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With his thumb in his mouth, he hugs his blanket with the lightest snores, telling me he’s out for the night.
“The two of you…” Harrison groans when I sit on the couch beside him. He’s watching some big-name Vegas MMA fight that he mutes completely before he continues. “You orbit around each other like a pair of lovesick puppies. Yet, for someone that is all about making shit count and holding on to the good things life brings your way, you fuck it up with her?”
“I told you to drop it, all right?” Gulping down a few mouthfuls of the cold beer, I stand to get something stronger.
“No, not all right because she’s good people, and I know for a fact that she wouldn’t shit on you or any move you made…even if it’s lame.”
“We’re not having this conversation.” Pouring us both a dram of the scotch he brought back from a business trip to Europe, I change the topic. “What did you want to run by me?”
“You were thinking about doing live music nights, right?”
The chat we had a few weeks back comes back to me. “Sure.”
“Well, you remember Noah? Noah Jackson—he’s a big name now, and his label is looking for an intimate venue to do a low-key performance of his new album.”
“Okay.”
“Well, when he told me about it, I thought maybe it could be a great launch to your live music nights. Great publicity for the hotel. I told him I’d talk to you about it and maybe arrange lunch with the three of us and his agent.”
“Sure.”
“Sure? That’s all you got?”
“Sure, it sounds good. Sure, set up the meeting. Sure…sure…fucking sure!” My frustrations burst from me.
“Don’t be an asshole because you screwed up,” he spits at me as I drink down my scotch in one. “The girl likes you, and she doesn’t care that you have a kid that you need to prioritize because she’s got all those stars in her eyes for you.”
“And what do I give her in return?”
Standing, he walks over and picks up his drink, swirling it around the glass as he replies, “Sex.”
“Sex…”
“Yeah. When was the last time you fucked?”
“I’m not like you.” Looking around me, I ask him, “What do I have to give her? Look around you, Harrison. Look at my fucking life. A girl like her—”
“Stop making excuses.”
“Everything is so complicated. I don’t want to drag her down with me.”
“Fuck, dude,” Harrison sighs, pouring us both another drink. “You’re a Hawthorne. Your family has resided somewhere at the top of the Forbes rich list for generations. If you can’t get your shit together, what hope does anyone else have?”
I scoff at his ridiculous logic. It’s not like his family is short of a few million or two. “You’re meant to be the one that encourages the bachelor life forever.”
Laughing, he touches his glass to mine. “Oh, I advocate for the simple and free life, but like you said, you’re not like me. So…stop making excuses.”
“Easton isn’t an excuse. I can’t bring random people into his life.”
“Summer isn’t random, and she’s the only woman I’ve seen hold your interest in a long time. Forget what everyone else says and wants, do something for you. Not for the business or your son. It won’t make you selfish or a terrible father.”
Just like that, he gulps down his scotch and heads for the door, only stopping to tell me, “You’re a lucky bastard.” Turning with a grin hitching his lips to one side of his face, he adds, “All those ear piercings…the sass…I bet she’s fucking wild.”
Jesus. “We both know where your bets get us.”
“Wild,” he groans, knowing that his thoughts of Summer are going to piss me off.
Picking up one of Easton’s soft balls, I throw it at his head. “Leave, pervert, before I break your fucking nose…” And all other limbs he holds dear.
