Chapter 60
HAILEE
Fear still races through my veins, but I can’t deny that it lessened the second Hayden dropped into the car beside me.
Seeing that photo online and reading the assumption that there’s a good reason I’m wearing a Monroe jersey sent me spiraling.
Before I registered my actions, I’d jumped into PR mode, and I had an email drafted, ready to get it taken down.
But as I hovered my mouse over the send button, I hesitated.
What if I just let it go?
What if I allowed everything just to happen instead of micromanaging every element of my life because of people who are no longer a part of it?
What if…
The potential freedom that would offer hits me hard. Almost as hard as considering the consequences.
For years, Brandon has refused to sign the divorce papers I served him not long after leaving. For years, he’s controlled my puppet strings. For years, he’s used me as a pawn to control his own narrative.
Sure, it pisses me the fuck off. But other than wanting my freedom, I’ve never had a reason to go head-to-head with him.
Well, now I do.
I also have people around me who’ll see past his bullshit. They’ll stand by my side as he goes through with his threats. They’ll stand by me as I stand tall and let him think his shots are bouncing off me without making a mark.
Beneath my hardened exterior, it might be a very different story, but I have Hayden. He’ll help me pick up the pieces and put me back together.
He’s the one who’s important now.
Us, and the life we want to build together. And I can’t do that until I’ve finally severed the ties to my past.
After I deleted that email, I gathered up my stuff and ran.
The decision I’d made was huge. The feeling of the weight that was being lifted from my shoulders was overwhelming, and while the one person I needed wasn’t here yet, there was another who would help.
My brother.
Sitting in this car that I bought in his memory because it was his favorite makes me feel close to him.
I may not live in my hometown anymore, but even if I did, I’m not sure I’d feel comfort from visiting his graveside. Looking at his name engraved on a headstone is so final.
Here, I can pretend that he’s still here, even if it’s only briefly.
The second I dropped into the driver’s seat, the tears came.
But they weren’t sad tears. They were tears of relief, of closure, of hope, of…so many other things.
I didn’t know how much time had passed as I sat there lost in thought of times gone by and dreams for the future, but the second Hayden appeared and I saw the harassed look in his eyes, I knew I’d messed up. But more than that, I knew I’d done the right thing.
“Shall we go up, or did you want to sit here a little longer?” Hayden asks after a few minutes of silence.
“We can go up,” I say, reaching for the door handle.
“He’d be so proud of you, you know?” Hayden’s words have tears burning my eyes once more.
“I hope so,” I say before climbing from the car.
When Hayden meets me at the trunk, I notice he’s got my purse over his shoulder.
“Suits you,” I tease.
“You think? I wasn’t sure if tan was my color.”
Laughter peals out of me, and when he holds his arms out, I fall into them, wrapping mine around his waist and holding tight.
“Thank you for finding me.”
“Baby, I was losing my mind running around town looking for you.”
My breath catches. “Shit. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
He presses two fingers to my lips.
“It’s okay. You might need to apologize to Bea as well, though. I alerted the troops in case a search party was required.”
“I…shit.”
“You didn’t even open my message, Hails. I panicked.”
“I…I’m sorry.”
“Come on,” he says, taking my hand and pulling me toward the elevator. “I've got a surprise for you.”
“Oh?”
“Well, assuming I haven’t ruined them.”
The second we’re inside the elevator, Hayden backs me into the corner, his green eyes dark and twinkling with a mixture of emotions and desire.
“Hey,” he breathes, his lips quirking into a smile. “I missed you last night.”
“I missed you too. Good game, though.”
“Yeah, do you know why?”
I bite down on my bottom lip and shake my head despite predicting what he’s going to say.
“My girl was wearing my jersey. Hottest thing ever.”
“I thought I might wear it again for you tonight. What do you think?”
“I think, hell, yes, baby. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been fantasizing about fucking you from behind while my name is branded across your back?”
“A week or two?” I hedge, knowing I’m miles out.
“How about a year,” he groans, pressing the front of his body against mine.
“That’s a long time.”
A dark chuckle spills from his lips. “You’re telling me.”
His lips find mine ten seconds before the elevator dings and the doors open on my floor.
“Goddamn it,” he mutters as he takes a step back and rearranges himself in his sweats.
“I’m assuming my surprise wasn’t that,” I say, nodding toward his semi.
“It wasn’t what I was thinking of at the time, but that can certainly be arranged.”
Side by side, we make our way to my front door, and then Hayden lets me go ahead of him.
“Oh my god,” I shriek when I see the state of my kitchen. “What the hell have you done?”
“Oh. Shit. I didn’t realize I’d made that much of a mess,” Hayden explains, coming up behind me and inspecting the damage. “But I made cinnamon buns.”
He walks toward the tray of unbaked buns and holds them out proudly.
“They look great.”
“They’ve been proving for a little too long. I hope I haven’t ruined them.”
Spinning around, I turn my oven on to preheat.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” I assure him. “I need to go shower, and then we’ll have one and I’ll…tell you a little more about my previous life. If it’s about to come knocking, then I need you to be aware of what might be heading your way.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“Brandon is a bad person who only cares about himself and what those around him can do for him. It was never going to end well.”
“Right, well…I’ll tidy this up then, I guess.”
I leave Hayden to it. As much as I want to spend time with him, I know that I need to tell him everything, and to do that, I need a moment to gather my thoughts and figure out how to explain what my life was like before I escaped and started over.
I spend longer than necessary indulging in the hot water, and then I spend even longer on my face care routine.
My heart lurches when I hear Hayden in the bedroom, and after giving myself a good talking to, I step out and join him.
My steps falter in the doorway when I find a tray waiting in the middle of the bed with two fully loaded hot chocolates and a plate of freshly baked cinnamon buns, and even better, behind it, Hayden rests back against the headboard wearing nothing but his gray sweatpants.
Damn, that boy knows exactly what he’s doing.
“They smell good, so I’m hopeful they'll taste decent,” he says as I make my way over and crawl onto the bed beside him.
He reaches for one, and before I know what’s happening, he’s moving it toward my mouth.
His eyes hold mine, and they dance with delight as I take a bite.
“Omm muh gawd,” I mumble. It’s still warm, and it’s so sweet and perfect.
“Yeah?”
I nod, and he eagerly takes a bite before groaning when the flavor hits his tongue.
“Freya will be so proud of you. They’re perfect.”
He chews thoughtfully.
“Yeah, they’re pretty damn good.”
I take another bite, and in only a few more seconds, the first one is done.
Resting back against the headboard, I close my eyes for a beat.
“I served Brandon divorce papers once I got settled here,” I start.
“It was naive of me to think he’d just sign them and move on with his life.
That isn’t how people like him behave. But I needed him to know that our separation was final.
What I wasn’t expecting was for him to come back explaining that he would only sign if I put the reason for the divorce as infidelity on my part. ”
“What? Why would you do that?”
I take a breath. “Because despite him being the one who was unfaithful, many, many times, he also had evidence of me with other men, time-stamped during our marriage.”
Hayden’s mouth opens and closes, but no words spill free.
Despite what I’ve just said, he doesn’t believe me. He doesn’t believe that I would have cheated in my marriage, and seeing that in his eyes means everything to me.
“I never cheated. As much as I might have wanted out of that situation, that marriage, I never would have done that. But…Brandon shared me with his friends and—”
“Motherfucker,” Hayden hisses, his fists clenching at his sides.
“And unbeknownst to me at the time, he’d filmed it.”
“Fucking cunt.”
“Pretty much sums it up. I’d just secured my job when he sent through hard evidence that this proof existed.
I couldn’t risk it being exposed like he was threatening.
I needed my job; I needed the new start.
So, I just…ignored it. I figured that one day, he might meet someone who would be stupid enough to want to be married to him, and he’d let me go.
I never thought that I’d be the first to—” I cut myself off.
“First to what, baby?” Hayden asks, a teasing lilt in his voice.
“To move on. To consider being someone else’s wife one day.”
When I glance over, he’s got a shit-eating grin on his face.
“So what do we do next? How do we get rid of this guy?”
“I guess I'll instruct my lawyer to serve the papers again and see what happens. But the second he sees this,” I say, gesturing between us, “in the media, I have no doubt that he’ll make his move.”
“Or he might sign and let you move on?” Hayden asks hopefully.
“Yeah,” I muse, “That is certainly an option.” Even if it is a very, very unlikely one. “Worst case, he exposes all the footage he collected and tries to destroy me, and in turn, you. Best case, I walk away with nothing.”
“You don’t need anything.”
I think for a moment. Back when I first served him, I was bitter and wanted every single thing that was owed to me for the bullshit life he made me live. Hell knows I needed the help to get on my feet.
But now, Hayden’s right.
Well, actually, not entirely.
I don’t need anything from Brandon. All I need is Hayden.