by Brenna Ash
He found his phone and unlocked the screen. Opening the browser, he accessed the blog determined to be a major pain in the ass.
Surprisingly, the post was a good one. Nothing that could cause any damage to him whatsoever today. He recognized the girls in the pictures as the ones that had approached him and Sunny the day they'd gone miniature golfing. The girls must've sent in the pics. He was fine with this one. No lies. Nothing to imply that anything improper had happened. Thank God he hadn't had one of those stories yet, but he had a few friends that'd gotten accused of the underage thing. No way. Most times they were untrue. But to the media it didn't matter. There was no innocent until proven guilty in Hollywood. You had to prove yourself innocent. It was bullshit and something that drove him crazy.
He had to go for a run this morning. He'd been making it a habit to get up and go so he didn't stay stagnant while he was here. Hayden took pride in the way his body looked, not in an egotistical way, but a lot of the parts he got depended on him staying in shape, so he had to keep it up. He hadn't joined a gym here, since he wasn't really a fan of them and he didn't want to be a distraction to the clientele, so he just did a lot of body resistance training at home. Sit ups, push ups, squats, that kind of shit. Basic exercises but the best things you could do for your body. And running, lots of running.
Tonight was dinner at Sunny's. He was shocked that she'd actually reached out to him. He'd been texting her quite often since the other night, but she'd never answered back. He and Drake had talked it over. Maybe he'd reached out to her. Hayden laughed. Highly unlikely. Chances were that Drake, who was now dating Marlene, had gotten her to talk to Sunny. Whatever it was that had finally broken through to her, he was grateful. This would take work, but he really thought they had a future together. They just had to put in the time. He had to find out if she was willing to do that.
Chapter 10
At precisely six o'clock, Hayden parked his car beside Sunny's Acura in her driveway. His hands shook in nervous anticipation. Like a damn teenager on prom night. What the hell was wrong with him?
He climbed the steps and rang the bell. She opened the door a second later and his breath caught in his throat. She looked ridiculously hot in a small black dress that clung to her curves in all the right places and fell to mid-thigh. Purple heels that were so high, they could almost see eye to eye, made her legs seem super long. He wanted to run his hands up and down them. Her dark hair was up off her shoulders with small wisps falling out of the bun. He was hard already and he hadn't even walked in the door yet. Damn.
Hoping she didn't notice, he smiled and kissed on her cheek as he entered the house. “You look beautiful,” he said sincerely, noting that she blushed. She shut the door behind her and handed over the bottle of wine he'd purchased earlier.
“Thank you.”
She was even more gorgeous as pink flushed her skin.
“I wasn't sure what to bring and I figured we could always use wine.”
“Perfect. I'll get the corkscrew and the glasses, and you can open that baby.” Her smile melted his heart.
Bottle open, wine poured, Hayden sat at the kitchen table feeling guilty that he couldn't help with anything. He'd offered, but she shooed him into a chair and told him she had it all under control.
“Whatever you're making smells delicious.” Including you.
“Thanks. I wasn't sure what to make so I just went with baked manicotti. Nothing fancy, I hope you don't mind.”
“Are you kidding me? Sounds great. Are you sure I can't help you with anything?” He stood up. “At least let me set the table.”
“Fine.” She reached into the cupboard and pulled out ocean blue plates and handed them to him along with two sets of silverware and a pair of linen napkins she snagged out of a drawer.
He took the items from her and arranged them on the table. As he finished, she opened the oven door and removed the pasta dish. He noticed the cheese bubbling on the top as she placed the pan on a hot pad in the center of the table. She reached onto the counter and picked up her wine glass then his seat at the table.
Fresh Italian bread was sliced and sitting in a basket on the table next to the butter. It was the perfect meal. Nothing like talking to him through his stomach. He was all over that.
She spooned a serving onto his plate before serving herself.
“This smells amazing. You shouldn't have gone through so much trouble. Not for me.” Her eyes clouded over for a split second before she grinned at him.
“If you think this looks good, wait until you see dessert.”
His cock twitched at that statement. “I thought I already was.”
Sunny blushed at his heated response. “Um, no.”
Hayden ran a finger down her cheek. “That's what you say now. We'll see.” He groaned as he took a bite of pure deliciousness.
“You seem awfully sure of yourself.”
He shrugged. “I'm used to getting my way.” Hayden winked at her and sank his teeth into another savory mouthful of cheesy goodness.
Sunny sipped her wine, then exhaled deeply. “What are we doing here, Hayden?”
He raised a brow in question at her. “Eating dinner?”
“Not that. With us. What are we doing?”
“I'm not understanding your line of questioning.”
She sighed, fidgeting with the hand-crafted wine charm on the stem of her wine glass. “If we have any chance of moving forward, we need to talk about the past. I'm sure you've moved on, but I have to be honest, I haven't had as easy a time of it as you have.”
His lips formed a thin line. The time hadn't been easy for him either. But she didn't know that. But Hayden did want whatever they were beginning to form to grow. The direction of their conversation wasn't a surprise. It was a necessary evil that needed to be done in order for them to move forward. He'd talk about it and try to explain his reasoning, knowing it wouldn't be pretty. He left her like an ass. He hadn't even had the balls to face her and tell her.
He whistled low, pushing his plate away. “Okay.” Hayden leaned back in his chair. “The floor's all yours. What's on your mind?”
Her nerves were getting the better of her. She was twisting her napkin in her hands. “I hate to relive the past. There are just some things I need to know. Things I need to hear you answer since I've wondered why all these years.” She paused and emptied her glass of wine.
Hayden picked up the half-full bottle and refilled both their glasses. He nodded, urging her to go on. He figured his silence would probably serve them best until she said whatever it was she needed to say.
Standing, she began to pace the confines of the kitchen. After a few deep breaths, she spoke. “Why? Why did you just up and leave that day? With no word or warning. I was totally blindsided and it killed me. I didn't understand.”
Hayden sighed, his heart broken as he watched her retrace her steps, sadness flooding her toffee brown eyes. “Honestly? I was scared. I freaked out when you told me you were pregnant. All I could think about was that I had nothing to offer. No home, no job. No money to raise him or her. My family life was shit. What business did I have bringing someone else into that hell? How could I be a father when I had no idea how to act like one?”
“But you weren't like your mother. You were different. Always had been.”
He nodded. “Which is why I left. You knew being an actor had been my dream from the get go. Having a family to be responsible for, fast-tracked that. I felt like I couldn't stay in college and delay things even longer. I needed to get on it.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Naively, I thought I could just go there and get a gig right away. It was stupid and I know that now. I wasn't thinking straight. Luckily, I did find something quickly. Which was amazing and was so thankful for.” He stood and walked over to her, put his hands on her arms and rubbed up and down. “But I was also running scared. I can admit that now even though I couldn't then. You telling me you were pregnant sc
ared the shit out of me.”
“I never abandoned you. I sent you emails telling you my plans and giving you updates. Every day. I called often. You never replied. Never picked up the phone. I knew you were pissed and rightfully so. But I wasn't going to give up. I kept in touch with the guys. They let me know you were okay. They told me the pregnancy scare was just that, a scare. I was relieved in a way, but in a way, disappointed.”
She glanced up at him at that statement. Her eyes held so many questions. He was trying to answer them as fast as he could.
“I continued to send the emails even after knowing there was no baby. But you still didn't answer. Without the connection of the baby, and with you being unresponsive, I knew I'd lost you. In the process of my trying to do the best for my family, I'd lost them. That was the last thing I wanted.”
He bent and kissed away the tears falling down her cheeks. “I know I handled things the shittiest way possible. I blame it on my youth and being just plain stupid. It was never my intent to abandon you.”
***
Sunny stared up into Hayden's blue eyes and saw them filled with sorrow equal to the amount she'd felt when he left. He'd mentioned emails and phone calls. She thought back. In her anger, never even opened them. She'd created a rule within her email to automatically delete anything that came in from Hayden. Had blocked his number on her phone, also. It didn't matter how many times he'd reached out, she never saw any of them.
Awareness dawned on her like a tightening noose. All this time, Sunny blamed Hayden for abandoning her when the real truth was the exact opposite. She'd rejected him.
He gazed down at her with pained eyes. “Say something. I understand if you can't forget, but I'm asking, no begging, for you to forgive me.”
He was telling the truth. Sunny could tell in his actions and his words. He never could lie to her. She swiped at a tear. “I fear I've played a bigger part in this whole screwed up situation than I realized.”
He looked confused. “I promise you, I sent them. You were all I was thinking about when I was over there. Every audition I went to, I wrote to you about and before I went in and read my lines, I sent up a prayer to you letting you know that I was doing it for us.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. “I believe you. I'm afraid in my anger I made sure I got rid of all points of contact from you. I was so mad, I never even went back and reversed the changes I'd made. Never gave it a second thought. I was too busy being pissed off at you and feeling sorry for myself.”
His arms tightened around her. “I never wanted you to feel bad about yourself, or for you to get hurt. That was never my intention. It kills me to know that that's what happened. I know me moving to LA was a huge decision that we should have made together. But I was young and completely freaked out. I wasn't thinking clearly, but I did try to make things right once I got out there.”
Sunny sniffled. “I know that now.” She drew back and lifted up on her tip toes, placing her lips on his.
Hayden didn't try to deepen the kiss. Just left it as a simple kiss. He still knew what she wanted after all these years. He'd always been able to read her easily. Time hadn't changed that. And his recall of what had happened and how it all went down made sense.
“How about that dessert?” she asked.
His eyes darkened and a wicked glint entered them before roaming down her body.
She smacked him in the chest. “Dirty mind. I made a chocolate torte, remember?”
Hayden laughed, “Of course.” He kissed her forehead and headed over to the coffee pot. “I'll make the coffee, you get the torte.”
***
Hayden left a couple of hours later. They'd talked about all the years they'd been apart. Things they'd missed out on in each other's lives. It was a huge relief to get everything out in the open. To know that she'd been wrong in thinking that he'd abandoned her in her biggest time of need was both a relief and disconcerting. He'd kept in contact, or at least tried to, giving up only after she didn't return the gesture. Sunny should be begging for Hayden's forgiveness as much as she'd been longing for his apology. They really were equally to blame.
She thought back to the morning she'd found Hayden gone. Yes, she was irate. But not because he'd left. Because he'd made the decision alone. All of this could have been avoided if he'd just discussed his plans with her. Once Pebble Harbor was no longer where Hayden called home, Sunny couldn't deal. Her life took on a whole new level of crazy. To spend years thinking she hadn't been good enough when she could've solved that issue herself by reading an email or unblocking his number. She could only blame the stress of school and thinking she was pregnant was too much and her mind didn't allow her to act rationally.
That's the only explanation Sunny could think of. And it made her an even bigger ass. After all these years of wanting an apology from Hayden, it was she who should be apologizing.
She climbed into bed and settled in, thoughts of Hayden running rampant through her mind. They'd made huge headway in their relationship tonight. Is that what this was? Were they back to relationship status? Or was it just temporary until he went back to L.A. and his life of glitz and glamour? That was to be determined, but after them clearing the air tonight, she was willing to take the chance.
Sunny had a lot of making up to do in regards to Hayden.
***
Sunny woke up the next morning fully rested. She'd had the best sleep she'd had in years. Last night the weight she'd unknowingly been carrying had been lifted. The sun shone through the windows. It was going to be a great day. She didn't have any custom orders, so she was free to do whatever she wanted today.
It was her usual post day, so she'd have to work on getting something uploaded to the blog. Other than that, the day was open. Maybe she'd head to the beach. She'd have to check the weather reports to make sure no showers were going to move in. She could even invite Hayden to join her.
Thirty minutes later, fresh out of the shower, Sunny set the coffee pot to brew. While waiting for her English muffin to toast, she texted Hayden and invited him to the beach.
He accepted instantly.
Slathering the muffin with butter and jam, she sat at the table with her mug of coffee and scanned the emails on her phone.
She clicked one from Sharon.
Why aren't you writing about the stories I've been sending you? Are you getting soft all of a sudden? You need to post them or I'll be taking my stories to someone else that will.
Sunny sighed. The source was pushing her a bunch of lies. And now that she knew they were definitely lies, she wasn't about to publish them and push forth this person's agenda. No matter what it was. She was done being dishonest in her blog. Sunny was going back to the basics and roots of why she'd started the blog in the first place. To support Hayden and follow his career. She wasn't sure where she'd gone down the wrong path, that wasn't her intent from the beginning, but the years had made her sour. She didn't know why. Jealousy? Hurt? Probably a little of both.
But it changed from this point forward. No more negative stories on her blog about Hayden. Only positive ones. And if her source went to someone else? Fine. Let her. She didn't need her lies anyway. Sunny had plenty of followers on her blog. She hadn't seen a change in numbers when she started walking on the dark side, she didn't expect to see a downturn in going back to posting only good stories about him. Yes, bad press sells, but good press, done the right way, could sell just as well, if not better.
Sunny felt she could help Hayden by combating the negative press she'd brought down on him, by posting only positives from this point forward.
She wondered again about what Sharon's reasoning was. She definitely had something against Hayden. Sunny had no idea what, but time would tell. She was sure of that. Right now, she didn't want to think about it. Sunny had plans for the day, and her mouth watered just thinking about getting Hayden to the beach. That body in a bathing suit? There is a god.
&nbs
p; Chapter 11
Since it was a week day, Hayden and Sunny pretty much had Rock Beach to themselves. Hayden hefted the cooler housing the sandwiches she'd made in case they got hungry later, along with some fruit and the beer and water they purchased at the store on the drive over.
Sunny carried the blanket and towels in her arms, and had thrown the other essentials in a beach bag which she slung over her shoulder.
They chose an area halfway between the shore and the grassy dunes behind them and claimed their spot. Sunny loved the feel of the hot sand under her feet. The ocean was her favorite spot. The sun beating down on her and heating her skin and the smell of salt in the air. The sound of the waves breaking in the background. And now being here with Hayden beside her. Life just didn't get better than this.
They spread one of her grandmother's handmade blankets and put the cooler on one corner and the beach bag on the other to anchor it.
“Where's the sunblock? I'll get you covered so you don't burn.” Hayden waggled his eyebrows at her.
She dug through her bag and found the bottle of lotion and handed it to him. “Yeah, no ulterior motive there.”
With a wounded expression, he placed a hand on his heart. “I'm a perfect gentleman and would never think of such a thing.” He winked at her and squeezed a dollop of lotion in his palm before rubbing his hands together to warm it up. Sunny stripped down to her bathing suit, a black one-piece with a plunging neckline and open back. She wasn't the bikini type. She could pull it off, but just didn't feel comfortable in them.
“Lie on your stomach and I'll get your back first.” Sunny did as she was told. Who knew getting protected from the sun could be so erotic? He was doing it on purpose, she knew that. His long, slow strokes, gently rubbing in the lotion. His hands lingering longer than necessary when he reached her upper thighs.
“Okay, hot stuff, stay focused.”
He laughed, an easy, low rumble that made her stomach clench. He finished rubbing the lotion in her back and sat back on his heels. “Turn over.”
