8. Harrison

8

HARRISON

I stare up the stairs long after Bergan shut the door to her room.

What happened? Why suddenly the cold indifference?

“Hey, come have some of Dad’s expensive whiskey.” Colt waves a couple glasses and the whiskey as he leads me into the den. I do one more glance at Bergan’s door, hoping she’ll open it, but sigh as I follow my cousin.

We sit and I grab the tumbler in my cousin’s outreached hand and sip. “Damn that’s good.”

“How’s your dad and Gina?”

“They’re good.”

“And Millie?” Colt’s voice softens and I smile.

“Still in remission.” I take another swig of the whiskey.

Colt takes a drink and leans back. “Wish my dad hadn’t been so stubborn. He might have had some more days with us.”

“Seems that’s a Briggs family trait.”

Colt lifts his glass and chuckles. “Damn straight.”

I clink my glass against his and we grin at each other.

“You ready to be a big-ticket item? Or are you already an item with Bergan?” Colt smiles and I shake my head, then frown.

“I wanna be, but she’s got a line, and hockey players are on the other side of that line. But don’t worry, I’ll still make the goal. Just wait and see. Bergan’s meant to be mine.”

Coal looks me in the eye. “I hope you do get her, Harrison. Having the love of a good woman has changed my life.” Colt holds up his glass again. “Best of luck to you, cousin.” He drinks the rest of the whiskey, and I do the same.

I’m going to accept his luck because Bergan makes me feel incomplete without her and having her in my life is what I need to make everything great in the world.

I’ll take anything I can get to make her forget her rules and fall in love with me in return because there won’t ever be another man who’ll love her the way I will. She deserves to be treated like a queen, and I’m the man to do that.