Chapter 19

Hayden

"Tonight…?"

All the blood in my body felt like it was rushing to my head, it throbbing in time with my heartbeat. It was one thing to grab a coffee and come over, hoping to see Jamie. It was another to see her walk up the driveway late with my brother's arm around her shoulders. Her hair was wet and recently combed back, making clear what had occurred.

She'd gone out with Brock last night and stayed at his place.

I knew what had to have happened. The same thing that would happen if I ever managed to get her back to my place, but if Brock hadn't fallen to his knees and worshipped every inch of her, I'd belt him in the face.

Fuck, I'd do that if he had.

Jealousy and protectiveness warred inside my heart and I wasn't sure which was winning.

"We had a date booked for Friday night, remember?" That tiny twitch of his jaw muscle made clear how Hunter felt about being forgotten. "I brought you a coffee. Strong enough to put hairs on your chest and ridiculous amounts of syrup to compensate for that," he said, offering her the cup.

"So did I." I pushed forward to offer her mine. "From the bakery." I picked up the bag full of food. "Kendall, the baker, sent a bunch of baked goods along with it."

"Oh, I—" I watched Jamie consider both cups, but Brock decided to take the choice away from her.

"Guess I'm drinking one." My brother's smile had an edge to it as he grabbed my cup. "We didn't have time to pick one up on the way to work, seeing as we were running late."

My eyes narrowed. He used to pull the big brother bullshit all the time at home, overruling the rest of us, but we didn't live together anymore. I watched him wink at me as he took a sip, then I smiled as he winced at how sweet it was, but my brother wasn't my focus. I turned to Jamie, staring at her, glad for a legitimate excuse to do so for once, and then made my play.

"Come out with me tonight," my twin and I said.

Sometimes it felt like Hunter and I were one person in two bodies. We often had the same thoughts, saying them at the exact same time. The family thought it hysterical, but I wasn't laughing right now. I stared at my twin, willing him to remember. We were going to pull off that old trick, this time when I pretended to be him, making her think she was dating the both of us, when it would just be me. Instead, he stared steadily at Jamie.

"Damn… this is gonna end up in a fight for sure," Clinton muttered. "Ken. Ken!"

"There's not going to be a fight." I watched Jamie draw herself up, fire sparking in her eyes. "By the smell of you, you've already had at least one cigarette this morning, so you can wait until smoko for another. Go inside." Clinton was at least a foot taller than her, but he jerked his smoke from his lips and tucked it behind his ear. "And any more bets and you and I will be having a very earnest conversation."

"One that includes discussions of sexual harassment in the workplace," Brock added.

"Fine." Clinton shot her a dark look that had my hands balling into fists. "I thought you were going to help him loosen up." He poked a finger in Brock's direction. "But it looks like he's making you more grumpy. Seems like you need to get better at your sleepover game, mate."

"Clinton…" Brock growled.

"Fine, fine."

We watched him stomp back inside, but the moment he was out of earshot, each one of us turned back to Jamie.

"Jamie and I already organised to go out tonight—" Hunter started to say.

"But she'd have more fun with me." I shot him a dirty look. "I bet you want to take her to some fancy restaurant."

"Did that last night," Brock drawled.

"Not Pellegrino's," Hunter shot back. "That place is booked out for months in advance." His focus shifted back to Jamie. "I called in a favour with some model buddies and got us a table so we can talk."

The meaningful look that passed between them almost killed all my hopes, but my brother had made a major misstep. Jamie didn't like fuss or fancy. Fun would turn her head more than silver service would.

"Well, I booked us a slot for axe throwing," I said.

"Axe throwing?"

The way her face lit up, her eyes shining, it made everything alright, despite the fact that Brock's hand was still on her shoulder.

"Beers, wings, good music, and some mayhem with razor sharp objects," I said, the words tumbling out, because I felt like I needed her to hear me, see me. "I figured we could have some fun…" A little nod from Jamie had me forging on. "Then we could plan some of those fake dates for when your mum is in town."

"Idiot…"

Hunter barely even breathed that word, but I heard it, felt it, when her face fell. She was right there with me until I had to mention her mother. I thought that was what she wanted, that it was my excuse to get her to come out with me, but now I saw. She was actually open to the idea, and I… I'd reminded her what this was initially about.

That none of this was real, even though it really was.

"Sorry fellas, I think we've got plans tonight, don't we?"

Brock looked so damn cocky right then, but not for long. Jamie looked up at him and then stepped away in time for me to watch his face fall.

"We had a deal." Her voice was tight, her expression guarded. "Mum arrives tonight and I need to parade three prospective husbands past her…" Her smile was more of a wince than one of happiness. "So I can break up with them after she's gone home." She looked back at Brock, an apology in her eyes. "If I'm going to pull this off, I need to get comfortable with the twins."

"Because you've always been comfortable with me," he insisted, taking a step forward, not realising that he was pushing her further into a corner. "We've worked together for over ten years…"

So why wasn't she rushing towards him and into his arms? I was willing to bet Brock was asking himself the same question. Something held Jamie back. She'd had that boyfriend for a while. I couldn't remember his name, but… It seemed to put some kind of strain on her. She wasn't happier with him, but somehow less.

Because he wasn't the right guy for her, that's what I told myself. That I was. I'd make her happy, that I swore, starting now.

"Come out axe throwing with me," I said, formulating a compromise in my head. "We'll just have a beer or two and some snacks. Hunter can pick you up from the place. It's near the city, and you'll be able to take her to your fancy restaurant and home again, or…" I turned to Brock, seeing how his expression had darkened. "To Brock's. Whatever you decide."

"Sounds like the only reasonable way forward," she said, but before she could continue, her phone started to ring. Jamie glanced at the screen and sighed. "That's Mum now. I need to get this. Hayden, text me the address and I'll meet you at the axe throwing place."

"Or I can pick you up after work?" I suggested. This might be a fun date, but that didn't mean I wouldn't meet her at her door and escort her to the place.

"At mine, around seven?" she replied and with a nod from me, she sucked in a breath and then answered the phone call.

I'd sprung out of bed, leaving the house I shared with Hunter before he even got up, ready to make my move. I'd imagined her response, that same look of pleasure on her face when I got her away from work yesterday. This hadn't exactly turned out the way I thought, but…

She'd said yes.

As I watched her disappear into the shop, I reminded myself of that fact. When she was saying yes, hope remained. Keep doing whatever it took to get her to say yes, to me, to us, to our future.

And remove all obstacles in my way.

"I thought we fucking talked about this," I said to Hunter. "Did we or did we not?—?"

"We did." That mulish expression said I was not gonna like what came next. "Or you told me and I nodded along, like I usually do."

"Usually do?" My voice was too sharp, too loud, so I was forced to modulate it. "Usually do? Who's the one who was always getting us into shit at school?" I asked. "Who decided what footy team we played for and who our friends were? Who decided we'd both become carpenters?"

"Who decided he was head over heels for Jamie in high school and did nothing about it for over ten years?" Hunt moved closer, his expression making clear he was ready to throw down if that's what it took to get the message across. "Who stopped the rest of us from seeing if she was into us as a result of your indecision? Nice to see you grew some balls, brother."

Right then I wasn't in the garage driveway, but at home. The two of us at ten, twelve, fifteen years old, squaring off even though we knew we were evenly matched, but ready to fight anyway.

"But the way you move, we'll all be dead and buried before you've managed to convince her to become yours. Let's face it, Hay Bale." He went to ruffle my hair, but I knocked his hand away. "Part of you is shit scared she's gonna say no if she finds out what you really feel for her."

There were plenty of times I hated Hunter. He was always the life of the party, whereas I was the one hanging back, my social battery depleted way faster than his, but now? His words were vicious, stabbing into me as deeply as a knife and hurting twice as bad.

Because he was right on the money.

I'd been hovering around, wanting to make a move, looking for some sort of sign Jamie was interested and not daring to put myself forward in case she wasn't. When I said nothing, the potential was always there, tantalising me with the possibilities, but if I did, then I'd know. One way or another, my dreams would either come true or I'd lose hope forever.

"Jamie was with me last night," Brock said, the jubilation clear on his face if you knew where to look for it. "I took her out and then brought her back to my place. We've got a connection?—"

"But she hasn't chosen you," I said. "Otherwise she'd be introducing you as her new boyfriend to her mother and she wouldn't be going out with us."

Hunter grinned.

"You slept with her last night," he said, "but only time will tell if she's in your bed tonight." Brock's brows jerked down. "You get to show her you're the right choice during the day, Hayden will take her out after work, and I…" Hunter's smile widened. "I'm dessert. Delicious, tempting and most of all, just the kind of naughty treat our girl needs."

"Did you just call yourself naughty?" I shot Hunter a scathing look as we walked back to our vans.

"You saw how that vein started to pop in his forehead," he replied. "It's always fun to mess with Big Brother, but…" I was forced to stop when he did. "I mean it. I'm not stepping back, not letting you pretend to be me. I'm making it clear that I want Jamie." That shit-eating grin faded. "Need her."

"So we agree to respect Jamie's decisions and let her work out how things have to go," I said, holding out a hand.

His jaw muscle popped as he reached out and took it, shaking it way too hard before pulling away.

"You can be my best man at our wedding."

I smirked then because I knew something he didn't. I actually listened when she was talking to Millie, making clear how uninterested in conventional relationship dynamics our girl was. There would be no wedding, which was fine by me. A fancy dress and an uncomfortable suit wasn't my idea of the future. Just her and me, spending the rest of our lives together was what I needed. At that, I pulled out my phone and tapped on the tentative booking I'd made and confirmed it. All I had to do was make sure she had so much fun she was thinking about me, not Hunter or Brock, before the night was done.