14. Chapter 14
June 27, 2011
6:08 pm
Hailey stood on the porch with Trinity, fidgeting with her hair as they waited for Trey to open the door.
“Mom, chill. Dinner is going to be fine,” Trinity said. “I’m the one that should be nervous. You already know the guy.”
Hailey gave a half smile. “You’re right.”
Trey opened the door, interrupting their conversation. He beamed at the sight of Trinity and stood to the side, motioning them into the house. “The pizza is almost here.”
“Pizza? Here I thought we’d get a home cooked meal,” Hailey quipped.
Trey smiled slyly. “I only cook for the girls I’m dating.”
“Ew,” the teen said. “Can you not flirt in front of me?”
Hailey slightly blushed and made her way to the couch as Trinity followed. Trey sat in his recliner, giving the two their space.
Hailey subtly eyed Trey. He still wore his t-shirt and jeans from earlier but had traded his boots for plain white socks. She felt like an idiot for wearing a dress. He clearly didn’t see this dinner as a big deal like she did. He probably wasn’t even thinking about his clothes, meanwhile Hailey's emotions got the better of her and she put on a stupid dress wanting to impress him.
She was annoyed with herself for even feeling the need to impress him. There were much bigger issues at hand than her love life.
She then studied the living room. His home was surprisingly cozy and well-kempt. Hailey expected it to be a disaster since he was a bachelor.
Hailey could make out the faint scent of Jasmine, which surprised her. She eyed the coffee table and found the source of the smell, smiling to herself. She didn't peg Trey as being a man who would have candles in his home.
Trinity started to wander around the room to look at photos that hung on the walls. Hailey continued to twirl her hair, not making eye contact with Trey.
Finally, he spoke up. “So uhm… I know this is kind of weird for all of us, but I’m really happy you're both here.”
Trinity smiled. “Me, too. I’ve always wanted to know who my father is.”
Hailey stiffened slightly as Trey locked eyes with her. But instead of hatred or anger, she saw sympathy. Thankfully, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Ooh! Pizza!” Trinity ran to the door and swung it open as Trey followed her. The woman carrying the boxes handed them to Trinity and then accepted the cash Trey offered her. Trinity put them on the counter in the kitchen and immediately helped herself.
“Trinity,” Hailey scolded.
Trinity looked at Hailey, wide eyed, a piece of pizza halfway in her mouth. Trey stood behind her doing the same and Hailey couldn't help but laugh.
“What?” Trinity said through a mouthful.
“Don’t help yourself without asking; it’s rude.”
Trey finished his bite of pizza and said, “No, it’s fine. This is her house now, too.”
Hailey’s stomach plummeted. Was that his way of telling her that he was going to ask for custody?
Hailey suddenly felt lightheaded. She quickly went back to the living room and sat on the couch.
“Where’s the bathroom?” Trinity asked Trey.
“It’s down the hall, first door on the left.”
Hailey heard Trinity’s footsteps pitter across the floor followed by the thump of a door closing.
Trey came into the living room carrying two plates of pizza. “Here, Princess.”
She sat the plate down on the coffee table and eyed him, still annoyed by the pet name. “Don’t-”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t call you that.” He waved her off as he sat down next to her, placing his plate on the table. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t mean to step on your toes. I just meant that since she’s my daughter, this is her home too. Nothing more than that.”
Hailey nodded silently and stared at her hands that she placed in her lap.
“Hailey, look at me.”
She did and he took one of her hands. “I’m not going to take her from you. As angry as I am that you kept her from me, I wouldn’t do that to you or her. She deserves to have two happy parents, however that looks. If it means I fly out to visit every weekend, then I’ll do it. If it means I move there, I’ll find a house close to you. Or,” he shrugged, “if we can work things out, maybe…” He roughly ran his other hand through his hair. “I don’t know, but I don’t want you to be scared that I’m going to take her from you.”
Hailey gently clutched his hand. “I don’t know what this looks like either, but I don’t want us to be bitter. You’re right, Trinity deserves to have happy parents.”
“Once things settle after your mother’s case and this other case I’m working on, we can sit down and figure out what we think will be best. And if it doesn’t work, we can always change it. I just don’t want you to be worried. I know I just met her a few hours ago, but I love her more than anything in this world and she will always come first.”
Hailey closed her eyes and let out a breath. “Good. No matter what, she needs to be our priority.”
“Deal,” Trey said.
There was an awkward pause before Hailey said, “So it seems like you’ve reinvented yourself. Do you like being Chief?”
“It has its ups and downs like any other job, but yeah, I like it for the most part. It’s pretty quiet around here, so I usually go out and help the guys who are on call, or I make rounds to the schools and check on the kids.”
“Trying to keep them from following in your footsteps?” she teased.
“Make jokes all you want, Princess, but if I remember correctly, you were quite fond of my bad-boy reputation. It wasn’t too long ago that we found ourselves in some trouble and you were having the time of your life.”
She looked down at her hands and smiled. “We did have fun, didn’t we? My parents were furious the night we played Ding-Dong-Ditch around town.”
He laughed. “I didn’t mean to get you into trouble, but it’s one of my favorite memories of you.”
She playfully swiped at his arm. “I was grounded for a week after that. I wasn’t even allowed to leave the house, no thanks to you.”
Trey smiled and pointed at her. “You didn’t exactly do as you were told, anyway. The next day we were in my bed making plans to elope after a steamy love making session.”
Hailey giggled and looked away. God, they had been naive. They truly believed they would run away and get married and live happily ever after. A part of her wished she still held on to that innocence.
“Are y'all done talking?” Trinity asked, poking her head around the corner.
Hailey jumped a little. “Were you eavesdropping?”
She prayed Trinity hadn’t heard Trey’s comment about their sex life.
Trinity sat in Trey’s recliner. “No, but I wanted to.”
“I see you’re nosey like your mother.” Trey winked at Trinity.
“I’m better at it than she is.”
Hailey chuckled and Trey eyed her, looking at her the way he used to. There was a part of Hailey that hoped they could fix their relationship after all these years, maybe have a second chance.
They spent the next three hours trying to condense the last thirteen years into a single dinner conversation. Trinity shared about her hobbies and the latest school drama, which Trey seemed to find quite juicy.
He shared stories of arrests and criminals, and Trinity was on the edge of her seat with each one. Hailey tried to keep quiet, not wanting to interrupt their bonding, something that should have happened long ago.
It was nearly nine-thirty and as much as Hailey didn’t want to end the night, they all needed some sleep. “I hate to be the one to break this up, but we probably need to head back.”
“Awe, but Mom!” Trinity threw her head back.
“Hey, Kid, listen to your momma,” Trey said gently.
Trinity put her arm up. “Are you seriously going to take her side?”
“I might not know how to parent yet, but your mother and I are a team.”
Trinity stuck her finger in her mouth and made a gagging noise. “Fine. But I'm not happy about it.” She turned to Hailey. “Can I have the keys? I’ll wait in the car.”
Hailey started digging in her purse when Trey said, “Hold on, I have something for you as long as your mother is okay that you have it.”
Both girls raised a brow at him. He went back into the kitchen and came out carrying his wallet and retrieved a necklace out of the fold. He held it up and let it dangle in front of Trinity and Hailey.
Hailey’s eyes rounded.
He said to Trinity, “This used to be your mother’s. I, uh, never really knew what to do with it. Maybe you should have it…as long as she doesn’t want it back.”
He glanced at Hailey, but she didn’t move.
He kept it all these years?
She always wondered what he’d done with it.
Hailey looked at Trey and he sheepishly looked away as if he was caught doing something wrong. Then she slowly reached out to take it, studying it as she did. “You kept my locket?”
He shrugged. “Never felt right to throw it out or give it away.”
She looked back at him again. “Why?”
“It was yours. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it.”
Trinity looked from Hailey to Trey, not knowing what to do. She clutched the car keys and said, “Listen, the locket is nice or whatever, but I don’t want my mom’s hand-me-downs.” She eyed Trey. “Keep it until you can buy her a ring.”
Hailey shot her daughter a look, but Trinity ignored her and let herself out the front door.
Hailey studied the necklace again. The night she’d given it to him, he had planned a picnic in a secluded spot by the lake and the sunset had been breathtaking. Trey had held her close as they spent hours talking, sharing things about themselves they hadn’t shared with anyone else. They had planned and dreamed together, all while the stars gleamed above them.
He had brushed her hair back as he thumbed her lips. Then he had kissed her. It had started innocently enough, until they had found themselves intertwined on the blanket, the moon the only source of light.
She had known that night she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She couldn't imagine living in a world where he wasn’t the one who loved her. So, she had given him the only thing she still had on: her locket.
It was her way of promising herself to him. That night they planned to run away together, but they never got the chance before chaos ensued.
He had ripped her heart out a few weeks later. Then her mother died, and her sister went to jail, and she was pregnant and alone. Her whole life had fallen apart and, stuck in her own pit of anger and bitterness, she never asked for the necklace back.
Trey drew her from her memories, though she knew he was remembering the night by the lake too. “I hated myself for letting you go. It was a piece of you I could keep since I couldn't have you. I kept telling myself that if I ever met the right woman, I’d toss the locket, but I never found anyone that came close to what you were to me.”
Hailey hadn’t realized how close she was standing to Trey. She inhaled, trying to slow her racing heart, but it only beat faster when his scent invaded her. She took a step back, wanting to distance herself. She clutched the locket and scowled. “You kept this stupid locket for thirteen years, but never came for me?
Trey furrowed his brows. “I didn’t think-”
“Yeah, I know. You let my father get in your head and instead of talking to me about it, you ended our relationship. And then had the audacity to keep my locket instead of trying to work things out?”
“I tried.” He put his hands in front of him. “I came to your house every day until you left, and you refused to see me.”
Hailey threw her hands in the air. “I never once saw you!”
“Your father told me you didn’t want to see anyone, and you were going off to college like you originally planned. I begged him to let me see you, Hailey. Begged. But he refused and told me you never wanted to see me again.”
Hailey had all but fallen apart during the month following her mother’s death. She could hardly eat or sleep. She refused to see anyone or take phone calls or condolences. She almost didn’t go to the funeral but somehow managed to make herself go even though she felt like she'd throw up the entire time.
But her father never mentioned Trey coming to see her. If he had, she would have talked to him. She still would have agreed to run away with him. But he never came and so she moved on with her life.
Grief tore through her body at what she lost by her father’s manipulation and lies. He destroyed so much of her life.
Irritated, she said, “I never knew you came to see me. And why did you all of a sudden start listening to my father, anyway? We spent so many nights sneaking out, never caring what he thought. But all of a sudden, you couldn’t climb up my balcony like you’d done plenty of times before?”
Her voice wavered, “I needed you, but you were nowhere to be found. I had to learn to be a mother at eighteen all while grieving over everything I'd lost. And I had to do it alone because you left me.”
Trey rubbed his hand over his face. “I was twenty, Hailey! I was a kid. I hardly knew what being in love meant. I was terrified of ruining you. And then when shit hit the fan, I didn't know how to be there for you through all of that. I thought I should give you your space, but you never came back.”
“I never came back because I thought you didn’t love me anymore!” Hailey wanted to pick a fight and make him angry, but she quickly clamped her mouth shut and, instead, inhaled deeply. “I lost everything that summer. I had nothing left for me here except you. And I thought I didn’t even have that anymore.”
He shook his head. “I loved you so much I let you go. Maybe it wasn’t right, but it felt right at the time.” He stepped closer to her. Heat crept through her body, and she wasn’t sure if it was because she was angry or because she wanted to make love to him.
“I still love you, Hailey. I always have and I always will.” He looked down at her and stared into the depths of her soul. He gently cradled her face as he thumbed her lips, much like he'd done all those years ago.
When she didn’t pull away, he kissed her softly, his hands caressing her cheeks. She returned the kiss, wanting more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he traced her spine. She let herself get lost in his kiss, in his touch. It was as if they were young again, loving each other for the first time.
He broke their kiss but kept his lips on hers as he whispered, “I want nothing more than to take you to bed right now, but Trinity is waiting for you.”
Hailey smiled as her fingertips traced his jaw and then his lips. He kissed her fingers.
She wanted Trey in her life. She wanted them to be the family they never got the chance to be. After all these years, he still held her heart and she didn’t want it back.
She kissed him again. “I want to see where this goes. I want us to try to make things work. I don't know what that looks like, but I want to at least try.”
Trey put his forehead on hers and took her hands. “So, are you taking the locket back?”
She pulled away and placed it back in his hand. Then, Hailey smiled as she winked at him and walked out the door.