Maybe that’ll be one of my New Year’s resolutions. Along with eating less sugar and starting back up at the gym.
“You girls go on through; we’ll be there shortly.” My aunt pushes me towards Katie and we walk through to the living room. It’s just gone nine o’clock, which in the Hall family household translates to present time.
“You seeing Evan today?” I raise an eyebrow and smirk as a blush colors her cheeks.
“You talk to Lane yet?” she snips back as we flop down in chairs on opposite sides of the room.
Touché.
The Christmas tree sits in the corner, adorned in all the red and gold baubles Mom could find. The lights twinkle magically. That’s got to be my favorite thing about Christmas. Everything gets dressed in twinkly lights.
The tree draws my attention in order to avoid her question. Thankfully, Christmas music plays throughout the house, filling the silence that hangs between us.
“You haven’t talked to him yet? I thought that’s where you went after you left mine,” she accuses before pinching in realization, “Thanks for calling me back, by the way.”
“Well, I just knew he’d be busy with the bar…” I offer vaguely trying to escape her scrutiny.
She starts making chicken noises like she’s still twelve, but nevertheless, it makes me laugh. I throw a pillow at her to get her to stop just as our parents flow into the room.
Katie’s right. I did chicken out yesterday.
Lane has been my friend for so long that it feels so awkward even thinking he might feel more for me than I do him. Everyone seems to think it’s true.
What happens if it is?
I’d hate to be put in that situation. It may just be something that our friendship could never recover from.
Soon.
I’ll do it soon...
11
Veronica
Hayden’s wrong. He’s got to be...
Maybe he was just jealous of my friendship with Lane, or anyone from the opposite sex. Would he have said the same thing if I’d been hanging out with Evan? I recognize that he had a possessive streak but to go as far as to try and drive a wedge between Lane and I, that is going too far.
But... it wasn’t just Hayden that said it, Katie did too. Which means I have to at least give it merit enough to ask the man in question about it.
I shudder out a deep breath as I steel myself for what I’m about to walk into.
As soon as I work up enough courage to step through the threshold of Lane’s bar, I’m swallowed by the crowd. It’s packed.
“Hey. Merry Christmas.” Lane wraps his arm around me in a side hug. At any other point in our lives, it would’ve been considered a normal, friendly gesture, but there’s been a shift in the wind. Instead of leaning into him like I normally would, I find myself tensing uncomfortably. “I was wondering when I’d see you.”
“Yeah. So, how was your Christmas?” I ask, feeling somewhat awkward as I sit in my usual place smack dab in the middle of the bar.
“Great. I’m actually really glad you came in.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you…” Oh no. I watch apprehensively, ready at any second to make a mad dash out the front door. “Missy,”
A few seconds later, Lane’s older sister Missy appears in the doorway of the back room. A small child, a girl, clings to her while another follows her. They’re super cute. They’re dressed in matching outfits but that isn’t where the similarities end - they must be twins.
I didn’t know Missy had kids.
“Yeah?”
“I want the girls to meet someone.” The trio waddles around the bar to where we stand. “Veronica, I’d like you to meet my daughters. This is Millie and Avery.”
What did he just say? I’m frozen in shock. “Daughters?”
How is that possible? The girls must be about three or four. I haven’t been living out west for that long. Why didn’t he tell me?
“Wow.”
“I know. I’ve been trying to find the right time to introduce you.”
“So.... this is what you wanted to tell me? Nothing else?”
“No.” His eyebrows pull together in confusion and I know that I’ve got it all wrong. Or more like Hayden and Katie had it all wrong. The relief that befalls me is almost offensive to Lane, but nevertheless, it feels like this massive pressure has been lifted from my shoulders.
“Is this not a big enough piece of news?”
I giggle as I begin to process that this is reality, Lane is a daddy. Nope, that doesn’t sound right at all. It may take a while for me to get used to it. First of all, I need to know how the hell this happened because as far as I was aware Lane is single and has been for a while now.
Oh God, who’s their mother? Where is she?
The only woman I remember seeing Lane with over the last few years was Olivia but they broke up amicably. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine it being her.
My mind begins to buzz as I pull Lane over to an empty table. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Well, I f-” The ring of my cell phone stuffed in my pocket interrupts what he’s saying and I throw him an apologetic look as I dig to retrieve it.
I go to silence it when I see it’s a strange area code. “I’m so sorry, Lane. I’ll make it quick.”
“Hello?” I press the phone to my ear and use my finger to plug the other.
“I’m calling for Veronica Hall.”
“This is she,”
“I represent the GR Marketing Agency. This is in regards to the Executive Marketing Assistant position you applied for. Is now a good time to speak?”
Holy…
GR Marketing is one of the top companies in Chicago.
An old colleague of mine emailed me about the opening and I jumped at the chance. I applied for the job, not expecting to hear anything back, all the while secretly hoping.
While I was willing to accept any job offer - who am I to be picky about who signs my checks - I had really hoped that I’d find something in Marketing. I would’ve even been happy with a stretch to advertising.
I could literally squeal with glee just like a pig in shit, right here, right now without a care.
“Yes, this is a fine time. Thank you so much for your call.” After holding a finger up to Lane and mouthing an I’m sorry, I hastily make my way towards the door.
The noise doesn’t make for a good first impression, the outside while cold is at least - for the most part, quieter. After all, this is an opportunity of a lifetime...
12
Hayden
I’m probably too late with this, but I need to try. I thought some time apart might let her cool down and then be more open and forgiving when I came to apologize. But the more I left it, the more I doubted myself for not just running after her in the first place.
It doesn’t matter now, I’m here and ready to try my hardest to win back her heart. Even if I make an ass out of myself, Veronica needs to know the truth.
I release a tense breath as Veronica answers the door. Thank the Lord for small mercies.
“Hayden.” She gives me a tight smile and wraps her cardigan tight around her body. It’s cold out, the snow covering the ground like an undisturbed sheet. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to apologize. I’m sorry about what happened, I really didn’t mean to ruin everything. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”
She takes a moment, seemingly in thought. Her resolve doesn’t change one bit, I have a feeling she’s going to make me work for her forgiveness. “You were wrong, by the way.”
What?
“About Lane?” I couldn’t have been wrong. All the signs were there. Plus, he’s a grade-A asshole.
“Yeah. He was trying to wind you up on purpose, he really doesn’t like you.” She laughs at the blunt truth. I’m still not sure if I buy it but I skate past it without comment.
“Will you forgive me?”
“You were forgiven the moment I stormed out, but that doesn’t change things.”
“Why? We could go back to the way things were…” She starts shaking her head as I talk and that only confuses me more. I don’t understand what’s going on. If she forgives me, then we’re all good.
“I...I’ve had a job offer from a big marketing firm in Chicago.” Oh. The sinking feeling in my gut is back and growing worse than before.
Veronica’s head tilts to avoid looking me in the eye. At least she has the decency to look upset when she says, “I’ve accepted. I’ll be moving into my new apartment by the end of next week.”
But…
For fuck’s sake.
“But, I mean, Chicago’s not that far away…?”
Quick, quick, think!
Surely there must be some way for this to work out, for us to have our happily ever after.
“I wouldn’t mind commuting back and forth. It’s not even that long a distance but we could try long distance - it’s been done before.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Her eyes tell me a different story, so I don’t know what to believe.
Just my luck. I finally found the girl of my dreams, more than that, someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, and she’s leaving. Where the hell did that leave us? Well, she’ll be in Chicago and I’ll be left here sitting in the gutter.
“So, that’s it?”
“Thanks for coming to apologize.” She shrugs as if there’s nothing else to be said or done. Maybe she was right, but I wasn’t ready to give up just yet. “I’m in the middle of packing, I should get back to it.”
“Right,” not having anything else to say, I turn my back to her. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, which is saying something. It’s even a struggle to walk back to the car, it almost feels as if I’m pushing against gravity. Pushing against every instinct that my body has.
I could’ve stood on her doorstep all day trying to come up with a solution, but deep down I know there’s only one that I find acceptable.
13
Veronica
“Hey, babe.” I look over to see Katie standing in the door.
I groan as I tape up yet another box. “Tell me again, why the fuck I unpacked all of my shit so quickly?”
I’ve quite literally just done this whole moving thing. I swear that I never want to do it again. Next time, I’ll just leave it all behind, buy new stuff when I get there.
“I can’t believe it. You’re moving. Again! For some reason, I always thought I would be the flighty one between the two of us.” Her face twists quizzically as if pondering it.
“Well, actually, I did too.”
“Hey!”
“No offense, but you’ve always hated how small this town is.” Whereas I’ll miss its small-town charm.
“My god, you’re right. Maybe I should move with you.” She shudders as if the thought of staying in Aurora a second longer is unthinkable. I giggle at her dramatics.
“I bet you’re glad I’m moving; you’ve seen more of me in the last three weeks than anyone has in the last three years.” I don’t know where the emotion suddenly comes from, but my eyes begin to mist.
“Are you kidding me? I’ve loved having you back in town. I wish you weren’t going.”
“If I start crying, you have to as well.” I pull her in for a hug, but we end up crashing and sliding to the ground.
“Promise.”
We sit like that on the floor for a while. It’s just what I need. I didn’t realize just how much I’d been avoiding reality until now. I can lie so easily to everyone else, but it’s different with Katie. She knows me better than I know myself.
Our parents used to joke when we were kids, that we could’ve been twin sisters. But that’s exactly how we were raised, despite the small age gap.
Always together, always in sync. And now I’m leaving again.
The self-pitying thought is what pushes me over the edge. A lone tear trails down my cheek, forging a path for many more to follow.
Katie pulls away to look me in the eye. “You love him.”
I sigh whilst nodding in agreement. “But it doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does.”
“I’m leaving in a few days. Even if I were to… I don’t know, tell him how I feel, it wouldn’t change anything. And we both know it.”
Scooting off the floor, I pick up another box and hand it to Katie. “The least you can do is help me pack.”
There’s a ruckus downstairs before my mom calls my name up the stairs. I shoot a look at Katie. She shrugs, seemingly not having any more of a clue than I do.
Leaving my packing tape behind, I make my way downstairs with Katie hot on my heels. We find Mom standing at the door, partially blocking the view of our visitor. “It’s for you.”
She steps aside for me to see Hayden standing on my doorstep once again.
“Hayden.” I say in greeting.
“That’s Hayden?” I hear Mom whispering behind me. I shoot her a look, asking her whose side she was even on before stepping out onto the porch, closing the door behind me.
Hayden seems wired, a mixture of having just ran a marathon and not having slept in forty-eight hours. His eyes are ringed with grey puffiness, his usually perfect hair is distressed, and his usually crisp button up is wrinkled and untucked. What the hell is wrong with him?
I’m about to ask if he’s okay when he cuts me off. “Ask me to come with you.”
What?
“Are you serious?” Surely, he can’t be…
“Yes.”
“What the hell, Hayden? I can’t do that.” I exclaim. I take a second to breathe and sort out my thoughts. “Not only because that’s not my choice to make but also because we don’t even know each other that well.”
“I’m giving you the power to make the choice,” he tries reasoning with me but I’m not budging - he’s talking crazy!
“No.” I cross my arms, needing the stability to keep from shaking. Being close to him, hearing his words… it’s too much for my heart to handle. His offer is too tempting, but I need to be strong. More importantly, I need to seem like I’m unbudgeable.
“Fine. Answer this one question, truthfully, and I promise to leave you alone.”
I nod for him to continue, curious as to what he’ll say next.
“In a perfect world, where you could get anything you wanted without any consequences, would you want me to be living in Chicago?”
The sneaky bastard went the long way around just to get to the same place. I release a breath as I consider telling him the truth or pushing him even further into the dark.
With his crystal blue eyes and his tousled hair, he’s striking. His tight-fitting t-shirt with his tree-trunk thighs make him sex on legs. But our connection is more than that, deeper. It’s as if our souls are two sides of the same coin. He’s the yin to my yang, and now that I know what I’ve been missing for so long… how could I go back to living without it. Without him.
“Yes.” My voice whispers through my lips, uncertain that it’s the right call.
Epilogue
Hayden
New Year’s Eve...
“It was really lovely to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael. Thanks for having me over at such short notice.” I watch Veronica as she plays polite.
“No problem, Veronica. It was so nice having you here, you’re welcome anytime dear.” My mom waves as Veronica and I make our escape to the car. Once in the safe space, I turn to her with sympathy.
“I’m so sorry. I really had no idea that she’d be like that.”
“Hayden, don’t be silly. Your mom was great.”
“Whose house were you at just now? She wouldn’t stop pestering you with questions, you basically spent the last two hours under interrogation.”
“Do you see me complaining? No, so shut up and drive.” She places a kiss on my cheek before settling back into her seat with a cheeky smil
e.
“When we get home, you’re gonna be sorry.” I wink, amused at the red color that rises to her cheeks. Yeah, she knows exactly what I’m saying.
Someone’s ass is gonna be the same color as their cheeks.
Unfortunately, we have one more stop before we can head back to mine. Veronica promised Katie that she would stop by Lane’s bar before midnight. It took a lot of convincing on Veronica’s part to even get me to consider going.
I still didn’t like him, and I’d gladly made that known to Veronica. But as long as she’s friends with him, I have no choice but to tolerate him.
Parking is a nightmare, it’s safe to assume that main street is packed. As we make our way through the doors of Lane’s we have to basically push through the crowds to get to Katie’s booth... on the far side of the room.
“Aww, there’s the happy couple!” Veronica’s redheaded cousin stands from her seat to round the table. She’s clearly had a few already. “Sit down, sit down! We’ll get you some drinks.”
“Actually, we’re not stopping long.” It’s surprisingly Veronica that turns down her offer. “We just wanted to stop by and wish everyone a happy new year.”
“Well, you’re staying until midnight, right?”
Veronica shakes her head with a small smile. Again, that was her decision. She wanted to come, spend half an hour or so with her friends, and then leave. She even made me promise to drag her away if anyone tried to take her hostage.
“Well, damn.” Katie flops into the lap of the tattooed man behind her.
“We’ll be back in a bit.” We make our way over to the end of the bar and Veronica waves to get Lane’s attention. I dislike the guy, but I can respect that his bar is booming.
Convince Me (Tidal Collection Book 1) Page 4
