Chapter 57
CHAPTER 57
DIXIE
I was having too much fun for my own good. The women at the wedding had made me feel so welcome. We danced together, laughing and being totally ridiculous.
The beat of Dancing Queen pulsed through me as I spun around the dance floor, my arms raised, my dress swirling around me. The women around me were laughing. No worries, no stress, just the music and the movement and the freedom of letting go. I loved the old music. I supposed when the couple was in their seventies, the playlist seemed appropriate.
When the song shifted to Waterloo , we all screamed the lyrics at the top of our lungs, linking arms and swaying in a circle like we were teenagers at a sleepover. I didn’t even know all of these women all that well, but I felt like we were all going to be good friends.
Eventually, my feet started to ache. “I’m going to get a drink,” I said to Thea.
I walked to the table where Diana was sitting. She was sipping punch, her eyes scanning the room.
“You’re killing it out there,” she said with a smile as I plopped into the chair beside her.
“Thanks,” I said, grinning as I reached for a glass of punch. It was sweet and fruity and very refreshing. I would have loved a margarita, but the punch would have to do. “I haven’t had this much fun in forever. I honestly wasn’t expecting to have this much fun at a wedding.”
“The Bancrofts know how to have a good time,” Diana said.
I noticed her keeping a close eye on Hudson. “Do you worry about him in these kinds of situations?” I asked gently.
Hudson’s addiction issues weren’t a secret. No one really talked about it, but I had noticed the alcohol was left out of some dinners. I thought it was very kind of his family. And supportive.
Diana sighed, her gaze still fixed on her husband as he chatted with a group of men across the room. “I do,” she admitted quietly. “Every time. It’s not that I don’t trust him, but old habits don’t just disappear overnight. He’s doing better, though. He’s working hard. That’s all I can ask for.”
I nodded, understanding her concern. “He’s lucky to have you,” I said. “You’re a good wife.”
She smiled. “And you’re going to be a great mom. I can already tell.”
My heart swelled at her words. “Thanks, Diana. That means a lot.”
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Good.” I nodded.
“Are you and Hayes okay?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. “I think so. I mean, we’re trying. He’s trying. That’s what matters, right?”
“Are you telling anyone?” she asked.
“No. Not yet. We’re still trying to figure this out.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you.”
She picked up one of the plates of appetizers that had been distributed after the dessert had been cleared. I glanced at the plate, noticing the miniature quiches and stuffed mushrooms. My stomach growled softly. I grabbed a quiche, savoring the buttery crust and the creamy filling.
I looked across the room again, my gaze instinctively finding Hayes. He was sitting at the bar, his shoulders hunched, a glass in his hand. Something about the way he sat there, alone and brooding, made my chest tighten. I wanted to go to him and try to understand what was going through his mind. He was going hot and cold, which made this a little difficult to figure out.
The DJ switched up the music, putting on something for the younger generation. Diana’s eyes lit up. “We have to dance!”
She grabbed my hand, pulling me up from the chair. I laughed, letting her drag me back to the dance floor, but my eyes kept drifting back to Hayes. He hadn’t moved. He just sat there, staring into his glass.
The beat of the music thumped through the floor, vibrating up my legs as Diana and I joined the group of women again. They welcomed us back with cheers, and soon we were all moving in sync, our arms in the air, our laughter blending with the music.
The Bancroft children joined us on the dance floor. The older crowd had drifted away with the change in music. I danced with one of the young boys. I thought he was Jack or Grayson’s son. He was a very handsome little dude. He had the classic Bancroft good looks with the same hazel eyes.
I reveled in the dream of what my future could look like with Hayes and our child. I stopped myself from putting a hand on my stomach, though. I didn’t want anyone to know yet. I imagined our little boy or girl with the same pretty eyes. Would the baby favor me or him? Looking around the room, I had a feeling my genes didn’t stand a chance. I didn’t know what was in the Bancroft DNA, but it was powerful.
It was a miracle how a kiss and making love with Hayes had instantly made me feel more connected to him. I was hoping we had come through the fire. That feeling of love and safety had felt like a warm hug.
We were back, weren’t we?
I hadn’t let myself get excited about the baby because I wasn’t sure if I’d be a single mother or not. But now that Hayes said he was in it with me and the truth was out there, I could finally let myself be happy about it. Or at least that’s what I thought.
I was going to be a mother.
One of the kids started doing the robot, and I joined in, along with some of the others, trying to mimic his moves. It led to hysterical laughter from everyone, and for a moment, I felt like I belonged.
As the next song began, the opening beats of a trendy TikTok hit filled the room. The kids erupted into cheers. I didn’t even know what the song was called—it was one of those catchy tunes that seemed to have come out of nowhere and taken over the world overnight. But the kids knew every word and every move. They started forming a line, each of them taking turns to show off their best dance moves.
One of the younger Bancroft girls, maybe five or six, grabbed my hand and pulled me into the line. “Do it with us!” she squealed, her face lit up with excitement.
I laughed, feeling a little self-conscious but completely swept up in their energy. “Okay, okay! But you have to teach me!”
The kids started counting down, and when it was my turn, I tried to mimic their moves—some kind of combination of a shimmy, a spin, and a pose that looked effortless when they did it but felt utterly ridiculous on me. The kids cheered anyway. I couldn’t help but laugh as I stumbled through it.
Diana, Thea, and Hannah were standing by clapping and watching me fumble through the moves.
When the music shifted back to a slow song, I looked around eagerly for Hayes, but I didn’t see him anywhere. My heart sank a little, but I told myself he’d be back soon. Maybe he was just using the restroom.
That was when I spotted Isaac and Hudson rushing out of the venue. The looks on their faces told me something was wrong. Very wrong. With Hayes’s absence, I wondered if it had something to do with him.
Frowning, I followed them, my curiosity getting the better of me. I trailed them down the front path of the club and out into the parking lot, where I was stunned to find Hudson wrestling Hayes’s keys out of his hands. Hayes threw a messy punch that missed his brother by several inches. My stomach dropped when I saw the condition he was in.
He was trashed. I had watched him at the bar, but I didn’t realize he was getting drunk.
Isaac got hold of Hayes and broke them up before Hudson could retaliate.
“Enough!” Isaac bellowed, his voice cutting through the night air. “Let him go, Hudson. Walk it off, Hayes. You’re no good to anyone here in this state.”
Hayes was unrecognizable. His suit was disheveled, his hair a mess, and his eyes were glassy and unfocused. I was paralyzed by the sight of him like this. The joy I’d been feeling just moments ago evaporated.
When Hayes looked up and saw me, he swayed on the spot, nodding in my direction before scoffing.
“Of course you’re here,” he drawled, his words slurred.
Isaac looked over his shoulder and saw me. His expression said it all. I wasn’t wanted. “You should go, Dixie. Please.”
Go where? Back inside and pretend this wasn’t happening? I felt like I didn’t have any options.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Hayes, are you okay?”
“Dixie, please, go back inside,” Hudson said. “He’s had too much to drink.”
“I’m sober,” I said. “I can drive him home.”
“We’ll handle this,” Isaac said. “Go back inside.”
I didn’t understand why they were trying to get me away. What the hell was going on?
Hayes started laughing. He stood swaying and laughing and looking like he was losing his shit.
Everyone turned to look at him as he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out his phone. “What’s your Venmo?” Hayes asked.
I was confused. “What?”
“Cashapp? Or you know what. Give me your bank account number. I’ll just wire the money.”
“Hayes—” I started.
“Stop it,” Isaac warned him, his voice low and dangerous. “Knock this shit off.”
I didn’t know why, but I was having a hard time not crying. My chest felt tight, and my hands trembled at my sides. I didn’t know what was happening. I felt like the three of them knew something I didn’t. Something big.
“How much do you need?” Hayes slurred, his eyes locking on mine. “Five hundred? A million? Four? Name your price.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Hayes’s expression shifted to one that was unrecognizable to me. He looked angry, and broken, and hollow. “Tell me how much you think you need to raise the kid and live a comfortable life. To buy a nice house. To get them a good education. And of course a little something for yourself for carrying my child.”
“Stop,” Hudson said, trying to grab Hayes’s phone out of his hands.
But Hayes shouldered him away, his focus entirely on me. “Everyone has a price, Dixie. Just tell me yours, and we can be done with it.”
The words hit me like a slap to the face. I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me, and I struggled to breathe. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Surely, I had it wrong. He had to be talking about something else.
“Hayes,” I said, my voice trembling. “What are you saying?”
He took a step toward me, his movements unsteady. Hudson was right there, standing between me and Hayes. “I’m saying I’ll pay you,” Hayes said. “Whatever you want. Just tell me how much it’ll take for you to walk away and leave me out of this.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. I shook my head, unable to believe what I was hearing. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” he said, his voice cold and detached. “I can’t do this, Dixie. I can’t be a father. I’m not cut out for it. So just tell me your price, and we can both move on. That’s what you want, right? Your mom didn’t give me a number but name your price. Ten million? I think that would set you and your family up for a good life. Your sister will finally get her hands on the Bancroft money.”
Isaac stepped between us, his expression furious. “That’s enough, Hayes. You’re drunk, and you’re saying things you’re going to regret. Things you don’t mean. Quit being such an asshole.”
Hayes laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that made my chest ache.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned and ran, my heels clicking against the pavement as I hurried back toward the venue. I didn’t know where I was going, but I needed to get away from him, from the pain in his voice, from the way his words had shattered me.
I made it to the garden, the same place where we’d shared that moment earlier, and sank onto a bench, my body trembling. I buried my face in my hands, the tears coming in waves. I couldn’t believe what he said. Alcohol was a truth serum, right? So that was what he really felt.