Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Hayes
“You good, dude?” Romeo asked, as my gaze tracked Savannah out on the dance floor with the girls.
“Yeah. Of course.”
“So you came with Savvy tonight, huh?” King smirked.
River shot me a warning look. The fewer people that knew, the better.
It wasn’t a full-on lie. I’d known her most of my life.
Even though we hadn’t talked in years, it didn’t feel that way.
It felt like I’d just seen her yesterday.
We’d always had a connection. So whether she hated me or liked me, it didn’t really matter.
I knew this girl.
I knew her well.
I may not have understood her choices, but I knew who she was.
Good to her core.
Maybe she’d just outgrown me. I could understand that. She was always destined for big things. For more. I’d known it early on.
I wouldn’t fault her for that. My life was a shit show, and it was easy to get pulled down in all that drama back then.
“Yeah. We’ve been spending some time together, and I’m not going to lie—it’s nice.” That was true. I’d never lied to my boys, and I’d find a way to do this without lying now.
At least, I’d try.
River, Romeo, Nash, and King were family. They were more like brothers to me.
“She doesn’t seem to hate you, that’s for sure. She walked in here with you and looked like she was having a good time,” Nash said.
“And you did, too,” Kingston added, raising a brow as if he were testing me.
“Hey, our boy is happy. Let him be. He’d missed her, and we all knew that. They’ve got a history, and clearly, they’re picking up where they left off.” River took a pull from his beer. He was setting things up.
Always the lawyer.
The song stopped, and Ruby, Demi, Peyton, Saylor, Emerson, and Savannah came walking toward us with big smiles on their faces.
My gaze locked with Savannah’s, and she held it this time.
She’d had a few drinks, so maybe she was more relaxed.
Her guard was definitely down, and I didn’t mind it.
“Hey there, friends and fans.” Scotty’s voice pulled my attention to the stage.
“We’re getting ready to take the stage, and I know a lot of you are here tonight to hear The Disasters perform, so I want to let you know that we plan to give the crowd what they want.
” There were very few cheers and a few groans, and I glanced over at Savannah, giving her a knowing look.
She surprised me when she smiled so big it had my chest squeezing. How long had it been since she’d smiled at me like that?
Too long.
“Does anyone else think that naming your band The Disasters is sort of like setting yourself up for failure?” Romeo asked.
Everyone chuckled.
“Yeah, not the wisest choice,” Kingston said, his eyes on me as Savannah took the stool beside me.
Scotty was back at the mic because the dude couldn’t help himself. “All right, we’re going to kick this off with an oldie. This one is for the girl that got away. She knows who she is.”
His eyes were staring right at the woman beside me, and her shoulders tensed. “Dear God, what is he doing?” she whisper-hissed, leaning close so only I could hear.
I leaned down, my lips grazing her ear as the smell of vanilla and lavender flooded my senses. “I don’t know, but maybe it’s time we make sure he realizes you aren’t available. Well, that’s pending how you want to pull this off.”
Her eyes widened when she pulled back, and she gave me the slightest nod. She leaned against me, and I wrapped an arm around her on instinct.
It was so easy.
Far too easy.
I’d never been an affectionate guy. I believe that was Kate’s big complaint after I’d found her riding my coworker like she was a professional jockey.
She’d blamed me.
“You’re cold, Hayes. You have zero emotion. You give me nothing.”
It was easy to believe because I was closed off. I wasn’t looking to let anyone in more than necessary, and I’d always been that way.
With the exception of Savannah Abbott. She was the one person I’d always let in.
I was surprised how easy it was to fall back into that comfort, especially after the way she’d left. Maybe I was just playing along, doing my part to make it believable.
Hell, I didn’t know.
My thumb ran up and down her arm over her sweater, and I kissed her cheek, lingering there a little longer than necessary.
I noted everyone at the table watching us, but I forced my attention back to the dickhead on stage singing about how his woman left him, and he wanted her back.
Irritation seeped in because I’d never liked the dude.
He’d been possessive of her back in high school. He’d tried like hell to come between our friendship, and it had pissed me the fuck off.
Clearly, that hadn’t changed.
He finished his song and had the audacity to walk toward our table. My hand moved to Savannah’s waist, and I tugged her closer, pulling the whole barstool with her. Her hand rested on top of mine, and I relaxed. She wasn’t going to bail on me. At least not tonight.
“Hey, Savvy, you’re looking fire tonight.”
Yeah, I’d like to pull out a hose and blast your ass the hell out of here.
“Thank you,” she said, stroking her hand over mine, and his eyes tracked there.
Good. Take the hint, asshole. She’s with me.
At least for the next few months.
“I wanted to see if you’d like to get dinner tomorrow night?” he asked, completely ignoring the fact that she was clearly here with me.
I leaned forward, ready to teach this guy some manners. Whether this was real or not, she was leaning against me. Our hands were intertwined. And him hitting on her right now was a dick thing to do.
She must have noticed, because she turned slowly, her hand moving to the side of my face and catching me off guard. “Hey. Give me a minute, okay?”
I nodded, and she pushed off the stool and walked away, with dickhead Scotty on her heels. I followed them with my gaze. I didn’t trust the dude, and I sure as hell wouldn’t let him out of my sight with her. They stood a few feet away, and she was talking to him, and he didn’t look happy.
Good. He needed to back the fuck off so I could give this fake marriage a try.
“What in the holy hotness is going on here, Hayes Woodson?” Peyton asked, and everyone laughed. She was sitting on Slade’s lap, as apparently, she and Demi’s brother were a full-on couple now. Slade reached for his water and chuckled at his girlfriend.
“We’re just having fun. It’s good to see her again,” I said.
And it was all true, so I didn’t have to feel bad about a damn thing.
I needed everyone to believe we were falling for each other, but I had to ease them into the idea of me with a girlfriend before I could sell them on the idea of me with a wife.
“I always thought you two liked each other when we were in high school,” Demi said.
“But then you dated that bitch on wheels, Kate.” Ruby raised a knowing brow at me. “And trust me. I like a badass bitch. But that girl, she was the worst. She put on this show like she was sweet and kind, but then you’d watch her actions, and she was a mean girl to her core.”
Yeah, Kate had been a very layered person, showing me different sides of herself over the years we’d spent together. Ruby was not wrong about her.
“Well, sometimes you don’t think you deserve better than that, you know?” Saylor said, her gaze locking with mine. My sister had a heart of gold, and she knew me well.
“How about we don’t psychoanalyze me tonight and just have a good time, yeah?” I reached for my beer and took a pull. I’d driven here, so I wouldn’t have more than one.
And then Savannah made her way back to the table, with a tray of shot glasses on it, all clear, while one had dark liquid in it.
“I wanted to celebrate being back in town, so the tequila shots are on me. And I got you a Cherry Coke shot, Demi.” She chuckled as she passed out the shot glasses. Everyone else had walked here, but I’d picked up Savvy, as the farmhouse would be a long walk, especially in these cold temperatures.
She handed me mine, her fingers grazing my hand.
“I’m your ride, remember? And I’m sure as hell not letting you get in an Uber with Scotty after you’ve had so much to drink.”
She leaned closer. “Don’t overthink it, Woody. Take the shot. We’ll walk home. You can come get your car tomorrow.”
“It’s a far walk to your place, Shortcake,” I reminded her.
“Then I guess I’m spending the night at your place.” She winked, and I reached for my glass.
“Cheers to old times and good friends!” Kingston shouted, and we all tipped our heads back before grabbing a lime.
“Damn, that first shot always hits a little different,” Romeo said, and we all laughed.
The girls went on stage together and sang a few songs, and it was entertaining as hell.
And we drank and laughed and stayed out way later than I’d planned. Demi dragged Romeo out of there, as she was pregnant and exhausted. I was fairly sober now, as I’d stopped drinking after that shot, but I still wouldn’t get behind the wheel, so we’d be walking home.
Savannah sauntered over to me, where I sat on my barstool, her cheeks flush, hair a wild mess of long waves flowing down her back, her jeans hugging her curves in all the right places.
She wrapped her hands around my neck, her nose brushing against mine, lips close enough to kiss. “Take me home, Woody.”
Her words slurred, and I nodded. I reached for her coat on the back of the barstool and helped her into it, before zipping it up and taking her hat from her coat pocket and pulling it over her ears. I found her mittens next, and she held her hands up. “You like taking care of me, Hayes?”
Her voice was all tease, but my dick jumped to attention at the tone of her voice. At the heat in her honey-brown eyes. I slipped the mittens over each hand and nodded.
“Always, Shortcake.”
We walked outside and said our goodbyes as we made our way home. Once it was just me and Savannah heading toward my house, she groaned. “These damn boots were not a good idea.”
I looked down at her heeled boots and chuckled before bending my knees and patting my back. “Hop on.”