Chapter 27
Typically, with Haley, every inner demon I had went quiet, leaving me calm. But a week ago, for reasons I couldn’t explain, those demons broke through the cage that her presence usually locked them in, shifting my emotions unexpectedly.
I didn’t know why or where it came from—it’d been a while since I’d had a nightmare like that. And while I hadn’t had any more since, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the one I did have in the days that followed.
A part of me was embarrassed that she witnessed it.
I knew Haley didn’t look at me any differently because of it—she hadn’t treated me or acted differently toward me since.
Still, I knew it probably left her more curious and left her with questions, ones I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready to answer.
What I’d dealt with—Noah, my PTSD, therapy—wasn’t something I discussed with anyone but Nate. But Haley wasn’t dumb; she likely knew there was a reason for a nightmare that left me in the state that one had.
“More coffee?”
I glanced up, nodding at the waiter of the diner I was having breakfast in. “Thank you.”
He turned to my dad. “You, sir?”
“Please.”
After he refilled our mugs and stepped away, my dad looked at me and smiled. “Haven’t done this in a long time.”
“Yeah,” I nodded. It was Tuesday morning, and I called my dad up to see if he wanted to meet for breakfast. “I actually wanted to ask you about the cabin. I was wondering if I could maybe go up there sometime soon.”
His brows rose slightly. “Oh?”
“I haven’t been up there in years, and I’ve been wanting to go since I came home.”
After having that nightmare, I felt slightly unsettled.
I really needed a change of scenery to help clear my head and sort out my thoughts.
Our family cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains seemed like the perfect place—somewhere peaceful and separate from the rest of the world, where everything else was weighing on me.
“I mean, you know you can go up there any time you’d like. It’s just a little bit of a mess right now. I did some small renovations a while back, and I haven’t gotten up there to finish putting the place all back together yet.”
I chuckled. “Renovations?”
“Yeah.” My dad smiled. “I put in a new window in the second bedroom because the old one was cracked by a falling branch. That led to painting, which made your mom want the main bedroom painted as well. I considered redoing the deck railing, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
My dad had always been skilled with his hands and enjoyed building and fixing things. It was something he passed off to me, although I didn’t do much, even though I knew how.
“Well…I could always go up and do some work up there for you if you need.”
“No, you don’t have to do that. However, if you’d like to go, you’re more than welcome. You know that.” He pulled out his key ring and slipped a key off it, sliding it across the table to me. “That’s the spare. Keep it to use whenever you want.”
That key felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket for the next forty-eight hours. Once I had it, I couldn’t stop thinking about just getting in my car with Maverick and going.
I worked Wednesday and Thursday—Haley wasn’t with me because she had two days of continuing education classes.
By Thursday night, I’d made the decision to go that weekend.
I messaged Wes, Lucas, and Gabe to let them know I wouldn’t be out on Saturday night, then gathered Maverick’s food and supplies I’d need for him for the weekend.
As eager as I was, as I started packing my bag, an unexpected wave of hesitation hit me—I found myself suddenly thinking about Haley, and the idea of not seeing her for another few days gave me pause.
It wasn’t sitting well.
I folded up a sweatshirt and slipped it into my bag, then paused, leaning against my bed. A conversation I’d had with Haley months ago came floating to the forefront of my mind. I tilted my head in thought, wondering if it was too impulsive…but that’s exactly what she said she wanted.
Early Friday morning, just after nine o’clock, I pulled up outside of Haley’s townhouse with Maverick in tow.
We walked up the pathway and up the stairs to the front porch, and he sat beside me as I knocked.
A few moments later, Haley opened the door, her hair mussed from sleep. “Hey,” she greeted me, followed by a yawn.
“Did we wake you up?”
“Maybe.” She smiled sleepily, reaching down to pet Maverick as he went between her legs before disappearing inside. “But that’s alright.”
“Good,” I said with a nod as I walked inside. “I need you to pack a bag.”
She closed the door, turning to look at me with a confused expression. “A what now?”
“A bag,” I repeated.
“A bag…for what?”
“For the weekend,” I said matter-of-factly.
Her brow arched. “I’m confused.”
I chuckled and stepped up to her, my hands settling on her T-shirt-clad waist. “I need you to pack a bag for the weekend.” She still looked confused. I didn’t blame her. “If you’re up for a random drive and an impulsive trip that’s not too far, that is.”
As I repeated her words from months ago, the confusion on her face turned to genuine surprise. I wasn’t sure if she was more shocked that I planned to take her somewhere or that I remembered that conversation and her wish about wanting the little things.
“Wait, really?”
I smiled. “Yeah.”
“Where—where are we going?”
“I’ll tell you on the way. Come on,” I said, giving her a nudge down the hall toward her room, patting her ass as she turned. “You’ll want some warm clothes—sweatshirts, pants. It’s still chilly up there.”
“Up where?” Even as she asked the question, she was hurrying down the hall. “Can I shower real quick?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, but hurry up so we can get on the road.”
Thirty minutes later, I slid Haley’s bag into the back of my jeep, got Maverick into the backseat, and we slipped into the front.
As she buckled her seatbelt, she looked over at me, her hair still wet from the shower, and I could see the excitement and anticipation in her eyes.
“So…?”
I smiled as I pulled away from the curb. “So what?”
“Where are we going?” she asked, amusement and frustration blended in her tone.
I glanced at her. “My family’s cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains.”
The broad smile that graced her lips was one I would never forget.
Once we took the ferry into Charleston, we stopped for gas and some snacks for the ride before hitting the road. I told her stories about the cabin from when I was younger, about the weekends and summers we’d spend up there—she remembered Wes coming along with us quite a few times growing up.
Maverick sat happily in the backseat, poking his head up front now and then, hoping Haley would slip him a pretzel from her bag.
“I don’t know what the state of the cabin is, though,” I said, drumming my fingers against the steering wheel.
Haley arched her brow with a chuckle. “The state of it?”
“I mean, it has a roof and doors,” I quipped. “No, my dad said he was doing some renovations and hadn’t gotten around to ‘putting the place back together yet’. So, I have no idea how messy it’s going to be when we get there.”
“Oh.” She waved her hand dismissively, like she couldn’t care less about some mess.
“I offered to do some work for him while I was up there, but he told me I didn’t have to.”
“You?” She chuckled. “Doing renovations?”
“Yeah,” I scoffed, feigning offense. “I’m actually very good with my hands.”
Haley tucked her lips between her teeth, trying and failing to hide her smile. “Mhmm,” she nodded with a hum.
I couldn’t help but laugh at what she meant. “Subtle, baby girl. Real subtle.”