Page 43 of The P*ssy Next Door
I held up a hand. “Dude, I get it.”
Dec and Chris looked at each other and chuckled. Everett rolled his eyes at both of them. “Like these two chuckleheads didn't come to me begging for help to win their girls over, and was my advice for them about sex?”
They each shook their heads. Bunch of dicks.
“Hayes, I'm gonna be straight with you.” Everett sat on the bench and laced up his cleats. “Relationships are messy, complicated things. There's always going to be obstacles, whether it's disapproving friends or family members or just fucking life getting in the way.”
I sighed. This was not what I was hoping to hear. Maybe I would take Chris's advice. I didn't think we could get away with a trip up to the mountains. I ran a hand through my hair. “So what do I do?”
Everett stood and grabbed his helmet, and then shoved mine at me. “You fight for her, man. You show her every day that she's your priority, your endgame. And most importantly, you communicate with her. Tell her how you feel, what you want. Don't let fear hold you back.”
Well... fuck. Yeah, that was the right plan, and we all knew it.
I loved her, and it was time I made sure she knew it.
That lightning struck me again, this time directly to the chest, burning through every cell in my body, lighting me up like a firecracker. I fucking loved her.
I. Loved. Willa Rosemount.
This wasn't some crush, and it certainly wasn't a fling. I was in love, and tonight I was going to tell her... while I bent her over the kitchen table and gave her a hundred and three orgasms.
WILD CHILD RIDES AGAIN
WILLA
Istared at the depressingly empty coffee shop, the ticking of the clock on the wall a mocking reminder of yet another slow day. I probably shouldn't have closed over the weekend even if we couldn't make lattes. I might have capitalized on the Mustangs fans still coming in to see if there were any Kingmans here.
Although, real fans would have known they were all in Miami over the weekend, and honestly, I wouldn't trade that trip and the time I got to spend with Hayes and his family for anything.
I needed to remember that because the sight of the espresso machine, now repaired, sitting idle, and the pastry case with it's no day old donuts looked ridiculously forlorn. I don't know how Liam did this day after day. Except that he loved this place almost as much as George loved the Mustangs.
I missed them.
I must have sent some intentions out into the universe with those thoughts because just as I was about to start cleaning up for the day, my phone buzzed with an incoming FaceTime call. The Guncles' smiling faces filled the screen, and I couldn't help but grin back.
“Willa, darling!” George exclaimed, his voice tinny through the speaker. “You'll never guess where we are.”
He turned the phone and showed me some kitschy port market on what I was guessing might be a Caribbean island. “Ooh. I'm not jealous at all. We're supposed to get snow next week.”
To be fair, it was almost December, and so far, I'd lucked out and only gotten the mildest part of a Denver winter. I was not looking forward to February and March when it snowed the most. Even if that still meant once or twice a month and it all melted away three days later.
For the next few minutes, they regaled me with tales of their adventures, showing me snippets of exotic landscapes and bustling shopping districts. Their joy was infectious, but it also made me miss both of them and being out in the world doing crazy fun things too.
“Enough about our world tour,” Liam said, his eyes crinkling with concern. “How are things going back home? How's Cool Beans? How's Seven, how's the fam? You're the first one we called.”
“Oh, you know, everyone's fine.” I was not getting into whatever was going on with Xander, and I hadn't even talked to my parents in days. Just like when I was abroad. “The coffee shop is... it's going.”
Liam gave me some side-eye at those answers. He always saw right through my tough girl facade.
With a sigh, I confessed my fears about the shop's struggling business and my inability to turn it around. “I'm afraid I'm letting you both down,” I admitted, blinking back tears.
“Nonsense,” George declared, slapping the table they were sitting at. “Listen, Willa, don't you worry about a thing. I'm more than happy to keep paying the bills. The most important thing is that you're there, holding down the fort.”
I noticed Liam's slight grimace at George's words and realized that he didn't entirely agree. He caught my eye and gave me a subtle nod, a silent encouragement to keep trying.
Their belief in me, even in the face of my doubts, sparked a flicker of determination in my chest. I couldn't let them down, especially not Liam. I had to find a way to make this work. “I do have the first playdate with the cat shelter this week, so I'm sure that will bring in business. It should be fun.”
“Good, that's the spirit, kiddo. Now,” George waggled his eyebrows at me. “How's the plan to make me an adopted Kingman because you're marrying Hayes coming along? I saw the Miami game highlights even though I'm not supposed to have the internet while we're on the ship.”