation to uphold. I’m just thinking of you.”

“Sounds like you’re more worried about your own reputation,” she shot back.

“I don’t have one, Emery.” And wasn’t that the damn truth?

She twisted her hands together. “You make it sound like I’m doing something wrong. Talking to you.” She jutted her chin out, clearly hurt. “And not once have I done anything wrong.”

He sighed. She was right, she hadn’t. It was him. All of this. He’d never been good with words. Never known what to say. He was a man of action, not pretty sentences.

And yeah, she’d done nothing wrong. But maybe he had. Maybe he’d thought about her in a way a man shouldn’t think about a taken woman.

“I don’t know what to say. I just think it would be better…” He trailed off, running his hands through his hair. “If we didn’t talk.”

A gust of wind lifted her hair, and his eyes fell on the exposed curve of her neck. This time she didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she gave a curt nod.

“Okay then,” she said, her voice low. “I guess I’ll see you around.

” She turned, her shoulders held high as she walked across the lane back to her mother’s farm.

He watched her leave, hyper aware of every movement she made.

The way her sneakers kicked up the dust on the road, the way her hips swayed.

He could feel the wind whipping up the further she got from him.

“Emery,” he shouted. The loud call of his voice made her stop, but not turn to look back.

“Make sure you close everything up,” he shouted. “The storm will be here soon.”

But she just walked back into her house.