Without a Hitch

by Avery Maxwell

“At least mom remarried someone with a heart. Our father might be a troll, but our stepdad is a hero straight out of a fairytale.”

I’m pretty sure she shits rainbows and glitter, and I wouldn’t have her any other way.

“Not happening. Love is a myth. An illusion. A fairy tale for disillusioned people searching for happiness in someone else. It isn’t real. Happiness doesn’t come from anyone but yourself or your bank account.” The very last thing I need is love. I’ve seen how it ends.

My gaze follows her ass as she strolls down the aisle, and my cock twitches against my zipper again. Well, I guess the little fucker isn’t dead after all.

Fiery. Dazzling. Goddess. All three words could describe this woman, and yet they don’t encapsulate her. I have an uncomfortable feeling that she could harness the sun and bring me to my knees in one fell swoop.

“I socialize plenty with people deserving of my time. You, Adam, are not one of them. If you’ll excuse me, I was in the middle of a conversation.”

“You’re fiery, Pepper. Sprightly. A sassy little pixie who gets shit done, and I find that sexy as fuck.”

“I want to kiss you, Pepper. But not in this jackhole’s room, so you have three options. One, you can say no, and I’ll walk away, no hard feelings. Two, we’ll go back to the reception, and I’ll kiss the living hell out of you with witnesses. Or three, you can come to my room, and I’ll kiss you in private. Everywhere.”

“You can ogle as long as you like, but I’ll warn you. I feel even better than I look.”

“Y’all have been boring me to tears lately. I’ve had to go to Fiddle the Bean four times this week just to hear anything interesting.”

“Enneagram? You mean the personality tests Sloane uses to create the characters in her books?”

“You’re sickeningly handsome, wealthy, and have a heart of gold when you allow people to see it. You’re what we call in my book club a cinnamon roll.”

“Yes. A cinnamon roll. You’re crusty and a bit rough on the outside, but all ooey and gooey sweetness on the inside.”

“Do not fuck around with me. Wedding days are magical. Fucking magical for the bride and the bride only. Do you hear me?”

“I believe in love, Pepper. I think I do, anyway. I love my parents and my sister. I’ve been in love before,” he admits bitterly. “But I know what weddings can do. How that single piece of paper can ruin people.”

“Prince Charming is for fairy tales, Pepper. I fully believe in monogamy, but putting the pressure of forever on something that can never be just destines it for failure.”

Colton: Because when love hit me, it hit hard. When she walked away, I felt as if my soul had gone with her. Colton: I spent months walking around clutching an invisible ache in my chest that hurt worse than any physical pain I’ve ever experienced. I nearly drop my phone when I glance down to find my fist clutching my dress shirt above my heart.

Colton: Listen, Loch. I know you have a wealth of love to give, but I also know your views on marriage and why you think the way you do. Don’t let the fear of where it will end keep you from a magical beginning.

“No, Pepper, I mean move with me.” Leaning down, I whisper in her ear as I lead her back to the dance floor. “Move with me so I can feel your body glide against mine and remember what it felt like when you were naked. Move with me so I can hear those sexy mewls in the back of your throat. Move with me so when I pull your body tight against my hips, you feel just how much I’ve thought about you every day for weeks.”

So, my Abby is actually Tilly, Colton’s assistant. I’ve heard him talk of her often enough, and when I search the recesses of my brain, her name clicks. Tilly Camden. Why the fake name? She’s a fixer. Nova’s words ring true.

Why you hold yourself to standards that keep you from enjoying life, and if you’re not going to tell me, I’ll do everything in my power to make you feel alive. You’re hearing the words, but you’re not feeling them. Music is meant to be heard in a way that feeds your soul. Simply understanding the words is not the same as experiencing the music, and that makes me think you need to learn how to feel again.

“Because, Lochlan. Some people are meant to do great things in life, and some people are meant to help make those things happen. I’m a helper. I’ve always been a helper, and right now, my mission is to help you be the man I know you are under all that anger.”

“I know it doesn’t feel that way, but nothing has changed. I can’t give up my dreams, and you can’t…well, you have your reasons, but I’m not willing to put Colton in the middle of anything or put friendships and familial relationships through undue stress for something that has an expiration date. So please…”

Finally Colton stops moving, and his expression turns serious. “For one, my brothers are acting like assholes, and I refuse to fight with them over this. And two…” He glances away from the screen, and I realize I’m holding my breath. “And two, Loch wasn’t always like this. He doesn’t like weddings, but he doesn’t hate love like he thinks he does. He was burned—”

“My Pepper returns. Why do you have so much fire for everyone in your life, but then hide yourself behind the smoke?”

“I’m pretty sure I’d give you the world if you only asked.”

“You make me feel…things, Tilly. Things I haven’t allowed in a very long time.”

“I don’t know what I can offer you in the future, Tilly. But I do know if you stay with me, I could love you forever.”

“Because emotions are what make you feel alive, Lochlan! You’ve walled yourself off so you don’t get hurt, but you’re missing out on every single joy life can offer. You live behind a mask of rigid indifference, but that’s not what’s in here,”

“But I just told you. I do love you. Or…” “No, you said you could love me. It came with a condition. That’s not love. And it’s not what I was talking about. The person you have to love first is you.”

“There’s been a connection between us since our very first meeting,” she continues. “And I told you…”

“I told you I fall too fast. That feelings would grow like a forest fire. The kindling is catching, lover. Let me go before I go up in flames.”

“I thought about this all night, Lochlan. When you love, you love with your whole heart, I have no doubt about that. But you can’t be in love with anyone until you love yourself, forgive yourself, and let go of whatever hate has your heart locked in a fortress.”

“Because despite my best efforts, she got past my armor without even trying. Because she spends so much time worrying about everyone else, I had no choice but to worry about her. She sure as hell doesn’t put herself first. Because even though she hasn’t asked for a damn thing, I want to give her the world and I can’t. I can’t give her the only thing she’ll ever ask of someone she loves.”

“That’s a choice too, Loch. Choose to be the man she deserves every day, and that will never happen. People change as years go by, sure, but choose to change with her. Make her the number one priority in your life every single day, and love will bend and shift with you.”

“Love isn’t finite. There are no steadfast rules for it, trust me. I’ve tried to find them, but love is fluid. It’s different for every person and every situation.”

“Love isn’t just about the highs in life, Lochlan. It’s about how you react to the lows. Who has your back and who will pick you up. Loving someone is the greatest gift you can ever give. It’s how you love someone in the quiet moments when no one’s looking that matters.”

“She’s so strong, but no one sees it. She’s the support beam of so many structures but never asks for a hand. She takes care of everyone around her effortlessly. She gives herself so completely and freely that it’s hard not to…” “To what?” he gently coaxes. “To…to fall in love with her. Bloody fucket. I love her.” My stomach lurches,

“Yeah. She…holy fucket. She’s the other piece of me. The piece that’s gentle and kind and carefree. The piece that sees the world and does everything in her power to make it better. She’s the best part of me because she makes me believe those good things even exist. I… What day is it?”

In the center is a large, princess-cut diamond surrounded by a thin ring of pavé diamonds, almost like they’re holding up the center stone out of sheer will. Just like Tilly. The pavé diamonds continue around the slim band.

The ring i have always wanted

“You know? Sometimes people go together like puzzle pieces. They just fit. And sometimes you have to wiggle those little fuckers into place.

Tilly? She just fits.”

“Bloody fucket, Tilly. What is wrong with everyone? How can they not see you?” He tries to sound stern,

I love you, Lochlan. You’re my grumpy, stiff, suit-wearing, anti-wedding, generous, kindhearted future. I need you more than I need my security blanket.”

“My memory is still a bit fuzzy, but I remember your promise. I remember that you were willing to give up your biggest dream so we could have a chance. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. But the problem is, I can’t let you do that. Love shouldn’t come with restrictions. I know that now. And the truth is, I want you tied to me. I want you to be my decision-maker when I can’t do it. I want you to be my partner in life, in love, and in business.”

A river of tears streams down Tilly’s face as she listens to my tale. A true empath, she feels my heartache as if it were her own.

“I want this to be an engagement ring. Will you marry me? In front of everyone? Give me the promise, the contract, the everything?”

“Our family is growing, Till. Your girls are part of that. A big part. I know you wouldn’t be you without them, and I’ll always support them with and for you.”