Seven
Seven
FOUR DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS
Something was wrong. Hailey had been running herself into the ground, working longer hours, making checklists, working on new recipes, visiting Piper, and last night she’d told him to stay out of their room so she could get the wrapping done.
He missed her. Which was ridiculous, since he lived with her.
“Earth to Wes,” Chris said, waving a hand in front of his face.
Wes refocused his attention, looking at his brother. “I feel like Hailey is pulling away.”
They were at Chris and Everly’s house, not far from his and Hailey’s. He’d popped by to get his mind off his worries. Everly was out, which, as much as he adored his sister-in-law, was nice because he rarely got one on-one-time with his brothers.
“I feel like you’re making shit up in your head because it’s easier for you to worry than just enjoy what you have.” Chris added a bow to the gift he’d just wrapped for Everly; a pale-blue cashmere sweater.
“Was that supposed to be supportive?” Wes ground his teeth together.
Chris shrugged. “It was supposed to be the truth. Hailey is head over heels for you. Everyone’s tired. Everyone has been sick. When Evs came home from their shopping trip the other day, she said Hailey had bailed at the last minute, saying she was too exhausted to go.”
Wes’s brows furrowed. She’d told him she went shopping with the girls, that they’d had fun, that she’d finished getting everything on her list. She’d lied.
His throat went dry, so he simply nodded. Chris got up from the table and left the room, coming back with two beers as his and Everly’s cats wound their way around Wes’s ankles.
“Come on, man. You’re not seriously worried, are you?”
Wes set his beer down, not in the mood for a festive drink. “Some sort of switch flipped in the last few days. She’s been distant, almost like she doesn’t want us to spend time together.”
Chris had opened his beer and took a drink before sitting back down beside Wes. “Noah and I never realized how much you shielded us from growing up. I know it wasn’t easy and I hate that you bore the brunt of our parents’ toxic marriage. We’re not kids anymore, Wes. You’re not alone, and just because something is truly good, doesn’t mean it’s going to get ripped away from you. That woman loves you with everything she has. If you’re worried, talk to her.”
Wes smiled, looking at Chris. “Definitely more supportive.”
Chris laughed, leaned back in the chair. “Just be glad you didn’t stop by Noah’s. He would have told you to buy her a thousand pounds of chocolate or a tropical vacation just as a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
They laughed and some of the tension eased from Wes’s shoulders. Talk to her; that’s exactly what he needed to do.
Wes set the table for dinner. Hailey was running behind again due to an errand that she wouldn’t tell him the details of.
It was Christmas and sometimes secrets were necessary. But, in his gut, he felt like something was off, and it worried him to the point of distraction. Somehow, the woman he’d offended within seconds of meeting a couple of years ago had become his everything. The person he turned to when he was happy, mad, sad, frustrated, or any other emotion he could name. Nothing felt real or special until he shared it with Hailey. She was the only person he could do absolutely nothing with and feel settled and content. And whatever was bugging her was going to be said tonight.
While he filled two bowls with salad fixings she kept in their fridge—in different containers so they didn’t have to have the same salad two nights in a row (who wouldn’t fall in love with her?)—Wes thought about the wedding plans. He’d thrown a lot at her in a short period of time. But he’d wanted to go into the new year stress-free so they could just look forward to the big day.
Her keys turned in the lock and Wes’s breath whooshed out of his lungs. Setting the Tupperware of tomatoes down, he went to greet his fiancée.
She startled when she saw him; strange, since she knew he’d be home. His eye twitched. He reached up and soothed a hand over it. She was fine. She’d tell him if she wasn’t.
“Hi. Something smells good,” she said.
He watched her carefully, noting the heaviness under her normally bright eyes and the worry lines around her mouth. “I made chicken, baked potatoes, and salad.”
Hailey’s nose wrinkled. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have helped.” She offloaded her bag, slipped out of her lightweight jacket and shoes.
Wes walked to her, pulling her into his arms. “Hailey, you’re killing me.”
Once again, she startled, pulling back with her hands flat on his chest. “What?”
Bending slightly, he met her gaze. “Something is up. I can feel it. I don’t know what it is, but we’ll get through it. Whatever it is, if I’ve done something, if you don’t like the plans for the wedding, if you want something different, you can tell me. All I want is your happiness.”
He’d pulled the words right out of his heart. He thought maybe she’d cave, tell him what was wrong. Or wave him off and say she was just tired. What he didn’t expect, what he never thought, was that her bottom lip would tremble and her fingers would curl into the fabric of his shirt as tears slipped soundlessly down her cheeks.
Jesus. Was it possible for a heart to actually break while inside of a person?
If not, it didn’t matter because her next words ripped his heart clear out of his chest.
“We have to call off the wedding.”