Take A Chance

by Micalea Smeltzer

  “I know,” she finally sighed, “I’m sorry for getting upset. It’s just hard and I’m still new at this whole mom thing.”

  Mathias softened and reached over to cup her cheek. “I’m sorry too. And for what it’s worth, I think you’re the best fucking mom there ever was.”

  She laughed and leaned over to kiss him.

  Mathias and Remy were…explosive, to say the least, but no one could deny that they were madly in love with each other. I was sure there was no one else on the planet that could handle either of them. They were meant to be.

  We pulled up to the back of the restaurant in order to avoid the crowd that had followed the cars and from there we were led into a private dining room. There were no windows and silence surrounded us. Quiet was rare in this city and I took a moment to let it sink in.

  Hayes pulled out a chair for me and then requested a booster seat for Mia. I didn’t know how he managed to remember such simple things, but I was thankful for it.

  Menus already sat on the table waiting for us and I scanned the items, looking for something that would be okay for Mia. Everything my eyes landed on was far too fancy for a three-year-old. She’d look at the food in disgust and ask me for chicken nuggets.

  Hayes leaned over to whisper in my ear. “I asked Casey to run and pick her up something from McDonalds. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t think she’d like any of this.”

  I gaped at him and he grinned, reaching over to push my chin up.

  “It’s like you read my mind sometimes. It’s scary.”

  He chuckled. “I’m perceptive, but definitely not a mind reader.”

  “Can I sit on your wap?”

  I looked down at Mia and found that she was staring with wide eyes at Hayes.

  “Sure thing, Ms. Mia.” He slid his chair out and she scurried off of hers and climbed into his lap.

  The waiter returned with a booster seat and fixed it in the now empty seat, but I doubted Mia would be returning. Her favorite spot was apparently in Hayes’ lap.

  The waiter took everyone’s drink order and disappeared from the room.

  I picked up the menu once more, trying to find something I could eat that didn’t cost the same amount as a kidney on the black market. I knew Hayes wouldn’t let me pay for my own meal, but regardless these prices were ridiculous, and the menu items were outlandish. I wanted something normal to eat, not something that sounded like it’d been made up.

  By the time the waiter had returned I’d decided on a cheeseburger—although, according to the menu it was far superior than a regular cheeseburger and had a list of fancy cheeses and toppings, but I figured it was safe enough.

  Hayes got the same thing while everyone else seemed to either order steak or seafood.

  A few minutes after the waiter left us again Casey appeared with a happy meal box.

  “Is that for me?” Maddox grinned. “Case, you shouldn’t have.” He chuckled, tipping his chair onto the back two legs.

  “I didn’t.” Casey huffed, clearly not pleased at being made errand-boy, and placed the box in front of Hayes before exiting the room.

  “He’s always so chipper,” Hayes jested, “remind me to give him a raise for being such a joy to be around.”

  He reached for the box and set out the apples and chicken nuggets.

  “Toy!” Mia chimed happily when he grabbed the plastic wrapped toy. He opened it and handed her the cheap plastic Barbie necklace, but the way she lit up you would’ve thought he’d given her a diamond.

  That was the beauty with kids, normal every day things seemed so grand and monumental.

  “I’m really bummed I don’t have any chicken nuggets or a toy. It’s not fair.” Maddox mock pouted.

  Mia picked one up and held it out between her chubby fingers. “I twill share wit you.”

  Maddox grinned widely. “That’s sweet of you princess, but I won’t eat your food.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Tat’s otay. Moar for me.”

  We all burst into uncontrollable laughter at her comment.

  “Wat’s so funny?” She asked innocently, blinking her wide doll-like eyes.

  “You, cutie,” Hayes kissed her cheek, “you’re so adorable.”

  My heart.

  It was melting.

  And I was helpless to stop it.

  Hayes and I stood on the street with Mia, surrounded by four bodyguards, as the rest of his band members and their girls drove away in the SUVs.

  Hayes crouched down so he was closer to Mia’s eyelevel.

  “Want a piggyback ride?”

  She nodded her head eagerly and he turned around and crouched down so she could hop onto his back.

  He seemed to know what direction to head so I fell into step beside him while the bodyguards flanked us, keeping the growing crowd at bay.

  The fans were far more eager today than they had been yesterday and I was sure the band’s TV appearance today might’ve had a hand in that.

  Hayes was completely unaffected by all the attention, and for some reason Mia was too which I was grateful for. When she was two she’d gone through a nasty spell of crying and yelling about anything that upset her. Thank God she’d finally grown out of that stage before I pulled out all of my hair.

  A few blocks later my eyes landed on a building and my steps faltered.

  “No.” I gasped the word.

  “Yes,” Hayes said, somehow managing to hear me over the chaos surrounding us.

  “No,” I repeated.

  “Don’t look scared. It’s only dolls.”

  I let out a laugh. “Aren’t I supposed to say that to you?” I asked, staring up at the American Girl logo on the building.

  He shrugged, stepping up to the crosswalk. “It’s just a bunch of dolls and little girls. What’s there to be afraid of?”

  A mob of horny mothers, but I didn’t say that out loud.

  We reached the store and stepped inside.

  Pink.

  Pink and red everywhere.

  Mia squealed in delight and Hayes let her down, quickly grabbing her hand before she could run off and be lost in the throngs of people.

  Since Christmas was only a month away they’d already put up a tree—a pink one covered in so many decorations you could barely see a branch.

  Mia spotted it and tugged on Hayes’ hand to get his attention. “Twee!” She cried. “I wants to see the twee!”

  “Of course, Ms. Mia. Shall we take a picture with the tree?”

  She beamed up at him and nodded eagerly.

  “Greg, take a picture of the three of us.” Hayes commanded, pulling his phone out of his pocket and tossing it at his burly bodyguard.

  Somehow Greg managed to catch it despite the ginormous bear paws he had for hands.

  “Arden,” Hayes called, waving me over to stand beside him in front of the tree.

  When I stood beside them Mia beamed up at me. “I wuv you, momma.”

  I smiled down at her. “Love you too baby girl.”

  I lifted my head and found Hayes staring at me, and what I saw in his eyes said so much more than any words could express.

  The flash on the camera phone went off.

  “Smile!” Greg called to get our attention this time.

  I reluctantly turned away from Hayes and gave the camera the cheesiest smile I could—but while cheesy, it was one hundred percent genuine.

  It always was with Hayes.

  HAYES PULLED HIS truck into my driveway and my shoulders sagged in sadness at the fact that our mini-vacation was over.

  It was dark out and in the backseat Mia was passed out asleep, drool dripping from her chin onto her pajama shirt.

  “The new key should be around here somewhere.” Hayes muttered more to himself than me as he got out of the truck and began searching.

  I climbed out of the truck—which meant I basically fell onto my driveway. Why his truck needed to be so high I’d never know or understand.

  Hayes had procured the n
ew key from somewhere and the door to my house now stood open.

  I went to get Mia out of the car but Hayes jogged over and gently pushed me out of the way. “I’ve got her.”

  Since it would be easier for him to grab her I let him.

  “Don’t even think about grabbing your bags either.” He warned when he noticed me moving to the other side of the truck.

  “You’re so bossy.” I stuck my tongue out at him in jest.

  He pulled a sleeping Mia higher into his arms and started for the house. “I want to take care of my girls.”

  I followed behind him and directed him to Mia’s room. She was still sound asleep as he laid her in her bed and I turned on her butterfly nightlight so she wasn’t in the dark.

  “She looks so peaceful and happy.” Hayes whispered, pushing a piece of red hair away from her face.

  “She’s probably dreaming about floating on cotton candy clouds again.”

  He chuckled and quickly put a hand over his mouth to stifle the sound. We both eased from her bedroom and I closed her door halfway.

  “Cotton candy clouds?” He asked now that we were safely outside her room.

  I shrugged. “That’s what she told me one time. Apparently they were delicious…but then she ate a hole into the cloud she was floating on, and she fell in her dream, which means she woke up and ended up in my bed,” I rambled.

  Hayes snorted. “She’s so fucking adorable.”

  “No cussing in my house.” I jested, poking his side.

  He mock-winced and said, “Sorry.”

  We strolled out into the living room and he told me to wait there while he carried Mia’s and my stuff inside.

  When the last of the bags sat on the floor we stood across from each other, me leaning against the wall and him with his hands shoved awkwardly into the pockets of his jeans. He stared at me with this unfiltered innocence that I’d never seen before.

  He swallowed thickly, his lips parting as if he wanted to speak but then thought better of it.

  “Say it,” I pleaded.

  “I don’t want to leave,” he confessed. He shook his head, laughing under his breath. “It’s crazy, really, what you’ve done to me. Before you I thought the way I was living my life was great. I thought I was happy, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I haven’t been in a committed relationship…ever—because two months in high school doesn’t count. Then I met you and suddenly I couldn’t stop thinking about you, or wanting to be around you. I wanted to see you smile and hear you laugh and for the first time in my life it wasn’t about sex. Although, I have to admit with you it’s better than it’s ever been before. But what I’m trying to say,” he rambled, his hands waving through the air, “is that you’re all I want and what I feel for you is never going to go away. And maybe it’s too soon to say I love you, but I know I do. I love you. I love you so damn much that it scares me more than anything else ever has.” He spoke passionately, the fierceness in his eyes rooting me to the spot. “It scares me more than when we signed our record deal or the first time I was on stage in front of thousands of people. But just like those things, it doesn’t scare me enough that I want to walk away, it only makes me want to fight that much harder. I love you,” he said it again, like he never wanted to stop saying it, “and I love your daughter too. She’s the most brilliant little girl I’ve ever met.”

  I stood staring at him, at a loss for words. I hadn’t been expecting that. Not at all. And my brain couldn’t seem to function to form even a single sentence.

  Hayes swayed awkwardly where he stood. “Uh…this is kinda the part where I thought you would say something. Either tell me you loved me too, or that I’m a major weirdo and to get out of your house, so…”

  “Shut up.” I closed the distance between us and jumped into his arms.

  He caught me easily and I wrapped my legs around his waist, taking his face between my hands as I lowered my mouth to his. I kissed him slowly at first, but the fire that always seemed to burn between us sparked into a raging inferno.

  I found my back pressed into the wall as he angled his mouth over mine completely devouring me. His unique scent—a mix of the woodsy soap he used and something else that was inherently Hayes—swam around me. His large body completely covered mine and in his arms I felt safe and protected. That was a miracle considering everything Todd had done to me. When he first left I’d believed I’d never feel comfortable in the presence of another man, but that was before Hayes came along and completely shattered my world in the best way possible.

  His lips left mine but he still held me in his arms. His breath fanned across my lips as he fought for air. I was equally as breathless and with each inhale of breath my breasts brushed against his chest.

  Somehow, I managed to find the words to whisper, “I love you too.”

  He closed his eyes as several different emotions rippled across his face. “Say it again,” he pleaded, placing a tender kiss to my chin, “please say it again.”

  “I love you.”

  He let out a low growl that made my entire body clench with desire. “I never knew it would feel so good to love and be loved.” He admitted, sadness glimmering in his eyes. Brightening, he cracked a small smile, “But I’m really fucking glad I waited for you.”

  I grinned too as he lowered my legs to the ground. I grabbed ahold of the sides of his open plaid shirt and held on so he couldn’t move away. “I am too.” I leaned my head against his chest, my ear pressed against the spot where his heart thumped loudly. His arms wound around my body and he simply held me, resting his head on top of mine. It was such a sweet, simple gesture but it filled my whole body with a fluttery happiness I hadn’t felt in so long.

  “Stay here tonight,” I begged. “I don’t want you to leave.”

  Confessing that I wanted him to stay was a vulnerable moment for me. I’d been on my own so long now, refusing to accept help or comfort from anyone, but Hayes was different. He didn’t make me feel like a charity case, instead he made me feel…well, loved.

  “Are you sure?” He asked, holding my face between his large hands so I was forced to look at him.

  “Yes. I-I mean I know this can’t be an every day thing, but for tonight…please stay.”

  He grinned—my favorite smile of his, the one that made him look like a goofy little boy.

  “I’d do anything for you, you know that, right?” He asked and waited for me to nod. “Then trust me when I say that staying the night with you is hardly a burden.”

  I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you,” I whispered again.

  “I love you too, Little Bird.”

  Taking his hand I locked up the house and led him back to my room.

  “Nice room.” He commented, taking in his surroundings.

  I laughed, turning the bed back. “It’s pretty boring,” I admitted. “The room was already painted this color when I moved in,” I motioned to the lavender walls, “so I decorated the room around it. And it seems a stretch to even call it decorating. One vase doesn’t really count.” I shrugged and headed over to my dresser to grab a pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top. “I’ll be right back.” I pointed in the general direction of the hall bathroom. “Make yourself at home.”

  Before he could respond I hurried down the hall and into the bathroom. I closed the door, leaning my back against it as I struggled to gain control of my breaths.

  I didn’t know why I was freaking out so much. I’d just told the guy I loved him, and yet the sight of him standing in my bedroom was making me nervous. Maybe it was because he was so tall and imposing and seeing him in my super girly bedroom had been strange. Or maybe it was because he’d looked so right there.

  “Get it together, Arden.” I whispered to myself with a shake of my head.

  I turned on the shower and stripped myself of my travel clothes. I’d showered this morning, but after the flight and drive I knew my stiff and tired muscles needed it. I squirted my body wash into the palm of
my hand and lathered my body until I smelled like peaches.

  When I returned to my room I had to put a hand over my mouth to suppress a laugh.

  Hayes was sprawled on the bed, his arms and legs spread wide like a starfish, with his mouth hanging open. He snored lightly, completely sacked out.

  I climbed into bed beside him, lifting one of his heavy arms and moving it over to his side so I’d have more room. He mumbled something in his sleep and I giggled as I turned out the light.

  I drew my legs up and rolled closer to him.

  As if he sensed me even in his sleep he turned on his side and wrapped an arm around me.

  I burrowed my head against his neck and closed my eyes, falling asleep instantly.

  I awoke with a start.

  There was too much light in my room. Normally when I woke up it was still dark out, but not this morning.

  Nope.

  The sun filtered in through the open blinds, bathing the whole room in a golden shimmer.

  Hayes wasn’t in bed and I wondered if he’d left at some point in the night—the thought making me sadder than it should have.

  My eyes finally landed on the alarm clock on the bedside table and I blanched when I saw it was nearly nine in the morning.

  I normally woke up on my own around six so I would have some free time before Mia, invariably, woke up at seven on the dot.

  In a panic I shoved the blankets off my body and ran out of my bedroom.

  The amount of trouble a three-year-old could get into without supervision was endless. Already I was imagining Sharpie scrawled across the walls.

  Instead I was met with her light musical giggles coming from the kitchen.

  I rounded the corner and stopped in my tracks.

  The kitchen was a disaster, but I couldn’t bring myself to care, because Mia sat on the counter helping Hayes make breakfast.

  From the looks of it he was making pancakes.