Chapter 6 #2
“Most definitely!” Her sentence ended on a squeal when Lincoln whipped her around and scooped her into his arms. “Night!” she continued on a peal of giggles as her man kicked the door open and exited through it.
Seeing the two of them like that made my heart clench painfully in my chest. I’d never had that, at least not as an adult, and as I watched through the big windows of the bar as Lincoln smiled at the woman in his arms like she was his very reason for existing, I was hit with the sad realization that I most likely never would.
The feel of Hayes’s hand brushing against the small of my back gave me a start and yanked me from my pathetic musings.
“Hey, ready to go?”
“I, um…. y-yeah. Ready.”
His hand on my back applied pressure, and my feet started moving.
When I glanced back to say goodbye to Rory, she made a face that silently communicated what I was feeling, and that was eek!
Then she lifted her hand in the universal sign for call me, and I only had time to nod before Hayes guided me through the door and into the cold night.
We were both silent as he led me to his silver Sequoia. He helped me into the passenger seat and climbed behind the wheel a couple seconds later. “Don’t worry about your car,” he said as he backed out of his spot and started out of the parking lot. “I’ll get it back to you tomorrow.”
My heart leaped at his sweet offer. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. I can take care of it.”
“It’s no problem.”
I turned to look at him, the streetlights outside casting moving shadows on his chiseled face.
I remembered that strong jaw, those masculine cheekbones, that sexy, prominent nose.
Used to be, I could stare at this man for hours and never get tired of looking at him, and just then I struggled to tear my eyes off his profile.
It was only when a flicker of light caught my attention that I was able to turn away, and when I did, I caught sight of the silver pendant hanging from a thin leather strap around his rearview mirror.
Reaching up, I brushed the tips of my fingers across the small medallion with an eagle, globe, and anchor, and a bittersweet pang lanced through my chest. I’d given up everything so he could have that, and I’d do it all over again if it meant he got to live that dream.
“Heard you became a nurse,” Hayes said, breaking through the silence that had filled the cab.
“Yeah,” I answered, taken aback that he’d known that. Then again, Aunt Reenie loved to brag about what she considered to be my accomplishments, and she’d been so damn happy when I graduated nursing school. “For about fifteen years now.”
His eyes darted in my direction before turning back to the road. “I remember you always sayin’ you wanted to be a teacher,” he recalled. “A nurse is a big leap from that. What made you change your mind?”
My heart sank as I turned to look out the passenger window. “A nurse can help people,” I answered quietly. “A teacher wouldn’t have been able to help my parents, but a nurse….” I couldn’t finish that statement past the sudden lump taking up residence in my throat.
“Christ, angel,” Hayes said in a ragged, growly voice a moment later, forcing my eyes to return to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay,” I cut him off before he could finish his explanation. The sadness was already breaking through my tipsy haze, and I was sure that if I let it continue I’d burst into tears right there in his truck. “It was a long time ago, Hayes. I’m okay.”
I saw his head swivel in my direction and could feel his scrutinizing gaze on me through the darkness. My gut told me he didn’t buy the lie I’d just tried selling, but instead of pushing, he let it drop, and we returned to our corners in silence once again.
The streetlights eventually ended as we hit the outskirts of town, and the only light on the pitch-black gravel road that led to the farmhouse came from Hayes’s truck.
“Jesus, hadn’t realized how long it’s been since I’ve been out here,” Hayes said once he pulled up in front of the house and killed the engine. “Forgot what the stars looked like out here.”
A tiny smile pulled at my lips as I leaned forward in my seat and looked out at the millions of stars shining clear and bright in the night sky.
“Yeah,” I said on a breath. “It never fails to amaze me how beautiful it is out here.”
I felt his gaze on me like a physical touch and slowly turned in his direction. The light in the truck was dim, but I could still feel the heat radiating from his gaze, and felt myself getting lost in it.
“You always did love it out here,” he said, his voice so soft that my chest warmed and my belly flipped.
The atmosphere around us grew thick and heavy with something I hadn’t felt in forever. The air between us seemed to ignite, and I felt my body leaning closer to him of its own accord. My heart began to beat so hard against my ribs I was surprised we couldn’t hear it.
But just as quickly as the shift occurred, it changed again, and I felt like I’d just slammed into a hard, frigid wall of ice.
Hayes’s body jerked back, and it was as if we’d been surrounded by a bubble that had suddenly burst.
“It’s late. You should probably get some rest.”
“Oh, uh….” My stomach sank, and that sadness I was feeling early came back with a vengeance. “Yeah. You’re right. Thanks again… you know, for the ride and everything. I appreciate it.”
“Sure, no problem.” His response was polite enough, but something in his demeanor had changed. A switch had been flipped and a wall slammed down in place between us.
“Well, um… have a good night.”
“Yeah. You too,” he replied flatly.
Scrambling to undo my seat belt, I finally got it off and opened the door. I managed not to trip and fall as I climbed out of his truck and made my way into the house.
It was only once I was closed inside and heard the tires of his Sequoia moving along the gravel drive that I allowed myself to slide down the door until my butt hit the floor, overtaken by the immense hurt that encounter had caused.