“Will this outfit work for today?” He was wearing wind pants and a t-shirt.
“That’ll do.”
During class, one of the middle school age girls came over to speak to Haley. “Is that your boyfriend?’ She asked.
“Not exactly. Why?” She looked over and saw Sam give her a little wave as he practiced the beginning blocks.
“He keeps staring at you,” the girl said. “And you came in together. And he’s really cute for an old guy.”
Haley chuckled. “Hey, he’s only about seven years older than I am. Does that mean I’m old, too?” But the girl simply gazed at her and walked away without responding.
“What did you think?” She asked as they walked out to the car.
“You were amazing. The kids adore you. I can see why you wouldn’t want to miss a
class.”
Haley smiled as she glanced at the clock on the stereo system. “Just enough time for lunch and a shower before the christening,” she commented
“I probably should warn you that Adam has invited himself.” He sighed.
“It’s a christening, not some invitation only event.” She shrugged. “Ellen won’t mind that he’s there.” She shot him a glance. “And neither will I.” He studied her for a moment. “You don’t know how lucky you are to have each other,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
He realized that she was holding back her tears, stifling a sob. “Haley, what’s wrong?” He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her as close as the console would allow.
“I wish I still had family, and all you do is try to get away from yours. He’s all you have left.” She swiped at her tears, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sorry that I’m being so emotional about this. I think it’s because the holidays are coming and it’s been a rough year. A lot of terrible memories are being dredged up.”
“Tell me, baby. Please,” he urged.
She sighed. She knew she’d have to tell him everything about her eventually. If he was
going to stick around, he might as well know all her truths, starting now. They pulled to a stop in front of her apartment building. He led the way up the stairs, gently squeezing her hand to give her reassurance. Haley immediately went to her room and brought out the family portrait Sam had seen before.
“This is my family,” she said quietly, taking her usual seat at the window. “We were really happy, rarely argued. We loved each other.”
He could sense he was about to hear of some tragedy that was going to rip out his heart. He sat facing her, gripping her hand, waiting patiently for her to reveal her story.
“Emily was a junior in high school. Her spring break was different from mine. In fact, her break was scheduled for the week before my mid-terms. I was a freshman in college, trying so hard to be responsible. The family was going to Daytona Beach for the break and wanted to bring me, but I needed to study so I stayed at school.” She swallowed and looked at Sam. “The day they were to return home, I was summoned to the Dean’s office. They had been involved in this enormous pile up on the interstate in Georgia.” She swallowed again, her mouth suddenly dry. “My parents died instantly and Emily was dead before they could extract her from the vehicle.” She was going to wipe away her tears but Sam pulled her close. “I lost my entire family in one foul swoop,” she said into his shirt.
“No aunts or uncles or cousins?” He asked.
“No one,” she said shaking her head. “My parents met in an orphanage. They had no one and latched onto each other at a young age in the group home. They claimed that’s why they were so happy and loving. They knew how much family meant. They knew how important love was.”
His grip on her tightened. “I could be your family, Haley,” he murmured into her hair. He didn’t know what compelled him to say that. He was unused to expressing himself so openly, to revealing the depth of his feelings. Yet he knew he spoke from the heart. That was all he could ever do when Haley was around.
She raised her face to meet his. “I’ve thought about that. I think that has a little something to do with my hypersensitivity today.” She tried to smile. “See, that’s how I ended up engaged to David.” She shuddered involuntarily. “I wasn’t in love with him. I was in love with his family, with the idea of being part of a family once more. I was so sad, so lonely. He liked me in a way a guy never had before, so I rode it out. Does that make sense?” She tilted her head to one side, watching him for a reaction.
“It makes perfect sense,” he said honestly. “But you can’t possibly think that has anything to do with…” He wanted to say ‘us.’ He wanted there to be an ‘us,’ but he had to play it cool. They weren’t supposed to be dating. And the more time he spent with her, the more likely it was someone from the office would notice. He knew he was absolutely transparent when it came to Haley. He sighed. “I’m so glad you were ready to share this with me. And I meant what I said.” She nodded and he glanced at his watch, shelving his feelings and forcing them back to present. “And I hate to bring it up…”
“I know.” She stood, paused, and brushed her lips against his. “Give me thirty minutes.”
Chapter Six
He drove back to New York early in the morning. He knew his destination this time. He had taken the paper home from his last visit and noticed that the birth announcement had included details about the baby’s christening. If Haley was in town, she would be there. He watched everyone enter the church, but again, he was disappointed, until a limo pulled up. He stared closely as the occupants stepped from the vehicle. There she was, with two men. He could feel the heat rising in his face.
He paused. He wanted to get out of the vehicle then. He wanted to waltz right into the church and pull her aside. Surely she wouldn’t make a scene there. But he couldn’t be positive. He was, however, certain that it would be incredibly difficult to tear her away from two men, especially after he had seen how the older one had reacted to her.
The man doted on her, wrapped a protective arm around her, and even stooped to kiss her. And all he could think about was that she had never responded to him the way she had this man. They had known each other for years. In all that time he had never known her warmth. He smiled. But he had been the first to know her body. No one else could ever make that claim. It was settled. He could wait.
The minute they entered the vestibule, Sam removed his arm from around her waist and instead offered her his elbow. Haley smiled at him and they walked down the aisle to their seats. Adam sat beside her, clearly enjoying the event. She had raised a questioning eyebrow to him and he had leaned over and whispered, “Women love babies. They make ‘em all hot and bothered.”
She rolled her eyes. Somehow she was unconvinced he was the cad he tried to make himself out to be. She reassuringly squeezed Sam’s arm.
The entire event lasted all of forty minutes. Pictures were taken, not only by a photographer, but by Adam as well. He seemed to be reveling in his efforts to make his brother uncomfortable, but it wasn’t working.
Sam’s entire focus was on how he was going to make Haley part of his family, how one day he would have children with her. And once the photographer finished, he pulled Ellen aside.
“So, how’s the maternity leave?” He asked, hoping she’d beg him to take her back early.
Instead, Ellen delivered a blissful sigh. “I love being home with Abigail.”
He froze. Somehow he didn‘t like the direction this was going. Sam was hanging on by a thread, and the only thought that carried him through was that before long he would be able to truly make Haley a part of his life, no the center of his life, and now that thought seemed to be crumbling. “But I can still expect you back before Christmas, right?” He needed to have Haley in his life as soon as possible.
She hesitated. “I’m…not sure yet.”
“What does that mean?” He sighed. “I need to know.”
She arched one eyebrow at him coyly. “Does this mean you are trying to get rid of Haley?” She knew the answer, but
she was going to make him work for it.
“It’s not that at all. It’s just…” He shrugged, determined to play it cool.
“You want to date her.” She stuck out her chin.
He shook his head and leaned in to speak to her conspiratorially. “No. I want to marry her.” It satisfied him greatly that her eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh, Mr. Davenport,” she squealed.
Haley heard her friend’s voice rise and wandered over curiously. “Well, what’s going on over here?” She asked while toting around a sleeping Abigail.
Sam was the first to respond. “We were just catching up. I haven’t spoken to her since the day she asked me to be Abigail’s godfather. We didn’t even get to finish our discussion because she had a visitor.” He was just making conversation, but suddenly Ellen tugged on his sleeve.
“Hey, Haley,” she said. “Could you go warm a bottle of breast milk for me in the sink? Abby should be waking up any minute.”
Haley glanced first at Sam, then at Ellen. They were giving nothing away, so she shrugged and headed off to the bathroom. If they wanted to talk privately, she wouldn’t interfere.
They heaved a collective sigh at her departure. “What is it?” Sam asked concerned.
“I forgot all about it until you brought it up.” She took a deep breath. “When I answered the door that day, it was about Haley.”
Sam suddenly grew alarmed. He motioned Adam over. “What?” Adam asked. “I was about to get that woman’s number,” he complained.
“Go to Haley,” he said. “She’s in the bathroom. Stay with her while I talk to Ellen. I’ll explain later.”
As intense as Sam was at the moment, Adam didn’t need to be asked twice. “Of course,” he said, and rushed off.
“Please continue,” Sam urged Ellen.
“Well, he asked about her. I recognized him. It was a friend of David’s.” She watched him for a reaction.
Sam’s fists clenched. “What’s his name? What did he want?”
“He just wanted to find her. And I don’t remember his name.” She frowned. “This is no help at all. I’m sorry. I just thought you should know.”
“Thank you,” he said. He patted her arm and rushed off to the bathroom.
As he neared his destination, he heard Abigail wail and quickened his pace. “Um, Haley,” his brother said nervously. And Sam could see that Adam was holding the baby while Haley warmed the bottle.
“Okay,” Haley teased. “I’ll take her. You test the bottle.”
“I don’t know how,” he complained.
She sighed. “You are just this side of useless, you know that?”
Adam looked at her sheepishly. “I haven’t been around babies much.”
Once Abigail was settled in Haley’s arm again she nestled against her and started looking around for a nipple. “Sorry, precious. I can’t help you,” she cooed while she tested the bottle. Satisfied the liquid wouldn’t burn the baby, she popped the bottle in her mouth. She looked up and found the brothers staring at her admiringly.
Sam recovered first and straightening said, “Well, I see you found her. Thanks.” He clapped Adam on the shoulder. He had seen how Haley teased him, knew how much she missed having a family, and a thought occurred to him. “What if the three of us had dinner together tonight?”
Haley and Adam looked at each other, shrugged and smiled. “I’d love to,” she said first.
“I’ll pay,” Adam offered.
Laughing, Sam said, “Had I known that, I’d have suggested it sooner.”
He had been following them all day. They had gone to a fancy home after the christening. If anything, the older one seemed to be holding onto Haley even more than he had earlier. He sighed. They hadn’t parked the limo in the garage, so he had high hopes that they would be leaving again later.
He wasn’t disappointed. Four hours later they exited the house and drove their own vehicle. He followed as closely as he dared. Haley was now wearing a black cocktail dress and a matching wrap. And her hair was just the way he liked it, in loose curls around her shoulders.
Their dinner lasted an excruciating two and a half hours, during which time he managed to scarf down a couple of hot dogs from a nearby vendor. He even managed to duck into an alley to relieve himself once he was convinced they were staying put for a while longer.
They were parked in the garage across the street from the restaurant and would be crossing in front of him shortly. Still he had no idea what he was going to do. Then he spotted them. As they exited the restaurant, the man leaned over Haley, turned her for a full on embrace and planted a lingering kiss on her mouth. The man said something to her, something that looked like ‘love.’ And then Chase snapped. His vehicle roared to life. The younger man was about three quarters of the way across the road. He had continued walking when he saw them kiss. Someone stopped the older man and engaged him in a conversation, but Haley had not been included and instead decided to join the younger man and wait at the car.
Rage was coursing through him. No one else could have her. The tires squealed as his foot pressed the gas pedal to the floor. He was aiming right at her. The tires drew a lot of attention, but he didn’t care.
Adam saw the car first. He had already been facing her as she crossed. He saw the car racing toward her and without a thought rushed to shove her out of the way.
Haley was still distracted from Sam’s passionate kiss. He kissed her right in front of the restaurant. He didn’t care who was watching or what they would think. And it was such an intoxicating experience. Some friend of his parents stopped him just as they were about to cross. Haley had smiled and told him she’d meet him at the car. Adam was watching for her. And then there were lights and squealing tires and the smell of burned rubber. Next thing she knew, she was soaring backwards. She landed hard on her back.
Sam had no idea what came over him. Dinner was great. They had all laughed and joked for hours. It seemed as though it had always been that way. And Adam was family again. Suddenly, overwhelmed with emotion, he had pulled her close and poured everything he was feeling into that kiss. “I loved this,” he had said. And he meant it. Dinner, all of them together, the night was perfect. Just as they proceeded to cross, his father’s old golf buddy stopped him. Haley bowed out to wait for him at the car. She was practically skipping, she was so happy. And as always, her happiness was contagious. It was his fault. He let his guard down. The car squealed past him. He peered inside. He would never forget the determined look on the man’s face, the obvious rage. And in an instant, before he could move, they were flying.
“Call an ambulance!” He bellowed.
The car never stopped, nor did it even slow. Adam and Haley were both down, and neither of them was moving. He rushed to Haley because she was closer. “Haley,” he cried, “Haley, answer me. Tell me you’re okay. Please.”
She struggled to open her eyes, she was so sleepy and her head hurt. “I’m fine,” she managed. “How’s Adam?”
He tucked his dinner jacket around her and told her not to move then rushed over to Adam’s side. His brother was lying in an awkward position; blood was trickling from his nose and ears. One side of his face was covered in road rash. And he was unconscious. “I need blankets!” He yelled. Several people appeared with small throws from the back of their vehicles. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
It felt as though hours passed before the ambulance arrived. He helped answer questions as best he could. The police arrived shortly after. The paramedics felt that Haley had been mostly pushed out of the way before the impact, but that his brother bore the brunt of the vehicle. He nodded in response, completely numb. One of the paramedics asked if Haley thought she needed to go to the hospital. She shook her head and made her way over to Sam.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured into his chest.
“Did you see the driver?” He asked.
She shook her head. “It happened so quickly.”
He nodded and held
her tightly. He was worried what her reaction might be to the sketch the police artist would be drawing up when he went to work with him later. In his heart, he already knew it was the man who had raped her. Somehow he had to find him before he could harm her. Unfortunately, now he had to turn his attention to Adam’s recovery.
Once they arrived at the hospital the waiting game began. They were told that Adam was in a coma. His x-rays showed a broken leg and wrist, he was covered in scrapes and bruises. His brain was swelling, but they were confident that he would pull through given time. They settled themselves in the waiting room while the surgeons operated and tried to stop his internal bleeding.
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