Chapter Twenty-Five #2
Downstairs, Grayson called for us. I shook my head and inhaled a slow breath. “I can’t—I can’t talk about it right now,” I whispered. “I just really need to have a good day with my family, and talking about this won’t give me that.”
She understood. Of course she did.
Instantly, I was wrapped up in one of her warm hugs. “It will all work out, Margo.”
“What do you mean your favorite superhero isn’t Batman?”
I looked down at Sarah and Michael’s son, Derek. Even though he was a twin, he looked just like his father and his sister like their mother. He’d been sitting on my lap for the last half hour, discussing the very crucial topic of comic books with me.
I scrunched my nose at him, laughing. “Well, why should Batman be my favorite?”
The six-year-old tilted his head to the side and held up his hands, counting off by a finger.
“One, Batman is a billionaire who uses his money for good. Mommy and Daddy say that if you have a lot of money, you should use some of it to help the people around you, and Batman does that. He helps Gotham. Two, he has a backup plan for each member of the justice league.”
“A backup plan?” I parroted, raising my brows. “What kind of backup plan?”
The little boy blinked at me, unable to handle the fact that I didn’t already know this information. “Well, Superman is a good guy,” he said.
Butterflies swarmed in my stomach as my eyes flicked across the living room to where Hayes stood by the fireplace.
Ash was there, talking to him, but he wasn’t listening.
His eyes were on me, his jaw tight, the beer in his hand still full.
Dinner was about to be served. He and Grayson had set up a long table in the center of the living room.
Carrie and I set and decorated it after we came downstairs.
Shortly after that, Michael, Sarah, and the kids arrived with Rossy in tow.
Derek came to me immediately, and I’ve been trapped on the couch ever since.
He was diagnosed with level two autism last year.
He was very brilliant, spoke well, and was ahead in all of his classes.
Though when he became over-stimulated, he was prone to having horrific meltdowns, which put a lot of stress on Sarah and Michael.
Especially with the baby. Derek’s current hyper-fixation was superheroes, and he loved talking about them with me because, according to him, “I didn’t talk to him like a kid. I talked to him like a normal person.”
“Superman is a great guy,” I said, loud enough for Hayes to hear.
His nostrils flared, his eyes flashing with pain. He was trying to hold it together, a ticking time bomb ready to explode, leveling everything around him. His grip on control was about to be nonexistent, and it was killing him.
Derek didn’t pick up on the sadness in my voice and didn’t really care about any of the Red Snake men aside from Dominic, who’d apparently given him a Batman action figure for Christmas.
He cleared his little throat, the tone of it reminding me of one of my professors.
“Right, so Batman knows that Superman is strong, and when he turns into Dark Superman, Batman has to use the Kryptonite against him. Batman always keeps a supply of it in case he needs to beat Superman.”
My chest tightened. “So you’re saying that Batman knows every member of the Justice League’s weaknesses?”
Derek smiled. “Exactly. He’s the perfect superhero because he will do anything to protect the innocent, including taking down his friends.”
I turned my head to look at Hayes once more.
Did my Superman have a Kryptonite?
“Plus, Batman has cool cars.”
A wide smile spread across my face as I looked back at the boy. “You’re damn right about that. I love the Batmobile.”
Michael cleared his throat from the other end of the couch. I jumped and looked over to him wide-eyed, mouthing “sorry.” He rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer, his youngest baby girl asleep on his chest.
“Mom says I have to try some ham today,” Derek announced.
“Ham is good for you,” his father said, smiling at him. “It has protein.”
“Yeah, I have to eat more protein,” the boy informed me. “But I just want to eat mac n cheese.”
“Dude,” I drawled, grinning at him. “I love mac n cheese, but ham is delicious. I think it would be cool if you tried some.”
“Mom says it's good,” his sister, Daisy, chimed in as she skipped into the living room, licking mashed potatoes off a spoon. She was the spitting image of Sarah, her light and beauty like a beacon.
“Darling, you cannot just take the spoon!” Rossy called from the kitchen, Sarah’s laughter echoing behind.
The room erupted in a peaceful chuckle.
“You said I could have a bite, Rossy,” Daisy called back, spoon now clean.
“Later,” he corrected, coming into view, wiping his hands with a towel. “I said you could have a bite later.”
Daisy shrugged. “Oh, I didn’t hear that part.”
I brought my hand up to my mouth, stifling a chuckle. Rossy shot me a look and muttered something about Americans before turning back into the kitchen.
“Was that funny?” Derek asked, completely innocent. “Am I supposed to laugh?”
I looked up at him and brushed some of his hair from his forehead.
“You can laugh whenever you want, sweet boy.” I snagged Daisy by the waist and hauled her to the couch, planting her beside me.
I twirled the ends of her hair with a finger, and she smiled at me in a way that made me wish I wanted children.
“Both of you can laugh whenever and wherever you want. Laughter is the best medicine and can cure bad moods.”
“Bad moods?” Derek parroted softly, his brain processing my words as my eyes lifted to Hayes’.
A muscle jumped in his cheek, his eyes flashing with guilt, his lips thinning.
Glass shards welcomed themselves back into my throat, ready to dive straight down to my heart and slice it into a million pieces.
How could something so perfect, so wonderful, be shattered in an instant?
Tell me you love me, Margo.
I opened my mouth to answer Derek’s question, but the front door opened.
Dominic and Jake stepped through, carrying more food and some chairs. Jake winked at me. “You good, reading buddy?” he asked with a smile. I nodded, another lie leaving my lips. “All good.”
He didn’t have his glasses on today, giving the world a clear view of his warm brown eyes.
He set down his things as Dominic gave me a smile.
He shook hands with Michael and said hello to the kids on his way into the kitchen as Jake headed back outside.
Out of the corner of my eye, Hayes shook Dominic’s hand, flashing a smile.
Even though I knew it was fake, it still felt like a sucker punch to the shoulder.
Carrie popped her head out of the kitchen, wiggling her eyebrows at me. “You want some wine?”
I suppressed a smile and shook my head.
Sarah appeared then, dressed in light-washed skintight jeans that made her legs look thirty miles long and a simple loose sage green turtleneck. She shimmied her shoulders, her curled hair shifting to the front. “Oh, come on! It’s technically Wine Wednesday.”
“It’s Thursday, my love,” Michael objected, smirking at her.
She rolled her eyes at him. “When Wine Wednesdays have to be canceled because the women were busy prepping the holiday meal, it gets moved to the next day, ’kay?”
“Oh yeah?” he said, laughing.
“We didn’t come up with the rules,” Carrie added, smiling. “Valerie Langston did, and what she says goes.”
“I’m never taking you to the damn ranch again,” Grayson muttered as he brushed by them to set a basket of rolls on the table. The comforting smell of them hit my nose and Derek’s. We both watched the steam rise from them in silence as the rest of the group discussed the beauty of Hallow Ranch.
“I do what I want,” Carried retorted with a giggle. “Hallow Ranch is my second favorite place on earth.”
I had yet to visit.
Even though Cardinal and Sarah had begged me to go last summer, I’d had to study for my exams. They sent me pictures from the mountain, and I FaceTimed them on Wine Wednesday.
I’d gotten to meet all the Hallow Ranch women.
At the end of it, Mason Langston had appeared in the background, and my jaw nearly fell off.
Watching bull riding was a secret hobby of mine, and Mason was the best.
The girls and I were planning a trip back to Hallow Ranch after I graduated.
“Denver Langston should open up a couple’s retreat.” Sarah hummed. “He’d make a killing.”
Slowly, Hayes looked over at me, and I felt my cheeks get hot. Just last night we were talking about escaping to a mountain cabin for a few days before I started my final semester.
“Margo?” Derek called softly, tapping me on the shoulder. “Can I ask you a question?”
Hayes’ throat worked, his chest rising and falling at an even pace, eyes on the child in my lap. Clearing my throat, I gave my focus back to him. “What’s up, bud?”
Derek looked at me with curious eyes, then turned his head, staring at Jake for a moment before bringing them back to me. “Is Jake a Viking?”
“Uh…”
Jake put down three chairs at the end of the table, chuckling. “My ancestors were…so, yes? I guess that technically makes me a Viking.”
Hayes sighed through his nose and looked up to the ceiling, mumbling something under his breath.
Ash, who was standing beside him, nodded in agreement.
Carrie brought me a glass of wine, and when my glass was nearly empty, dinner was served.
Derek hopped off my lap and told me to sit by him, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the far end of the table.
Once I got him situated in his chair, I turned to pull mine out, but Hayes’ hand was there.
I looked up at him, our family talking and laughing all around us as he stared down at me.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He nodded once, pulled out my seat, and said, “Give me your glass, baby. I’ll get you a refill.”
I nearly flinched, the warmth in his voice cascading around me, melting the ice wall he’d built between us just hours ago.
When my ass was in the seat, I passed him my wineglass, and he disappeared into the kitchen.
Cardinal’s eyes caught mine at the opposite end of the table and she lifted her phone, pointing at it.
A second later, my phone chirped. As the twins argued about the correct butter ratio for a roll, I bent my head, reading her text.
Cardinal: Grayson and Hayes had a conversation outside. There’s news.
Me: About what?
I lifted my head, gaping at her. Grayson was seated at the head of the table beside her, and as she texted me back, he put a piece of meat on her plate. He looked at her phone for a moment. When his eyes lifted to mine, I felt my stomach land on the floor with a disgusting splat.
No Thanksgiving dinner for me.
Grayson gave me a quick wink as my phone dinged.
Hayes walked out of the kitchen, my wine in hand, eyes on Jake and Ash.
They were currently fighting over the mashed potatoes.
My man glared at them, and Dominic chuckled, his shoulder shaking.
Michael reached over and snagged the bowl from Ash’s grip with a sigh.
“I would like some, Daddy,” Derek said proudly as I looked at my phone again.
Cardinal: The FBI arrested Gordon’s top dealer this morning.
Hayes’ deep voice filled my right ear then, his lips brushing against the shell of it. “I was going to tell you after dinner.”
Goose bumps rose as I sucked in a breath, my body heating.
“Margo wants some potatoes too, Daddy,” Daisy all but shouted as Hayes took his seat.
No, sweet girl, Margo didn’t want potatoes.
She wanted a hefty helping of truth, with a side of apology.