“Where are we going? You know I hate surprises.”
I’m practically vibrating in my seat from my overwhelming level of excitement as Oakley drives us to his surprise location.
He showed up at my door an hour ago and ordered me to get dressed into something warm and comfortable. When I asked what we were doing, he simply said we were going to be outside.
“Oh, trust me, I know. But you have to suck it up. It’ll be worth it, I promise,” he murmurs with a light chuckle.
“Can I have a hint?” I beg, looking over at him with pleading eyes. “Don’t start,” he rolls his eyes at me, giving my thigh a squeeze.
“Please?”
“No.”
“Pretty please?” I plead, only for him to laugh in response.
“If you ask me again, we won’t go at all.” The grin on his lips contradicts the serious tone he’s trying to use.
I can’t help but giggle. “Fine, fine.” I hold my hands up in surrender and lean back against the headrest. “But are we close?”
He gives me a pointed look, groaning lightly. “What? Are we?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. We’re here,” he declares, turning the truck down a gravel road.
My mouth falls open in shock as I take in the scene before me. We’re in a field of all places—a beautifully decorated one.
Shimmering lights are draped from tall, frosted trees and wrapped around tall fencing. Countless rows of reindeer and blow-up snowmen steal my gaze. It’s hard not to lose myself in the beauty of it all as I stare dreamily out the window. This is a winter paradise.
I jump out of the truck as soon as it comes to a stop. I pull out my wool mittens and slip them on, excitedly waiting for Oakley.
“It’s so beautiful! Hurry, let’s go!” I shout as soon as he stands beside me.
I grab his hand and pull him toward the entrance.
“It won’t go anywhere, baby. You can slow down,” he laughs from behind me.
I scoff but reluctantly slow my pace to walk beside him. He throws an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side.
“How did you find this place?” I ask as we turn down one of the many marked pathways.
“I heard a couple of the guys talking about it in the dressing room. Apparently, it works like a charm on the ladies.” He looks down at me and winks, waggling his eyebrows. I shove him lightly.
“It’s beautiful,” I sigh happily as I look at the Santa Claus statue beside us. “We should get someone to take our picture!”
Oakley nods his head at me, spotting another young couple walking a few feet behind us. “Would you guys mind taking a picture for us?” he asks, adorably eager.
The red-haired girl smiles warmly at us both. She nods her head and takes Oakley’s phone in her hand.
“You guys are so adorable!” she exclaims, waiting for us to get into a prime photo-taking position.
Oakley beams down at me and leads us over to the Santa display behind us. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against his chest as I rest my hand on his chest. The twinkling lights around us reflect in his green eyes, illuminating them.
“Why don’t you look at me like that?” the girl asks her boyfriend, snapping me out of my trance.
“I do look at you like that!” he sighs, rolling his eyes.
“Thank you so much. Do you two want a picture together?” I clear my throat and pull away from Oakley’s warm embrace.
“If you don’t mind,” the boyfriend replies, hands me his phone, and drags his girlfriend over to the same place we were. I take a few pictures of them and give the guy his phone. With a final thank you, the couple heads off.
“I love you,” Oakley whispers in my ear before leaning down and placing a warm kiss on my lips.
“And I love you,” I sigh in content and rest my head against his chest.
“Want some hot chocolate?”
I pull myself away from him, jumping up. “Yes!”
“This way.” He takes my hand and leads us over to the hot chocolate stand by the Reindeer display.
I sit down at an empty picnic table as Oakley heads off to grab our warm drinks, leaving me to keep hold of our table. I check my phone and smile to myself as I send the photos we just took to Morgan.
I’m scrolling through my phone when someone slides onto the bench beside me. My head snaps in the stranger’s direction. A decently handsome looking guy is grinning down at me. He’s got a decent facial structure and beautiful eyes, but he doesn’t stand a chance. I raise my eyebrows at him questioningly.
“What is a girl as beautiful as you doing here all alone?” the mystery guy asks. Poor guy has no idea what he’s in for if he’s still here when Oakley gets back.
“I would suggest you leave right now,” I warn him, not bothering to look up from my phone.
“You don’t have to play hard to get, baby. Though I like a challenge,” he says flirtily, clearly not picking up on my lack of interest. How typical.
“It’s your funeral.”
“Sorry, Ava, the line was insane,” Oakley sighs as he approaches the table. I look up at him and give him a grateful smile. I flick my eyes in the direction of the invader pointedly.
Oakley goes rigid. He places the hot chocolate cups in front of me and straightens up, clenching his jaw. “And who might this be?” He forces a smile and outstretches his hand.
“Uh… my, uh, name is Brad,” Brad stammers and reaches a hand out to shake Oakley’s steady one.
“Nice to meet you, Brad. You weren’t trying to get with my girlfriend, were you?” Oakley relaxes his jaw and smiles smugly.
“I uh, actually um, have somewhere to be!” Brad exclaims and shoots off of the bench. We both burst into a fit of laughter.
“I can’t leave you alone for five minutes without someone trying to steal you away. What am I going to do with you?” Oakley sits down beside me and takes a sip of his drink.
“It’s a good thing you’re the only one that I want then, isn’t it?” I ask, a smile playing on my lips.
“It’s a very good thing. Not like you have a choice anyway,” he smirks before placing a kiss on the top of my head.
Even if I did have a choice, there isn’t anyone I would rather have than the guy sitting right beside me.
KEEP READING FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF THE SECOND INSTALLMENT IN THE SWIFT HAT-TRICK TRILOGY, BLISSFUL
HOOK.
COMING SEPT 13, 2021.
BLISSFUL HOOK
EVERYONE KNEW THE RULES. GRACIE HUTTON WAS OFF LIMITS. BUT TYLER’S NEVER BEEN ONE TO
FOLLOW THE RULES.
AND NOW SHE’S ABOUT TO BECOME HIS ULTIMATE SIN.
Tyler Bateman doesn’t know what easy is. He’s never had an easy day in his damn life. Everything he has he’s worked for. Blood, sweat, and tears.
Hockey is his escape, the passion he never knew he could have. He wants to succeed. He wants to prove that he’s worth something.
He wasn’t expecting her to matter. He didn’t want her to.
But she had other plans, and now his best friend’s sister is about to ruin him. And he might just let her.
Prologue
Six Years Ago
Tyler
“Get your sorry ass back here, Tyler. I wasn’t done talking to you.” The gruff slurs echo around the barren room as I continue walking away from him.
“You haven’t been able to tell me what to do since I was twelve, Allen. Stop trying.” My words have a bite to them, and I flame with pride.
I notice the headlights shining through the cracked living room window and pick up my pace.
“Show some damn respect for your father, you ungrateful waste of skin,” he growls from behind me. The old torn up reclining chair smacking against the wall with a thud as he forcefully stood up.
My eyes roll back into my head as I come to a stop just mere inches from the front door and turn around. His long and dead, dirty black hair is slicked back, the thinness of the strands showing off the bald spot near the peak of his round head. The baggy sweatshirt that loosely hangs off his torso is a deep red color, similar to the bloodshot eyes that stare back at me, absent and dull.
The stench of whiskey seeps from his breath and ignites a gag from deep within my throat.
“You seem to have forgotten your place here. You are not my dad,” I spit through clenched teeth, broadening my shoulders in front of the sorry excuse of a man that I had come to know as my step-father.
“I think it’s you that’s forgotten your place here, boy. As long as your momma has me here, under this roof, this is my place,” the rat seethes the words, his lips pulled back to expose his decaying, yellow teeth. I almost laugh.
“The only reason you’re here is because I haven’t thrown your scum ass out on the street.”
The same menacing chuckle I used to hear from behind my bedroom door years ago, sends vicious shivers up my spine. The menacing smirk that
now dances on his crusted lips used to be enough to send me running away, locking myself in my room from fear, but things change.
“If you have such a problem with how I run things in my house, then why don’t you go find somewhere else to live?” He raises a bushy eyebrow as he questions me, lips still pulled up tight.
“Wow, that’s a great idea. Too bad I’m too busy being the only one paying to keep this house from being seized by the bank to focus on finding somewhere else to live. Not all of us can rely on our drug dealing buddies to pay our bills,” I bite back.
His lips fall into a tight line, and I watch expectantly as he closes the distance between us and shoves a thin, shaking finger into my chest. “That smart mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day. Mark my words.”
“I’ll be waiting anxiously for the day it does. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Allen, my rides here.” I flash him an arrogant grin and take a large step back, watching the finger that was shoved into my chest fall to his side. I can feel the anger radiating off of him as I dismiss his threat, and my chest puffs.
Raising my hand, I give him a small wave before walking through the front door. The sticky heat hits me like a brick to the balls as I move down the sidewalk and to the black car waiting for me beside a busted light post. Pulling out the pack of cigarettes taking up space in the pocket of my black jeans,I peel it open and grab a single white stick, lighting it before bringing it to my lips and taking a deep puf, chemicals burning my lungs.
The car honks impatiently and I don’t hesitate to throw up my middle finger in their direction before taking another puff and throwing the cigarette down on the sidewalk, stomping it out with my overly-loved biker boots.
Reaching over, I open the car door and inhale the thick smell of weed before shaking my head and sitting in the passenger seat. I hear the other passengers greet me, only to get a lazy, two-finger wave in return before the car takes off down the black, tar road.
Here’s to another night I can’t wait to forget.
