by Lexy Timms
“I’m just trying to help you,” I said.
“You don’t have to clean someone else’s blood off me. I’ve got it,” Bryan said.
“Why won’t you just tell me what happened?” I asked.
“I just did. Someone slipped off a ladder and fell. The ladder came down on them and split their head open. It’s fine.”
“But I thought you were going to a concrete pouring,” I said.
“And like I said, Hailey. The concrete pouring wasn’t the only thing happening today.”
“So it was a jobsite that’s already partially developed?” I asked.
“Hailey, it’s been a very trying morning. Can we just drop it?”
I knew he was hiding something from me, but I knew it was wise not to push it. He was already annoyed and on edge with one of his workers apparently getting hurt, and I wanted us to enjoy our Sunday together. Whatever he had picked up for food smelled wonderful, and I was ready to dig into it as I reached for my chocolate milk.
But before I could get my hand around it, Bryan knocked it over with his elbow.
“Bryan, look out!” I said.
The mug dropped to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Chocolate milk was sprayed everywhere, and I could feel tears rising to my eyes. What in the world was I crying about? It was just some milk. I could clean up the mess and pour another mug.
It wasn’t a big deal.
“I’ve got it. You just clean yourself up.”
“Hailey. You're going to get hurt. Let me clean this up,” Bryan said.
“You go pick out a move for us to watch and get the food set up. I’ll clean this up,” I said.
“Stop it, Hailey. I’ve got it. These shards are sharp. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“Just let me do this, Bryan.”
“Hailey, back up.”
It was the tone of his voice that caught me off guard. I looked up into Bryan’s eyes and saw a fire there I hadn’t seen in a long time. He was angry with something, angry with whatever the hell had rattled him this morning. That pretty much confirmed for me that he hadn’t gone where he said he was going, but why would he lie to me? Why would he tell me he had to work if he was going somewhere else? Had something happened to Drew? The business?
Did he have to go see Ellen for something?
I slowly backed my way out of the kitchen as Bryan started picking up the shards of ceramic. Tears were pooling in my eyes, threatening to race their way down my cheeks. I could feel my hands trembling as I backed myself all the way onto the carpet of the living room, watching as Bryan cleaned up the mess and muttered to himself. I couldn’t catch what he was saying, but I knew it wasn’t good. I knew he wasn’t happy, and I could feel it spoiling the only day of the week we had to spend with one another.
Why was he hiding the truth from me? Why was he keeping secrets from me? Was it because he thought I was keeping one from him? I thought I had done a good job of covering up what happened at the art gallery. I thought I had done a good job of voicing what was wrong without divulging too much. It was enough that I was traveling down this road of pain. Bryan obviously had enough going on himself. Watching him murmur to himself and slip on the chocolate milk unsteadily confirmed that I had made the right decision in not telling him about that man who’d come in and threatened me.
But was he keeping secrets because he knew I was?
I settled myself on the couch and began pulling out food. Sandwiches and soups and salads and drinks. Bread and chips to munch on and dips to enjoy. I spread everything out on the table as the shards of the broken mug clinked their way into the trash can, and tears began to spill down my face.
I couldn’t get myself to settle down.
“I’m sorry I snapped at you like that,” Bryan said.
“It’s fine,” I said, sniffling.
“Hailey, are you crying?” he asked.
I wiped away the tears quickly as Bryan rushed over to me.
“Hailey, why are you crying?” he asked.
“You just need to be careful, okay?” I asked. “Even if you are telling me the truth, which I’m not sure you are, it could’ve easily been you who was hurt today.”
“But I wasn’t,” Bryan said. “It wasn’t me. I’m just fine.”
“Physically, maybe. But not mentally. You would’ve never gotten irritated with a broken glass like that before.”
“I just didn’t want you cleaning it up. Had you lost your balance and fallen on those sharp slivers, you could’ve really hurt yourself.”
“I was fine cleaning it up,” I said.
“Sweetheart, I can’t imagine what this pregnancy is putting you through. And I know you feel I treat you like a pariah sometimes or like a porcelain doll, but the truth is, you’re carrying my child. You’re growing a human being, and you have to take that into account with every decision you make. If you’re hurt, that child feels your pain. If you’re sad, our child feels that sorrow. And I know you’re frustrated, and I know you’re over this pregnancy, but you can’t make decisions without first taking into account the child you’re carrying.”
His hand came up and wiped away at a tear that was rushing down my cheek.
“You have to be careful for our daughter’s sake,” he said, grinning.
“And you have to be okay for our son’s sake,” I said sincerely.
“Hailey?” he asked.
“What?”
“You said that a little too seriously.”
“Said what a little too seriously?”
“The son comment. Did you? Are we ...?”
I cupped Bryan’s cheeks in my hands and planted a kiss on his nose. I could feel how hot his skin was and how riled up he was inside. Something serious had happened this morning, but I wasn’t sure what it was. It was obvious someone had gotten hurt, but a minor injury wouldn’t have kicked Bryan up like this. He had worked in construction far too long for stuff like that to worry him any more.
Why wouldn’t he just tell me what happened?
“I don’t know the gender of our child,” I said. “I didn’t go find out without you or anything like that. I just know. I know it’s a boy.”
“Well, someone’s got to root for the girl. So that’s me,” Bryan said.
“And that’s one of the reasons I love you,” I said. “You always root for the underdog.”
“My brother was an underdog. I’ll never not root for them.”
I placed a soft kiss on his lips before Bryan sat down on the couch beside me.
“What do you think of Aiden?” I asked.
“Aiden?” Bryan asked. “No, thanks. And besides, I thought we would name him John if it turned out this child was a boy. I’m not entertaining any boy names until the child is born.”
“Why? Because I don’t like any of your suggestions?” I asked as I grabbed a bag of chips.
“Nope. I think we’ll know. When we see him or her for the first time, I think we’ll know exactly what fits. Even if it isn’t the name ‘John’,” he said.
“I can get behind that,” I said.
I was munching on chips as Bryan surfed through the channels on television. He was trying to find our first movie of the day to watch, and it gave my mind enough time to rush back to that man from the gallery with his beady little eyes, the dirt caked around his fingernails, and the way he was so eager to destroy a vital piece of artwork. I thought about how easy it had been for him to threaten a pregnant woman. I felt my mood slowly slipping as I continued to mindlessly eat chips, the channels on the television providing the perfect mind-numbing atmosphere for me to lose myself in my worries.
“Do you think John would’ve enjoyed being an uncle?” I asked.
“I think he would be thrilled,” Bryan said. “Why?”
“I just wonder sometimes. If he would’ve approved of us.”
“I think he gave his ultimate show of approval for you, don’t you think?”
I grimaced at his statement as I fe
lt Bryan slip his arm around my waist.
“I’m only saying it was obvious John liked you. He was always pestering me about dating, about finding a girl who could treat me right. Even in his hazy states, he was always looking out for the well-being of those he allowed himself to care about. He looked out for me, and he looked out for you. I think he would’ve been thrilled that we found each other,” Bryan said.
I nodded my head in agreement as guilt filled my chest.
“Besides, with all you did for him, I think he would’ve wanted to be a good uncle to this child. John was always talking about repaying people for what he did, for all the mistakes he’d made and trying to right his wrongs. I think being a wonderful uncle to our child would’ve been how he would’ve tried to repay you for all the things you gave him.”
“But I didn’t give him anything,” I said.
“You gave him everything, Hailey. You gave him hope and a way to express his emotions. You gave him an outlet that helped him through his withdrawals. You gave him the ability to see a future for himself, a future he couldn’t see on the streets while he was drawing when you found him. Hailey, you gave him his life back. That’s everything in my book.”
I nodded in agreement, but I kept thinking about that man in my gallery. About his threat to come back soon and how I needed to have the money ready for him. What would happen if I didn’t? What would happen if I called the police? I still hadn’t installed a security camera system in the gallery, and I was kicking myself for it. I couldn’t prove any of the shit that had gone down, and it made me sick to my stomach. What was I supposed to do? Just drain one of our accounts and pay this bastard off?
I could feel Bryan still studying me. I needed another distraction.
“The shopping day with Anna went well yesterday,” I said.
“You already told me about it. And if you hadn’t, there are plenty of bags in the nursery to prove it went well,” Bryan said.
“Hey. Anna wanted to spoil the baby. I’m not going to turn her down,” I said. “Did I tell you we talked about Drew?”
“That you didn’t. Did you bring up the fact that she should call him?” he asked.
“Yep. And she feels like he should be calling her. Pursuing her, you know?”
“Of course,” he said. “And usually, that’s what Drew does. He’s all about the chase. I have no idea why the hell he’s holding out on this when he obviously misses Anna.”
“I don’t know, but I did tell Anna I would help hook her up with someone.”
“You did?” he asked.
“Yep. She works too damn much, and she’s too stressed. I mean, she enjoys what she’s doing now, but she’s back to that same lifestyle she was living in Phoenix, locked up in her office, barely in her own home, and no social life to speak of. She needs someone to help her release some of this stress.”
“And you wouldn’t be a good sister if you didn’t help her with that,” Bryan said.
“I told her I would set her up with someone. I didn’t specify who,” I said.
“Ah, and the conniving plan reveals itself.”
“It’s not conniving. She left it open-ended. She’s a lawyer. It’s her fault for not seeing it. Anyway, I think we should try setting Anna and Drew back up,” I said.
“Like another double date?”
“Or something like that. Bryan, they were too cute on that date we all went on together. And remember the Fourth? When they first met?”
“They couldn’t keep their hands off each other,” Bryan said.
“They just got busy. That’s literally all that happened, and that’s a bullshit excuse. We get busy all the time, but we make it work.”
“So, what did you have in mind?” he asked.
“Does this mean you’re on board for hooking them up again?” I asked.
“Consider me officially hooked. What’s the plan, Stan?”
“I’m thinking about setting up a dinner outing with Anna while you set up a dinner outing with Drew. Same place, same time, only we don’t show up.”
“So Anna and Drew are the only two who show up to the restaurant,” he said.
“Yep. Not quite a double-date scenario, but it’ll be enough to get them out with each other. Once they’re there, they’ll sit down with one another. And if they don’t, then they really don’t want this to work, and we move on from it,” I said.
“That’ll be easy to manipulate. Then, maybe we could go get some food of our own.”
Bryan scooted closer to me as his lips attached to my neck.
“Bryan, I’m serious. We’re formulating a plan.”
“We are. But I was promised naked movie time, and we are way too clothed to be considered naked,” he said.
“We’ve got to figure out what day, oh, and time ... yes.”
“What was that?” Bryan asked.
His lips were nibbling on my skin as he sank me back to the couch cushions.
“We have to ... figure out the plan,” I said breathlessly.
“I think we have the gist of it,” Bryan said.
His lips traveled down my chest, creating a burning ache in my pelvis that needed to be released.
“Bryan,” I whispered.
“You’re so beautiful like this,” he said as he kissed my stomach. “So beautiful carrying my child.”
His hands were tugging at my pajama pants as they slid down my legs. I could feel his lips kissing the insides of my thighs as he spread me for him. My mind was swirling with thoughts of Anna and Drew and how perfect they were for one another. My mind darted back to the man in the gallery and how his threats had scared me to my core. I could feel Bryan’s tongue lapping at my body, growing dangerously close to the area I wanted him most.
I had no choice but to pay the man off. It was the easiest route, and it was the one that stood the greatest chance of getting him to go away. I had no idea where I was going to come up with the money, but I figured a good place to start was with selling my own paintings.
If it came down to it, I could borrow against the gallery and pay it back later.
“You taste divine,” Bryan said.
I could feel his tongue tracing my throbbing entrance as a moan escaped my lips.
Yes. I was going to pay this guy off. If only so I could concentrate on the beautiful man between my thighs.
“I love you, Bryan,” I whispered.
“And, oh, how I love you, Hailey.”
Chapter 11
Bryan
I woke up the next morning with my body tangled up with Hailey’s. Our naked movie day had turned into a lovely feast, and I could still taste her tantalizing flavors on my tongue. Her body was marked with my love for her with love bites and nibbled marks and bruises ingrained on her hips. Hailey was snoozing next to me, her soft breaths encompassing my neck as I turned toward her.
It was time for both of us to get up and get ready for work.
“Sweetheart?” I asked.
She groaned and shifted, and her sounds tugged a smile upon my lips.
“Hailey, it’s time to get up.”
“No,” she said. “I don’t wanna.”
“Come on. You’ve got more interviews to conduct today,” I said.
“No, I don’t.”
“But you should be. So you can take days like this off,” I said.
“You drive a hard argument,” she said as her eyes opened.
“Morning, beautiful.”
“Yeah, yeah. Morning to you too.”
She sat up in bed, her beautifully-growing bosom hanging against her body.
“Holy hell, you’re beautiful.”
I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her neck before I scooted out of bed.
“What do you have planned today?” Hailey asked.
“Gotta go check on that foundation site. I’m going to make a pit stop to make sure my hurt worker’s okay, and then I’m going to have lunch with Drew before I make it 55to the foundation today.”
&nb
sp; “You cleared all that with Ellen?” she asked.
“Yep. I’m not needed until the meetings this afternoon,” I said. “What’s on your agenda?”
“I should get these interviews up and going again,” I said.
“Did you postpone them for some reason?”
I poked my head out of the bathroom and watched Hailey freeze. I could tell she was debating on what to say. I drew in a deep breath and sighed as she wiggled out from underneath the covers, her eyes still cloudy with sleep.
“Hailey. Is there a reason you stopped the interviews?” I asked.
“They’re a little more exhausting than I imagined they would be. Everyone’s so qualified, and I know people are going to be upset if I don’t choose them.”
I could tell she was only partially telling me the truth, and it hurt that she couldn’t be more truthful with me than that.
“That’s the price of owning a company,” I said. “I’ve had to do it many times before. It doesn’t get any easier, but hiring the best will make your company the better for it.”
“Thanks,” she said flatly.
“Anytime,” I said.
She groaned as she got off the bed, and we started our little morning dance, washing our faces and brushing our teeth, interchanging shower times and drip drying as we stood at the closet. I loved the dance we did in the mornings. It was a natural rhythm for us. It only served to confirm every single morning that we were made for one another.
But I could tell something was occupying Hailey’s mind now.
“Let me know what Drew says, okay?” she asked. “I’m assuming you’re going to bring up the dinner?”
“I was actually thinking we could be upfront with them about a double date,” I said.
“Why?” she asked. “We might run the risk of them saying no.”
“Look, we can’t force them to get back together. Maybe there’s stuff that happened that we don’t know about. But if they agree to a double date and still want them to have a true date together, then we could still back out and have the two of them have dinner. I don’t think we should lie to them about all of it,” I said.
“I guess you’re right,” Hailey said. “But tell me how Drew responds first. If I’m going to be upfront with Anna, she’s going to want to know how Drew reacted before she reacts.”
