Oof. I’d known that Webb was overprotective, but hearing him talk about Hawk and our friendship that way made my heart squeeze.
“Thatmanis mature as fuck,” I shot back. “I don’t need or want you to apologize for him. And don’t make it sound like I’ve been doing Hawk a favor for the past seven years because that’s bullshit. He’s smart. And hilarious. Hardworking. Reliable. Kind—and I mean, kind down to hisbones,Webb. I trust him more than anyone on this Earth, and I love spending time with him. And ifyouwere spending time with him rather than blowing bugles and fucking people in orchards, you might get to know the adult he’s become rather than assuming he’s the same sweet Hawklet your family’s always known?—”
“Okay, hold up!” Webb raised both hands to stop my tirade. “What are you mad atmefor? You make it sound like I’m running a one-man whorehouse in my own damn orchard. This was one time, and the only ‘people’ in question was my actual, legal husband.”
The satisfaction contained in that one word made me snicker, despite my annoyance. “You’re really getting off on that, aren’t you? Calling Luke yourhusband.”
“So freaking much, you have no idea.” Webb’s smile could not be contained.
I hadsomeidea. Webb had been in a really dark place for a long while. Luke was a good man, a great husband, and a wonderful stepfather to Webb’s son, Aiden. I was truly happy for all of them. But Webb had been so focused on settling down with his new little family that he’d become a little blind to anything outside of that.
I sighed and moved over to a metal stool to lower myself onto it. “Webb… You need to stop treating Hawk like a kid. Your whole family, really, but especially you. It’s taking a toll on him.”
Webb moved closer and took the other stool. “What’s he said to you?”
“He hasn’t said anything about you specifically,” I hedged. “But it’s come up in the context of other stuff he’s dealing with.” I was glad now that I hadn’t told Webb about Hawk’s indecent proposal, but I still wanted to find a way to get the point across. “He’s a grown man with needs and opinions of his own, and you’ve gotta respect that.”
“If he wants to be treated like an adult, he needs to act like one,” Webb retorted. “Starting with talking to me about things that are bothering him instead of blowing up and causing a scene at his place of business?—”
I shook my head. “Like the way he talked at the town meeting the other night? He said flat out how he felt about the Evola development, and how did you respond? Heck, how didanyof us respond?”
Webb opened his mouth, then looked away and shut it again unhappily.
“Exactly. We shut him down and dismissed him. You know how important Fogg Peak was to your dad. It should be no surprise to any of us that it’s important to Hawk, too.”
He set his jaw, and his eyes met mine again. “Obsessing over something simply because our dad valued it isn’t adult behavior?—”
“Now you’re just being an ass,” I said mildly. “I seem to recall you picking a fight with the guy who became youractual, legal husbandjust a few months back because you thought you were going to lose a few feet of land in Sunday Orchard. Remember?”
Webb pursed his lips and said nothing.
“Hawk loves the Hollow, and he’s proud of the Sunday heritage here the same way you are, Webb. There’s nothing immature about him wanting to be a good steward of the land he feels connected to. There’s nothing immature about him feelingespecially raw because all this is happening right around your dad’s birthday?—”
“Ah, shit.” Webb closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. “I can’t believe I forgot.”
“Uh-huh. And there’s nothing immature about Hawk wanting to have a relationship of his own either… as long as he does it, you know, safely.”Without Grindr.
“Yeah, but still. The kid needs to understand?—”
“Theman, Webb.” I paused, then added, “And for the record, Hawk’s as much my friend as you are, so think carefully about how you’re gonna end that sentence. I’m not letting you insult him in front of me.”
Webb blinked at me, and I returned his look levelly. I had no desire to get into an argument with him—having one Sunday pissed at me was plenty, thanks—but I wasn’t sure I could stand to hear Webb discussing Hawk like the man was still a moody teenager without losing my cool. If Hawk dealt with this all the time… if he thoughtIwas dismissing him the way Webb did… well, maybe I understood where some of his anger was coming from.
“I’m not insulting Hawk! Jesus. He’s mybrother. The very best of us.” Webb sounded horrified. “I love him.”
“I know you do,” I agreed. “Hawk knows it, too. And… maybe that’s why he hasn’t said anything to you. You and he are more alike than either of you know. He wants to protect the people he loves, too. But he does it by keeping his mouth shut when he’s hurt or upset because he doesn’t want to worry anyone.”
Webb nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, maybe so. I still think he needs to try to understand the benefits of the development, though?—”
“I agree with you, and I told him so. It’s not cut and dried. Hawk gets that there’s more to the issue, but I’m not sure he knows how to reconcile the financial concerns with theenvironmental. To be frank… I’m not sure any of us do. We’re all so excited about the potential income and so worried about scaring Evola off, maybe we haven’t thought enough about the environmental aspects. Maybe if we all listened as much as we talked,” I said pointedly, “we could come up with a good solution. Together.”
He sighed. “I see what you’re saying. I guess we’ve all been busy with other things this year and haven’t paid attention. I definitely haven’t noticed the toll it’s taken on Hawk.”
I reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “Understandable. You were busy getting accidentally hitched. It’s like a damned love fairy has infiltrated this town with how quickly you Sundays are falling these days.”
“True story.” Webb’s face brightened. “Be careful, or the fairy will get you next.”
“Oh, no. I’m not a Sunday,” I murmured, though my heart kicked up an uncomfortable notch. “I think I’m safe.”
