Always With You

by Layla Hagen

  “So, what other plans do you have for tonight?” she asked.

  “Well, we were just going to play it by ear.” Hailey was biting down a smile.

  “Not locked up here in this office, I hope.”

  “Mom,” I warned. She ignored me.

  Hailey laughed. “Don’t you worry, Mrs. Davenport. I’m not done shaking up his life. Would you like to join us for dinner? We can order more food. The chefs here are very quick.”

  “Well, if you don’t mind,” Mom said. I was sure she was already thinking about grandkid names again.

  “Of course not,” Hailey assured her.

  Ten minutes later, we were all sitting around the coffee table.

  “Mrs. Davenport, where did you find that top? I love it.”

  “Oh, online. I love shopping online. I don’t remember the store, but I can look it up.”

  “Thank you.”

  I was relieved that Hailey wasn’t put off by Mom’s eccentricity in the slightest. Mom talked loudly, and her choice of clothes usually included at least one neon color—like the bright orange top—but Hailey was chatting with Mom as if they were old friends.

  “I got my hands all dirty,” Hailey said after she finished. “I’ll go to the ladies’ room to clean up.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Mom said.

  The second they left, Dad leaned forward in his chair. I expected him to ask about ROI and the P&L statement, as he usually did when he stopped by.

  “That’s a fine woman.”

  I was shocked. Dad rarely said anything about my personal life. “I know.”

  “Glad we got to meet her.”

  “Dad....”

  “Son, I know the pressure you’re feeling. I felt that too, in my time. I thought the only way to make it work was to give the business my all. It didn’t do me much good. Not just health-wise, but I didn’t do right by your mother. I didn’t give her nearly as much attention as she deserved, left everything related to raising you to her. In some ways, the stroke was a blessing. I had a second chance with Bianca. But you felt all the pressure instead. I didn’t set a good example, I know that. But for the love of God, don’t follow too closely in my footsteps.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I liked taking care of my parents’ legacy, but I wasn’t a workaholic. I used to be, in the early years, but that had been necessary, until I could understand the business inside out, until I found a routine that worked. Now, I put in normal work hours, just had a very strict schedule. Could I enjoy life more? Probably. But I could honestly say I’d never felt as if I wanted things to be different.

  Until Hailey, at least.

  I didn’t want to give them reasons to worry. In the past, I’d brushed off their comments as teasing, but this sounded as if Dad had given everything a lot of thought.

  Mom and Hailey were laughing when they returned.

  “Howard, let’s go. Can’t let old bags of bones like us steal more of their evening. Come on.”

  Hailey was smiling from ear to ear. “No, don’t leave. We can order dessert. Have you tasted the cheesecake? It’s amazing.”

  She really meant it. She liked spending time with them. How had I gotten so lucky? Emotion crawled up my throat.

  “You two enjoy dessert, but we’ll make ourselves scarce. Take good care of my son, okay?”

  “Don’t you worry, Mrs. Davenport. I still have a lot in store.”

  My mother beamed wholeheartedly. After they left, I waggled my eyebrows at Hailey.

  “So, pretty girl. What exactly do you have in store for me?”

  Hailey shrugged, giving me a look between coy and sassy. “You’ll just have to wait and see, Mr. Davenport.”

  “I’m not good at waiting.”

  “So what are you going to do about it?”

  I waggled my eyebrows some more. “Well, for starters, I have a devious plan to convince you to have dinner with me every evening before your trip to Chicago in two weeks.”

  “Oh.”

  I frowned, because she didn’t look half as enthusiastic about the trip as she used to be.

  “All set for it?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, it won’t be that exciting, though. Val can’t come. We were at the doctor’s office yesterday. She and the baby are okay, but he told her it’s best not to travel, especially because the flight is four and a half hours. I’m still debating if I should go at all.”

  That light in her eyes dimmed a little. I knew how much she’d been looking forward to the trip. I couldn’t believe it, but I was annoyed she hadn’t even asked me.

  “What if I go with you?” I asked, shocking even myself. Hailey’s mouth popped open.

  “No, that’s okay. It’s Monday to Wednesday, remember? Not a weekend trip. I know you have a million things to do. Can’t just ask you to drop them for me.”

  My heartbeat intensified as a bout of guilt shot through me. Clearly, I hadn’t shown her how much I cared for her. I was going to change that.

  “Unless you want to,” she said quickly. “But I don’t think you do. And that’s okay.”

  The light was back on in those soulful brown eyes. I’d put it there, and damn if I didn’t want to be the one responsible for it every day. My mind raced as I thought about my schedule. I planned meetings so close to each other that chaos would ensue. It would probably throw my entire month off course, but I’d wing it somehow. No way was I going to let Hailey down.

  I remembered Dad’s words, wondering if he’d brought this up for the first time because he sensed how much Hailey meant to me. So much that I was ready to get out of my comfort zone, change the way I did things, if it meant it brought me closer to her. I felt different around her, there was no question about that.

  “We’re going,” I announced.

  “Really?” Her face exploded with a grin so big, I couldn’t help kissing her.

  “Really.” I spoke against her lips.

  “You know what? I think you just earned the right to know what I have in store for you tonight.”

  “Pity. I was hoping you’d make me work for it.”

  She laughed as I pinned her to the nearest wall with my hips, kissed along her jawline.

  “By all means, if you want to choose the hard way, who am I to stop you?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Hailey

  “I cannot believe you upgraded us,” I exclaimed, touching the leather seat.

  “Only the best for my girl. I was surprised you and Val didn’t book business class.”

  I shrugged. “I already spend too much on shoes and clothes, so I have to choose my battles wisely. Val can afford business class, but she’s careful with her money. I guess it’s a habit she formed way back when we couldn’t afford much.” I turned to him. “Thank you.”

  After boarding was completed, the flight attendant brought us glasses of champagne. We were on a very early flight, so coffee would have been a better option, but I wasn’t about to turn her down.

  “Oh la la. I can get used to this treatment,” I whispered an hour later. I’d just received a new glass.

  “Easy there.”

  “It’s only my second glass.”

  “Third,” he corrected with a light smile. Ahh, that might explain the light buzz. And why I’d been talking his ear off. I could barely sit still. I felt an incessant need to share with him every detail I’d ever read about Chicago.

  “Tell you a secret?” I whispered. “I think I’m tipsy.”

  “I promise I won’t tell.”

  His voice was low and conspiratorial.

  “Also, you’re a much better travel companion than Val. Oops... don’t tell her I said that.”

  “I’ll keep your dirty little secret.”

  He touched his fingers to my jaw, traced a path down my neck. Fire danced in his blue eyes, lighting me up. He pulled me into a fiery kiss, while his hands kept touching me. He slipped one between us, palming my breasts. I was wearing a silk bra, but I felt his touc
h as intensely as if it were on my bare skin.

  Oh, sweet heavens. Why was he doing this to me? Kissing me until every stroke of his tongue brought me closer to forgetting we were on a plane. He circled my nipple until it was so sensitive that even the slight touch of the silk over it felt like torture.

  I hummed low in my throat when he pulled back, because I wasn’t ready to let go. He pressed his thumb on the bow of my upper lip, kissing my forehead. Oh, right. We weren’t alone. That’s why he’d stopped.

  I squirmed in my seat, just in time to see the flight attendant serving food.

  “More champagne?” she asked.

  “Oh, no. Thanks.”

  I didn’t want to overdo it, or next time Reid kissed me, I might completely forget we weren’t alone.

  The flight was over far too soon for my liking. Some of the senior consultants at my old company had traveled business class, but I hadn’t reached that level. Still, I had flown business class occasionally when I’d been able to upgrade with frequent flyer miles. I loved the comfort.

  “This was so comfy I almost want us to fly right back just so I can enjoy it some more. Thanks for spoiling me,” I said, stretching my back while we waited for our luggage.

  Reid pulled me into a half hug, whispering, “Don’t worry. I plan to spoil you for the rest of the trip too.”

  A delicious shudder coursed through me. What exactly did he have in mind? I could try and lure it out of him. I had my tricks. But I decided I wanted to be surprised.

  Thanks to the priority tags, our luggage came out first. Reid took his phone out of his pocket while we headed toward the exit.

  “Do you have internet?” he asked. “Didn’t work on the flight, and I don’t have a signal now either.”

  “No, no.” I stepped sideways, almost bumping into him. “Vacation rule. No work emails. It’s a rabbit hole. You open one email, then you start thinking about it....”

  Reid looked utterly perplexed. I gnawed at my lower lip. The light buzz had relaxed me on the plane, made me a little less worried that I might have twisted his arm into offering to join me. But now, my head was clear. I knew my Type-A personality drove some people crazy. Sure, Reid had told me he liked it... but that had been back before we spent so much time together.

  I didn’t want to be obnoxious. Crap, was I pushing it?

  “Okay. You’re in charge,” he said, and I felt my muscles relax. He handed me his phone. “You keep this.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Trust me, if I have it on me, I won’t be able to help myself.”

  I dropped the phone in my tote. “Okay. Temptation safely out of the way.”

  “What’s next?”

  “You’re putting yourself in my hands?”

  He nodded. “Completely.”

  “Ah, that’s... inadvisable. You haven’t even seen the itineraries I’ve planned.”

  “You gave me a detailed rundown on the plane.”

  “Clueless man. Those were just highlights.”

  He chuckled, stroking the back of his neck. “Well, I’ve never been to Chicago, so I need a guide anyway.”

  “I stand corrected. Not clueless. Brave. Extremely brave. You can still change your mind until we leave the airport. Then I get into tourist mode and you won’t be able to reason with me.”

  “I won’t change my mind.”

  “Then, Mr. Davenport, you’re going to get intimately acquainted with the Hailey Connor way of experiencing a city. You’ve been warned.”

  ***

  Reid

  We’d been walking for five hours, but Hailey was an endless well of energy. Surprisingly, I wanted to keep going too.

  “You were right. The city is great. Can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

  “Right? It’s just so alive, and there’s something here for everyone. But early May was maybe not the best time to visit. Still a bit cold,” she said after we left Millennium Park and took pictures in front of the metal structure dubbed the Bean. It was a clever construction that reflected its surroundings, and it was a hell of a lot of work to elbow our way to take a selfie.

  “Our river cruise starts in about half an hour,” Hailey said, bouncing back and forth on her feet.

  “Someone’s starting to get tired?” I teased.

  “Well, I know I’m eager, but I’m not superhuman. But... I can still talk. Ready to hear some more random facts? Like why it’s actually named the Windy City?”

  “Come on, give me more credit. Everyone knows that. Not because of the winds, but because of the politics.”

  “Bravo.”

  She went on to share other tidbits, like how the Chicago River is painted green for St. Patrick’s Day every year. I loved hearing her opinion on everything from current affairs to which shop in town served the best deep-dish pizza.

  When we arrived at the embankment spot, it was so crowded that we backtracked a few feet and waited there.

  “So, on a scale from one to ten, how happy are you that you’re here?” she asked.

  “Hailey... I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to. Stop fretting.”

  “What happened to ‘hell is other people’?”

  “Not the people I like.”

  She grinned. “Oh, you like me? Good to know.”

  Hailey made me long to experience things I’d dismissed before; I wanted to experience them with her.

  “You know, when we ate with my parents, after you and Mom left the room, Dad gave me this speech about how I should enjoy life more.”

  “Okay. You weren’t expecting that?”

  “Not really. He’s never had much to say about my personal life.”

  “So, he thinks you’re too focused? Too determined?”

  I heard the admiration in her voice, and a sense of euphoria rushed through me. Was that how she saw me? Focused, not robotic? I kissed her right there and then, against the railing.

  “Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what was that for?” she whispered.

  “Just felt like kissing you. Do I need a reason for that?”

  “Hmm... good point. Want to do it again? I kind of liked it.”

  “Kind of?”

  She licked her lips as I leaned in, but at the last second, I veered in to her ear, laughing at her small sound of protest.

  “I could kiss you again, but then I’d have to throw you over my shoulder and take you to the hotel.”

  She shimmied against me.

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I drank up every reaction, every word, everything she had to give to me.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself. We still have a boat tour.”

  I chuckled, stepping to one side, leaning against the railing next to her.

  “So... you were saying about your dad? Why do you think he’s bringing this up now?”

  “Because I’m different around you. He saw that.”

  “I think it’s admirable that you wanted to make sure the legacy is kept, even if it wasn’t the easiest path for you. And then you kept doing it.”

  “Because I was good at it.”

  “But I think that’s how life goes. We don’t know we’re good at something until we not only try it but give it our best shot. I’ve tested a few jobs, and wasn’t sure I was going to like this one, but I just wanted a well-paying job in LA so I could be close to my family. But I turned out to love it. I think everyone has their path. Val always knew she wanted to make fragrances. She just waited for the right moment.”

  “Val’s the oldest, right?”

  “She and Landon. They raised us. The rest of us did get to have a normal childhood. Will was really good at parenting us too. It was hard on them.”

  “On all of you.”

  She nodded, smiling sadly. “The first years were pretty rough. I... well, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I kind of pushed my siblings away. Didn’t mean to do it, just kept to myself a lot. In those first months, I was so afraid that something could ha
ppen to the rest of the family, that I could lose them too, that sometimes I’d shut myself in my room, pretend I was on my own, just to prepare for how it would feel.”

  Fucking hell, I was hurting for her.

  “But... eventually Jace got me out of my shell. Or rather, I got out of my shell for him. He was even more withdrawn than I was. The only thing that seemed to cheer him up was planning shenanigans. In the beginning I only did them because I was afraid he’d break his neck if he didn’t have supervision, but then discovered I absolutely loved being up to no good. As I said, I’ve never been one to instinctively know what I like or need.” She looked behind us, straightening up. “Oh, our boat’s here. Let’s go. And afterward—”

  “Babe!” I pulled her to me, splaying my hand on her neck. “We did everything you wanted today. But the night is my domain.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Hailey

  My feet were protesting by the time we reached the hotel. The sun had already set, and the city was covered by a chilling mist.

  I dropped on the bed the second we entered the room, spreading my arms wide on the mattress.

  “We should probably tell the concierge to make us dinner reservations,” I mumbled, even though all I wanted was to wrap the soft blanket around me and stay like that the entire night. On second thought, I’d wrap myself up in Reid. Feeling those muscled arms around me? Definitely the way to go.

  He didn’t say anything. Instead, I felt the mattress cave around my ankles. Reid was climbing on the bed. I licked my lips.

  “We did everything on your plan today, but the night is mine. We’ll do what I say.”

  My, my. He looked at me with that delicious twinkle in his eyes. I still had an item on my to-do list for midnight, but I was ready to forget all about it.

  What could I do but wait and see what this man had in store?

  “Oh, and what will that be?”

  He dipped to kiss my neck, speaking against my skin. “You’ll see.”

  “You have a full plan already, don’t you?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “When did you even have time for that?”

  “While I waited for you in the lobby before we left the hotel.”