Hawk (A Stepbrother Romance #3)(14)

I hear May's door open.

Fuck, Lance might still be out there.

I stand up, squeeze the towel tight and open the door, and let out a slow breath as I realize he's gone.

May takes one look at me and ducks back into her room.

I dress quickly, just shorts and a t-shirt and my beaten up hiking boots. I've had them so long they feel better on my feet than sneakers. Once they're laced up I step out and knock on May's door, and she slips out with me and we start the walk back.

By the time we get back to Commerce Street everyone has started moving towards the park. The carnival has emptied out for the most part and the rides are just going through the motions. In a few minutes, they'll shut off the lights. The church will kick them off the grounds tomorrow, it's Sunday. Tonight the main event will be the fireworks display.

I know, I help set it up. Tom put everything he could spare behind it to make it the most spectacular display possible.

It’s dusk now as we walk up the street. May hums to herself, I say nothing.

I don't feel any better. I could start screaming. I want Hawk now, even more than before. A fantasy isn't the real thing, but just thinking about him makes me angry.

What if… he wouldn't just abandon me?

It makes me sick to think about it. That's what I thought happened to him at first-somebody dragged him out of town, did something to him. Forced him to leave. I couldn't deal with the idea that he'd tell me to dress up and just blow town. I had an idea what he wanted to say.

I wanted to say it myself but every time I tried, it just came out wrong.

We pass through the wrought iron gates into the memorial park. It's name for the big World War I memorial at the entrance, commemorating war dead from Paradise Falls. There are memorials for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, too, and a smaller one for the wars that came after. The list of names grows up through Vietnam and then shrinks as the town got smaller. Further ahead, half the town or more is set up on the meadow, on blankets and lawn chairs while trumpeting music plays from loudspeakers and the sun dips towards the horizon.

It'll be full dark soon.

We pick up our pace and I scan the meadow for my mother and stepfather, and hope Lance isn't off duty, or he's found someone else to bother tonight.

"Hey," May says.

"Huh?"

'Hey!" she hisses, louder. "Look."

Hawk leans up against an ancient oak, arms folded, watching me. My eyes are immediately drawn to his.

He changed his shirt, at least.

"You should go talk to him," May insists.

"Why?"

"Because he likes you!"

I sigh, exasperated.

"Just do it."

"May, I can't. You know what will happen if Tom has even a whiff of me messing around with Hawk."

"So you want to mess around with him?"

"What? No. I don't. It's over."

"So he's not your boyfriend?" She sounds dejected.

"What? No. May-"

"He can help us."

"Help us how?"

She shrugs. "He's really big. Look at him."

"I've looked."

"You like him."

"I do not!"

I'm too old for this.

Well, I'm twenty-two, but that's too old for this.

"Go," May says. "I'll tell them you felt sick and stayed home."

"What if they get back before I do?"

"Are you going to be with him all night?"

I glare at her.

"Just go talk to him. Please? Nobody will know you're gone."

I sigh. I peel off from May and she walks faster, and I hope no one is going to notice me as I head for the tree line. Hawk turns and walks into the woods before I reach him. I sigh and follow, scanning the ground to keep from hooking my boot on a root and busting my ass. Behind me, the meadow lights up with the first launch, a hissing wail that shoots up and pops overhead, for a split second throwing long reaching shadows through the trees. I see Hawk waiting for me and walk to him, stopping out of arm's reach.

"Hi," he says.

"What do you want?"

"I want you."





Alexis





Then





I was sitting in the cafeteria on the last day of school when Hawk sat down next to me. As usual his tray was piled up with a double meal: Two burgers, two milks, two of everything plus a teetering pile of other stuff, including a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar he unwrapped and proceeded to eat first. I just wanted to go home. I'd have skipped but if I showed up at home my mother would have crawled down my throat and laid eggs, so there I was, marking time with the other members of the student body who had nothing better to do. Hawk was probably here because he knew I would be.

We only had morning classes together, so this would be the last time I'd see him for the day.

The thought gave me butterflies in my stomach.

Was this it? We'd known each other since third grade. Were we going to sign each other's yearbooks and drift off into the world and never see each other again? The idea terrified me and I wasn't sure why.

I think it had something to do with the wave pool.

It was May's idea. She said I should wear something cute and see if Hawk noticed, so I went down to Hannigan's on Commerce Street and picked up a two-piece bathing suit. I'd never really worn one before. Jenny Francis wore a bikini at the swimming hole in the game lands in ninth grade and Billy Myers pulled down her top and ran around screaming, ‘Jenny Francis has no tits!’ until Hawk punched him in the side of the head. I can still remember the sound of Hawk's knuckles hitting that kid's skull.