Blissful Hook (Swift Hat-Trick Trilogy, #2)

by Hannah Cowan

My hair's still damp, and I haven't changed from my ironed slacks and white button-down when I step out of the elevator just footsteps from Gracie's apartment. I can only assume she's alone now. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if I found Jessica's cold corpse hanging from their balcony.

“Who. The fuck. Are you?” I snarl, straightening my back and tilting my head. I slowly inch to where he stands by the fridge like a lion who just caught the scent of his prey. A lion who hasn't eaten in days, starving for the taste of blood. The trust fund daddy's boy blinks in response, his eyes saucers and his mouth gaping open.

“You still haven't told me why he was here,” I state bluntly, ignoring her attempt at a scolding. Telling me not to go all “alpha male” on a guy who just saw half of my girlfriend's ass cheeks, while doing something that made her laugh that fucking laugh is like telling a dog not to piss on a tree. It’s a waste of time. She rolls her eyes, cocking her head. “What is it to you, anyway?”

nearly come a second time from his words alone. The small part of me that hates him bringing her up while he's what feels like a mile deep inside of me is shoved to the back of my consciousness as I only focus on the most important part of what he said. He's mine. I always knew he was, but fuck does it feel good to hear.

“When you told me you were falling in love with me, did you mean it?”

“I would never lie to you about something like that.” My words are painfully sincere, and I'm about to tell him that I've moved on from the state of falling and have tumbled down the terrifying, intimidating, yet thrilling hole of loving all that Tyler Bateman is when he greedily sucks every last molecule of air from my lungs. “Good.” “Good?”

“Yeah. Or else telling you that I'm in love with you would have been incredibly awkward.” I suddenly can't breathe.

It's only for a few days. Nothing's going to happen in three days.

Famous last words

I was halfway home from the airport, buzzing with anticipation, ready to see Gray when I picked up my phone and heard Mom crying for help. I knew that I shouldn't have said I would be right there. I knew that it would only continue to enable her destructive behaviour knowing I would always come rescue her. But dammit, she's my mom.

For the first time in my life, I hope that she's just high. “Tyler. I can't. . .” Her voice is placid as she manages to slam what I assume to be a hand against the thick wood. My pulse lurches and my stomach dips as I run a shaky hand down my face. Think, Tyler. Fucking think. I need to get this door open.

“Have you ever thought about looking into rehab centres for her?” His voice is void of any sort of judgment. “Kill two birds with one stone kind of thing?” “She won't go. She won't listen to me.” “We can help, Tyler. Me, dad, Gracie, Oakley. You're not alone in this.”

She's my light—my guide as I walk through the darkest parts of myself, always leading me back home. Back to her. Where I should have been a long time ago.

“Gray?” The quivering sound of Oakley's usual confident voice makes ice form in my gut, sharp edges tearing me to pieces. I'm moving toward Gracie without missing a beat. I watch her head shake furiously seconds before her knees buckle, her body folding in on itself as she collapses, falling right into my open arms. An agonizing, soul-tearing cry rips through the room and her body begins to shake with ruthless sobs, leaving my jaw unhinged as I look over at Oakley, phone resting unlocked in his hand. The pure anguish flaring in his watery eyes says everything so he doesn't have to. Anne. She's gone.

I didn't get to say goodbye. Out of every emotion clanging around in my head, feasting on me like a family of leeches, guilt is the most prominent. It's in my veins, turning my blood into lead, weighing me down until I'm sure I would sink to the bottom of the ocean if I took a swim. I haven't left my room in days. Weeks, maybe. Yeah, I think it's been a week.

scream because the ache in my chest is becoming unbearable. Because I've lost my best friend—the woman who loved so profoundly that it consumed her. I scream because Oakley's too young to have lost both of his parents. So am I. There was so much left for her to see. So much left to do. I scream because it isn't fair. Nothing about this is fair.

My heart is torn, battered and bruised. As far back as I remember, Mom would tell me I stole her beating heart the first time our eyes met. But the hollow in my chest tells me that she not only took hers back, but she took half of mine too.

“Ava's pregnant, Gray.” “What?” I recoil, my lips parted in surprise. My stomach churns, bringing forward a wave of nausea. “We went to see her the day . . .” His words drop, eyes watering before he blinks furiously and pushes away the threat of crying again.

“Mom could barely stay awake, but fuck did she ever try. The way her eyes had life again and her smile beamed—I'll never forget it. We showed her the ultrasound pictures and she cried for what seemed like forever. She made me promise her that I would marry Ava in Hawaii like she's always dreamed. That I would walk you down the aisle and be the one that gave you away. That if presented the chance, I should bail you out of jail, no questions asked.”

“Tyler wants to be there for you. As much as it nauseates me to say it, he loves you. And right now, the people who love you are the only people that matter. Let them carry some of your pain.” “He's here, isn't he?” I ask knowingly. I definitely heard two voices outside my door earlier. “Hasn't left for anything all week.” “I'm surprised he hasn't kicked down the door yet.”

“Want me to get him?” “Please.” I slip my bottom lip between my teeth and chew on it. With a quick nod, he stands up from the bed, places a soft kiss on the top of my head, and walks to the door. He straightens his back when he opens it, and in less than a second, I watch Tyler bust through the threshold, bee-lining it to my bed.

“When I heard you scream, I—” I fist his shirt and shake my head, cutting him off. “Lay with me?” His chest rumbles against mine. “You don't even have to ask.”

Mom hated wearing black. The last time she wore it was for Dad's funeral. So we wore white. We honoured her that day: Oakley, Ava, Adam, Braden, Tyler, and myself. We didn't say goodbye to her. Why say goodbye when it wasn't goodbye? Not forever, anyway. We said, see you later, instead.

“Yeah? You think you can handle being around me that much?” He snorts. “I already am around you that much, Gray. And I've only almost jumped from your penthouse window a couple of dozen times.” I scoff and flick him in the ear. “Asshole.” “Too late to leave me now. My return policy is long expired.”

“What happened?” I rush, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. “And how did we sleep until three?” “Your brother showed up.” She avoids eye contact and ignores my second question. “With Allen.” Fuck no. I'm slipping clothes on before she can throw the covers off of her naked body.

“Ah, perfect. The entire family's here, Mom.” River scowls at me before turning to Mom and watching her expectantly as her eyes dart between her two sons. Two men who couldn't be more different if they tried. When she doesn’t speak, he turns back to me, deciding to hit a nerve he knows will provoke a reaction from me. “Where’s that tight piece of ass you had with you last time? Gracie, right?”

“Oh,” he sighs, shoulders shrugging. Amusement dances in his dark eyes as he watches my face turn red. Our chests are only a few feet apart. “She left you, didn’t she? Went to find a real man to fuck her the way you couldn’t. Huh, maybe she’s at my door, waiting for my co—” An animalistic snarl escapes me as I pull my arm back and swing. My knuckles burn and pain surges up my arm when I hit his mouth. River fumbles back, cursing under his breath before he’s spitting a bloodied tooth at my feet.

“Mom, please,” I plead. Brooks looks at me with defeat in his eyes and drops my mom's arm to give her the chance to choose. A pained, unfamiliar noise escapes me when she moves to stand beside Allen. I can feel my heart shattering again as I watch her choose them over me for the last time.

“Did your mom ever talk to you about your father? Your birth father?” “No. She never brought it up. I assumed she didn't know who it was.” I've come to peace with that. He nods again, slower this time. “Brooks? Why are you asking about him?” “There's something that you should know, but I need you to promise me you won't react until I finish speaking.”

“Tell me what you know,” I demand. There's a silent dare in my tone that makes it clear I won't tolerate being lied to. Not right now. “I need you to know that I didn’t know,” he pleads, voice wavering. “Not until a few hours ago.”

“Before I met my ex-wife, your mom and I . . . we dated for a while.” He nearly chokes on the words and a familiar coldness forms in his eyes. “I had no idea that Nora was your mom until the night that you called me for help. When I saw her in that state, I thought it was God's cruel way of punishing me for something that I've done in the past. As if losing her all those years ago wasn't punishment enough.”

“She told me something before she called your brother tonight.” “She fucking called him? She brought them both here?”

“She left me twenty-four years ago because she was pregnant with another son. With my son.” His words paralyze me. They blow through my mind and rattle against the sides of my skull. They make my head throb to the point that my eyes water from the pain beating behind them. “But . . .” I blubber. “Braden and I . . . we're the same age,” is the only coherent string of words that I can wrangle together. “You're six months older than him, Tyler.”

“She knew you deserved better than her, Tyler. I think that's why she told me after all these years. In her fucked up way, she loves you enough to let you be happy without her. She trusted me to take care of you.”

“How many kids do you want?” I whisper, knowing I took her by surprise when she gasps, turning her head to look at me. “Since when do you want to talk about kids?” That's a good question, baby. I shrug. “Since now, I guess.” She nods once. “I think two. Both boys. I know how much trouble girls are.”

“Then two boys it is.” She giggles. “That's not how it works, babe. You don't get to pick.” “Too fucking bad,”

The sound of the patio door sliding open captures our attention as four heads snap in the direction of the house. I can nearly feel the tension rising like air in a hot-air-balloon when Adam steps outside, a miniature version of himself gripping his hand for dear life. It doesn’t take long for Adam to speak just one word that falls as heavy as a bed of bricks, cutting through the cool night air. “Surprise?”