Chapter 47
D evi nervously shifted her weight from foot to foot.
“Do you need to go potty?” Hayes asked.
“Daddy!” she cried. “Don’t ask me that! And if I have to pee, it’s going to take forever with all the clothes you’ve put on me.”
She must have five layers on, including her new jacket, hat, mittens, scarf and a brand-new pair of boots that had arrived in the mail yesterday.
Hayes was spoiling her.
But he’d also pointed out that her shoes had holes in them and she couldn’t keep wearing them.
They were about to head off to her welcome party which was being held in the garden of Clint and Charlie’s house. It was late afternoon and was growing colder out.
Daisy had stopped by yesterday to tell her everything that they’d arranged. There were unicorn rides, an outdoor fireplace where you could roast s’mores, Clint and Kent were going to barbeque, and there were some other games set up like corn hole toss.
It sounded amazing and way too good for her. She’d just expected a few drinks and maybe something to eat. Perhaps for the party to be an hour.
But this was going to be beyond her expectations.
“The party is outside and it’s cold. I don’t want you getting sick.”
“I’m not going to get sick,” she reassured him.
He was such a worrywart.
Taking her hand, he led her outside. Something tickled her nose as they grew closer to the party and she sneezed.
Hayes froze. “What was that?”
“Um, a sneeze?”
“You’re getting ill, we’re going home.” He suddenly picked her up, cradling her against his chest as he strode back to their cabin.
“Hayes! I’m not getting sick!”
“You sneezed.”
“Because something tickled my nose! Not because I’m sick.”
“How do you know?” he demanded.
“I don’t feel sick. I would have a sore throat or headache or something. I feel fine. I am fine. Now, put me down.”
He froze, then let out a deep breath. “Fine. But if you sneeze again or don’t feel well, tell me and we’re going home.”
Sheesh.
He took her hand again, keeping her close to him. As they grew closer to the party, she could hear children laughing and people talking. A baby cried.
What was she doing?
She didn’t know these people. What if they didn’t like her? What if they thought she wasn’t good enough for Hayes?
She stilled and Hayes stopped with her. He was holding her good hand. She loved holding his hand, although she thought that part of the reason he kept a tight hold on her was because he was worried she might fall over.
Probably a valid concern considering she’d already tripped once with him holding onto her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t . . . I don’t know if I can do this.”
Which was crazy because she’d been the one to push for it. She’d wanted it. And Hayes had been cautious, not wanting her to be overwhelmed.
And now . . .
“Hey, look at me.” He turned to face her, cupping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. His face was surprisingly soft. “You have this, baby. Everyone will love you. I know they’re a lot, but they’re all good people.”
“And if they don’t love me?”
“I’ll make them.”
“Hayes! We talked about this! You can’t make people like me!”
He wrapped an arm around her and steered her to the party. “Sure I can.”
She couldn’t help but grin. He was such a lunatic.
But he was her lunatic.
And she wasn’t ever letting him go.
Devi’s head was spinning.
Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much and her mind was swimming with names and faces. The first people she’d met were Clint and Charlie. Clint was a formidable-looking guy, with a big bossy streak.
As soon as they’d walked up to where he was grilling, he’d handed her a plate with a burger patty, steak, and chicken skewers. When she’d tried to protest that she couldn’t eat that much, he’d just glowered at her.
That was a man who was used to being obeyed.
Then his wife, Charlie, had come over to meet her. Charlie was lovely. So was Ellie, who was so friendly and cheerful.
The more people she met, the more she realized that this really was a special place. But it was also a lot for someone who hadn’t grown up with a lot of friends and family. Although, she loved being around people, she wasn’t used to being the center of attention.
Hayes stayed with her the whole time, helping her create a s’more, which was absolutely delicious. She was just finishing it when his phone rang.
“Shit. I have to take this. Baby, stay here.”
“Sure. I’ll be fine.” She hoped. She was feeling a bit tired, though. And she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t good enough for this place . . . for these people.
Hayes gave her a concerned look.
“I’m good. Just a bit tired. Another s’more will help.”
“We’ll get you one after this. Do not do it yourself. You are not allowed around fire on your own.”
So bossy.
She heard a squeal of excitement and looked over to find one of the women on the back of a unicorn. One of the ranch horses had been dressed up with a horn and colorful braids.
“Fly, unicorn! Fly!” the woman cried.
What was her name? Oh, Gigi. She was so cute. And her man had a sexy accent.
Although she didn’t think unicorns could actually fly.
But she wasn’t going to tell her that.
Finding a quiet spot, she sat on the ground with a bit of a thump.
She leaned back against an old tree with a sigh and closed her eyes. She just needed a few moments of peace.
“Devi?”
And her peace was gone. She opened her eyes to find Zeke standing over her. There wasn’t a lot of light back here, but he seemed concerned.
“Hey, here she is.” Kent appeared beside him. “I saw Hayes take a call and I was coming to find you. Wasn’t sure where you’d gone.”
“Are you all right?” Zeke asked, crouching down. “Are you in pain? Need me to get Hayes?”
“No, no,” she said quickly. “I’m fine. I just needed a moment by myself.”
“This is too much?” Kent asked. “Shit. Hayes was right when he said it would be too overwhelming for you. We just thought he wanted to keep you to himself.”
“Locked away in his castle,” Zeke joked. “I’m shocked he let you go more than an arm’s length away from him tonight.”
“Well, I think that was probably part of it. He’s very . . . protective.”
“I guess that’s understandable after what happened to May,” Kent said.
“If he’s going too far, though, you need to tell him,” Zeke said, sitting next to her.
“Oh, no, it’s fine. I’ve never had someone take care of me the way he does. I’m just worried he’s spending too much time looking after me. You must need him back at work,” she said to Kent.
“He’ll come back when he’s ready,” Kent replied. “Hayes wants to focus on you right now.”
“If you’re sure. I don’t want to be a distraction or a problem.”
“A problem? How could you be a problem?” Zeke asked, sounding confused.
“Oh, no reason.”
Kent crouched in front of her. “Hey, are you sure you’re enjoying yourself tonight?”
She couldn’t tell him the truth. That would make her sound ungrateful.
“You won’t hurt anyone’s feelings,” Zeke told her. “We just want to make sure you’re doing okay.”
“I just . . . sometimes I feel like I might be a burden to Hayes. And this party . . . it’s amazing.
Far beyond anything I could have expected.
I can’t remember the last time I had a birthday party, let alone a party like this just to welcome me.
No one here even knows me. I love Hayes so much.
But I’m not sure I deserve him . . . deserve all of this. ”
“Devi, I don’t think you have any idea of how special you are,” Kent said.
“And how indebted we are to you,” Zeke added.
“What do you mean?” she whispered.
“You’re amazing,” Kent told her. “You had a shit life with an alcoholic, abusive father, a brother in jail, working two jobs, yet Donovan said you always had a smile on your face, that you were pure sunshine. I get why that’s probably been knocked out of you, but it will come back.
You didn’t let anything get you down. That sort of resilience is a powerful thing. ”
It was?
“I can’t tell you the last time I saw Hayes smile before you came along.
It must have been before May’s death. Everyone on this ranch cares about that surly bastard, and we’ve all been worried about him.
But me, especially.” Zeke swallowed heavily and she reached out to take his hand.
“There wasn’t a day that went by where I wasn’t worried that I would lose him.
That he’d do something reckless because he didn’t care about whether he lived or died.
He was going through the motions. Getting by, counting down the days until he could be back with May. ”
She tensed. “He loved her so much.”
“He did,” Zeke said. “But that doesn’t mean he loves you any less.”
“He said he loves us both, just at different times in his life.”
“And he does love you,” Kent said. “When he looks at you, it’s like he’s just opened all of his Christmas presents and found his every desire.
As though you are his world. I saw him smile the other day and I actually walked into a wall, I was in such shock.
You did that, Devi. You. So you might think you don’t deserve all of this, but we think differently. ”
Oh. Now she understood it.
They were all happy because she made Hayes happy. That actually made sense and the knot in her stomach eased.
“But it isn’t just about Hayes. We want you to be happy here, too,” Zeke told her. “So if you need anything, we’re here for you.”
“Thank you.”
“And the girls all want to get to know you. But I’ll ask them to maybe come at you one or two at a time, yeah?” Kent said.
“I’d appreciate that. Everyone here is so nice. I’m just not used to so much attention.”
“You got it.” Kent stood. “I better go find my hooligans and get them to bed.”
Kent had a toddler called Asher and an energetic dog called Digger. She wasn’t sure which was cuter.
“I’m going to tell Abby that you called her a hooligan,” Zeke told him.
“Haha.”
Zeke squeezed her hand. “You doing okay? This must all be a big change for you.”
“You have no idea. I didn’t know places like this existed.”
“We want you here, Devi. And so does Hayes. Once he’s in, he’s all in. I think you know that, though, huh? He’s not a man you will ever have to worry will hurt you or be disloyal. You might need to whack him on the head if he becomes too intense over your safety.”
“He’s been talking about wrapping me in bubble wrap. And today I caught him looking up ways to babyproof the cabin. I do know not to drink the cleaning fluid under the sink, you know!”
Zeke threw his head back and laughed. She had to smile.
“Dear Lord. You’re in such trouble with him,” he told her.
“I know. Truth is, most of the time, I like it.” But eventually, she thought they were going to need to have a chat about where the line was.
“Devi! Devi, where are you?” Hayes’ frantic voice hit her and she winced.
“Shit,” she said, trying to stand.
“She’s over here,” Zeke called out, holding her down. “Let him come to you.”
Hayes suddenly appeared. “Fuck, baby. I thought I told you to stay put. What happened? Did you fall over?” He crouched and started running his hands over her. “Does anything hurt? I’m going to go and find Doc. Zeke, stay with her.”
“No. Wait! I’m fine. Really. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. But I’m not hurt. I don’t need a doctor.”
“You’re sure?”
“I am. I promise. I just got a bit tired. That’s all.”
He lifted her so they were both standing and hugged her tight. Shit. She shouldn’t have moved away from where he’d left her. She could feel his heart racing.
“We just came over here to talk,” Zeke said, standing as well. “It can be a bit overwhelming with everyone around.”
“I knew it. This was too soon, wasn’t it? We’re going home.” He picked her up in his arms, holding her against his chest.
“Hayes! Hayes, put me down.” She wiggled in his arms.
“Don’t move,” he bossed. “I’m carrying you home. This was too soon. You’re tired. You need to go to bed and rest.”
She groaned. She could just see it now; she was going to end up in bed for the next week. “Hayes, I don’t need to go to bed. I just needed a breather. I feel fine now. Please, put me down.”
“Come on, if you steal her away now they’re just going to want to hold another party,” Zeke said.
Hayes grumbled to himself. “Fine, thirty more minutes that’s all.”
“Yay! Just enough time to make three more s’mores.”
“You can have one more s’more. And I’ll be the one making it. You’re too clumsy to be near fire.”
“Hey! I am not clumsy. I’m graceful, darn it. Graceful!”
“Sure you are, baby.”