Alpha Feud BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance Series - Books 1 to 5

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Eliza and Melissa exchanged looks, unable to hide their surprise. Theo hadn’t mentioned a brother, let alone told them that they would be meeting him at Nelly’s.

Hayden stretched out his arm to Melissa. “It’s nice to meet you. My brother’s told me all about you.”

“Oh, thank you,” Melissa replied bashfully. She seemed taken aback by the fact that Theo had told his brother ‘all about her’, despite the fact that they’d only known each other for a few days. “I’m Melissa,” she added hurriedly.

Hayden turned slowly to Eliza, allowing his eyes to graze her body lightly before finally making eye contact. He stretched out his hand.

“Hi, there,” he said, his voice perking up. He turned to face his brother while still holding Eliza’s hand, mid-handshake. “You didn’t tell me that Melissa’s friend was such a knockout.”

Eliza laughed politely, at a loss about how to respond, and continued shaking his hand. Hayden’s eyes met hers again, and Eliza had to fight the urge to look away. His look was so intense, and she wasn’t sure whether she was comfortable with his presence. Had she just been tricked into a double date? Had Theo told his brother that she was free and willing? As these thoughts crowded her mind, Eliza replayed Hayden’s opening line in her head. Somehow, it was a line that would’ve sounded cheesy coming from anyone else, but in Hayden’s slow, caramel-laced voice, it had sounded incredibly sexy.

“My name’s Eliza. It’s nice to meet you, too,” she said briskly.

The men sat down and raised their glasses. “Thanks for the drinks,” Melissa said, smiling up at Theo. The two were getting cozier by the minute, and Theo had his arm around her. It struck Eliza as strange that, after only a few nights of knowing one another, they were already beginning to look and act like an item.

Eliza didn’t want to risk sending Hayden the wrong signals, but she couldn’t help but glance at him from the corner of her eye. She realized that her whole body had stiffened up, and she was holding her glass in front of herself defensively. “Yes, thanks so much for the drink, Theo, and also for the lovely dinner earlier. I don’t want to be rude, but I really can’t stay long. I promised Melissa I’d come along for a drink, but I should really get home soon. I promised my boyfriend I’d be home relatively early,” she explained, trying desperately to sound matter-of-fact and light-hearted.

“That’s a shame,” said Hayden, throwing Eliza a quick glance. There was something so powerful in his gaze that Eliza’s heart nearly skipped a beat.

“I know, I told her that she should stay longer, but she refuses to listen,” Melissa chimed in.

“No, I meant that it’s a shame she has a boyfriend,” Hayden responded, ever so casually. He turned back to Eliza and locked eyes with her, refusing to retract his gaze.

Eliza was appalled by Hayden’s audacity to speak so frankly to her, but she couldn’t help but feel impressed by his unapologetic attitude. He was definitely the kind of man who took what he wanted and didn’t look back.

Sensing the s****l tension, Melissa decided to cut in. “So, Hayden, what brings you to Birkbridge? Are you here to stay?”

“Yes, I am,” he said, his voice remaining steady and slow. He didn’t take his eyes off Eliza.

“I see,” Melissa replied, the pitch of her voice rising. She was beginning to feel awkward since, after all, she had been the one to lure her friend into this unplanned double date. However, as any good friend, she was desperate to save the moment, so she continued talking. “So do you already have a job lined up?”

Slowly, Hayden turned back to Melissa and Theo, but his eyes remained glued to Eliza’s for as long as possible before he inevitably looked away. It was as if his insides were made of caramel; his voice and his gaze had stickiness to them, an ability to linger. Even when he finished speaking, the sweetness of his voice still remained for a while longer, just like the taste of a delicious candy.

“I assumed that my brother had informed you about what it is we’re doing here,” he said mysteriously.

Melissa flashed Eliza a look of confusion, once more relying on the powers of friendship to send her friend telepathic messages. Whether or not Eliza was able to read her thoughts, it was clear that they were thinking along the same lines. What were the brothers doing here? Were they spies, hired assassins? But why would assassins come to Birkbridge, Indiana?

Before they could get too carried away in fantasyland, Eliza decided to speak up, forcing her voice to sound as casual as possible. She cleared her throat. “I’m not sure if Theo’s mentioned it, but maybe you could inform us?”

Hayden flashed her a wide, cheeky smile. Even though he wasn’t as classically handsome as his brother, there was something about the way that he held himself that made him a whole lot sexier.

“Well, to answer Melissa’s question, my brother and I do have jobs here. We actually moved here to work in the coal mines,” Theo responded. “We used to mine gold, but most of the active reserves have dried up. So we decided to return to coal mining, which has been a family legacy for many generations. Well... that and gold mining,” he added, flashing Eliza a smile.

“Interesting, it’s funny how common these family legacies are in the Midwest. My boyfriend’s family also—”

“We’re not from the Midwest,” Hayden corrected her. She looked at him crossly, secretly suspecting that he cut her off on purpose just as she brought up her boyfriend.

“So where are you from?” Melissa inquired.

“Actually, nowhere,” laughed Theo. “We’re a family of drifters.”

Melissa’s eyes sparkled and she snuggled up closer to him. Of course she’d be attracted to a drifter. It’s always been her dream to leave this town, and now she’s met someone who can help her to make that happen.

“Theo’s told me that you’ve lived in quite a lot of places, but I didn’t realize that you moved around so often,” Melissa said, addressing Hayden.

“Yes, well, it’s not exactly something that we brag about,” Hayden explained. “A lot of the towns that we come to are quite small, similar to this one, and from experience we’ve learned that people in towns like this aren’t so... how would you call it... open to people with alternative lifestyles.”

Melissa nodded knowingly, but Eliza didn’t respond. She couldn’t help but read between the lines, and she felt as if there was something more to these brothers’ lives than they had chosen ‘not to brag about’. Perhaps it was due to her small-town upbringing, but Eliza wasn’t too accustomed to secrets or surprises. Even though there were some oddballs living amongst the Birkbridge residents, at least she could make peace with the fact that virtually everybody knew everybody, either personally or through somebody else. For the first time in years, she was sitting next to somebody who she couldn’t run a word-of-mouth background check on. It struck her that the brothers could tell them whatever they wanted, and she wouldn’t have a clue whether they were just making all of it up. She would just have to go with her gut on this one.

It wasn’t until then did Eliza realize she’d been noticing quite a few new faces walking around town over the past few weeks. She had heard people mention that there was an influx of new residents and workers that were the result of a hiring spree brought forth by the mines and the factory. Birkbridge hadn’t seen a population increase like this for quite some time. Maybe she should suggest to Jim that they do a story about it? Anything would be better than covering livestock at this point. Eliza snapped herself back to the conversation. She was after all, off the clock and didn’t want to seem rude to Melissa and her new beau.

They continued chatting for a while, and the tension between Eliza and Hayden eased a little. Perhaps the alcohol helped, or maybe Eliza just got accustomed to the intensity of his eyes. She was no longer trying to avoid his gaze, but she made sure to break eye contact every once in a while and chat to Melissa and Theo for a change. Soon enough, the brothers began telling stories and got caught in a competition of one-upping each other. They told stories of the road, stories about the gold rushes, and stories about their parents. They explained that their parents had died a long time ago, during an accident at a gold reserve. The reserve was in the mountains and an avalanche struck, which buried their parents under a pile of heavy rocks.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Melissa said, gently stroking Theo’s arm.

“You don’t feel like you’re in danger when you continue to work in the mines, despite what happened to your parents?” Eliza asked looking from one brother to the other.

Hayden’s expression changed into a sad smile. “Well, what can we do? Things happen to people all the time, and every person finds themselves in potentially risky situations. The chances of dying in an avalanche are a lot lower than dying in a car accident. I think that it’s certainly made us more careful, but it’s also taught us to stick together. Mother and Father were together at the end, and that’s all that anybody could wish for; to be surrounded by people, or a person, who you love before you die.”

Eliza nodded.

“Do you have any other family?” Melissa asked.

“Yes, of course. But they don’t like to settle down either, so in order to meet up, we have to mutually agree on a pre-determined location every single year.”

“What’s the location this year?” Melissa asked.

“That’s a secret,” Theo told her with mock-suspense. He bit her nose lightly and she giggled.

Eliza finally managed to excuse herself, and the others let her go. Hayden kissed her hand before she left, a gentlemanly action that seemed more suited for his brother. However, when Hayden did it, there was something about his manner that suggested he was doing this with self-irony. There was a hint of playfulness in his mannerisms that Eliza felt herself relating to. She was also quite big on sarcasm and irony, particularly when she was tired, anxious or drunk. She figured that she’d picked up this trait from her father, and had integrated it into her TV persona just enough to make herself funny while retaining her integrity.

The problem with Andrew was that he was such an all-or-nothing kind of guy that he didn’t understand the gray areas. He could be very playful, but he was never subtle, which is one of the reasons that he didn’t know how to flirt. When Andrew had asked Eliza out, there was no beating around the bush. Will you go for a coffee with me; will you come out on a dinner date with me; do you want to move in together? Even though Andrew’s no-bullshit attitude had been what Eliza liked about him in the first place, she admitted to herself that it was all a little bit predictable. She didn’t like playing games, but she wouldn’t mind introducing some elements of surprise into her life. But Andrew was a man of routine. He thrived on birthdays and anniversaries, one-upping himself every single time. It was all incredibly romantic, but even romance had a funny way of seeming empty when it was repeated too many times.

As Eliza exited the bar, she couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched. It was as if she was wearing a bulls-eye on her forehead, and every other woman in Nelly’s was aiming a piercing glare directly at her. They tried to be subtle about it, but as their eyes darted between her and Hayden, she couldn’t help but assume what they were all thinking. What makes her so special? Why was she on a date with that sexy stranger, and why on earth is she leaving? Who does she think she is?

It took every ounce of willpower in Eliza’s body to stop herself from turning around and yelling, “I have a boyfriend!” to the entire bar. She wished that Andrew hadn’t left so early. People were generally nicer to her when he was around.

>>

The next morning was slow and lazy. Andrew didn’t appear annoyed or inquisitive about Eliza’s late departure from the bar, and although she was relieved that he didn’t question her, she couldn’t help but wish that he was a little more jealous. Of course, she was glad that he was not the jealous type, and she respected the fact that his complete faith in her was symptomatic of his own trustworthiness. According to his logic, he would never cheat on her, so why would she cheat on him?

Nevertheless, sometimes Eliza felt as if he just didn’t think that another man would be attracted to her. Of course, this was just her insecurity speaking, but a feeling was a feeling and it couldn’t be shaken off just like that. She was only human, after all.

Despite the jumble of thoughts that were running through her mind, Eliza had a genuinely pleasant morning with Andrew. What was it about him that made her feel so comfortable and at ease around him? He was literally the opposite of the coal brothers, since the two of them were probably the most intimidating human beings who she’d ever come across. Hayden in particular.

For a moment, Eliza pondered whether she should tell Andrew about Hayden’s presence the night before. Something weighed down on her that felt a bit like guilt and she wanted to rid herself of that feeling. She and Andrew never had secrets from one another; they usually told each other every little stupid thing. However, she told herself that there was no reason to feel guilty. He didn’t actually ask me if we met anyone else that night, and if he asks me, I’ll tell him. This made her feel a little bit better.

During brunch, a little Saturday tradition that the two of them had, dating back from their days at Andrew’s apartment, Andrew informed her that he’d spoken to his friend, Tom, earlier that morning. Tom was one of Andrew’s closest friends and also happened to be Brienne’s husband. It was not uncommon in Birkbridge that everyone was connected in more than one way, either through friendships or familial relations. Eliza had actually met Brienne for the first time during one of the pool-table gatherings at the Beer Cave. She’d been perched on the barstool, half-watching the game while partially zoning out and staring into space. Pool really had the effect of boring her half to death. All of a sudden, she had realized that somebody was trying to get her attention. It was Brienne. She was holding a pitcher of some kind of toxic-looking concoction, and she was holding it up under Eliza’s nose.

“That smells strong,” Eliza remarked.

“Well, you looked a bit spaced out and you weren’t answering when I tried to talk to you, so I figured that this was my best shot at getting through to you.”

“It definitely worked. That stuff smells nasty.”

“Yeah. You want some?”

“Sure, why not.”

Three months later, Eliza and Andrew found themselves at Tom and Brienne’s wedding. Even Melissa was there because, as it turned out, Brienne and Melissa were actually friends from work, which was another one of those small-town coincidences.

As he munched down his eggs, Andrew told Eliza that Tom had recommended a few people who could help them with their painting and construction. Tom and Brienne had recently refurbished their own house, a necessity that had arisen after the birth of their third child. Tom said that the painter could come in at two o’clock that very same day, since he was a weekend contractor. During the week, he apparently worked at the concessions in their local movie theatre, but aside from his arrested development, Tom vouched that he was a reliable worker.

After brunch, Andrew went to the supply store and Eliza took a long, luxurious shower. Saturdays were her favorite days of the week because she was able to relax without feeling antsy. During the weekdays, she always felt as if she were slacking off when she wasn’t busy. It was as if every moment wasted was a moment that she would eventually have to make up for. However, weekends seemed to be impervious to karmic powers, and she didn’t feel like there were any dire consequences for taking it easy on a Saturday.

After her shower, Eliza got dressed and went back downstairs, just in time to open the door for the painter.

“Hi, come on in,” she said, ushering him in.

The painter was a tall, stalky man with a bony face and a scraggly, unkempt beard. His hair was tied behind his head in a ponytail. As he walked through the door, Eliza caught him looking at her funny. She smiled awkwardly and tried to strike up a conversation by mentioning that Tom had recommended him. He politely nodded, but was still giving her a strange look. Now that she was looking at his face properly, Eliza realized that he looked familiar. Everyone in Birkbridge looks familiar.

Just as she thought that, the painter scratched his head awkwardly, his facial expression changing from anxious to apologetic.

“I uh...” he began, pausing to search for words. “I’m not sure if you’d remember me, but we went to school together when we were kids.”

And like a brick smashing through a cardboard box, it suddenly dawned on her. This man was the grown-up version of the kid who had made her life a living hell in school. His name was Freddie Dormund.