“What?” I laugh, picking up my second wine cooler from the edge of the table and taking a sip.
“Never mind.” He smiles as I move around the table to take another shot, this one missing. Watching him take his turn, I study him. He’s full of contradictions. Just seeing him, I would never guess he could be sweet, that he could make me laugh and put me at ease without even trying. “How do you feel about Chinese?”
“Pardon?” I come out of my thoughts and focus on him.
“I need to eat. You want Chinese or a burger?”
“Chinese works,” I agree then watch him pull out his phone, press a few buttons, and put it to his ear.
“What do you want?”
“Sesame chicken, fried rice, and an eggroll.”
“Got it.” He places the order then gives them the address to deliver. Once he hangs up, he takes another shot, and I narrow my eyes when the white ball hits the stripped one into the pocket at the corner.
“Did you just cheat?”
“No,” he denies, taking another shot, this one putting the eight ball into the pocket and winning the game.
“You did. You just took a shot and it wasn’t your turn. Then you took another and won,” I accuse, resting my hand on my hip, and his lips twitch.
“Babe, I didn’t cheat.”
“You totally did,” I say, looking at him then the table. “You cheated so that I didn’t win.”
“Did not.” His eyes scan me, my hand on my hip, and my tapping foot, and his lips twitch into a smile.
“Did too, Harlen… Wait. What’s your last name?”
“MacCabe,” he answers, and I blink. “Full name’s Harlen Alistair MacCabe.”
“Harlen Alistair MacCabe,” I repeat. Wow, okay, a totally cool, totally badass name. I can actually picture him overlooking a castle in Scotland on the back of a giant horse, going into battling with a sword in his hand, wearing a kilt and making that shit look, again, badass.
“My family’s from Scotland. Dad was a second generation, and Mom was third.”
“Was?” I whisper, and his eyes flash.
“Lost both my parents when I was fifteen.”
At his words my heart seizes in my chest. “I’m so sorry.”
“Long time ago,” he says, but I can see pain in his eyes, pain he doesn’t try to hide from me.
“Still, I’m sorry, Harlen,” I continue whispering, feeling my knees shake and my eyes burn. I have no idea how he is still standing. I know one day I will have to face losing my parents, but I pray every day that time is a long way from now.
“Don’t cry, Angel,” he tells me, getting closer and wrapping his warm hand around the side of my neck. “Not for me.”
Shaking my head, I close my eyes and pull in a deep breath. “I’m good,” I lie, opening my eyes back up. Then, without thinking, I close the distance between us and slide my arms around his waist. It takes a second, but his arms close around me then his chin rests on top of my head.
“So damn sweet.” Those words rumble against my ear and my hold tightens.
“Yo!”
Hearing that, I jump and release Harlen quickly. So quickly, I almost fall over on my wedge heels. Luckily, Harlen wraps a hand around my waist, preventing me from going down. Unlucky for me, I’d know that “yo” anywhere.
“Fuck,” Harlen mutters just loud enough for me to hear, and I look to see his eyes on my dad, who’s looking between the two of us.
“Dad.” I walk across the space separating us and wrap my arms around him. His arms close around me then his lips touch the top of my head. “What are you doing here?” I ask, tipping my head back to look up at him.
“Came to talk to Harlen.” His arms tighten before he asks, “What are you doing here?”
“Learning to play pool.” I smile at him then loosen my hold and step back. “Is everything okay?”
“Not sure.” He looks over at Harlen, who’s watching us with his feet spread wide and his arms crossed over his chest. My heart sinks when I realize my mom probably talked to him about Harlen. I love my father, but he’s protective to the point of being overbearing. I have never dated a guy he’s liked, and he’s always made that perfectly clear, which means the guys I’ve dated tend to disappear, never having the balls to stick around. I get it; my dad’s scary, covered in tattoos, tall, and fit. Even at his age, he doesn’t look like someone you fuck with. Still, it would be nice to someday meet a guy who likes me enough to weather the storm that is my father.
“Dad.” His eyes come to me. “Don’t,” I whisper, and his brows pull together. “Please don’t.” I shake my head, holding his gaze.
Hearing Harlen’s phone ring, I turn to look at him as he comes toward us, pulling out his wallet. Holding money out toward me, he mutters, “Food’s out front. You mind getting it for us?”
“I…” I look between him and my dad and cannot imagine what will happen if I leave. Harlen, like my dad, is scary, maybe even more so. These two alone together doesn’t seem like a good idea, especially since there’s no way to miss the tension filling the room. “But—”
“It’s all good,” he says, and I swallow, looking between him and my dad again.
“Go on, baby girl,” Dad orders, and I pull in a breath, take the money from Harlen, and send my dad a look before leaving.
I don’t know what happens when I’m gone, but when I get back, my dad gives me a hug goodbye and a look to Harlen. When I ask Harlen what he and my dad talked about, he tells me it’s nothing I need to worry about. So for once in my life, I don’t worry. Instead, I hang out, eat Chinese food, and then play another game of pool before getting another touch of his lips to my forehead and a goodbye at my car.
***
Hearing my cell phone ring on the way to my parents’ house, I hit the Accept button on my dash then almost run off the road when my cousin June shrieks, “Ashlyn and Dillon got married in Vegas!”
“What?” I shout back in stunned disbelief. I knew there has always been some serious chemistry between the two of them, but I had no idea they were together, especially not enough to get married.
“Evan just told me that Jax is going postal. Apparently, he walked into Ash’s house and found out they got married, lost his mind, and tried to take Dillon out.”
“Shut up.”
“No, you shut up!” she yells, and I smile at my windshield. “God, I can’t believe it. I mean, I can believe it, because they have been beating around the bush for a while now, but still. Married, that’s just crazy.”
“I’m happy for them,” I murmur, and then my stomach pitches. “Wait… what about Isla?”
“I don’t know,” she mutters like she just remembered about Isla too. Isla is the woman Dillon was engaged to. I only met her once, but that one time left an impression, and not a good one.
“I hope it all works out for them.”
“Me too,” she agrees, and then continues. “Her dad is going to flip when he finds out.”
“Uncle Cash doesn’t know?” I whisper.
“Apparently not, and since Uncle Cash and Aunt Lilly are in Florida with Grandma and Grandpa, they probably won’t for a while unless Jax tells them, and I doubt he’s going to do that.”
“I don’t envy Ash,” I mutter my understatement. My dad would lose his mind if I got married in Vegas without telling him, and I know Uncle Cash is going to flip out when he finds out his only girl did that without him there to give her away.
“Me neither, but they’ll be okay. I mean, look at me and Evan. Everything worked out for us in the end.”
“True,” I agree, pulling up and parking out front of my parents’ house.
“Anyway, how are things with you? I heard you and Harlen hung out a few nights ago and that he took you coffee last night.”
How the hell did she hear he brought me coffee last night? Yesterday morning, he called to ask what kind of coffee I liked. I told him, not thinking anything of it, and then later that evening, he showed up at the hospital to bring me coffee and a muffin. It was sweet, but it sucked that I didn’t have time to chat, since I wasn’t on break. Still, before he left, we made plans to go out barstool shopping this evening after he gets off work.