Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
“Uh-oh, someone’s having a bad day.”
Hailey walked up to the counter of Books he just traveled a lot for his job, and…”
“Oh, Hailey, I’m so sorry!” Jade said, quietly. “That’s a substantial reason to have trouble trusting anyone. Just…you have to know how that is like a one in a million type of scenario.” Then she stopped. “But I get it. We can all tell you how great Max is, but until you’re ready to believe it…”
Nodding, she fought back tears. “I’d really hate to be wrong about this. There’s more than just me to worry about.” Her hand instinctively rested on her still-flat tummy. “I’d hate to screw it all up for the two of us.”
“Like I said, I’ve been there. The only difference is I trusted a guy that never gave me any reason to. He was a total douche who I already wanted to break up with. As soon as he heard I was pregnant, he ran. Max is staying and seems pretty fairly determined to prove that to you.”
Hailey wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she simply smiled and nodded.
“Okay, that’s all I’m going to say on the subject. So, what can I get for you? Tea? A muffin? Or something decadent, like a frosted brownie?”
It was after lunch, so technically, she could have the brownie without feeling guilty. “Peppermint tea and the brownie, please. To go.” Glancing at the display case, she added, “And maybe add two more for Max. Please.”
“You got it.” Turning, Jade began getting Hailey’s order. “I know Billie warned us to give you guys some space, but if you’re up for a girls’ night, I know Ash and Chloe—and me—would love to hang out with you. We typically get together once a month for dinner at one of our houses and just hang out and talk.”
That actually sounded fantastic.
“I would love that! I can’t tonight because of the house thing, but maybe one night soon?”
Jade handed her the tea and brownies. “Definitely. I’ll talk to the girls, and we’ll start a group text.” She quickly pulled out her phone. “Here. Put your phone number in, and we’ll get that going.”
Tapping out her info, she hit save and gave Jade her phone back. “There you go!”
“Awesome! And just so you know, if you’re looking for some part-time work, we can always use help here. It’s not exactly teaching yoga or Pilates, and we probably shouldn’t get into the nutritionist aspect of working in a bakery, but just know that the offer is here if you need it.”
“Thanks, Jade. I may take you up on that.” Taking out her wallet, she asked, “How much do I owe you?”
“Oh, stop! You’re family. It’s on the house!”
“Jade, the Donovan family is massive! You can’t give stuff away to everyone like that!” she said with a nervous laugh. “That would be crazy!”
Jade simply pushed her order closer. “And yet, it’s what I do. Go and enjoy and please tell Max we said hello.”
“I will. And thank you.”
“Good luck with the house hunting! Hopefully, you’ll find something good tonight!”
There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that they would. After driving by more of the houses that Patrick emailed to Max a few days ago, they had gone home and looked at all of their interior slideshows over dinner. As much as Hailey didn’t want to say too much considering Max was the one buying the house, she already had a favorite. But she would keep her comments to a minimum and let him take the lead. It didn’t matter which house he chose—if any—because it would mean getting them out of Billie and Marcus’s place.
Plus, it was only going to be her home until the baby was maybe a year old.
And…why is that?
Yeah, it was an ongoing argument in her mind that was getting louder with each passing day.
Since Max had moved into the house, things had been amazing. They cooked together every day—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Well, Max made her breakfast every morning. It was so sweet because even though her morning sickness was completely manageable, he wanted to make sure she was eating properly so she could feel her best.
It was hard to find fault with something so considerate.
For lunch, they had been having sandwich competitions since they both claimed to make the best sandwiches. It was beyond ridiculous, but they were having the best time and, she had to admit, the man made outstanding sandwiches. He was working up in his apartment and taking meetings all around town, but he made sure he was at the house with her every day for lunch.
And dinners? Well, that was her favorite because they cooked together. They had chosen the things they were going to make, went grocery shopping together, and then worked side by side to make the food. And while they cooked, they talked about mostly random things, but she was learning so much about him and she knew she was sharing a lot about herself too.
It felt…like a real relationship.
It is a real relationship, dummy! What is wrong with you?
Good question.
But as she climbed into her car to head home, Hailey forced herself to admit that she knew why. She knew why she was fighting this whole thing and refusing to believe in their future.
Because she was letting her past dictate her feelings.
It was why she couldn’t simply accept Max at face value; it was why she wasn’t able to believe that he was as committed to her as he said he was. She didn’t doubt for a second that he was committed to being a father, but she felt like maybe she was just like some consolation prize that went with the baby.
One of the hardest things, though? Knowing he was sleeping in the next room night after night. Every night she had to fight to keep from getting up and knocking on his door, or just tiptoeing in and crawling into his bed. She missed sleeping beside him, kissing him, touching him, making love with him. She craved his touch almost more than she could bear.
Damn pregnancy hormones…
“I should probably talk to a therapist about how screwed up I am where men are concerned,” she murmured before pulling away from the coffee shop.
Driving through the downtown area, Hailey noted all the different little businesses—a nail salon, a craft store, a wine bar, and a bougie little bath shop filled with every kind of sweet-smelling soap and bath bomb you could imagine, Ash’s hair salon, and a handful of other small shops.
Just not a place to do yoga or Pilates.
Then, as she turned off the main road and drove through the streets leading her to her cousin’s house, she fell a little more in love with the town. Everything about Sweetbriar Ridge differed from her life in Florida. From the first time she visited her cousins as an adult, she’d been enamored with the sweet, tiny mountain town. Moving here was an easy decision, living here with Max and raising their baby should be a dream come true, but she couldn’t enjoy it—not really, not yet.
“I seriously need help.”
She pulled into the driveway and parked next to Max’s car. Grabbing her tea and the small box of brownies, she went inside, unsure if he was in the house or up in his office.
“Max?” she called out when she stepped into the kitchen.
“Down here!” he replied.
That was odd, she thought. Going down to the basement, she found him jogging on the treadmill and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I brought home some brownies and now I feel bad about letting you have them! You’re working out and doing something healthy and you shouldn’t get off the treadmill and eat cake. That just seems wrong.”
“Or…” he began as he slowed his pace. “I’m working out so I can eat more cake.” He winked. “It all depends on how you look at it.”
“I guess.” Right now, however, she wasn’t thinking about cake. She was thinking about how sexy he looked in a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top. Sure, he was sweaty, but in a fantastic and sexy way.
Yum.
If I licked him, he’d taste better than any damn cake…
When the treadmill came to a stop, he hopped off and grabbed a towel, still smiling. He must have noticed her blatant stare because his expression changed too—became a bit more thoughtful before turning downright wicked.
He knows exactly what I’m thinking.
And honestly? She was more than okay with it.
Swallowing hard, Hailey did her best to stay where she was. Max was slowly moving toward her, causing her heart to race. Licking her lips, she waited and wondered what he was going to do or say.
When they were practically toe-to-toe, she had to force herself not to press up against him.
“I love it when you look at me like that,” he said gruffly. His dark eyes scanned her face. “I’ve loved this entire week with you, but it’s been torture keeping my distance.” Reaching up, his hand skimmed from her cheek to her jawline and down her throat, resting over her rapidly beating pulse. “I’m trying to respect your wishes, Hailey, but I’m just a man, and you are pure temptation. I crave you more than I crave my next meal.”
She went to close the distance between them when he stopped her.
“But I don’t want this to be because you’re having a bad day and wanting to shut out the world,” he admitted. “I can’t do that again. If you want me, then you need to want me with the good and the bad. You can’t be ashamed of what we have and treat me like I’m some dirty little secret. It’s not fair.”
Slowly, she nodded. “I know that, and I understand. So much of our situation has just been…awkward, but…”
Pausing, she took a step back and thought about her conversation with Jade. While she knew she couldn’t magically get through her issues, she also knew that there was no way she could keep living her life the way she’d been. Her ex had already stolen so much from her; was she really going to let him steal this too?
“I can’t help that I have insecurities. I know they don’t have anything to do with you specifically, but…I have to work through them, okay? I can’t just turn it off, but I want to try, Max. With you. For us.”
Then Hailey let out a shaky breath and left the decision up to him. He could either accept what she had to say and be patient with her—even while they explored the sexual chemistry that never went away—or he could wait until she could give him everything he wanted.
She just wasn’t sure that was ever going to happen.
“Please don’t pull back from me after this,” he whispered before moving in and pulling her into his arms. “Please.” And then he was kissing her, and Hailey swore it was the first time she truly felt alive since the trip home from Florida.
Wrapping herself around him, she kissed him back as if her life depended on it. He might be afraid of her pulling back, but she had fears of her own.
Unless he was kissing her and touching her. Then she was the most confident woman in the world.
Max lifted her. “Wrap your legs around me,” he urged, before heading over to the sofa. “The bedroom’s too far. I hope this is okay.”
Nodding frantically, she let out a joyous laugh as they tumbled onto the cushions. “I was really hoping you weren’t going to try to carry me up two flights of stairs.” She trailed kisses along his jaw, nipped at his ear, and rubbed up against him as she kicked her shoes off.
They were clumsy in their haste to get undressed, but it was the sexiest kind of fun. And when they were both naked and Max settled on top of her, there were dozens of things that her heart was begging her to say to him. Instead, she whispered, “Make love to me, Max.”
And that seemed to please him immensely.
Hailey was sprawled out on top of him while Max lazily caressed up and down her spine. They were breathless, and he was almost afraid to say anything to ruin the moment.
When she came down the stairs and started watching him on the treadmill, he knew the exact moment she went from casually observing him to thinking sexy thoughts about him.
And it was nice to know that she hadn’t completely turned off those feelings.
Living with her this last week had been everything he’d hoped it would be. They were getting to know each other in a way that they wouldn’t have been able to do with Marcus and Billie being here with them. Every day he learned something more about her, and one thing had become inherently clear.
She was so much more than he ever let himself imagine.
Cooking with her was a blast and laughing with her brought more joy into his daily life than he thought possible. They talked about current events, practical and random topics, and never ran out of things to say. Hell, he felt closer to Hailey than he had to any other woman he’d dated.
They were building a sound foundation for their future.
He just hoped she saw it too.
“As much as I would love to stay just like this and maybe eat brownies, we have those house tours tonight,” she said quietly, snuggling closer.
Max’s hand splayed across her lower back, holding her to him. “Mmm…that would be nice—the naked and brownies thing—but I guess we need to be responsible. Your cousin did set up those appointments for us, and it would be rude if we didn’t show up.”
“Being responsible sucks,” she mumbled, but followed that with a giggle. “But I am going to need to take a shower before we go.”
“Me too.” Shifting slightly, he asked, “Care to join me?”
Another giggle. Lifting her head, she grinned. “I think we both know that would definitely make us miss those appointments.” With a pout, she carefully pushed off of him and got to her feet. For a moment, Max simply admired her gorgeous curves. They had nothing to do with her pregnancy; they were just all her, and he knew he’d never tire of looking at her.
Unfortunately, she was pulling her panties back on and then tugged her shirt on to cover herself.
“Now that’s a shame,” he said as he got to his feet.
“What is?”
“Hiding your beautiful body. It would have been very sexy watching you walk upstairs naked.
Her blush was fast and furious. “Max…”
Leaning in, he kissed her soundly before pulling back. “It’s true.” And because he didn’t want to seem like a weirdo, he pulled his shorts back on before scooping up the rest of his clothes. “Why don’t you shower first?”
“Thanks! And I’ll be fast. I promise.” Then she surprised him by kissing him before dashing up the stairs.
Progress.
Thirty minutes later, Max came down the stairs after taking his shower and getting ready, and found Hailey sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop, eating a brownie.
“Ooh…good idea,” he said, taking one for himself and joining her at the table. “Looking at anything interesting?”
“Not really. Still looking for a job,” she said distractedly.
“I take it today’s interviews didn’t go well?”
She shook her head, her eyes never leaving the screen. “I’m disappointed because I know I have to find a job, but none of them were jobs I was really excited about.” Sighing, she shut the computer. “Jade offered me a position at the coffee shop, and I’m thinking of taking it. You know, just to tide me over until I find something I want and am qualified for.”
Max took a bite of brownie and used that time to think of something helpful to say.
Sadly, nothing was coming to him.
“I heard back from Summit Ridge finally,” she went on. “But they can only offer me part-time hours. I might take it along with the coffee shop. It just sucks, you know? I have a degree. I’m a clinical nutritionist. I teach yoga and Pilates. I’ve never not had a job. This is just seriously messing with me.”
“I really wanted to have something encouraging to say, but…I don’t,” he admitted miserably. “I know you can work with Jade and up at Summit Ridge, but I know it’s not going to make you happy.”
“Yeah, well…what would make me happy doesn’t exist here in Sweetbriar Ridge. I don’t want to do a long commute, but maybe that’s my only option.”
They ate in companionable silence for a minute.
“Or…”
Her head snapped to look at him. “Or…?”
“Or we talk to Patrick and see what kind of retail space is available and what it would take to open a yoga studio,” he suggested, and held his hand up when she started to argue. “I know all about the money aspect, Hales, but it can’t hurt to ask. If nothing else, we tuck the information away until a time when it’s something we can do.”
“We?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We. We’re a team, remember? We’re in this together.” Then he waited for another argument and was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t happen.
Instead, she took the last bite of her brownie and nodded before saying, “Come on. If we don’t leave soon, we’re going to be late to the first house.”
They took his car and made the short drive to a house that was only a handful of blocks away from Marcus and Billie’s. It was a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that was newly renovated. Out of the four they were going to look at, this one was his least favorite. He and Hailey had looked at all of them online and weighed all the pros and cons, and said they wouldn’t make any decisions until they saw each of them in person.
But he already knew she wasn’t particularly interested in this one either.
So, the tour was over quickly. The agent Patrick had set them up with didn’t seem offended by their lack of enthusiasm and agreed to meet them at the next house.
“There was no character,” Hailey said as they pulled away. “I thought the finishes were nice, but…I don’t know. Overall, it was a little bland. It almost felt like my apartment—nice enough, but nothing great about it either.”
“I totally agree.”
The next house was almost twice the size, with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a finished basement. It was the newest of all the houses and, to Max, it was a genuine contender.
“The kitchen is a bit tight,” Hailey commented as they walked around. And when they got to the bedrooms, they both agreed on what room would be the nursery, which one would be his home office, and which one would be the best full-time guest room. They had similar thoughts and shared a lot of the same likes and dislikes, but as soon as they were done with the walk-through, they were equally ready to move on to the next house.
In the car, he looked over at her and saw how she was already looking up the next house on her phone.
“I thought that house was much nicer in person, don’t you think?” he asked.
“It was, but the kitchen kind of bummed me out. I tried to envision the two of us cooking together and it would be okay. Then I thought about when my family comes to visit and how tight it would be because we always spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so…”
“Ah. Got it.”
House number three had a bigger kitchen, the same number of beds and baths, but not as open of a floor plan. There wasn’t anything to dislike about it, overall, but there also wasn’t anything that wowed them. The space would work, but…
It wasn’t their house.
Which was fine with him, because the final house was the one that he had fallen in love with. Hailey hadn’t said which one she preferred, but he just had a strong feeling that this was going to be it.
“Oh, wow,” she said in awe when they pulled up. The property itself was very similar to his brother’s place—a large wooded lot, detached two-car garage, and the house itself had a massive wrap-around porch. “It looks so much bigger in person than it did online.”
Nodding, he followed her up to the porch. It had less square footage than the last two houses, but it somehow looked larger from the outside.
As soon as they stepped inside, Hailey gasped. “Look at those windows!”
The entire back wall of the living room was full of windows and French doors that led out to a massive deck. He slowly made his way behind her, taking it all in—the stacked stone fireplace, the built-in bookcases, the kitchen that was large enough to easily hold a dozen or more Donovans…
But it was the primary suite that blew them both away. It was more than big enough for a king-size bed, and it had a vaulted ceiling and two walk-in closets. Plus, the bathroom looked like it came right out of a luxury hotel.
“That bathtub looks positively decadent,” she said with an impish grin. “I don’t think I’ve ever lived anyplace with a tub that covered my knees and boobs.”
Laughing, he walked over and looked at the free-standing tub. It was definitely deep and looked like it could fit both of them at the same time. “I’d be more than happy to scrub your back when I join you in it.”
Another blush. “You’re more than welcome to, but you’ll have to deal with all kinds of bubbles and the scent of lavender.” Winking, she walked out of the room so they could continue the tour.
They walked through the house three times—each time finding something else they loved and making plans for different decorating ideas and the kind of furniture they’d need.
When they finally met their agent out on the back deck, he held up his phone. “I don’t even have to ask. I’ve already texted Patrick and told him he should start writing up the offer. Was I wrong?”
Max and Hailey shook their heads. “It’s kind of perfect,” Max said, and for the next several minutes, they talked numbers and what they hoped the timeline would be for them to close and move in.
“The seller is highly motivated. The husband got a job offer in Maryland, so I don’t think there’s going to be any issue with getting things done in thirty days. Possibly sooner. Patrick has all your pre-approval paperwork, right?”
“He does. And if there’s anything else he needs, tell him to call me.” Placing his arm around Hailey’s waist, he added, “Can we walk through one more time? I know it’s late and we still haven’t eaten dinner, but…”
“I totally want to walk through again!” she said excitedly.
So they did.
Afterwards, they picked up a pizza and went home to eat and celebrate. In Max’s mind, this was an almost perfect day. He’d been so freaked out about it taking so long to find a house, but now he was glad he’d waited.
Back at the house, he grabbed plates while Hailey got their drinks. “I wish we had some champagne to toast to your house!”
“Our house,” he carefully corrected.
“Our house,” she repeated. “Right. Either way, I wish we could toast with something other than iced tea and water.”
“It’s not a big deal. I’m just…I’m just so damn excited! I’ve owned a house before, but it was just a small bungalow. This house is…it’s bigger than anything I thought I’d buy, but it was just perfect.” They sat down and he served them each a slice. “Don’t you think?”
The conversation was one of pure happiness as they talked more about paint colors and furniture. Hailey’s laptop was still on the table, so they started researching what they wanted to buy, and he caught her hesitation more than once, but he basically did everything he could to put any of her fears to rest. It didn’t matter that he was buying most of the stuff; it was all going to be theirs. They each had stuff in storage, but Max already knew he would sell most of his so that everything in the house would be new for their fresh start.
They finished eating and cleaned up together, and he was surprised to see it was after ten. “Wow, we really lost track of the time, huh?” he teased.
Stretching, Hailey agreed. “We certainly did.” Then she yawned. “It’s been a long and exciting day, but I think I’m going to head up.”
“Oh. Okay.” This was where their nights typically ended. She went up to her guest room and at some point, Max would go up to his.
Separately and alone.
It had been bothering him, but considering everything that had transpired today, he knew he should be thankful for what he had and stop focusing on what he didn’t.
He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice her walking over to him until she took one of his hands in hers. “You coming?” she asked with a sexy wink.
And that was the first time he felt like they were truly on their way to being on the same page.