8. Haley
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Haley
I was sitting at Megan’s kitchen table with a cup of tea I hadn’t touched, staring at the wall and trying to remember what it felt like to have a normal life. Megan was in the shower. That’s when the doorbell rang.
I wasn’t expecting anyone, which meant whoever was at the door was either a delivery person or a problem.
I opened the door and found Diane Sinclair standing on the porch.
Of course. Because my week hadn’t been terrible enough already.
She was dressed like she was heading to a charity luncheon. Cream blazer. Her silver hair swept back in that perfect wave she probably spent an hour on every morning. She looked at me the way she always looked at me, like I was a stain on her family’s otherwise pristine reputation.
“How dare you?”
I blinked at her. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Haley. It doesn’t suit you.” She pushed past me into the house without being invited, her heels clicking against Megan’s hardwood floors like she owned the place. “You can’t shut him out like this. He has rights. That baby is a Sinclair.”
Incredible. She’d been in my presence for ten seconds and she was already making demands.
“Last I checked, he cheated on me.” I closed the door and turned to face her. “So I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Diane’s hand flew to her throat, clutching the emerald locket she always wore. She looked genuinely offended, like I’d slapped her across the face instead of just stating the obvious truth about her precious son.
“There’s no need for that language.”
“There’s every need for that language.” I crossed my arms and stood my ground. “Your son has been sleeping with his assistant. And now you’re standing in my friend’s house telling me I’m the one who’s out of line?”
“What’s going on?” Megan appeared in the hallway. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“This doesn’t concern you.” Diane didn’t even bother looking at her. “This is a family matter.”
“She’s in my house.” Megan stepped forward, her voice going hard. “That makes it my concern. And you weren’t invited, so I suggest you turn around and walk back out that door before I help you do it.”
“Meg, it’s okay.” I held up my hand. “I can handle her.”
“Haley, you don’t have to-”
“Seriously. Go finish getting ready. I’ve got this.”
Megan looked between us, clearly unhappy about leaving me alone. But she knew me well enough to know when I meant it. She shot Diane one more glare and disappeared back down the hallway.
Diane watched her go with a look of distaste. “You’ve got some nerve, Haley. I have to say, I didn’t peg you for the confrontational type.”
“Oh, you have no idea, Diane.”
I was furious. I was done being polite to this woman.
“Your son is a piece of shit,” I said. “And nothing you say to me is going to change my mind. So why don’t you leave while I’m still being polite?”
Diane laughed. “You call this polite? You’re keeping my grandchild from me. You’re refusing to speak to Caleb. You’re hiding in your friend’s house like a child throwing a tantrum instead of dealing with your problems like an adult.”
“I’m protecting myself from a family that has done nothing but try to destroy me since the day I married into it.”
“That is utterly absurd.”
“Is it?” I stepped closer to her, matching her energy. “You called me a mistake, Diane. You’ve been encouraging this affair from the very beginning.”
“I have done no such thing.”
“I have screenshots that say otherwise.”
Her face tightened. A crack in the perfect facade. “Those messages were taken out of context.”
I shook my head slowly. “There is no context that makes your son telling his mistress that you’ve been rooting for them since before we got married okay. You’ve been waiting for this marriage to fail since the day it started.”
“My son made a mistake. That doesn’t give you the right to punish our entire family for it.”
“I’m not punishing anyone. I’m removing myself from a toxic situation.” I held her gaze without flinching. “If that feels like punishment to you, maybe you should examine why.”
“You’re carrying a Sinclair heir.” Diane stepped closer. “That child belongs with its family. And if you think you can keep it from us, you’re even more naive than I thought.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Caleb has resources. He has connections. He has the best lawyers money can buy. If you try to fight him on custody, you will lose. Badly.”
“I’m not afraid of your lawyers.”
“You should be.” She looked me up and down with open contempt. “You’re a freelance editor, Haley. You have no savings, no assets, no family money to fall back on. How exactly do you plan to raise a child on your own? With your little book editing business?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“It’s absolutely my concern. That’s my grandchild you’re carrying.” She stepped even closer, invading my space. “And I will not stand by while you try to-”
Then the front door opened.
Caleb walked in like he had every right to be there. He saw me and his expression shifted into that practiced concern I’d learned to recognize as complete bullshit.
“Haley. We need to talk.”
Of course she’d brought backup.
“Get out.”
“I’m serious. This has gone on long enough. You can’t keep avoiding me forever.”
“I can and I will. Now get out of this house before I call the police.”
“And tell them what? That your husband came to speak with you?” He laughed like I’d said something amusing. “That’s not a crime, Haley.”
“Trespassing is.”
“It’s not trespassing if I’m invited.”
“You weren’t invited. Neither was she.” I gestured at Diane. “You both showed up uninvited to a house that doesn’t belong to you.”
“Details.” He waved his hand dismissively. “The point is, we need to discuss this situation like adults. You’re pregnant with my child. That gives me certain rights.”
“You don’t have any rights until a court says you do.”
“Then we’ll go to court.” His voice hardened, the mask of concern slipping away. “You think you can actually play this out, Haley? I will wipe the floor with you in court. By the time my lawyers are done, you’ll be lucky to get supervised visitation.”
Before I could respond, I heard it.
“Get out.”
James was standing in the doorway.
I hadn’t heard him come. I didn’t know how long he’d been there. But he was looking at his brother and his mother with an expression I’d never seen on his face before. Rage. Pure, undiluted rage.
Thank God. Thank God he was here.
“James.” Diane’s voice went sharp. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“The hell it doesn’t.” He stepped into the room and positioned himself between me and them. “I just heard my brother threaten to destroy the mother of his child in a custody battle. I’d say that concerns me pretty directly.”
“Stay out of this.” Caleb’s jaw tightened. “This is between me and my wife.”
“Your wife?” James laughed, but there was nothing friendly in it. “You lost the right to call her that when you started fucking your assistant.”
The look on Caleb’s face was almost worth everything I’d been through. Almost.
“How do you know about that?”
“I know about everything.” James stepped closer to his brother, and I watched Caleb actually take a step back. “I know exactly what kind of man you are, Caleb. And it’s not the kind who deserves to be anywhere near Haley or her child.”
“Our child.”
“Her child.” James didn’t back down. “You forfeited any claim to that baby when you decided your marriage vows were optional.”
“James, that’s enough.” Diane’s voice could have frozen water. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“I’m embarrassing myself?” He turned on her, and I watched her actually flinch. I’d never seen anyone make Diane Sinclair flinch before. “You’re the one who’s been orchestrating this disaster from the beginning.”
“I never did-”
“Get out.”
“James, be reasonable-”
“I said get out. Both of you. Now.”
“You can’t be serious.” Caleb stepped forward, his face flushing red. “You’re choosing her over your own family?”
“I’m choosing the only person in this room who hasn’t spent the last year lying and scheming and treating marriage vows like suggestions.” James didn’t move an inch. “If you come anywhere near her again, trust me, I will ruin both of your lives. Family be fucking damned.”
“James!” Diane’s hand flew to her chest. “Mind your language.”
“Right, Mom. As if you care about language.” He laughed bitterly. “So please spare me the hypocrisy.”
“You’re making a mistake, James. A serious mistake.”
“No.” He walked to the door and held it open. “I’m fixing one. Now get out. And don’t come back.”
Diane stared at him for a long moment. She straightened her blazer and walked toward the door with as much dignity as she could muster.
“This isn’t over.” She paused at the threshold. “That child is a Sinclair. You can’t change that.”
“Maybe not. But I can make sure it grows up knowing exactly what kind of people the Sinclairs really are.”
She left without another word. Caleb followed, shooting James a look of pure hatred as he passed.
“You’re going to regret this.”
“I doubt it.”
James closed the door behind them and stood there for a moment, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. I could see the tension in his back, the way his hands were still curled into fists at his sides.
I stepped out from behind the kitchen doorway where I’d been standing.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
He turned around. His face was still flushed with anger, but when he saw me, his expression softened into concern.
“You’re pregnant?”
God, why did he look so sad about it? Like it changed everything between us in ways I didn’t understand yet.
“Yes.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “I found out yesterday. I was going to tell you, but I didn’t know with all this mess where-”
“I’m always on your side, Haley.” He crossed the room in three steps and pulled me into a hug. “Always.”
I melted into him. I couldn’t help it. After everything that had just happened, James’s arms felt like the only safe place left in the world.
What was it about James Sinclair? What was it about this man that made me feel like I could actually breathe? Like I wasn’t completely alone in this nightmare?
“Daniel texted me as soon as they showed up.” His voice was soft against my hair. “He was worried about you. Said Diane just barged in and he didn’t know what to do.”
“He didn’t have to call you.”
“He knew I’d want to know.” He pulled back slightly to look at my face, his hands still resting on my shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“I will be.” I managed a small smile. “Thanks to you.”
“I meant what I said, Haley.” His eyes held mine, steady and certain. “They’re not going to hurt you. I won’t let them.”