by Stacey Lewis
She still looks unsure, but she finally agrees to come and I send up a prayer of thanks. I need her to see just how good we can be together.
Chapter 22
Hailey
I’m nervous about going to Mitchell’s for dinner. I don’t think he even considered what his kids would think about me showing up. Evie, I’m sure will be thrilled that her teacher is there, but Ben is older, and I’m sure seeing his dad with someone who isn’t his mom won’t be easy for him.
No matter how many times Mitchell tried to convince me it was fine, I can’t bring myself to believe it. It can’t be that easy.
It’s time for us to head over and Connor is excited to go see Evie again. I’m pretty sure he has a little crush on her after playing with her this afternoon. Playing with other kids is his favorite thing to do, and makes me regret sometimes not having a little brother or sister for him to play with. With the way things ended, it’s better that we didn’t. Being the single parent of one child is hard enough. I don’t know how Mitchell does it with two, though he does have some help from his ex.
We’re just about to leave for Mitchell’s when my cell phone rings. Connor’s trying to get out the front door, so I don’t look before I answer. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end makes my blood run cold. “Hello, Hailey.”
I can’t say anything at first. My mouth opens, closes, and then does it again. Swallowing hard I try to get rid of the sudden lump in my throat before croaking out his name. “Seth?” My head is reeling because there aren’t very many reasons for him to be calling me. I haven’t heard from him since the day our divorce became final. After a few seconds spent internally freaking out, I finally manage to ask, “What do you want?”
“Am I interrupting something?” I can imagine the way he’s looking at the phone, one eyebrow raised with a scowl on his face because I’m not jumping to do whatever it is he wants.
“Not interrupting, but I have somewhere to be soon so I need to get moving.” I struggle to keep my temper in check. The way he acts like I’m inconveniencing him by not wanting to talk pisses me off. He hasn’t had time for me in months, and now that he’s decided he wants to talk I’m supposed to abandon any plans I might have.
Seth sighs, sounding extremely put out. My eyes roll skyward as I pray for patience. “I’ll make this quick then.” The tone of his voice is the snotty one he uses when he’s speaking to someone he considers to be beneath him and man does it make me want to kick him in a very sensitive place.
“That would be great.” I hope my sarcasm is as clear to him as it is to me.
“I’ve moved back to Seattle.”
He drops this bomb on me like it’s nothing. I begged for years to move back, especially after I got pregnant with Connor and he said our lives were in Portland and he would never move back. Now, suddenly he’s here?
“You moved back? When?”
Huffing out an irritated breath, he tells me, “Two months ago.”
I have to bite down on the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming. Two months and I’m just now finding out?
My inner rant is cut off when he drops his next bomb. “I’d like to see Connor.”
“What?” This conversation is not making me sound very intelligent. All I’m doing is parroting back what he says and saying what. Oddly, I do get a little satisfaction from it, but only because it drives Seth crazy when someone repeats everything he says.
He’s annoyed now. “I want to see Connor.”
“Why now? You haven’t wanted anything to do with him in a year.”
Seth is quiet for a while, so long I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure we’re still connected. Finally, he asks, “Does it matter? I’m his father and I have the right to see him.”
“You’re right,” I say slowly, “you do, but up until now, you haven’t taken advantage of those rights. I just want to know what changed.”
He sighs again, like I’m asking something totally unreasonable. “When can I see him?”
Oh, okay, so that’s the game we’re playing now. I’m going to ask questions and he’s going to refuse to answer them. Sure, why not. “I don’t know Seth. What does your schedule look like? I’m at work until about four every weekday, so it would have to be after that.” I want to tell him no, he can’t see Connor, but our custody agreement says he can. He just hasn’t taken advantage of it.
“Why not tonight?”
Yup, here we go. Now I’m struggling to keep my temper in check so he doesn’t know he’s ticking me off. If he knows I’m angry, he wins. “I already have plans tonight. You know that because I already told you that.”
“So you’re denying me the chance to see my child?”
“No, Seth, that’s not what I’m doing at all. You can’t expect to call me and have me drop everything to meet you when you haven’t bothered to call to check on Connor or try to see him since the day our divorce was final. If you want to see him so soon, we can meet tomorrow if you want.” Honestly, it’s more than he should hope for because I could adhere to the custody agreement that says he’s allowed to have him one overnight during the week and one weekend a month because his lawyer said his schedule was “too booked” to do every other weekend. Jackass.
A few minutes of silence follow my attempt at being civil, then he says, “I’m busy tomorrow, so it will have to be next weekend if you can’t make time for me to see my son today.”
I’m rolling my eyes so much they’re going to get stuck in a weird position. “It’s not about ‘making time’ Seth, it’s about having plans already. You can’t expect to call me at the last minute assuming I don’t have anything better to do than come meet you. If you want to set something up for next weekend, text me your schedule and I’ll let you know when I’m available too.” I know he’s going to have something to say that will ruin my night more than he already has, so I rush to end the call. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get going. Bye, Seth.”
There’s no “bye” in return. Seth just disconnects the call and I pull my phone away from my ear to stare down at it. I hope I don’t regret what just happened. If Seth decides to take me to court, I won’t be able to afford the type of lawyer he’ll get. Maybe if he paid the alimony and child support that he’s supposed to, but it’s been sporadic and never the amount it should be.
Looking down at Connor, who’s playing on the floor with a couple of his trucks, I hold out a hand. “You ready to go, sweetie?”
Blue eyes that match his father’s look up at me and he grabs my hand, using it to pull himself up to standing. Once he’s steady, we leave for Mitchell’s apartment.
Dinner goes well… I guess? I don’t really remember. As much as I hate to admit it, I wasn’t fully present all night, and I’m sure I made a very crappy impression. All I could think about was Seth wanting to be part of Connor’s life after so long. I guess a year isn’t that long, but if, heaven forbid, Connor didn’t live with me? I’d see him every single chance I could. Seth not wanting to be bothered is something I just don’t understand.
Back in the apartment for the night, I get Connor ready for bed, doing only the bare minimum because after spending all evening playing with Evie and Ben, he’s so tired he’s almost falling asleep in the tub. I wouldn’t even bother with a bath, but I think he wore more mashed potatoes than he put into his mouth.
As soon as he’s in his pajamas, I take him back to his room. We sit in the glider beside his toddler bed and rock as I read his current favorite book, but he doesn’t last more than a few pages before he’s snoring lightly. I smile down at him, running my finger down his soft little cheek. The love I feel for him isn’t something I can put into words. It’s just there and infinite. Never-ending and true.
I’m just pulling the door to his room shut when there’s a loud knock on my door. My first thought is Seth. Is he showing up hoping to have time with Connor? Who else would be coming here so late at night?
Checking the peephole
is something I know I should do, but I’m so panicked I bypass it completely. The door opens, but it’s not Seth on the other side… it’s Mitchell.
Chapter 23
Mitchell
Hailey was preoccupied all night. She missed things the kids said to her, picked at her food, and basically ignored me. Ben watched her closely all night, and I know he wasn’t impressed. I didn’t need him to tell me, but he didn’t wait long after the door shut to tell me I needed to cut her loose and find someone better. Someone who is good with him and Evie. The funny thing is, she was and is good with Evie. I’m not sure what happened tonight.
It kills me to wait until Evie’s in bed, but as soon as she is, I head for Hailey’s apartment, telling Ben to keep an eye on his sister until I return. It probably makes me an awful parent to leave my thirteen-year-old in charge of my sleeping eight-year-old, but I’m not going very far and he has my number if anything happens.
My fist pounds on her door much harder than I plan, but I own it. I need to talk to her, to find out what happened to her between the playground and dinner. I don’t think it was just the stress of eating dinner with my kids either, so she better not give me that shit.
She opens the door and I watch as her body relaxes the moment she realizes it’s me at her door.
“Who were you expecting?”
Hailey blinks up at me, a little lost. “Huh?”
“Just now. Who were you expecting to be at your door? And, why didn’t you check your peephole.”
Her spine goes rigid and she draws herself up to her full height. “That’s none of your business, and how do you know I didn’t?
“C’mon, Hailey. I’m not stupid. If you’d checked the peephole, you wouldn’t have been shocked to see me instead of whoever else you were expecting. Who was it?” Jealousy explodes in my veins, making my voice harsher than I intend, but fuck it.
She still swears she wasn’t expecting anyone, and it pisses me the fuck off. Instead of standing here in the hallway arguing with her, I push my way inside her apartment. Hailey probably thinks I’m a dick for doing it, but at the moment I don’t care. Depending on how this conversation goes, I’ll probably regret it later.
“What are you doing?” she asks incredulously. “You do know you’re supposed to wait to be invited inside someone’s house, right?”
I cross my arms over my chest and just stare at her, saying nothing. I’m not about to defend myself to someone who won’t even tell me the truth. “Who were you expecting to be at the door Hailey?”
She shuts the door with a groan and turns back to face me. “It. Doesn’t. Matter.” The words are said through clenched teeth, but I don’t let it phase me.
“It damn well does matter, Hailey. Especially if whoever you were expecting to be at the door is also the reason you were so out of it tonight.” I’m not about to beg her for information, but one way or another she will tell me what’s going on.
Hailey shakes her head stubbornly, refusing to admit anything.
“Who was it?” I take a step toward her, waiting for her to tell me.
“Like I said, it doesn’t matter.” Her chin lifts, and she stares up at me in defiance. God, it’s such a turn on that she stands up to me.
Taking another step forward, I ask again. “Who. Was. It?” Again she tells me it doesn’t matter and we continue this dance until I’m standing so close to her our chests touch with every angry breath we take.
Finally, she breaks, throwing her hands in the air in frustration and forcing me to step back so they don’t hit me. “Oh my God, fine. If you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you.” Her eyes are practically spitting fire at me. “Seth.” His name is said like a curse.
“Why did you think Seth would be at your door?” I’m confused because she said he still lives in Portland. He’d have to drive all the way down here just to show up at her door. Why would he do that?
Hailey curls into herself, her back resting against the door. She looks so sad I want to reach out and pull her into my arms, but I don’t think she’ll accept my comfort right now. “He’s moved back to Seattle.”
My body tenses to the point it feels like my skin is stretched taut. “What? When? What does he want?” I spit the questions at her and she flinches when each one lands.
“He says he wants to see Connor. Seth wanted me to let him see him tonight and wasn’t very happy when I told him I already had plans.”
She looks down, all the color draining out of her face at this confession. That’s what it feels like, like she’s confessing her sins to me, when it’s nothing of the sort. “Okay, and what happened after that?” I ask when she doesn’t continue.
Hailey shrugs. “He wants to see him next weekend, so I told him to text me when he’ll be available and I’ll let him know.”
“Fuck that.” My hands clench into fists at my sides. After the shitty way he treated her, the fucked up way he treats his kid, now he wants to see him? I call bullshit. “You’re not going to see him alone.”
Her gaze lifts from where she was staring at the floor to glare at me. “Excuse me? You don’t get to tell me what to do, Mitchell. We’ve had one date, two if you count dinner tonight. That does not give you the right to make decisions for me.”
“Whoa, hold on a second.” I hold both hands up in front of my body and try to reason with her. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. I’m just saying if you’re going, I am too. He’s a jackass and if he tries to pull something I don’t want you to have to deal with him alone.”
She’s already shaking her head when I finish. “You being there will just make things worse.”
“No, me being there means he can’t make things worse. Big difference.”
Hailey rubs her forehead with a hand like she’s getting a migraine. I should feel bad for causing her more stress, but I don’t. She can be mad at me all she wants, but she’ll be mad while I’m standing there beside her so the dickhead can’t mess with her.
She finally lowers her hand, but her shoulders slump, making her look defeated. I can’t handle her looking that way without trying to do something to fix it. Cupping her cheeks in my hands, I lift her face so she’s forced to meet my eyes.
Tears fill her eyes, in serious danger of falling and something in my chest squeezes at the sight of her pain. “Baby,” I murmur, dropping my hands so I can pull her into my arms. Her head comes to rest on my shoulder and when I kiss the top of her head she starts to cry. Hailey’s body is wracked with sobs and I hate the thought that I might be responsible for some of them.
Lifting her up, I cradle her ass with my hands and she wraps her legs around me. I walk over to the couch and sit down, leaving her no choice but to straddle my lap. Her head is still on my shoulder, her hands clutching my shirt to pull herself as close to me as she can. Rubbing my hand up and down her back I try to soothe her, murmuring what I hope are comforting words.
After a few minutes, her crying quiets until all that’s left is shuddering breaths and the occasional hiccup. Hailey eventually sits up to look at me and even with tear tracks on her cheeks and red, swollen eyes, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.
I start to speak, to say her name, but her lips crash down on mine. Any thoughts of speech are forgotten. I’ve spent the last week dreaming of Hailey’s lips on mine, and even though I know I shouldn’t take advantage of her when she’s just been crying, I don’t want to hurt her either.
Hailey pulls back to trace the seam of my lips with her tongue, trying to control our kiss, and I take over. Wrapping her long hair around my fist, I use my hold to tilt her head the way I want it and push my tongue into her mouth.
She moans at the first touch of our tongues but doesn’t hesitate to stroke mine with hers. The feeling has me groaning into her mouth while she whimpers into mine. Our kiss goes on forever, our heads tilting first one way, then the other, and the more she gets into it, the more restless Hailey gets.
A few minutes after we start de
vouring each other, her hips start to rock on my lap, and even through her panties, I can feel how hot she is. I’m instantly glad she’s wearing a dress because goddamn, I want to feel all of her more than I want my next breath.
Her movements are jerky, so I grip her waist with my free hand to guide her movements. Her pussy slides against my cock and I almost come in my jeans like a teenager at the feel of it. She feels so damn good, even with three layers of clothes separating us.
“Mitchell,” she whimpers my name as her thighs tighten against my legs. Already she’s close to coming, which tells me it’s been a minute since another man has touched her.
Hell, just that thought makes my hand tighten on her waist because she’s choosing to let me be the one who touches her. I don’t deserve it, but I’m damn sure going to take it.
I run my hand up her side slowly, stopping just under the swell of her breast. Her spine straightens, pushing her flesh closer to me in invitation, so I take what she’s offering by brushing my thumb across her nipple. It’s obvious she’s as turned on as I am.
Her mouth leaves mine when I touch her and her breath catches. Our eyes meet for a second, then she drops her head to my shoulder where I can feel her panting against my neck.
Releasing my hold on her hair, I bring both hands up to cover her breasts, squeezing gently with my palms, then using my fingers to pinch the tight nubs. Every move I make has her hips moving against me faster and her breaths turn into constant whimpers the closer she gets to her climax.
I want more than anything to put my hand in her panties before she comes, but I don’t know if she’ll let me. To test the waters, I slide one hand down her belly, stopping at the apex of her thighs to give her a chance to say no.
“Please.” It’s a breathy plea, barely enough sound to be heard, but my ears are attuned to every noise she makes.
My hand moves slowly, pulling up the hem of her dress one inch at a time until I can look down and see her silky lavender panties. They’re almost the exact same color as the dress she’s wearing and I wonder if her bra matches too. I don’t wonder for long though, I’m way more interested in what’s inside her panties.
