“You would swilly.”
“Ah, I see.” I nodded, fluffing my hair and leaving it hanging down my shoulders in soft waves. “I’ll think about it, how does that sound?”
“Sounds wike a deal.” She nodded adamantly and flounced out of the bathroom.
I applied my makeup, opting for light and natural—like usual—and added some pink lipstick and gloss for a pop of color.
I grabbed a pair of heels from my closet and dangled them from the end of my finger as I padded through the house.
Mia was sitting in the living room, playing with her new baby doll Hayes bought her while we were in New York City. It was her new favorite toy and she could barely stand to go five minutes without it in her sight.
I set my shoes by my purse and grabbed my phone.
There was a text from Hayes telling me he was running a little late since he had to stop for gas.
“Mia, do you want to leave your hair down or put braids in it?”
Her lips pursed as she pondered my question. “Can Hayes do it?”
“Um…” I paused, shrugging. “If he’s willing to do it when he gets here.”
Mia returned to playing with her doll and muttered, “Den ask him.”
I chuckled. “I’ll ask him when he gets here, baby girl.”
Ten minutes later a shadow fell across the front of the house as Hayes pulled his massive truck into the driveway.
Mia gasped and ran to the door, looking out through the glass. “Hayes is here, Hayes is here!” She chanted, jumping up and down.
You know, if I was going to fall in love with someone it was only appropriate that Mia loved him too. In fact, I think the fact that she loved him so much was one of the reasons I fell so hard and so fast.
Hayes jumped out of his truck and stole the breath from my lungs.
He was dressed nicely, in a pair of dark jeans, a button down shirt worn open over a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of black boots. His hair was perfectly styled like always. The sun hit his hair making the normally sandy, almost brown, strands look even lighter. He wore a pair of stylish sunglasses that I was sure cost more than I made in a week.
He looked up and saw Mia and I standing in the doorway and a smile split his face. My stomach was assaulted with butterflies from that one smile.
I pushed the door open and he stepped inside, immediately bending down to pick up Mia and plant a loud kiss on her cheek. “Hi, Ms. Mia,” he greeted her, removing his sunglasses and tucking them in the collar of his shirt.
“Hi.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Will you bwraid my hair?”
Hayes chuckled and set her down. “I might be able to do that.”
His eyes swam to me and he looked me up and down. His Adam’s apple bobbed and he finally met my eyes. “You look stunning. You’re always beautiful, but that dress…your legs…” He stepped impossibly closer and bent to whisper in my ear. “All I’m going to be able to think about tonight is burying my face between your legs and licking—”
“Hayes,” I groaned, pushing him away as a blush blossomed over my cheeks, down my neck, and into my chest.
He shrugged, smiling innocently. “Sorry, Little Bird. I got a bit carried away with my thoughts.” He winked.
I closed the front door as Mia took Hayes’ hand and led him to her room.
I followed, watching as she handed him her brush and ponytail holders.
She sat on the floor and he sat behind her, spreading out his long legs. He ran the brush through her hair, separating it into two even sections.
“What have you and your mommy been up to?” He asked her, beginning to braid her hair.
“Um,” she tapped her chin thoughtfully, “we whatchted a movie last night?”
“Which one?” He secured the first braid before moving on to the next one.
“Tangled!” She cried gleefully.
Hayes chuckled at her exuberance. “Was it good?”
She nodded her head eagerly.
“Hold still,” he warned gently, finishing the second braid.
“Sowwy.” She frowned.
“It’s okay,” he assured her. With a pat on her shoulder he said, “All done.”
She jumped up and tackle hugged him.
He rocked back, bracing an arm against the floor to keep from falling over. “Whoa,” he chuckled.
“Tank you.” She told him before letting go and running off, probably in search of her doll.
Hayes grinned, jumping to his feet. “She’s so adorable.”
“I tend to agree.” I laughed where I stood in the doorway.
He sauntered towards me in that lethal way he had and I found myself stuck in the doorway, my back pressed into the wood molding as he blocked me, pressing in so there was no room for me to escape—not that I wanted to.
“I haven’t had a chance to kiss you properly,” he breathed, his eyes flicking down to my lips. My heart thumped madly, it always did when he was near. “The problem is,” his fingers ghosted against my chin, “once I start kissing you I never want to stop.” His lips replaced his fingers and they glided up my jaw to my ear. “It feels like it’s been ages since I touched you…really touched you. I’m desperate to hear the sound of you falling apart in my arms.”
My eyes closed and my shaking hands landed on his forearms, holding on so that I didn’t fall over. “I want that too.” I admitted, tugging my bottom lip between my teeth and wishing it was his teeth instead—nipping and biting all over my body.
I felt the barest touch of his lips to mine. “Soon.” He promised.
Cold air whooshed around me and I looked up to see that he was gone.
I took a moment to calm my racing heart before finding him and Mia waiting in the living room.
“Ready?” He asked.
“I just need to put my shoes on.” I grabbed the heels and slipped them on while Hayes put Mia’s car seat in his truck.
When I stepped outside he was already buckling Mia in.
He turned and saw me, freezing in his tracks. “Jesus Christ…those shoes…between them and this short dress I’m going to spend all day walking around with a hard-on in front of my parents and sisters and that’s pretty fucking embarrassing.”
I laughed and rose—still having to perch on my tiptoes even in my heels—and kissed him lightly. “You’ll live.” I patted his chest.
“I might die,” he argued. “From blood loss,” he added, “since all the blood in my body will be going straight to my dick.”
I couldn’t help myself and busted out laughing as I strolled around to the other side of his truck.
He followed, helping to boost me into the truck. “Don’t laugh at my pain, it hurts my feelings.”
I only laughed harder as he closed the door. My laughter was a welcome relief after all the stressing I’d done the past few days in preparation of today.
It was the first Thanksgiving I hadn’t spent with my parents in a long time. My mom had been understanding when I called to tell her, but insisted that she and my dad got to meet Hayes soon. I hadn’t said anything to Hayes about that yet, and I figured now was as good a time as any.
I waited for him to back out of the driveway before dropping the grenade.
“So…” I started.
He glanced at me. “Yes?” He prompted.
“When I called to tell my mom that Mia and I were having Thanksgiving with my boyfriend’s,” I thrilled at the word, “family, she was kind of shocked since I hadn’t told her about you yet. But she was happy too, since she’s been telling me to get out and date for a while.” My hands wrung together. “Anyway, she and my dad want to meet you soon.”
Hayes grinned his signature goofy smile. “Look at us being all official and meeting the ‘rents.”
I busted out into laughter once more. Of course Hayes wasn’t going to freak out over this. I was pretty sure nothing ever fazed him. He went with the flow of things.
“So, you’re okay with meeting
them?” I questioned.
“’Course,” he shrugged, “granted, I’ve never actually met a girl’s parent’s before…” He frowned. “That makes me a pretty pathetic twenty-seven year old, doesn’t it?”
I shrugged, glancing out the window at the trees and houses whipping by. “You got famous at a young age, therefore I think you acted like most guys in your situation would. Not everyone is Maddox and Emma who meets the person they’re supposed to be with for the rest of their life at such a young age.”
“True,” he shrugged, concentrating on the road ahead. “I envy him though, for finding that special person so young…then again, I think if I had found you when I was nineteen I probably would’ve screwed up everything.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “I was a bit…wild.”
“A bit?” I laughed. “I read magazines.”
“Okay, so maybe I was a right piece of work. Regardless, it’s made me who I am today and brought me to this point here with you and Mia and I’m happy…” He paused, mulling over his words. “I feel like I’m happier than I’ve ever been, and I would say I’ve always been a fairly happy person. It’s just that I feel…” He glanced at me and whispered, “Complete.”
I was unable to stop the smile that spread across my face. It felt good to hear him say that—almost better than when he told me he loved me. I didn’t want to be a burden to him and hearing that he felt like I completed him made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Hayes reached over then and took my hand, entwining his fingers with mine.
I smiled at him and then at Mia sitting happily in the back seat.
My life had been a series of shit storms thrown my way and it made me wary to trust when something good happened, but I wasn’t holding back anymore.
Screw Todd.
Screw my own insecurities.
Screw it all.
“We’re here,” Hayes declared, pulling into the driveway of a modest two-story brick front home in Middletown.
The home was simple, but pretty. Even though it was November the lawn was well kept—not a leaf in sight, and I was sure in the spring and summer the bed out front bloomed with a kaleidoscope of colors.
“It’s beautiful…is this where you grew up?” I asked, wanting to know a little more about his past.
He nodded. “I’ve tried to move them to a newer place, but they’re both stubborn to a fault. My dad says he bought this house to die in and that’s what he’s going to do.” He shook his head. “Silly man,” he muttered, cutting the engine.
“Are your sisters here already?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. “They got in yesterday.”
I took a deep breath before climbing out of the vehicle. I caught the movement of a curtain in a front room and stiffened, knowing that someone was watching us.
By the time I made it around the side of the vehicle Hayes was already holding Mia in his arms. She laid her head on his chest, content to be held.
“Show time,” Hayes grinned, reaching for my hand.
We followed the brick walkway up to the front door.
“Breathe,” he whispered to me a moment before the door swung open.
His mom greeted us with a huge smile. “My favorite son!”
“I’m your only son,” Hayes chortled, stepping inside the home.
“Same thing.” His mom shrugged. To me she said, “Josh didn’t introduce us properly the first time we met. I’m Darla.”
“Arden,” I replied. “Thank you for having me.”
“Of course, dear.” She reached out, opening her arms for a hug.
While I hugged his mom Hayes eyed me, seeming to silently say, See, I told you they would love you.
She let me go and smiled warmly. “James is in the family room fiddling with that new TV you got him. Can you help him?” She asked Hayes. “The poor thing doesn’t know how to work anything that was made after the year two-thousand.”
Hayes laughed and set Mia on her feet where she quickly scurried to my side and grabbed ahold of my leg.
“Sure thing, mom.” He kissed her cheek before striding down the hall.
I silently cursed him for leaving me alone with his mom. I wasn’t good at this kind of thing. Having him near acted as a buffer, but alone I had no idea what to say.
“And this is your little girl?” Darla asked me, looking down at where Mia hid her face against my leg.
“This is Mia.” I rubbed the top of her head in a soothing gesture.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Can you say thank you, Mia? She’s talking about you.” I smoothed my finger down her cheek, but she didn’t budge. Looking up at Darla, I shrugged, “She’s shy.”
“That’s okay. Why don’t you join Josh in the family room? That’s where everyone else is. I’m almost done in the kitchen and then we’ll be ready to eat.”
“Uh…okay.” I squirmed uncomfortably. “I don’t know where the family room is though.”
“I’ll take you.”
She led me down the hallway and I tried not to gawk at the walls which were covered in family photos as well as photos of Hayes from magazines. It was like taking a step back in time. The further we walked, the older the pictures became. I stopped at one of Hayes as a toddler wearing a pair of cowboy boots, naked except for his diaper, and covered in mud.
“He was a cute thing, wasn’t he?” His mother mused beside me.
“He’s still pretty cute,” I laughed.
“This is when we brought him home from the hospital.” She pointed to another picture of a younger version of herself holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. She stood in front of this house, with her husband by her side, and her oldest daughter clinging to her leg much the way Mia was to me right now.
She smiled wistfully at the photo. “It seems like this was just yesterday.” With a shake of her head she turned down the hall and an archway appeared. “Mind the stairs,” she pointed to the three stairs descending into the family room, “if I don’t tell people they don’t seem to realize they’re there.”
I smiled at her as she passed and I stepped down into the room.
I saw Hayes fiddling with the large TV. He’d pulled it out and was redoing the wires while his dad stood with his hands on his hips, surveying what his son was up to.
As much as I wanted to keep staring at Hayes, I couldn’t. The weight of other eyes in the room was too much to bear.
His sisters sat on the couch side by side appraising me like I was some organism shoved under a microscope. I felt exposed beneath their cutting glares and I had the sudden urge to run from the room.
Adrenaline surged through my veins as I felt my fight or flight senses kick in.
Somehow, I managed to stand my ground.
“Hi, I’m Arden.” I said it as pleasantly as I could. Unfortunately, my voice shook, giving away my fear. “And this is my daughter Mia.”
Mia scooted behind me, hiding even more.
The sister closest to me stood, extending her hand. She smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile and did nothing to end my fears. “I’m Jessica.”
I took her hand and she shook it roughly.
I remembered Hayes saying Jessica was his older sister. She had the same sandy colored hair as his, but her eyes were brown. Her face was thin with angular cheekbones. She looked so much like Hayes that there was no mistaking them as siblings.
“I’m Jaclyn.” His other sister stood. Instead of shaking my hand, she actually hugged me but it was rather awkward and ended quickly.
Jaclyn had a softer face than her sister, making her look infinitely kinder. Her hair was dyed in a rainbow of colors. There was something relaxed and subdued about her. Like she didn’t have a care in the world. I was beginning to understand why Hayes said he thought she sold pot.
A door from the outside opened and a little boy ran inside with a man behind him. The boy was maybe a year or two older than Mia and when he saw her he immediately ran behind me to greet her.
“Hi,” he said cheerily, “I’m Ian. Wanna play?” He held up the bouncy ball in his hands.
Before Mia could respond, Jessica spat, “Ian!” Snapping her fingers she motioned him over to her side.
Frowning, the little boy hurried to his mother. She placed her hands on his shoulders like she was afraid he might escape and try to make friends with Mia again.
“This is my son Ian.” Jessica squared her shoulders, sticking her chin in the air haughtily. I knew you shouldn’t judge some you’d only just met, but I really didn’t like her. “And this is my husband Grant.” She nodded at the man.
I didn’t even bother to acknowledge her husband. I was afraid if I spoke to him she might put him in the corner like an unruly child.
“I’m going to see if your mom needs help in the kitchen,” I mumbled. I took Mia’s hand and hurried out of the room.
“Arden!” I heard Hayes call after me, but I didn’t stop. I wasn’t going back in that room to speak to his judgmental sister. “What did you say to her?” He growled at his sister.
She responded, but I was already out of earshot.
Tears stung my eyes, but I dammed them back. I wasn’t going to let his rude sister make me feel inferior. I knew me being here meant a lot to Hayes and I didn’t want to make a scene.
I followed the homey scent of a home cooked meal and found the kitchen nestled in the back of the house.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” I asked, the sound of my voice echoing around the kitchen.
Darla jumped, raising a hand to her racing heart. “You scared me,” she said unnecessarily.
“I’m so sorry,” I apologized quickly.
“It’s okay.” She waved away my words. “Help,” she mumbled to herself. “Ooh! Could you ice that cake for me?” She pointed to where a three-tiered chocolate cake waited with a bowl of chocolate icing.
“I sure can.” I sighed in relief, pleased to have a task to complete and not feel like a useless pile of crap.
I helped Mia onto a stool and Darla handed me a knife.
I scooped some icing onto the cake and began to swirl the knife, spreading the icing around.
Hayes breezed into the kitchen. “Ooh! Cake!” He crowed, swiping his finger into the icing I’d already layered onto the cake.
Take A Chance Page 16
