36. Hayden
Chapter thirty-six
Hayden
“Addie! Luna!” I yell while rushing up the front door of their estate. But my hopefulness is diminished when I see a younger woman I don’t recognize shadowing the entryway.
“What’s all this yelling about, mate?” she asks.
“Um.” My heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest, and I take a moment to slow it down. “I’m here to see Addie and Luna,”
She laughs sarcastically. “Yeah, I got that.”
I put my hands on my hips and ask, “And you are?”
“Erin. Erin Flores.”
“Oh.” Judging by the last name, I can clearly assume she’s a cousin or something of Addie’s. Addie . . . Where is she?
As if reading my mind, Erin answers, “She isn’t here.”
A familiar face soon follows after her.
“She’s right, Hayden,” Steven, our lawyer, says.
“Steven—”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know what to say, bud. She’s gone. The kid too. For good.”
I feel dizzy. “No. No, they wouldn’t have just taken off. Where’d they go?”
“We can’t tell you that,” Erin replies.
Steven walks out, turns my body with his arms, and then rests his hand on my back. “This is really for the best. Why don’t you just head home, and I’ll do my best to fill in the blanks when I’m able. Okay?”
Still not believing that they’re telling me the truth, I look back in an attempt to see Addie’s beautiful face on the porch. But all I see is her shorter-haired relative.
“Come on,” Steven continues to encourage as we walk out to my car. “That’s it.”
“Steven,” I say just as he’s about to close the driver’s side door.
“We’ll talk soon, okay?”
Okay.
Completely numb, I put the key in the ignition and idle down the driveway.
Y ou’ve lost them, Hayden. You’ve lost them for good. Tears well in my eyes as I drive down the road. Each milestone in the form of something as small as a tree I’d walked past with Luna’s tiny hand holding mine, causing my heart to break even more.
***
When I pull onto my street, I see a plethora of cars parked outside.
“What the hell? No.” Company is the last thing I want to deal with. Especially this company.
Before pulling up, I swerve over and push my fingers against my skin and make sure the pads have effectively captured all the errant moisture that fell down my cheeks.
Once that’s done, I reluctantly park behind Gabe’s obnoxious yellow Hummer. Make no mistake, if I didn’t clock it based on the color and size, the “Th3 G@b3 M@n” license plate also would’ve told me it was his.
I count down from five before opening my door. Sure enough, the whole squad is right there in the foyer waiting for me.
“Hayden,” Denton approaches first and gives me a noncommittal hug.
I don’t want to offend him, so I let him embrace me, but my arms remain at my sides.
Finally, the rest of them part, and Noah, my older brother, is in my line of sight.
“Hayden.” He looks like he’s in terrible shape, with bags under his eyes and sloppy hair. Nevertheless, my hands instinctively ball into fists as he starts to approach me.
“I have nothing to say to you.” I go to brush past him, but Victor, I assume—judging by his tight and strong grip on my forearm—stops me.
“Hear him out, man,” His gruff voice, which confirms to me that I was right about his identity, rings out.
I shake free from his grasp, turn around, and shove my finger in his face. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I actually do, mate. Noah told us everything.” He sighs before continuing, “Now, you have every right in the world to be upset. I’m not saying you don’t . . .”
When I turn around again, Noah is on his knees, at my feet.
“Jesus.” This is just pathetic. “Get up.”
“No.”
I glance at all of our friends, but they remain stone-faced. As for Victor, his lips curl in on themselves, his hands together, bowing his head, and takes a few steps back into a nearby shadow.
“I can’t lose my baby brother. I can’t, and I won’t. Listen, I know I can’t take back what happened. And I’m so sorry for that.”
There’s genuine pain and regret in his eyes.
But am I ready to let all of this go? Sure, I hated our father as much as the next person—fuck it. I have bigger fish to fry, after all.
So, I give him my hand, and I help him up.
“You forgive me?” His pupils search my soul.
“That all depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you’ll help me win Addie back.”
His brow furrows. “Addie? What do you mean?”
From there, I huddle all the guys together, and I tell them what I did. “I was drunk out of my mind, and I was embarrassed. I wish I could tell you exactly what I said, but I can’t remember for the life of me. But in essence, I demanded for her to leave. Now, she won’t take my calls, read my texts, or anything. And guys, Luna—” The idea of either one of them not being in my life causes a sharp pain in my chest. However, the thought of missing out on any more of my daughter’s childhood makes me feel physically ill.
“What about a grand gesture?” Denton suggests.
“I’m trying that. Remember Penny Dunn, Salvador’s assistant?”
“The sweet lady with the fluffy hair?” Noah asks.
“That’s the one. I’ve asked her to have flowers delivered every hour to Addie’s place. But . . . I don’t know.” I bring my hand to my forehead. “I’m not sure she’s seen any of it. When I went over there this morning, her cousin and Steven, that’s our attorney, said she and Luna were gone.” I’m starting to get misty-eyed again.
Gabe comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my upper body. “You should’ve plenty of time to mope around, Hayds.”
I swivel my head over my shoulder to look at him. “What do you mean?”
He pulls away and puts his hands in his pockets. “Well, you say you’ve tried. But have you really?”
“Right,” Denton echoes.
I’m beyond confused. “Did you not just hear everything I said? I’ve called, texted, and sent flowers.”
Gabe rolls his eyes. “That’s elementary stuff, Bro.”
Now, I’m starting to understand. “I guess you’re right.”
He continues, “Everything you’ve done so far is what a high school boyfriend does for his girlfriend after he pisses her off for the first time. You and Addie are so far beyond that.”
I nod.
“This is the woman you’ve loved for years. I mean, she’s the mother of your child, for Pete’s sake!” Denton adds.
“I know, I know.” The wheels in my brain are churning—half-assed gestures aren’t enough. If I’m going to make things up to Addie and show her that I’ve changed, I need to go big.
“So, what’s the plan?” Victor asks.
Although I’m more inspired than ever, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m incredibly hungover and exhausted.
“I—I don’t know yet.”
The crowd around me groans.
“I’m sorry! Just give me five minutes.” I make my way over to the stairs, put my elbows on my knees, and rest my chin against my hands. What to do. What to do. How can I make her listen to me?
Moments later, Noah joins me. “While you’re thinking, I just want to make sure you’re ready for all the possible outcomes.”
“Right.” He’s referring to her rejecting me once and for all.
“And I want you to do some serious soul-searching to find out if this is really what you want.”
My nose scrunches up. “What do you mean?” I’m almost offended by the insinuation.
“Well—having a family is a massive undertaking. And from what I know about Addie, being with her will be even more of a challenge than most. I love her, but she’s just as stubborn and bull-headed as you. Plus, I’ve yet to meet my little niece. But as the product of the two of you, I can only imagine that she’s the same way.”
That makes me chuckle, and the lightheartedness is a welcomed change from the heaviness of the day so far. “That she is.”
I think immediately about the time we took her to the zoo, and she refused to get cotton candy because the texture grossed her out. I’d never met another little kid, other than myself at her age, who felt that way about the otherwise commonly beloved treat.
Noah’s shoulder thumping against mine brings me back to reality. “What are you thinking about?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.” I don’t feel like going into all of it now—especially as the possibility of Addie kicking me out of their lives forever is looming over me.
“Anyways, whatever plan we come up with, you need to come to terms with respecting her decision. No matter what it is.”
I know he’s right. Of course, he’s right.
A little while later, Victor steps forward and asks, “So, what’s the game plan? If I’m understanding correctly, it doesn’t seem like we have much time to waste here.”
Finally, it comes to me.
Noah, knowing me better than the back of his hand, must recognize the look on my face because he says, “I think he’s got something.”
Denton rests his foot on a step and leans forward. “Is that true?”
“Maybe. But I’m going to need all of your help to pull this off.”
They exchange looks before letting out resounding exclamations of support.
My older brother, who is still sitting beside me, thumps my back and mutters, “Whatever you need. We’re here for you.”