“That’s okay,” Clayton begins. “I booked my own cabin, so Hayden can take the spare room.”
Dad trips on his way down the aisle, falling on his face. “Fuck!” he curses, before getting up and facing us. “I don’t think so.”
“Is that okay with you?” Maverick asks, ignoring Dad, who curses again.
“With not sharing with the others? Fuck yes.”
“What? No! You can bunk with your mum. Me and Clayton can bunk and get to know each other.”
“You aren’t sharing his bed, Dad. Don’t get excited. He has a spare room.”
“Like he wouldn’t try to sleep with me,” he argues, puffing his chest out. “I’m prime meat.”
“You’ll be mince meat if you don’t shut it,” I grumble.
“I heard Lake telling Teagan she was looking forward to hot tub sex,” Maverick announces. “I didn’t think you’d pass that up.” His lips twist into a smile, and he ducks his head to hide it.
I gag. “Gross.”
Dad, however, perks up. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Maverick nods.
Dad takes a step to leave but then stops, spinning back to us, pointing at Clayton and narrowing his eyes. “Remember what I said,” he warns him, before pointing to me. “And you remember our religion; no sex before marriage.”
“We aren’t religious,” I remind him dryly.
He throws his hands up before flopping them down at his sides. “Will you just do as you’re told for once?”
He storms down the coach, waiting for Maverick to turn. Me and Clayton grab our bags as I chuckle under my breath.
“I’d apologise for his behaviour, but I’d only keep doing it,” I admit, shrugging.
He laughs, putting a hand on my back and giving me a gentle push down the aisle. “He’s fine. He’s just looking out for his daughter.”
The wind howls when I step outside, and I pull my jacket tighter around me.
We pull the bags from the coach and begin to walk to the others, when Clayton stops me halfway. “Let me go check in and make sure everything is good. I’ll come back out with the keys.” I nod, reaching for his bag, but he shakes his head. “I got it.”
I watch him leave before grabbing the handle of my suitcase and walking over to the others.
“Hayden,” Dad calls, and I turn to see him approaching, leaving Maverick with a resigned expression.
If I were to guess, I’d say he just tried reasoning with my dad, which is hard to do for anyone, even Mum at times.
“Dad, I don’t want to listen to you tell me why sex is bad before marriage, that I’ll get pregnant and eat all your food.”
“But you would. Your mum hid food from me when she was pregnant,” he argues, pouting. “But that isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“And this isn’t about stealing your order at the service station?” I ask, running the toe of my shoe along the gravel.
“That was you?” he cries out, looking cheated.
I yawn, rubbing my eyes. “Dad, you said you wanted to talk. I’m really, really tired.”
“Yeah, I do, sorry,” he tells me, rubbing his hand over my arm. “I know I can be full on. I’m just looking out for you.”
“Dad, was that meant to be an apology? Because it sucked.”
His eyebrows crease together. “But I’m not sorry.”
“Of course not,” I mutter, rolling my eyes.
“I’m just trying to be a good dad.” The guilt and despair shining back at me has my shoulders sagging.
“You’re the best dad. I couldn’t ask for a better one. A saner one, yeah, but not better. Just… please go easy on him.”
“I can’t make that promise, but I’ll try.”
I let out a relieved sigh, knowing that’s the best I’m going to get. “Thank you.”
He glances over his shoulder to where Maverick is standing with Teagan, Lily and Jaxon, before turning back to me, lowering his voice a little. “And you know the boys aren’t my favourite, right? You are.”
I chuckle, knowing Maverick used that to make Dad feel bad.
“Of course I am.”
His shoulders sag and his body relaxes as a goofy smile spreads across his face. He pulls me into his arms, kissing my forehead. “Just be careful. He’s too polite.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, because he’s going to hurt me with compliments.”
“I’m telling you, it’s dodgy, baby girl.”
“If he was a scared bloke, you would call him a pansy who wasn’t strong enough to fit in, and if he was rude, you would have kicked him off the coach in the middle of nowhere.”
Dad snorts. “Give me some credit. I would have punched him first.”
I grin. “True.”
“I just want what’s best for you.”
“You’re forgetting one major thing, Dad.”
“What’s that?”
“We aren’t dating and never have.”
“Yet,” he grumbles, before straightening. “Here he comes. Act normal.”
“Normal?” I grumble.
“We were just talking about how you were both going to stay in your own rooms and keep a few feet apart at all times.”
I blink up at him. “Normal, Dad. Very normal.”
“I thought so too.”
“Whatever.”
“I’m going to talk dirty to your mum,” he announces, winking in Mum’s direction.
I groan, smacking my forehead. “Jesus Christ, Dad. Stop trying to put me off sex for life.”
He laughs, pulling me into his arms. “Love you, baby girl.”
“Love you too,” I grumble, lightly pushing him away.
He forms a V with his fingers to convey he’s watching Clayton. “Don’t fuck up.”
Clayton gives him a sharp nod, watching him leave before turning to me and holding up a set of keys.
“Please tell me we have a hot tub,” I plead.
“Yes, and a view of the lake.”
I clap my hands, squealing with excitement, causing him to grin. “Let’s go say goodbye and find out when we’re all meeting up.”
“Lead the way,” he offers, grabbing my case.
We head over to the others, where a few are sulking. “What’s going on?”
“A few singles have to share a cabin with couples,” Hope explains.
“Ahh,” I breathe, understanding. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to share. There’s nothing worse than hearing a relative having sex. “Who is Lily bunking with?”
“Faith and Beau. Maddox is pissed off because he wanted to spend some time with Lily.”
“Is that why he’s glaring at Jaxon?”
Hope laughs. “No, he’s glaring because Jaxon volunteered him to bunk with Liam and share with Aiden and Bailey.”
“Oh God, they’re going to get us kicked off site.”
“I’m going to pretend we aren’t with them.”
“Is it really that bad?” Clayton asks, his breath brushing across my ear.
“Not really,” Hope answers, then looks thoughtful. “Unless you count the time they got us kicked out of the hotel and there weren’t any rooms anywhere else, so we had to sleep on the beach for the night.”