Page 48 of Feels Like the First Time
Chapter 9
Later that day, Hawk dropped off the last of the glasses that he’d rented for the party and started prepping for happy hour. He’d spent most of the past two days at the Bay View house, repainting the kitchen.
Located on the outskirts of Destiny Bay, and overlooking the Pacific, sat fifty acres of some of the most sought-after hard cider apples in the state, and the house that held more happy childhood memories for Hawk than his own. He’d been lucky enough to spend his summers here, with Luke’s family. Those days and that land helped mold him into the man he’d become. So when Luke had the chance to buy the property last fall, Hawk jumped in and became an equal owner in the property with Luke and Luke’s mom.
Only, Paula wasn’t interested in moving that far out of town. Then Luke had to go and fall in love with Kennedy, get down on one knee and the whole works, leaving Hawk to take care of the place.
Not that he minded. He could spend the rest of his life on that property, yet every time he thought about packing up and moving in full time, he came up with another reason to hold off. He’d told himself it was because he’d needed to get the place fixed up first. Even though the previous owners had kept the property a working orchard, no one had lived in the house since Luke’s dad passed away and they’d been forced to sell it ten years ago.
An inspection three months ago showed the structure was sound, but it needed new flooring, new paint, and a thorough cleaning. All things that he could have been working on over the winter months when the cider business was at its slowest. But Hawk had a feeling that his procrastination when it came to leaving his apartment above the bar had more to do with the brunette across the parking lot than remodeling.
He’d spent Monday ripping up the carpet in the front room, exposing some amazing hardwood floors. And yesterday, repainting the walls a bold but warm shade of gray. He’d been so busy he’d had zero time in his day to think about Ali.
Or how that kiss had been a game changer. In fact, he’d been too busy to even replay how she’d turned from hard-ass to playing grab ass in one touch.
At night, though, those images ran free. Including the one of the look on her face when Bridget interrupted them. And how her shy smile crumbled under the tension.
It shouldn’t haunt him the way it had. But man, there was something about Ali and that sad fucking smile of hers that tore at his gut every time. Made him want to dig deep and find out where all of that sadness came from. But he had a feeling he already knew.
And it wasn’t just her family who was to blame for the heartache in her life. Something he intended on changing. Ali’s life had been filled with sacrifice and disappointments, and he refused to be another person to let her down.
Sure, their reason for being together ended when the party was over and Bridget left for Seattle, but that didn’t mean Hawk was walking away. There had been a few rough moments the other night. Listening to Bridget talk about her hopes and her dreams and her new exciting chapter of family and forever. All of which didn’t include him.
And it burned. He let it get to him and overshadow his time with Ali.
It wasn’t until he got to Bay View that he realized he didn’t want to be a part of that life. Not the one Bridget had described. Maybe when he’d been younger—desperate for a place to call home. Now he knew what he wanted and he was proud of his life, the one he’d created for himself right here in Destiny Bay. He liked his bar, and his friends, and he sure as hell liked the idea of more time with Ali.
First, though, he wanted to make sure she was okay. Thattheywere okay. Dealing with her family was always hard on both of them, and the other night was no different. Except this time, he had some explaining to do.
So two hours later, when Ali stormed into the bar, her hips swinging and eyes flashing, Hawk leaned against the counter and smiled.
She wore a pair of show-stopping jean shorts, so short they barely peeked out from beneath an oversized T-shirt she was sporting. And that shirt was long-sleeved, hung off one shoulder, nicely showcasing a bathing suit strap that tied around her neck. Which was sky blue, matched her eyes and the confetti stuck to her delectable backside, and was designed to come apart in a single tug.
“What’s all that?” he asked as if he didn’t already know.
“You tell me?” Ali plopped onto the bar stool, bright-colored debris raining down around her.
Hawk reached out and plucked a piece of metallic confetti out of her hair. “Looks like some incredibly thoughtful and charming person put a lot of time into decorating your place.”
“I turned on the ceiling fan and the room exploded in confetti and glitter,” she said. “One whirl of the blades and it blew all over my apartment.”
“Did it stick to the bouquet of chocolate cake pops?”
“I picked it off,” she said, and even though she was acting all put out, Hawk knew the gesture had made her smile. Brought her back to a comfortable place with their relationship.
That’s what he’d wanted. For her to know she was celebrated, without having to deal with the expectations that came with everyone watching. Or the uncertainty of where they stood.
Flowers would have led to more questions, but confetti and cake pops said she was understood.
“You ignore me for two days, then confetti-bomb my house.” To make her point, she shook her head and more bits of bright paper fell like snowflakes.
“Don’t forget the cake pops.” He reached out and slid his finger along her lower lip, catching a leftover crumb. “Did you leave any for me?”
“Nope,” she said, popping thep, but he couldn’t help noticing the strain beneath that tough-girl vibe she was working so hard to give off.
“Good thing I bought backup.” Hawk reached under the counter and pulled out a pink box filled with more cake pops and set it on the counter. She reached for them, but he pulled them out of reach. “They’re celebratory cake pops, to be shared with someone special.”
“Does that mean you’re not avoiding me anymore?” she asked, her eyes on the box, her body dialed to vulnerable as hell.
