Page 15 of Love Me

His words trigger something inside me. That isn’t all I can do, is it? Icanfix it. It may be a hard sell but if her parents want her settled and married, I can get her to marryme. Her parents have wanted this since we were little, and they would definitely get off of her case about settling down. Plus, with me behind her, Levi wouldn’t fuck with her anymore. And this would keep her and Charlotte here, because I’m not letting them go. Yeah. This could work.

“Thanks, brother. I got shit to do but I’ll see you Sunday.”

“Sounds good.”

Decision made, I leave Dallas’ office on a mission to make Hannah mine. Levi’s loss is my gain. She’s always been mine anyway, Levi was just a heartache that she needed to endure to bring Charlotte into the world. And I am more than okay with that. I wouldn’t trade that girl for anything, no matter who created her. And Hannah’s parents? Fuck them. That girl has been running Bean Haven by herself for years, and if Ms. Nettie has faith in her, then her parents can fuck themselves.

Swinging into Carter’s office before I head out, I find him tapping away at his computer.

“Hey, Casanova, I got some shit to take care of, I’m out of here.”

“Everything good?”

“Yeah, it’s all good.”

“Thank fuck,” he sighs as he leans back in his chair. “Between all that shit with Ivy, and now Dallas fucking Blaire,I can’t take another damn thing in this family. You all are working overtime to makemelook good.”

I inwardly cringe, knowing that I’m about to drop a bomb of my own when I get Hannah to agree to be mine. Carter is about to look like the golden child. Even if he’s slept his way through our town and the next three. We’re surprised a baby or two haven’t resulted from his extracurricular activities.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find a way to top us all,” I say with a wink before heading out. I want to be ready for tonight. And the sure way to Hannah’s heart is pizza and old slasher movies. Both of which just happen to be my favorite, too.

Unsure when the last time I was this worked up over something, I step through Hannah’s apartment feeling anxious as fuck. I know that this Band-Aid needs to be pulled off, but being the one to cause her pain makes me feel like dog shit. But I already have a plan to pick up the pieces, she just needs to trust me. I won’t abandon her now, not ever.

“Yo! Why do you look so pale? Are you getting sick?” Hannah says as I walk into the living room, finding her curled up on her side of the couch flipping through old slasher movies on Netflix. Great minds think alike. She’s wearing a thin tank top and loose pajama pants with Freddy Krueger masks all over them that I bought her for Christmas.

“I wish. That’d be easier than this is gonna be. Look, we need to talk, Han.”

She sits up straighter, pulling her legs under her, and faces me as I drop the pizza onto her coffee table. Fuck, this sucks. I have no idea how she’s going to take the news. I pace in front ofher, taking off my backwards hat and running my hands through my thick hair.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, bear, sit down and spit it out. I’m not made of glass.”

“Fuck, I know that, Hannah. Just . . . okay, wait, first we’re going to need alcohol.”

Walking to Hannah’s kitchen, I grab a bottle of tequila from the cabinet above the stove and return to the living room. I plop down in the middle of the couch, my big body taking up the entire cushion and part of the one she’s on. Opening the cap, I take a swig before passing it to her.

“I’m a big girl. Let’s hear it.”

“Take a swig then,big girl.”

With a dramatic eye roll, she puts the bottle to her plump lips and takes a hefty pull of tequila without a wince. It’s been our alcohol of choice since we were dumbass teenagers, stealing it from my parent’s liquor cabinet and refilling the bottles with water. Kind of ironic considering my family owns a successful whiskey distillery and that I’m now a master distiller, maybe that’s why we always went for the tequila. Maybe we figured they weren’t reaching for that one as much.

“After I walked in on that meltdown from Levi and all the shit with your parents, I’d reached my end of the bullshit—and before you get pissed, I didn’t touch him. I wouldn’t do anything to make things harder on you, you damn well know that,” I declare, pointing my finger at her before her crazy comes out.

“So you drove all the way to Seattle? And then what? Drove back home and worked all day?”

“Yeah,” I say sheepishly, scratching the back of my neck.

“Well, seeing as he’s not here, I guess whatever you said didn’t work. Plus, I’ve since gotten into it with him.Again.”

“Han, it’s not about anything either of us said. It’s what I found.”

Her eyes squint into slits, her head cocking to the side a bit as she waits patiently, something that’s not usually her strong suit.

“I love you, beauty. Remember that, okay?”

“Unless you want me to knock your teeth out, bear, talk.”

“Levi’s got a pregnant girlfriend living with him.”

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