Dahlia Aldridge
A heavy material fell over my face as I muttered a curse, pulling it away from my eyes to glare up at the figure standing above me. It couldn’t have been earlier than nine, so what the hell was he doing up? And in my back yard? I didn’t even feel insecure about the bikini I was in. I had slipped out here around an hour ago to get a bit of morning tanning in before heading to Ivy Grove.Now Stratton was standing over me with a scowl on his face.
“What are you doing?” I cupped my hand above my brow so I could see his bright blue gaze, letting the towel he’d dropped on me fall to the pool deck.
“I have a landscape crew over right now.” He crouched down, his jaw tight, and I arched a brow at how pissy he looked. Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
“Do you need coffee?” I mused. I grabbed my mug and offered it to him while turning on my side, his eyes running down my frame only momentarily before he swallowed and refocused on my face.
“No, I need you to put some damn clothes on. They aren’t going to get any work done until you do,” he snarled. My brow dipped, noticing a large bruise as I looked down at his fingers on the edge of my pool chair, the beige material contrasting his busted knuckles. I didn’t like that at all.
“Stratton,” I said, alarmed, and sat up slightly. “You’re injured.”
His eyes softened. “I’m fine, angel face. But if you don’t get your ass inside, I’m going to be less fine, and half ofthemare going to be fired or dead.”Dramatic.
Groaning, I looked across the pool to his back yard where there were in fact men working… but mostly staring at me. I winced and grabbed the towel as he huffed, sitting on the pool chair and covering my frame from view. I smiled sweetly and grabbed my oversized shirt, pulling it over my bikini. Normally I would have been a bit more insecure, but Stratton had seen me in a swimsuit almost every day all summer, so I didn’t feel as awkward.
I mean, I still wondered if he liked what he saw… but I wasn’t going to overthink it.
“Are you coming to the tournament?” I asked curiously, taking a sip of my coffee. Stratton looked good this morning despite the bruising, and I couldn’t help but look over his shirtless chest and worn jeans. He was way too sexy—it was a bit unfair.
He sighed. “I wish I could, angel face.”
“You should.” I squeezed his arm, and his eyes flashed up to mine.
“She’s been having a rough week,” he explained quietly as I nodded in understanding. Biting my lip, I considered something.
“Do you want to do something Sunday? After the twins’ rugby match? Just hang out or something?” I felt a bit vulnerable asking, but the way his eyes warmed had me feeling like it was worth it.
“Sure. I was going to take a ride, we can find somewhere to go for the day,” he offered, his fingers brushing over my leg as he went to go stand up. I took his hand, and he reached out and grabbed my coffee with the other, the two of us walking towards the house. I knew I needed to get ready for the day, but I felt uneasy about Stratton not being part of the tournament again. His grandma and him used to come every year. I just wish there was a way that they could… or maybe I didn’t need to go.
“You’re going,” he said, offering me a look as I blushed. Mind-reading bastard.
I leaned against the back door and crossed my arms. “I wasn’t even going to suggest that.”
Stratton let out a small chuckle before wrapping a hand around the back of my neck and pressing a kiss to my forehead, then walking away. I didn’t even care about the landscapers that were watching, jumping as Stratton barked something at them, causing me to smile fondly. I turned to walk inside, loving that I somehow managed to see him every morning without fail. Even if most of the time he was a grumpy bastard.
He wasmygrumpy bastard.
You wish.
I did. It was true.
Our large, white granite kitchen was empty as I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge that was always fully stocked with everything you could imagine. I grabbed a small container of fruit, knowing I wasn’t going to feel comfortable eating at the brunch but feeling a bit dizzy and hungry nonetheless, then made my way out of the kitchen and through our quiet house. My parents were probably already at the club. I hadn’t confirmed, but I didn’t need to be there until about an hour from now, and that was showing up right as check-in started. Although, I sort of wish my mom was still home—it was times like this when it’d be really helpful to have a girlfriend I could run outfit ideas past.
My room was warm and comfortable as I closed the door, making my way over to the bathroom. Brushing my teeth and hair, I blasted some music and began to get ready for the day. I wouldn’t say I had a specific routine for getting ready, but when I took my time, I found the process relaxing. As I sipped my coffee and went through the careful process of straightening my hair and then applying light makeup to highlight my tan, I realized I was more excited than anxious about today.
That was progress.
It was also because I was damn positive the Brooks twins wouldn’t be there today. They would probably show up at the tournament tomorrow, but the brunch was usually just for out-of-town guests. I sent up a quick prayer, hoping like heck I didn’t have to deal with their crap. After I was done getting ready, I walked over to my closet and stood in front of it with my head tilted.
What to wear…what to wear.
Grabbing a fitted blue and pink checkered dress, I hung it on my closet hook and stripped out of my overshirt and swimsuit. I found myself wearing dresses more than anything, and I wish I could tell you it was more than a convenience thing, but come on! It was an entire outfit in one easy to slip on garment.
Slipping on a pair of light pink lace panties and a bra, I fit the dress over my frame and ran my fingers through my hair. Reaching up to the top shelf of my closet, I pulled down a vintage Hermes box that contained a silk baby pink scarf that I folded into a headband shape. I secured it in my hair easily and then slipped on a pair of diamond earrings and matching infinity rings that I wore almost every day. I wore them on my left hand, on my second and fourth finger, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes I stared at my ring finger wondering what my wedding ring would look like there.
If I ever got married, which was unlikely to happen without me ending up with a broken heart.