Page 9 of Hope in his Darkness
“She is not staying in Georgia’s room!” I storm into the bedroom and Georgia’s vanilla scent mixes with Hope’s strawberry one and I sway at the entrance. It’s like being hit by my two favorite things at once. My body can’t handle it.
“Didn’t I tell you to put some damn clothes on?” My dad yells from where he is standing by the bed, talking to Hope.
“Does he do this often? Just walk around with all that hanging out. Like does he have some kind of social problem where he just shows company his dangly bits?” My dad guffs out a laugh.
“I mean, I don’t like to judge, but did you drop him on his head as a baby or does he just enjoy flashing his wang all over town?” Did she just seriously ask if I have a mental disorder?
“No, I don’t have a social problem. I just wasn’t prepared to come home and find you in my home about to sleep in this room. Excuse me if I’m a bit in shock.” I should cover myself, but there’s a twisted part of me inside that wants her to look.
"Yeah, well I didn’t expect you to come waltzing in the house in nothing but your birthday suit but you don’t see me flashing my tits now, do you? Ohmigod, can you please put something over that thing, maybe get it a hoodie or a beanie at least?” She whispers something to my dad about me being ‘special’ and he laughs. My own father is laughing at my expense; this chick has got to go like yesterday.
“No, honey, he’s just being an idiot. Ignore him. We’ll let you get to sleep. Remember, you can stay as long as you need. Consider this your home now.” I gawk at my dad as he grabs me by the arm, hauling me out of the room, shutting the door gently behind us.
“She is not staying in Georgia’s room; you can’t let her stay in that room Pops. It’s not right.” It’s like he’s trying to replace Georgia with Hope, but I’m not going to let that shit happen.
“Calm your tits son, she’s only planning on staying till she can get her own place.” So, she is homeless. I should feel like a complete jackass for trying to kick her out but having her in Georgia’s room is fucking with my head too much.
“Put her in Dom’s room; just don’t put her in there.” I sound like a petulant child, which makes me angrier than I already am. This is not me; this is not how I normally behave. I’m the nice guy, the one everyone depends on, the one who would do anything to help someone down on their luck. It’s all her fault. If she hadn’t walked into the bar tonight, none of this would be happening. Damn her and damn fate for putting her in my path.
“She’s staying in Georgia’s room and that’s final. Georgia is gone, son; she’s living a good life with her mate. Rooster takes good care of her and she’s expecting their first cub. She’s not going to mind if I let someone in need sleep in her old room.” I know Georgia was gone. I know she is living happily ever after with Rooster somewhere in the boonies of Texas. Why did he have to rub it in my face?
“Now you listen to me, that little girl in there has been through the wringer, you treat her with respect while she’s here.” What did he mean? Who put her through the wringer? My animal’s need to protect her surge through me, making me growl and my dad lifts his eyebrow questioningly. Spinning on my heel, I stomp off to my room, slamming the door behind me. Fucking fate!
Chapter Six
Hope
He’d been naked, full-frontal nudity naked, dangly bits all out in the open nekkid. My heart is still beating straight out of my chest just from seeing all that man-meat he was packing. How in the hell did he even walk straight with that thing? Stop thinking about his junk, Hope! How could you not be thinking about his junk when it was just on full display for everyone and their momma to see? Well, okay, so everyone and their momma included me, his dad, and his brother. Not like the whole state of Oklahoma saw them.
Well maybe the whole state had seen them, he came in the house that way. So where had he been that he was butt-ass naked strolling in at two in the morning? Did he have to sneak out of some woman’s window because her husband came home early? For some reason, that idea left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe he fell in the lake and took his clothes off so he wouldn’t track water in the house, but his hair wasn’t wet. Well, I guess he could have just gotten his body wet and kept his head above water.
Did it really matter why he was naked? Not really, he was still a jackass as far as I was concerned. He was acting like a five-year-old over me staying in his sister's room. Like it was meant to be some kind of shrine or something. I hadn’t even wanted to stay, Clay and Cole insisted. It wasn’t even my fault I was there; it was his father and brothers. Let him take it up with them.
After Cole caught me, Clay explained they weren’t angry at me, but angry at the situation I was in. They got all growly, and I thought for a second, they would start beating their chests in anger when I told them I couldn’t go home. Although they didn’t push me to tell them why I think they got the picture all the same. When they offered me a place to stay, I refused. I didn’t want to feel indebted to them. Clay would not take no for an answer, promised I could stay as long as I needed to.
In the end, I knew they would never leave me alone until I at least stayed one night, so I gave in. One night wouldn’t kill me. I could figure something else out in the morning. If I had to go back home, the next day at least I got a one-night reprieve from my asshole father. I knew eventually I would have to go back, bills had to be paid or we would lose the trailer. It wasn’t much but it was the only home I had at the moment.
