Page 57 of Hunter

The story goes that Theo’s adopted mom, Frankie, had had an affair with her brother-in-law when his father had gone away on business. Frankie and Wyatt hadn’t had Theo long and he was still really little. I say ‘affair’, but from the sounds of it, it was more like a couple of nights between the sheets. She fell pregnant with Izzy and because Theo’s dad couldn’t conceive, she confessed to everything. As a result, he told Frankie he couldn’t accept the baby. So given the choice, Frankie decided to give Izzy to her birth father. The trouble is, Izzy was dealt a shitty life and suffered from years of abuse, particularly from her half-brother, Ethan, who decided to offer Izzy to all of his football buddies.

Everything only came to light this year, and although Frankie is desperate to build a relationship with Izzy, she’s not entirely ready for it. I can’t say I blame her; I’m not sure I could make peace with what she did either. Understandably, Theo is also angry with both his parents, so me asking his dad to come along may well be an epic mistake. But then again, not asking him would have been weird, especially with the wedding being tomorrow.

“Just gotta wait for Gary to get here,” Theo says. “Remember him? Izzy’s brother-in-law. I still can’t believe Tilly is coming after everything; Izzy lost her shit the night she found that out. However, she’s so desperate to see Penny, I think she’s willing to overlook it.”

“Should I warn Lou?” Izzy’s bachelorette party is starting to sound like a recipe for disaster, and the last thing I want to do is scare her off.

“Nah, she’ll be fine,” he chuckles, though he only sounds half convinced. “She might be the buffer Iz needs with Mom and Tilly being here. Plus, Will’s great; he’ll look after her.”

“The dude’s gay, right?” Way to sound possessive, Daniel.

“Jeez, you really like her, don’t you? My God, look at you getting all jealous over a girl.” He slaps me on the back as I flip him the bird, though I do feel like an ass for asking such a stupid question. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Daniel Hunter getting gushy over a girl. And the PA, you cliché bastard!”

“Shut the fuck up, dude, or I’ll have you strapped to a lamp post wearing nothing but a blindfold.”

“Theo! Gary’s here with his…wife!” Izzy shouts out with disdain in her voice over that last word. No doubt Tilly was standing right next to her at the time. Tilly hasn’t exactly been the nicest of sisters, but ever since everything was revealed earlier this year when their grandmother passed away, she’s been trying to reach out. In true Izzy style, she’s not going to make it easy for her. Again, I can’t say I blame her, she was the mother of all bullies to Izzy.

_____

Louisa

Wow! And I thought my family was full of drama. This place makes the bar look like a tea party from a Jane Austen novel. Izzy’s sister has turned up, uninvited it sounds like, with her husband and his daughter, who loves Izzy but doesn’t seem to like Tilly very much. She giggles unashamedly every time Izzy makes a dry remark at her sister’s expense. A guy called Will has come with them, but he seems really quiet compared to the rest. Izzy introduces me to him, so we sit together in the corner, looking all kinds of uncomfortable. I think he saw a fellow introvert and decided I was his best bet.

“So, how do you know Izzy?” he asks just as Stella jumps up and begins licking his face off. Her dog is gorgeous; she reminds me of Phoenix’s old dog, Mabel, who also had no boundaries when it came to introducing herself to strangers. I still miss her, especially the calm she seemed to bring my brother. Perhaps I should just go out and buy him another dog?

“I’m dating Daniel, Theo’s friend,” I reply with a blush, “they’re both kind of my bosses too.”

“Oh, my Lord!” Tilly cries out with the poshest English accent I’ve ever heard on a real-life person. “Izzy’s marrying her stepbrother and you’re sleeping with your boss. What’s in the water out here?!” she guffaws, a word I never thought I’d use before tonight.

“Tilly dah-ling,” Izzy mocks her, “do shut up. Lou, pay no attention to Tilly; she suffers from a well-known condition called being-a-bitch.”

I can’t help but laugh at her comeback as she brings over some glasses of wine for us.

“Oh, Iso…” Tilly stops mid-sentence, clears her throat, then attempts to smile. “I mean, Izzy, I’m just messing around, you know me.”

“Unfortunately,” Penny, her husband’s daughter, mutters just loud enough for everyone to hear. Tilly seems quite happy to ignore any derogatory comments thrown her way, which is a talent that’s no doubt got her far in life. I almost envy her for it.

“Anyway, Izzy, darling, what is it you’re doing now?” Tilly asks as she takes a few sips of her Chardonnay.

“I perform live sex shows at one of the clubs in town,” Izzy says with a poker straight face, “the tips are so much more lucrative over here.”

“Izzy!” Theo and Daniel suddenly join in the conversation with the former chastising his intended but only sounding half-serious.

“Theo, darling, how lovely to see you again!” Tilly air kisses him while Izzy feigns throwing up behind her back.

“You ok?” Daniel’s arms wrap around me from behind when he kisses me on the cheek. I’m more than fine, and feeling glad that for once, the drama isn’t at all about me. I smile and nod as he pulls me into the empty room behind us. “Listen, if it gets too much, just text me and I’ll come get you.”

“Oh, hell, I’ll be fine,” I tell him, threading my fingers through his hair, “this is nothing compared to the things I’ve seen at the bar. There’s always an angry girlfriend or pissed-off wife coming in to have her say about something or other.”

“Yeah? Really?” he laughs. “Well, don’t let Izzy’s sister get to you. You’ll soon find no one listens to her bullshit. I’ll text you when we’re heading back.”

“Ok, but you never know, you might get lucky,” I tease, “I hear bachelor parties are the new thing for girls out on the pull.”

“The only girl I want to pull tonight is you, Louisa Flynn,” he mumbles against my lips before we kiss, long, hard, and full of lust.

“Dude, let’s go!” Theo slaps Daniel’s shoulder from behind him and reluctantly he lets go of my lips. “Apologies, Lou, but I need to steal him away for a few hours, then you can have him back.”

Theo winks and I blush before I wave Daniel away. I feel bereft but also stupidly gushy over him, knowing that he’s a million times different from the men who are in my life. I love Phoenix, and I did love Tony, but I’ve never loved the danger surrounding their lives. I also hated the angst, the aggression, and the alpha male persona they needed to always maintain. Daniel is all man but without the possessive mentality; I know I’m his equal.

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