11. Chapter Eleven
Chapter Eleven
Aloud banging startles me awake. Confused and half-aware of my surroundings, I abruptly sit up, only to feel the arm draped around my waist tighten.
I glance down at the man beside me, his groggy face half-buried in the pillows. Memories from last night flash in tiny, scattered bits.
I’m not completely naked and neither is he, so I think we just slept last night. But memories of what led to that leaves my brain foggy and hot with a sudden ache.
Matthew stirs from the noise. “What the hell is that?” he mutters, his voice deeper with sleep.
“I don’t know,” I murmur, my pulse quickening as the banging comes again.
He sits up, rubbing his eyes with a frown on his face. “Should we check?”
“I’ll handle it. I think someone’s at the door.” I slide out of bed, wondering who it might be.
It’s criminal for anyone to be creating such a fuss so early on a Sunday.
I head towards the front door and squint at the image in the doorbell camera. A black and white image of Fara’s frizzy hair comes into view.
She’s raising her fist to bang on the door again, annoyance splayed all over her features. But she’s not alone. Leo is standing right next to her, glaring holes into her back, looking like he’s one second away from bursting into tears.
I rip the door open amid Fara’s aggressive knock, revealing the both of them.
“Well, thank God,” she seethes. “I was this close to knocking your door down.”
Immediately, Leo sets his eyes on me, and he bursts into tears, running past Fara inside and attacking my legs with a hug. My eyes widen as I pick him up and sit him on my hip. He’s red-faced and sobbing, burying his face into the crook of my neck with his little fists clutching at my shirt.
I barely notice Matthew’s looming presence behind us now. I’m angry and confused, directing all my energy towards Ethan’s girlfriend.
“What the hell is going on?” I want to scream. “What did you do to him? Where is Ethan?”
Fara scoffs, her eyes wide like I’ve just asked her an incredulous question. She points to her face. “What did I do to him? I should be asking you that. Control your damn kid!”
She walks in and tosses his luggage on the couch.
“He’s been crying for you since you dropped him at the house,” she snaps.
“Do you know just how much of a fuss he’s been creating in the park?
Screaming for his mommy like a spoiled little brat?
You really think a judge will award custody to someone who can’t control her child? ”
I tighten my grip on my son, jaw clenching as fury surges through me. “Get out of my house,” I say through gritted teeth.
But Fara isn’t finished. She smirks, taking another step closer and leaning in as her voice drops to a low, venomous whisper. “Good luck with the custody hearing. The judge is going to love hearing about all the ways you’re unfit to be a mother.”
Before I can respond, Matthew steps between the both of us, his tall frame blocking Fara completely.
I turn away from them and sit in the living room, muttering soothing words into Leo’s ear to stop him from crying.
“That’s enough,” he says, his voice low but firm. “You’ve said your piece. Now, get out.”
Fara chuckles darkly. “This is between me, Ethan, and her, pretty boy. Stay out of it.”
Matthew doesn’t budge, but his tone is sharp enough to cut through her bravado. “This is her home, and you don’t get to barge in and throw insults around. Leave, now, or I’ll make sure you regret ever stepping foot here in the first place.”
Her lips curl into a sneer, but a flicker of hesitation in her eyes betrays her. Huffing, she snatches her bag that was tangled among Leo’s things on the couch and storms towards the door.
She throws one last pointed look at me over her shoulder. “This isn’t over.”
Matthew slams the door shut behind her. Then he turns to me, his gaze softening as he squats in front of me.
“You okay?”
I’m far from okay and he knows it. I’m furious and sick to the pit of my stomach. I’ve never felt so stuck in a loop before. It’s like I’m experiencing a vicious cycle of misfortune everywhere I turn.
He glances at Leo, lowering his voice. “I think he’s asleep.”
My eyes water as I take in the sight of him. “He must be so tired,” I say, getting to my feet. “I don’t know what they did to him. He’s always on his best behavior.”
“It’s okay, Hailey. We’ll get to the bottom of whatever this is.”
There’s no we. I want to tell him. There’s only me. You shouldn’t be involved in this in any way at all.
I take Leo to his room and tuck him in his bed. He subconsciously reaches for his teddy bear, and I pick one out of the pile and give it to him.
When I’m sure he’s fast asleep, I close his door quietly and head for the kitchen.
Matthew is still in my house, shirtless, and brewing coffee like it’s the most natural thing to do.
The memory of my parents’ anniversary dinner brokenly replays in my head. Then I remember Matthew, holding my hair back while I retched horrendously.
“Here,” he says, handing me a cup of steaming coffee. It’s a spiced maple latte, which is just how I like it.
I hesitantly accept the cup. “How did you know?”
“You place the same order at the office,” he says. “It stuck.”
“Thanks,” I murmur, taking a sip. It’s good, too, and it turns out to be what I need in my system right now.
I’m still so embarrassed that I don’t know what to say to him. I don’t know just how much I revealed to him last night, so I can’t assume what he thinks of me at the moment. And it’s killing me.
“Did we have sex?” I cringe. “My memory’s a bit foggy, so I can’t remember.”
“No,” he says. “I met you drunk outside your door and I helped you inside. Then you asked me to stay the night and that was it.”
I nod, feeling a little relieved. He doesn’t say anything about whether I may have told him about last night’s dinner with my family or not.
“Besides,” he adds, leaning against the counter. “If we did, I wouldn’t want you to forget it.”
“Gee, thanks,” I say dryly even though I can feel my cheeks heat up. “And I’m sorry you had to see that. Last night was a mess and this morning was worse.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.”
Fortunately for him, my heart chooses to react madly to his words. A memory from yesterday echoes faintly in my head.
You’re beautiful, Hailey and it’s okay to cry.
“I think a visit to the park with King should cheer Leo up,” he suggests before I can say anything else. He walks into the room, grabs his hoodie, and walks back out.
“You too. I think some fresh air will do us all some good,” he casually adds, flashing a grin that leaves me with little room to refuse. “Text me when he wakes up. I’ll be here before you know it.”
***
The park buzzes with life when we arrive. Kids laugh and chase each other across the field while parents chat on nearby benches.
The last time we were here was because of the campaign photoshoot at the other end of the park. I had been too focused on the task at hand to enjoy the lively scenery before me, but there’s nothing stopping me now.
True to Matthew’s words, the sight of kids his age jumping about in the park changes Leo’s mood completely. He runs ahead, his face lighting up as he joins a group of children playing tag.
Matthew takes a seat on the grass and looks up at me, still standing. The sun glints in his eyes, making them appear more ethereal than they usually are, as he gently taps the spot next to him.
I do as he says, occupying the spot next to him and tuck my hands in my lap. A gentle breeze blows in my hair and for a moment, I close my eyes and take a deep relaxing breath.
For the briefest moment, I’m at peace. I don’t think about the custody battle with Ethan or my father’s demand to marry Sebastian Clyne. I don’t think about work or my complicated feelings for Matthew.
I just breathe.
Even without turning to Matthew, I can feel his eyes on my face. Heat creeps up my neck and for that very reason, I keep my eyes closed.
“Stop staring, you creep.”
“I’m just wondering what’s going through that head of yours.”
“Why?”
“I want to understand you.”
I open my eyes and meet his gaze. Last night’s haze still clings to me, and the fear of how much I might have revealed has my stomach in knots.
Just yesterday, I had been contemplating sex with him with no strings attached. But I don’t think there will ever be something as simple as that with Matthew.
Everything with him is always so complicated. My feelings for him are complicated and all over the place. Venturing into an agreement like that will just complicate things further.
“Forget what you saw last night and this morning,” I say, fiddling with a blade of grass.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you or anyone else getting involved in something that’s entirely my business.”
“And how long will you keep doing that?”
I face him. “Doing what?”
“Weakening yourself by pretending you don’t need help from the people who care about you.”
I open my mouth to speak but no words come out. I look away from him, suddenly breathless, and shake my head with a quiet scoff.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
King bounds over to us before he can respond. His tail wags furiously and I instinctively shift back to avoid being hit. Only for him to barrel straight into Matthew, nearly knocking him over.
“Whoa, buddy. Okay, okay, I get it!” Matthew exclaims, chuckling as he stands and tries to wrangle the overexcited dog.
I don’t realize I’m smiling until Matthew pretends to dramatically collapse onto the grass. I stand up and swat his shoulder.
“You’re going to scare off the other dogs with all that flailing.”
He opens one eye and sighs. “You’re right.” Then he makes a move to get up, only to grab my wrist and tug me down with him.
“What the – hey!” I shriek, landing on top him in a heap. “That wasn’t funny.”
Amused, he raises a brow. “But you’re laughing.”
I weakly punch his chest. “I’m just pretending to do that to make you feel better.”
“Right,” he says. “I’d believe you better if you told me the devil was pregnant.”
“Asshole.”
“You can’t say that word around the kids,” he says, reminding me of the time I said similar words to him when Leo was in his car.
We both dissolve into laughter, but then as the laughter subsides, I realize how close we are. I’m still lying on top of him, my hand on his chest, his arm snug around my waist and our faces inches apart.
His grin softens and the teasing glint in his eyes fade, replaced by something deeper and darker.
My heart thuds as our gazes fuse together. I feel him shift slightly closer, his hand brushing against mine. The noise of the park starts to fade away, trapping me in a world where it’s just him and I that exist.
Matthew leans in, his expression open and vulnerable, and for a moment, I desperately want to close the gap. I want to feel his lips on mine again, to get lost in his taste again.
But then reality crashes back in like a bucket of iced water being dumped over my head.
I pull away abruptly, my heart in my throat as I sit upright and brush grass from my jeans. “I should check on Leo,” I say, my voice rushed and shaky.
He stays where he is for a second longer, watching me stand to my feet with his brows slightly furrowed. Then he nods and gets to his feet as well.
“Yeah,” he says quietly. “Let’s do that.”