Page 64 of Seven Ways Back
“I think you’re crazy as hell,” my brother hisses from next to me in our parents’ back yard. We are sitting in a couple of lounge chairs that are more to the side, each having a beer in our hands as we watch the rest of the guests milling about the yard.
It’s been close to three months since Zach barged back into my life, married me, and now he refuses to let go of me. And I am at a point where I don’t even care. It is what it is. I wasn’t doing anything that important with my life anyway.
“Why am I crazy, you big soap star?” I tease him. Him being named after some famous soap character has been a running joke in our family for years. Thank God he didn’t want to continue the tradition and make his kid Ridge Junior or something along those lines.
“Hunter,” his voice is stern, this is no small talk we’re making. “You just up and quit your job, you got no income to speak of, and you’re basically counting on Zach to take care of you. What the hell is going on?”
“Isn’t that what Brooke is doing, too? Counting on you to support her, and now the baby as well?” I am well aware that our situations are nowhere near being similar, but I can’t help the bite to my tone.
“That is not the same!” Ridge calls me out on it. “At all!”
I just shrug and don’t say anything else. My eyes go straight for Zach who is goofing off by an inflatable bounce house with his niece. His sister and her fiancé are not married yet, but since Miranda has claimed Emmy as her daughter, that turned Zach into an uncle. Uncle Zach, I smile to myself. It sounds really cute.
“What in the hell happened between you and the douchebag?” Ridge brings my attention back to him, making me almost snort through my nose the sip of beer I just took.
“Stop calling him that, Ridge,” I smack him on the arm. “He is my husband now, whether you like it or not. Also, get it into your head already that he never looked at Brooke like that. She misunderstood, sheesh.”
“Whatever,” he mumbles and brings the bottle of beer to his lips. “You’re not answering my question.”
“I thought he told you guys everything when he came to talk to Mom and Dad,” I give him a side eyed look.
“I was busy with the baby and had to leave soon after he got here. I didn’t get to hear all the details, and Mom wouldn’t tell me. She apparently had sworn Dad to secrecy, too,” he sounds all disgusted now.
I let out a puff of air and brace myself because I know Ridge won’t be happy with what I am about to tell him.
“I met Zach when I was home on my last break from school before I graduated. We fell in love. Mom thought it was a bad idea,” I shrug and start messing with the label on my bottle.
“Brooke told me all that already. Where the hell was I during all this?” Ridge sounds almost hurt.
“You were just starting out your business, busy with Marco. I don’t know. You were not around.”
“Well, fuck,” he spits out, his eyes going back to Zach. He is now chatting with Brooke who is grinning at him like he hung the moon. She really likes him, I chuckle to myself.
“I caved and broke up with Zach. Then I made it my life’s mission to make as much money as I could so that I could pay them back for my college.” I sound sad and pathetic now. Because I quit my job before actually taking the loan out, my application got denied.
“Interesting,” is all my brother says, and that is not the comment I was expecting. It’s almost like he is connecting all kinds of weird dots in his head now.
“Anyway,” I decide to skip over all the baby drama. If he doesn’t know it already, there’s no reason for me to make him sad on my behalf. “He is friends with Van who is now with Chloe. So it was just a matter of time before me and Zach ran into each other again. We got drunk in Vegas and then got married. So here we are,” I snort laugh when I see the looks he’s giving me.
“I don’t understand why Mom is not as mad at you over the whole Vegas thing, but she about ripped me a new one when Brooke and I did it.”
I just shrug at his comment because I don’t understand it either. We haven’t been close in a long time though, so I’m sure that played a huge part in everything.
“Are you going to New York with him?”
Zach has some business deals he needs to take care of in New York. He didn’t even ask if I wanted to go, he just made the plans, and I didn’t care anyway. Not like I got anything better to do here.
“Since Chloe will be there too, I’ll be fine. Besides, Mattie will want to hang out, and I know other people. I’m actually looking forward to going.” More like looking forward to being away from my parents’ watchful eyes, but I don’t say that.
“What are you doing drinking beer?” I am startled when Zach’s hand comes out of nowhere and snatches the bottle out of my hand. I thought he was still across the yard.
“Is she not allowed to?” Ridge sneers at my husband. The lines in the sand are very well defined between the two of them. Basically, my brother hates Zach. And my husband loves to give my brother shit over it.
Ridge’s question throws him off though, and he looks unsure of how to answer it. I look up at him in confusion as well. It’s not like I am a drunk.
“It’s the middle of the day,” Zach finally spits out in a rush of movement as he throws his arm out. “Besides, Grams is going to be here soon. I don’t want her to find my wife half cocked already.”
I have no idea why, but the way he says it makes me laugh like a lunatic. Both him and Ridge just stare at me after which Zach points at me to get my brother’s attention. “See what I mean?”