Truly His | (Book 2) 18+

four

HAYDEN
**
***
*****

"Please tell me that you aren't playing with me, Hayden," Mum dramatically said as I fixed my shirt.

I glanced down at my attire, pursing my lips as I took in my jeans, black tee-shirt and red zip-up hoodie, then met my mother's stare. "No? Why would I be?"

Being my dramatic-ass mother, she began to jump up and down. I rolled my eyes, fighting back a smile, and held her shoulders to stop her. Her eyes were wide with excitement as she cupped her own cheeks, grinning up at me.

"I've been on dates before, Mum," I told her, watching as her grin only widened as she looked at me. "You always make such a big deal out of it."

Mum opened her mouth to say something but Ashton, who was sitting comfortably on a beanbag, spoke up first.

"I may or may not have told your mother that you're obsessed with Casey," he told me, his attention still on the large TV he was playing Call of Duty on. "I'm not 100-percent wrong, either. Didn't you have, like, a huge crush on her during freshmen year? But then when you asked Tyler to ask her to the Winter Dance, he asked her for himself and then they started dating?"

By the time Ashton was finished speaking, I was as red as a cherry. Mum, on the other hand, was frowning, and threw a pillow at Ashton when he began to laugh.

"You're evil, Ashton," Mum spoke, trying to hold back her own laughter. "Many poor boy, it must have hurt."

I glared at her, noticing the way her voice wavered as she tried to hold back from breaking. When she saw in my eyes that I knew she was suppressing, she began laughing with Ashton.

Everyone in my family is a bunch of assholes... except for Stanley, my bearded dragon.

"I'm sorry," Mum laughed out, covering her mouth when she let out a snort. "This is bad parenting, I shouldn't be laughing at your pain."

"Whatever," I childishly grumbled. "I'm not obsessed with her, alright? She just seems like a chill person. We talked for a bit yesterday at work and I just want to take her out—be a gentleman."

Ashton snorted while Mum let out a small hum, fixing my hair. She cupped my cheek next and smiled at me.

"I hope your date goes well then," she told me softly. "And if you end up being a dick, I'll kill you."

I winced when she gave my cheek a painful pinch, then smacked it lightly. Ashton chuckled, waving to my mother as she left the room. I turned back to the mirror and straightened out my clothes, then glanced at Ashton when I felt him staring.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He grinned. "When you guys start dating, you're gonna be so fucking whipped."

I snorted, trying to hide the fact that I was blushing—again. Why did I have to blush so easily?

"We're just going out, Ashton," I muttered, growing irritated. "For fuck sake, you're just like my father."

"No, you're just like your father," Ashton retorted. "I don't know if you never realized it or you've just blocked it out because you've lived in the same house as them since forever, but Mr. Black's probably as whipped as the day he first met your mother. Lord only knows how you'll be once you start dating."