Chapter 40
HAYDEN
The pylons stretched out into the water, jutting past the surface like broken, blackened teeth. In the day’s dying light they even looked like teeth, all rotted and pitted as the waves lapped gently against them.
It wasn’t always like this, though.
No, in my childhood those pylons had supported an old wooden pier, its surface worn slick with use.
My father had taken me fishing there, back when I was four or five.
We had so much fun we went again and again, all throughout my childhood.
Just the two of us, a bucket of shiners, and smiles so wide it felt like our faces would crack.
There was nothing left of the pier itself, now. Just two rows of shattered pylons… and the memory of me running excitedly between them.
I’d been driven here by pure nostalgia, without any other real destination in mind. It was more than an hour away, but it was always worth the trip. Even now, when the only angling I did was fishing for memories.
I heard the obnoxious engine rumbling in the distance, long before I saw the familiar headlights. It took everything in me to fight back the growing sense of dread, as the car pulled next to me. I had to, though. I needed to maintain my composure.
“Hi, beautiful.”
My stomach rolled. I bit my lip to keep it from curling back in disgust.
“Cole.”
He killed the engine and climbed out of the Mustang. It reminded me of one of those coiled snakes, leaping from a can of fake peanuts.
“I’m back in my apartment,” I said, before he could begin spouting whatever bullshit he had prepared. “I left the guys, so—”
“For good?” he interjected, skeptically.
I looked down sullenly. Eventually, I nodded.
“Hayden. I need you to hear you say it.”
God, how I hated him. But for now, I needed to play his game.
“I left them for good,” I stated blankly. “There. You happy?”
Cole seemed to loosen up a bit, as much as the high-strung fighter could relax, anyway.
“I’ll be happy when you’re back in my arms,” he said smoothly.
“Yeah, well, that’s not gonna happen.”
“Oh no?”
“No.”
“And why not?”
Staring out at the pylons, I sighed into the wind. “Because you’re crazy, Cole. And violent. And you’re the most vindictive, ruthless asshole I’ve ever—”
“Vindictive?”
He spread one of his giant paws over his chest, as if I’d somehow offended him.
“Yes, Cole!” I shouted. “You’re vengeful! You went after three perfect strangers you don’t even know! You destroyed their lives for no reason other than you couldn’t have me.”
“I did nothing of the—”
“Know how this works?” I snapped loudly. “You tell me the truth. That’s why you’re here. That’s why I called you.” I crossed my arms and shook my head. “Otherwise I drive the fuck away.”
His chest heaved as he took in a long, deep breath. Mentally, I knew a war was going on in that thick skull. It was always crazy, how hard he had to fight just to tell a simple truth.
“Fine,” he eventually relented. “I did what I had to do. I needed you to come to your senses.”
“And I have,” I lied to his face. “I’ve come to my senses, and I’ve moved out of their place and back into mine. And that’s where I’m staying, Cole. Far away from everyone.”
There was a beat of silence, broken only by the wind. As it whipped my hair against my face, he reached to fix it.
“Even me?”
I stepped back, trying to contain my revulsion. And it was revulsion. The closer he got to me, the deeper the memories of us ever being happy together seemed to sink.
“Especially you,” I growled.
As expected, my words seemed to enrage him. I used to be surprised by what set him off, but now I was becoming an expert.
This time though, he kept his anger in check. He could do it sometimes, I’d noticed, when he needed to be on his best behavior.
“Hayden, I love you,” he faltered. “I’ve always loved you.”
“Cole—”
“No, please,” he begged. “I drove here because you called me. Hear me out.”
His favorite cologne wafted over to me, assailing my nostrils. Unbelievable.
“I know I fucked up on Halloween,” Cole began. “But I was jealous because we’d just gotten back together, and what we had was fragile. I was afraid of losing it. When that guy started hitting on you—”
“Talking to me,” I cut in sharply. “He was only talking to me.”
For once he actually nodded in agreement. “Yes, well… I mean, I just went overboard. I know that now. I didn’t mean to, and from there things just snowballed.”
He paused awkwardly, searching for just the right words. As if there were some magical combination that might win me back.
“I promise you, that if you just give me a second chance…”
I held up a finger. Shockingly, he actually stopped talking.
“Cole, listen carefully. You need to undo whatever you did. Call whoever it is that you called, and tell them to back off.”
He winced. “Hayden, it’s not that easy.”
“It is that easy,” I pressed. “Have them rescind the restrictions. Tear up whatever citations they’ve given, to shut down the bar.”
“But—”
“You promised me, Cole,” I cut him off, “that if I left the guys, you would leave them alone. Well, I have. I’m done with them. I did exactly what you asked.”
Feeling bold, I stepped forward again and pushed two fingers into his thick, beefy chest.
“Now it’s time for you to hold up your end of the bargain.”
Immediately I regretted touching him, but I needed to drive my point home. Cole took the physical contact as a sign that I was finally relenting. The change in his expression showed me he was reveling in the little victory, no matter how small. It only made me sicker.
“Hayden…”
“No, no Hayden,” I shook my head. “Call them, Cole. Do what I asked. And don’t ever talk to me again, until you have.”
With that I spun on my heel and stomped back into my car, praying I wouldn’t feel a giant hand close over my arm. If that happened, I don’t know what the hell I would do. We were in the middle of nowhere. There was no one to even hear me scream.
Luckily, Cole kept himself in check. For once in his big, stupid life, he swallowed his medicine.
He was still standing there stupidly, as he disappeared in my rear-view mirror.