Page 67 of Side Hustle
Rip:Hey, I have your stuff. Sorry for not getting it to you sooner. I’ll be outside Forty-Diner this morning if you can meet me. I’d love to talk.
I hit send and ground away another layer of my molars. What I wanted to text was profusely begging her to forgive me for being the biggest horse’s ass this side of the Mississippi. But Hazel deserved better than a text. She deserved an entire production to show her how special she was.
And I was going to give it to her.
You see, I’d learned something life-changing by hanging out with my friends. They looked like dude-bros. The kind of guys who hit the frat parties so hard in college their brains no longer fired on all cylinders. The kind of guys with more looks than substance, but you’d be wrong. They were actually a fountain of mature knowledge when it came to women and relationships. Better than any therapist. Better than a knock to the head.
I’d never been the sum product of my parents, and I certainly didn’t believe that about Hazel. She had a right to make her own decisions and I had a responsibility as someone who loved her to support her in those decisions. If she was content to live in Auburn Hill with me as her husband, why was I questioning her? Why should I listen to the deranged ramblings of her biological donor who never stuck around long enough to know Hazel? I was an ass to even consider Kendra’s words as truth. Embarrassing, really. I’d believed Kendra and not Hazel. I did to her what I felt everyone did to me: judged me based on my father.
I didn’t deserve to win Hazel back, but considering I didn’t think I could live without her, I was going to try anyway. And if on the minute chance she forgave me, I’d spend the rest of my life making sure she knew that I chose her every single day. I’d choose her over and over again until I took my last breath.
“Good luck, Rip,” Poppy whispered at full volume as she walked past.
The walkie-talkie on my hip squawked before a voice warbled over the airwaves. “Everyone is in place. Just waiting for your signal.”
I clicked the button on the side and responded, “The parrot is on her way. Stand by.”
“I’m not so sure about this code name of yours. You sure she won’t be offended?” Titus scratched his chin, a half-eaten donut in his other hand. I saw that he steered clear of the jelly filled even though I assured him I hadn’t messed with them today.
My eyes wanted to roll back in my head. There were much bigger details that needed attention and I’d already explained this to him twice. “Parrots are beautifully colored, highly social, intelligent, and prone to silliness. If there was ever a bird personification of Hazel, it would be a parrot. All right?”
Titus shoved the rest of the donut in his mouth and talked around it, hands in the air. “All I’m saying is after your stunt with the blueberries, I don’t want to even think about birds ever again. Do you know how much shit we had to clean up on Charlie’s property? I’m not sure the paint job on his truck will ever recover.”
My laugh was cut off by my phone buzzing in my hand.
Hazel:Fine.
I cringed. Damn. Ice-cold reply, though who could blame her? I’d been utterly insensitive last we spoke. She had no idea I’d gotten cold feet and run when what I really wanted to do was run awaywithher and marry her. Put a ring on that finger. Make her mine.
Concrete was pretty tough, but I nearly wore a path through the middle of the sidewalk outside Forty-Diner, waiting for Hazel to arrive. Titus grabbed my arm and pointed down Main Street, where Lenora and Hazel were walking toward us. My stomach decided to seize, my hurried breakfast of a protein shake threatening to come back up.
This was it.
My do-or-die moment. If I failed, my life would suck. No biggie.
“Hazel. You look lovely,” I said by way of greeting as soon as she stopped in front of me. And it was true. She looked like she’d stepped right off a social media influencer’s page for fall fashion. Boots, tight jeans, and a green cable knit sweater that set off her stunning hazel eyes.
“Thanks,” she replied coolly, those eyes darting up and down my person before skidding to the right to focus on Titus.
Titus jumped to attention and took Lenora’s arm. “How about we get a table inside, huh?”
The two of them walked off, leaving just her and me and a boatload of unspoken words. The crisp air turned suffocating with the tension between us.
“Well, where’s my stuff?” Hazel asked, her nose going up in the air. She was fucking adorable.
“I, uh, didn’t bring it.”
Her nose scrunched up and my lips nearly wept over not being allowed to kiss her.
“Actually, I asked you here so I could beg your forgiveness. So I could explain why I was such an ass last week.”
Hazel crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me wearily.
“So. I’m sorry. I was an ass. I never should have broken up with you, and certainly not in that way.”
Her eyes narrowed and still she didn’t say anything. Fuck. I was completely bombing this.
“What I mean to say is that I still want to be with you. What we had together was amazing and I know that if you give me another chance, I will do anything and everything to make you happy. Just tell me what it is about me you don’t like and I’ll change it.”
