Chapter 38

Hayden

"So all three of you are dating my daughter?" Jamie's dad asked in a deadly tone.

"She went from no boyfriends to three?" Steve said. "Damn, Jamie."

"Why the hell would you let yourself be put in that position?" Steve asked me before turning to Dave. "There's no way I'd be putting my dick where yours had been."

"Probably because she wouldn't feel a damn thing if you went after me." The man shot his brother a smug smile before crooking his little finger.

"You f?—!"

"Enough." Jamie's dad silenced his sons with a sharp look. "So you're Hayden." I nodded. "I'm Jamie's dad, Arthur." He crossed his arms and stared me down. "And what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a carpenter?—"

"A carpenter?" Dave's eyebrows shot up. "Well, at least that's useful. Better than the other dickhead. What did he do?" he asked Steve. "A wannabe race car driver? So where do you work, mate?"

People thought Australians were all friendly, bandying the word mate around, but a lot of the time it was entirely ironic. There was a strange kind of hostility to it, just like there was now.

"My brother and I subcontract for a company that's building those new estates in the north of the city," I replied. "We build all the framework?—"

"The brother that's also dating my daughter," Arthur said. "How the hell does that work?" He turned and looked at his sons. "If you two liked the same girl, I'd have to separate you with the hose, like a pack of fighting dogs."

"It does create some tension," I replied. "My twin, Hunter, would've liked to have been the one to come today rather than me." I watched them eye me, knowing exactly what this was. They were suspicious of me, just as I would be of anyone trying to date Millie, but that insight would get me through this. "But right now all we're focussed on is Jamie. We could squabble amongst ourselves or we could put that shit aside and do our damnedest to make clear to her which one is the best guy for her." I nodded slowly. "That's what I'm doing."

"Hmph."

Arthur wasn't giving anything away, but the boys did. Dave looked at Steve and then they both spluttered.

"So what? You coordinate things? Create a family calendar and schedule in time with my sister?" Steve said with a shake of his head.

"Work out which night you're sleeping over," Dave snickered. "Don't want to go walking into your girlfriend's bedroom and find your brother balls deep in your girl."

"Boys!" Arthur snapped, his face going a dangerous shade of red.

"Daddy! Daddy!" a couple of little voices cried. I turned to see a couple of little girls playing under a sprinkler, dressed in brightly coloured swimsuits. "Come and play!"

"In a minute, love," Dave replied.

"We're just joking, Dad," Steve said. "Jesus, lighten up."

Arthur had more to say, but he had to get in line. I stepped up then, facing these two idiots down.

"If you spoke about my sister that way?" I said, staring into one man's eyes, then the other, "I'd punch your teeth so far down your throat you'd be able to eat your own arsehole from the inside. But Jamie…?"

I shook my head, hearing the sounds of the little girls squealing and wondering what the hell was wrong with their fathers. Would they denigrate their girls' achievements when they grew up, then make disgusting comments about their love lives?

"I'm prepared to go a whole lot further." Steve watched my hands form fists, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "You don't have to worry about how we navigate an unusual relationship dynamic, just that we're treating your sister well. We are." I shook my head, knowing that the disgust I felt was plain in my expression, but I didn't care. "Better than she's ever been treated, I'll bet. The way she should've been all along."

The criticism there was clear, and I didn't give a fuck when her two idiot brothers started to stiffen. I'd belt the two of them into next week if that's what it took and then sweep my girl out of this place, because now I understood. The need for fake boyfriends? Jamie needed a meat shield to protect her from the not-so-loving embrace of her family.

"So unless you've got any other relevant questions—?" I asked.

"Daddy! Uncle Dave! Grandpa!" Two very wet little girls came dripping over, looking at each one of us in turn, their heads tilting to one side when they saw me. "Who're you?"

"I'm your Aunt Jamie's boyfriend, Hayden," I replied in a much gentler voice.

"Hayden?" The two girls looked at each other as if verifying that information. "I'm Cindy. She's Hannah." She pointed to a girl I was willing to bet was her sister. "Can you fix the hose? The sprinklers not working."

"Yeah." Anything to get me the fuck away from those dickheads. "I can take a look. Lead the way, ladies."

The girls giggled, grabbing my hands with surprising strength and then hauling me over to the side of the house.

"The tap is turned on but the water isn't coming out."

"OK." I turned off the tap, then disconnected the hose before testing the flow, and water rushed out. "Water is definitely coming out." I switched the tap off before reconnecting the hose. "If the water's not coming out, there must be a kink in the hose." The water was turned back on and then we followed the hose out onto the garden. A couple of other kids stood by the sprinkler eyeing me as I approached. "So the sprinkler was working before?"

"Yep," said one young lad, he and all the other kids bursting out into laughter as he pulled his foot off the hose.

I spluttered as water burst out of the sprinkler, drenching me in seconds as the kids all cackled. They were clutching their stomachs, the little buggers, thinking this was hysterical.

"Oh, so it's like that, is it?" I growled, stomping forward, the kids scattering with excited screams. I grabbed the hose, kinking it, then pulled off the sprinkler and tossed it onto the grass. They quickly worked out what was going to happen. Giggles and screams filled the backyard as I released the water flow, spraying one kid after the other. They all flung themselves sideways, trying to avoid the spray, but that stopped fairly quickly.

"Get him!" the young lad said, organising his tiny troops and launching them at me. I jerked the hose up and out of their reach but could only quarantine the nozzle. They all jumped on the hose itself, trying to wrestle it out of my grip.

"Oi!" I turned around to see a familiar face standing there. Frankie Kingston was Jamie's youngest brother and we were in the same year at school. "Jesus, who's that, Hunter or Hayden?"

"Hay—!"

My reply was cut off as the hose was wrestled out of my grip, and then I was squirted right in the face. The kids roared at my splutters, right before Frankie marched over and stepped on the hose.

"You little ratbags. What the hell are you doing, drenching a visitor?"

"Dad was too busy cooking to play," the eldest boy said, looking somewhat abased now.

"And so you decided to attack Jamie's guest?" Frankie said. "You kids have been running wild."

"And so they need to be punished!"

Frankie jerked the hose from the kids' grips and then came to my defence, spraying the lot of them. They all squealed in excitement, launching themselves at their uncle with far greater enthusiasm than they did a complete stranger. He put on a good show, grunting and pretending to fight them off until Cindy, one of the smallest girls, wrenched the hose free. With an evil cackle, the little girl eyed the lot of us as we rapidly backed off.

"You better run, Hayden!" Frankie shouted, right as the little girl directed the hose at the patio.

I watched the water arc through the air as if in slow motion, because up until now, we'd been playing on the grass. Water splattered the slate tiles of the deck, getting closer and closer to the table. A white tablecloth had been set up, along with wine glasses and plates, cutlery and paper serviettes, and all of it was in the pathway of the hose. Frankie and I seemed to realise that at the same time.

Of course, that was the moment Majorie walked out of the house to see what all the fuss was.

Cindy tried to jerk the hose away, but instead of missing her grandmother, it went splattering in a massive arc across the woman and the table before Frankie stepped in and kinked the hose.

Majorie blinked, her mouth open as she sucked in breaths, but her shock quickly faded. Her brows drew down sharply, right as Frankie stepped forward.

"Now, Mum?—"

"Who did this?" she snapped, her tone perfectly imperious. The kids all took an instinctive step backwards in the face of her rage. Frankie and I looked back at the children and our eyes met for a second before we both nodded and stepped forward.

"I did," we said at almost the same time.