My best friend's brother was discharged from the military. Word was he got injured during a mission and lost his ability to have children. My best friend was sighing non-stop: "I'm happily child-free, and now my brother got injured. Looks like the mighty Hayes bloodline is going to die out with us! What a tragedy!" A few days later, I finally met this legendary tough guy. I was completely stunned. How does he look exactly like the guy I slept with a few years ago—the father of my child?! 1 "I blame my dad for giving us such unlucky names. I'm Hope Hayes, and my brother's name is Hunter Hayes. With names like that, we were doomed to be hopeless hunters of love!" At the barbecue joint, my best friend Hope was hugging a beer bottle, howling like a banshee. "Originally, I was hoping he'd come back so I could set you two up, and my goddaughter Lily could officially become my niece." "But what good is a man who can't have kids? He's basically useless. We're such good friends, I could never do that to you!" Just as she was speaking, her phone rang. I glanced at the screen. Hunter. Hope was already passed out on the table, completely oblivious. I hesitated for a moment, but when the impatient ringtone sounded for the third time, I answered it for her. "Mom says if you aren't dead, drag your ass home." The voice was deep. Surprisingly pleasant. I pinched my inexplicably warm earlobe. "Hello, I'm Hope's friend." "We're at a barbecue place. Do you have time to come pick her up?" Looking at my best friend's state, it was going to be a struggle for her to get home on her own. I had drank quite a bit myself. It would definitely be easier if someone came to pick her up. Before the person on the other end could respond, my supposedly passed-out best friend suddenly sprang back to life. "Oh, my poor brother! Went to the military academy so young, he's practically an old man now and still a virgin! And with his condition now, I'm afraid nobody will ever want him..." An eerie silence fell over the other end of the line. The sheer awkwardness made me sober up a bit: "She's... really had a lot to drink." "Address." "South Loop, Number 8." The call disconnected. 2 I had heard about Hope's brother before. A tough guy with a will of iron. He had been her idol since childhood. But when we first met, her brother was already deployed on missions. I had never met him. It wasn't until a week ago, when he was discharged, that I learned he had been severely injured. Seeing it was about time, I supported Hope and waited at the entrance. From a distance, I saw a black car approaching. A tall man stepped out. He was wearing sleek cargo pants, with broad shoulders and long legs. I couldn't see his face clearly, only catching a glimpse of his sharp silhouette. At that exact moment, a video call came in. "Is it Lily?" Hope glanced blearily at my phone screen. "Calling this late... hope nothing's wrong." "You answer it, my brother is already here." Saying that, she waved at the man approaching in the distance. I was a bit worried about my daughter, too. Not having time to greet the man, I quickly stepped to the side to answer the video call as he got closer. Almost instantly. Lily's little face appeared on the screen. "Mommy!" Seeing the little girl smiling brightly, I finally let out a sigh of relief. "Why aren't you asleep yet?" "I missed Mommy!" Then, my mom's voice came through the phone. "I took her to the countryside to catch shrimp today, and she had too much fun. Refuses to sleep, insisting on video calling you. You're still out? Why aren't you home yet?" "I'm out hanging with Hope." My mom took the kid back to our hometown for a few days, so I finally had some rare free time. "Is Auntie Hope there too?" Lily's little face squeezed back into view: "Mommy, I want to talk to Auntie Hope!" I turned to look at the main entrance. Hope was already slung over the tall man's shoulder, tossed like a sack of potatoes directly into the SUV parked nearby. Yes. Tossed. My mouth twitched. He really does have... the tough guy style. 3 Having Lily was an accident. Four years ago, I had just gone through a breakup. I went to a bar to drink my sorrows away and met a man. He was sexy and restrained. Every breath he took hit my aesthetic sweet spot perfectly. Riding the buzz of the alcohol, I slept with him. Surprisingly, we clicked incredibly well that night. Even now, I remember the slight shivers caused by his rough, large hands brushing over me. At the time, I thought maybe starting a relationship wouldn't be so bad. I didn't expect that when I opened my eyes the next morning, he answered a phone call and his expression instantly turned deadly serious. "Copy that. I'm on my way." He quickly got up and got dressed. He jotted down a string of numbers on a piece of paper: "I have an emergency mission right now. You can reach me at this number." Throughout the entire thing, I didn't even know his name. I originally thought our paths would never cross again, but a month later, I found out I was pregnant. Out of sheer desperation, I called that number. No one answered, several times. I figured I had been scammed. He probably wasn't interested, made up an excuse to leave, and gave me a fake number so I wouldn't cling to him. Due to health reasons, I ended up keeping the baby. But I never regretted that decision. Lily is sweet and smart, and I'm incredibly grateful for her company all these years. Early the next morning, my best friend sobered up and called me to complain. "My brother is so rough, he bruised my arm! Let me tell you, never look for a guy like him, he definitely has violent tendencies..." Before she could finish, a deep, warning voice came from her end: "Hope." Hope immediately shut up, then, remembering something, her voice turned sycophantic: "Brooo, are you free this afternoon? Want to help my friend move some inventory?" "No." "Awesome!" Hope completely ignored what her brother said, telling me, "I found you some muscle! He'll help you move your stuff this afternoon." "No, no, it's fine. I can handle it myself this afternoon." "We're basically sisters, don't be shy! He's just sitting at home all day doing nothing anyway." I originally thought my best friend was just joking. I didn't expect her to actually show up that afternoon. Followed by a tall man. 4 I run a women's lingerie boutique downtown. I've been managing it for years, and business is pretty good. I never hired any employees; I handle everything inside and out myself. Sometimes when it gets too busy, Hope comes over to help out. I was doing inventory in the afternoon when I heard people arguing outside. "The inventory you want me to move is women's lingerie?" "So what if it's lingerie? Do you go out without wearing underwear, Hunter? If you keep acting like this, I'm telling Dad you're sexist!" "You feel like you haven't been disciplined enough, don't you?" The man's tone was clearly impatient. "Are you saying you'd hit a woman? I'll tell the whole world!" Seeing that the two of them were about to start fighting, I hurried outside. "It's okay, it's okay! There isn't that much inventory, I don't need this much help." I looked up to apologize to my best friend's brother: "I'm so sorry, Hope didn't explain what kind of store this was and just dragged you over here. I..." Before I could finish, I got a clear look at his face. Chiseled features, handsome and sharp. A wave of pure testosterone hit me, rolling off his dark brown jacket. I completely forgot what I was going to say. The memories from four years ago came rushing back like a tidal wave. Fingers tangled in my hair, veins popping on his forearms, the heavy, forceful panting. I was shocked that I remembered every single detail so vividly. "Forget it, forget it. If you don't want to help, then leave. Don't stand there with a sour face acting like we're begging you!" Hope rolled her eyes and linked her arm through mine. "Don't apologize to him. He hasn't been back in years, and now he doesn't have an ounce of gentlemanly manners!" "Hold on." The man blocked our path. His gaze was locked firmly on me. I suppressed the storm raging in my heart and pretended to look back calmly. He coughed lightly: "Where's the stuff?" "What stuff?" "Didn't you say you needed help moving inventory? Where is it?" 5 Hunter took off his jacket, revealing a plain black T-shirt underneath. He was incredibly strong. The heavy boxes looked like toys in his hands. He carried four or five boxes at a time. With him there, Hope and I instantly became beautiful, useless decorations. Hope stood to the side, sipping milk tea and scrolling on her phone. Commanding her own brother to do manual labor with absolute peace of mind. I hid in the storage room, pretending to be busy doing inventory. My heart was a complete mess. I never expected Lily's biological father to be my best friend's brother. So... does he remember me? He probably doesn't, right? After all, it's been so long... While my mind was racing, a male voice suddenly called out. "Everything outside is moved in." "Ah, thank you!" The already cramped storage room felt even more crowded with a man inside. I instinctively took a half-step back, accidentally knocking over something next to me. The man bent down and picked it up before I could. "You dropped this." In his hand was a black, bunny-ear lace bra. The thin straps dangled from his fingertips, creating a bizarre contrast with his stark, masculine presence. I remembered that night, what I was wearing seemed to be... My face instantly turned beet red, and the man's dark eyes grew deeper as he stared at me. He suddenly leaned in close: "You seem very afraid of me. Why?" My breathing quickened, our gazes tangled together. With nowhere to hide, my brain short-circuited, and I suddenly blurted out: "Hope said you hit women!" Without waiting for his reaction, I squeezed through the gap beside him and rushed out. Hope, hearing the commotion outside, walked over. "Hit women?" "Which son of a bitch dares to hit women?!" Hunter's face grew even darker. "If you say one more word, I might actually hit you." Thanks to Hunter, the moving process sped up dramatically. A job that was supposed to take until seven or eight o'clock was completely finished by four. Hope didn't want to bother me further and dragged Hunter to leave. The tall, muscular man stood steadily in the middle of aisles filled with lingerie. "Is Boss Sarah so stingy she won't even buy me a meal?" My cheeks flushed slightly: "I will! What do you guys want to eat?" Hope's eyes widened in shock. "Hunter, how could you be so shameless? Making my friend pay for dinner, are you even human?" "You guys pick the place, I'm paying." "That's more like it!" My best friend was finally satisfied. She hooked my arm and lowered her voice. "My brother actually has quite a bit of money. It's rare for him to bleed cash. Think hard about what you want to eat, and absolutely do not hold back!" I don't know if it was intentional or not. But the place they finally chose. Was right next to the bar where Hunter and I first met. Both Hunter and I aren't very talkative. Thank god my best friend was there to liven up the atmosphere, so it wasn't too awkward. But I could constantly feel Hunter's gaze, subtle but present, resting on me. With an undisguised, burning intensity. Suddenly, my phone rang. My best friend immediately leaned over to look at the screen: "Is it Lily? I haven't seen her in so long, I miss her so much!" The expression of the man across the table instantly became incredibly weird. It wasn't until I stepped outside to answer the phone that I heard his deep voice. "She's... married?" 6 Hunter's words immediately triggered a backlash from my best friend: "What do you mean by that? Can't someone have a kid without getting married? You're such an old-fashioned boomer!" "Not married, huh?" Hunter's posture returned to its original relaxed state. He leaned back in his chair, took a sip of tea, and the corners of his mouth turned up. "That's good. Have you met the guy? What's his background?" My best friend stared at him, her expression slowly turning weird. "Bro, honestly, your secret joy is a bit too obvious. Just because you can't have happiness anymore, doesn't mean you can't stand seeing other people happy, right?" Hunter: ? My best friend continued: "When Sarah gets back later, absolutely do not bring up Lily's dad. I suspect the reason she hasn't dated anyone in all these years is because she still hasn't gotten over that scumbag." Hearing this, the smile on Hunter's face slowly vanished. It wasn't until the siblings finished their loud gossip that I found an appropriate moment to sit back down. I had never told Hope the details about Lily's dad. First, because when we met, Lily was already born. Second, because I felt I would never see him again, so there was no need to talk about it. I just vaguely said that after I got pregnant, I lost contact with the father. But Hope must have misunderstood. She assumed he was a massive scumbag who abandoned me. Out of consideration for my feelings, she never explicitly asked about it. And now, things were awkward. Although lying to my best friend isn't great, I didn't dare casually reveal Lily's parentage to them right now. After all, I didn't know Hunter. If things went south, it would ruin my friendship with Hope as well. That night, Hope and I drank. Hunter voluntarily took on the role of designated driver. As the car headed north, Hope pressed her face against the window: "Wrong way, wrong way! Sarah's house isn't in this direction!" "I'm dropping you off first. I have somewhere to go later, I'm not going home." Hearing this, Hope got annoyed and muttered: "If I knew you weren't going home, I wouldn't have let you drive us. Sarah and I could have found another spot to keep drinking." Hunter glanced at her but didn't say anything. The car stopped smoothly at the Hayes residence. Hope got out reluctantly. I felt awkward being alone with Hunter, so I also prepared to get out. "It's not far from my place from here. I can just take a cab. Since you have things to do, I won't bother you..." "It's no bother. It's on my way." My best friend nodded: "Exactly! Just let him drop you off. It's not like whatever he's doing this late at night is anything important anyway!" Declining again would seem too deliberate, so I could only gladly accept his offer. "Where to?" "Happy Road Apartments." The man glanced at me through the rearview mirror, his eyes holding a smile: "Don't want to keep drinking? I can take you now." "No, no, Hope was just joking earlier." I thanked him politely. "Thank you both so much for today. I really troubled you." "Being so polite, treating me like a stranger?" I didn't expect him to ask so directly, and my breathing instantly quickened. Before I could answer, he stated confidently: "You remember." "I-I don't know what you're talking about." "Liar." The man lowered his voice. "Didn't Hope tell you what I used to do? I'm best at analyzing emotional states by listening to breathing." Hearing this, I instinctively held my breath. He ended up laughing out loud: "I made that up." "Hunter!" "That's more like you. You were acting way too tense when you saw me today." Afraid of giving anything else away, I didn't dare say another word for the rest of the ride. 7 Thankfully, Hunter didn't tease me anymore on the way. After getting home, I played a round of games with Hope online. Only then did I slowly take a shower. While hanging up my laundry, I accidentally glanced out the window and noticed the SUV that dropped me off was still parked in the exact same spot downstairs. After debating for a long time, I threw on a coat and went down. The car was still running. I tapped on the window. "Hunter?" The window rolled down, revealing the man's resolute face. "Did the car break down?" "No." "Then why haven't you left? Didn't you say you had plans to meet friends later?" "I don't have plans. It was just an excuse to drop you off alone." The air stilled, and I pursed my lips. I don't know why, but a long-hidden anger rushed to my head: "Do you just really like making up excuses?" "What do you mean?" "You know exactly what I mean." After saying that, I turned to leave. He frowned and grabbed my hand: "Explain yourself." "Emergency mission." Only then did he remember the words he said to me years ago. His voice was raspy: "I didn't lie to you. It really was an emergency notification that time. I had just gotten home on leave when a sudden disaster occurred. I was out doing relief work the entire time." "What about the phone number? No one answered that number at all!" "During missions, our phones are all confiscated..." Before he could finish, he realized: "You tried to find me?" I turned my head away, unwilling to admit it at this moment. "You really tried to find me." A look of intense regret flashed across Hunter's face. "I didn't expect the mission to last that long. I should have proactively asked for your contact info." The past is the past. There's no point in arguing about it now. "Since you're fine, I'm heading back up." "Don't go yet." Hunter pulled me back, his large hand completely enveloping mine. "Hope said you still haven't forgotten him?" "Who?" "That scumbag." It took me a while to realize he was talking about Lily's dad. My expression grew complicated, and I vaguely replied: "It's not what you guys think. Actually... he's not that bad." As soon as I finished speaking, his brows instantly furrowed into a straight line. "As expected, you're still defending him even now." "I'm not." "Forget him. From now on... there will be someone who treats you well." I wanted to say something else, but he squeezed my hand firmly and then let go. "I don't want to push you. It just feels a bit surreal running into you again, I need a moment to process it." "It's getting late, go back and rest." I opened my mouth but ultimately didn't say anything. I dreamt again that night. I dreamt of being held in Hunter's arms, his teeth gently grazing the base of my ear. In the dream, I was like a small boat, rising and falling with the turbulent waves. I don't know how much time passed, but my phone vibrated a few times. I blearily glanced at the screen and realized it was already late morning. Opening the chat, I saw a string of messages from my best friend. 【Extra, extra! My brother didn't come home last night!】 【My mom is already burning incense to the Buddha, praying that he spent the night at a woman's house.】 【Did the ancient iron tree finally blossom? Tsk tsk, do you think the other person knows he's a barren fig tree?!】 What iron tree, what fig tree? I hadn't fully processed it yet. More messages came in. 【I think I already guessed whose house my brother stayed at.】 I suddenly grew tense. 【Who?】 【Chloe.】 The unfamiliar name made me breathe a sigh of relief, but also left me stunned. Hope explained: 【A classmate from his combat training class back in the day. She's incredibly badass; her combat skills are on par with my brother's.】 【You don't know this, but even though my brother looks rebellious, he actually has a moral cleanliness obsession. I've never seen him get close to any girl. The only one he hung out with was Chloe!】 【Since he got back, he's only been in touch with her. If it's not her, who else could it be?!】 Last night he said he had no plans. And now he stayed out all night. And suddenly a female classmate with shared interests pops up beside him. I couldn't describe what I was feeling right now. It felt like someone had grabbed my heart and squeezed it hard, but there was also a sense of relief, like surviving a disaster. Good thing I didn't tell him about Lily's parentage, otherwise it really would have just added unnecessary trouble.
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