Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Easton
Hadley puts the key in the door and walks to the back of the store to turn off the alarm. Meanwhile, I take Tanner out of the stroller and walk around the space.
I’m embarrassed to say I’ve only been here twice. The one time she had me meet her here when we were just hooking up, and then the time I proposed to her.
The first time I didn’t have a kid to appreciate the space, and the second time I was so concerned I was going to fuck up the proposal that I had tunnel vision.
“I’ll just grab some things and then we can get out of here,” Hadley says.
Every one of my off days, we try to do something public to keep up appearances, so we’re supposed to go to this food truck festival at Daley Plaza today.
I never mind going out in public with her, it’s an excuse to touch her—something I’ve come to like a little too much.
I’ve convinced myself that my body just knows what it’s like to have her, so that’s why our hands gravitate to each other a little too easily.
“Take your time.” I sit under the big tree in the reading area and place Tanner on the mat.
He’s been doing so much better holding himself up, so I put him in the sitting position with his hands between his legs on the floor. Since there isn’t anything to really hold him up, I go to pick him up before he falls.
“Oh, wait. I use these.” Hadley runs back into the hallway and returns with three pillows before sandwiching him in them. “He refuses to sit in the stroller during story time now, so Felix has a specific spot for him.” She smiles and taps Tanner’s nose with her finger before standing back up.
“Thank Felix for me,” I say.
She glances over her shoulder before going behind the counter. “I will. I’m not sure how I’d do both things without him.”
Guilt rises up inside me that maybe she can’t make this bookstore a success because of being Tanner’s nanny—and let’s be honest, she’s so much more than a nanny to him. We’ve made this little family, and I have to keep reminding myself that it’s not real, that things will change at some point.
“You know, if you want to hire more help…”
Her gaze lifts off whatever she’s looking at. “This store cannot afford to employ anyone else.”
“I meant for Tanner.” I dig into his diaper bag and pull out the soft book Hadley bought him that he seems to love so much.
He instantly gets excited, his hands grabbing for it.
“No. We have a deal.” She walks around the counter with her laptop tucked under her arm. “Sure, it can be hectic, but Felix and Vera are practically running the store on the daily. I read a story on the story time days, and I’m trying to figure out a way to get it in the black.”
“Exactly, and if you didn’t have Tanner interrupting you all day, you’d probably be able to do it.”
Hadley sits next to me but leans forward and opens the book for Tanner. “Cow says moo.” She points, and Tanner slaps his hand on the picture. “I’m good, Easton.” She extends her legs and opens her laptop. “One more minute, I have to check the sales from yesterday.”
I watch her type on the computer while I point at the animals in the book, saying the animal sounds like Hadley started.
“Jeez, another bad day yesterday. Maybe this is a dream that can’t come true.” She tosses her laptop on the mat and crawls over to Tanner. “I’d rather play with you anyway.”
Tanner smiles at her as though she’s his. To him, she is, but lately I can’t stop the feeling that he’s not the only one growing attached to her.
I look at the laptop, and there is a lot of red on that spreadsheet.
“Do you mind?” I nod toward the laptop.
“Be my guest.” She pushes it toward me, and I stretch my legs out, leaning against the fake tree trunk while I look over her numbers.
“I was a business major in college. Not that it means a lot, but—”
“Honestly, if you have an idea that I can’t think of, I welcome it.” She turns the page. “A duck, quack, quack.”
I scroll through her expenses, and it mostly just comes to not enough purchases. It looks like her return is good. Her grandma owned the building.
“If Vera could pay rent…” I say, but she’s already shaking her head.
“My grandma would never. Plus, the apartment is so old and outdated that if she did move out, I’d have to gut it to make any money off it.”
The fact she isn’t turning a profit when she doesn’t have to pay rent isn’t the best sign. Sure, she has her taxes and things, but she should be able to sell enough.
“You have a good spot here, for sure.”
What kid wouldn’t love this store? A giant tree grows straight out of the wall, its branches stretching wide above the reading mat, glowing softly with tiny lights.
Butterflies drift through the air while birds perch along the branches, and fluffy clouds float between them like pieces of a story come to life.
It feels as if you’ve stepped inside a book, where anything can happen and no one’s in a hurry to leave.
“I think it’s getting people here. When they come for story time, you have to sell them.”
She sits back and pulls out a board book for Tanner as he’s growing bored of the felt one. “Which I have no idea how to do.”
“In all honesty, I’m surprised the proposal didn’t bring in more customers.” I shut the laptop, pull out my phone, and scroll to my post.
I see the problem immediately. Everyone is saying Hadley owns a children’s bookstore, but no one is saying which one. I’m shocked no one has tried to dig up this information. Isn’t this the kind of thing the internet is good at?
It’s an easy fix. I have a huge platform I could use to get her customers, but with those customers can come the bad side of what I can offer her, and I don’t want to ruin this place for her.
“I’m happy to invest.” I click my phone off and place it on the mat.
“No, Easton. You’ve done enough.” She doesn’t even look at me as she says it. Then she stands. “Let’s go. We don’t want to miss the cupcake place.” She pokes Tanner’s stomach.
I know she loves my kid, but he’s a great way to deflect anything she doesn’t want to talk about.
“We have time.” I grab her hand before she can get too far away. “Let’s talk this out. I want to help.”
Her shoulders deflate, and she releases a breath. “I don’t want saving, Easton. I want to come in here one day and know that it’s because of me that it’s a success. Plus, you married me. That’s enough. Throwing good money into something bad isn’t going to fix the problem.”
I pat the spot next to me, and she reluctantly sits.
“Look at how much Tanner loves books. That’s why I’m invested. I want him to have this place as he grows up. Somewhere he can go to get away from his world and imagine another place. Escape from his own problems.”
She raises her eyebrows. “And you’re such a big reader?”
I shrug. She’s got me there. I slide closer to her and put my arm around her back. “Hadley, you’re important to me. The store is important to you. My kid loves the store. I’m invested, let me help.”
She shakes her head. God, I hate how stubborn she can be.
“I’m sorry, Easton. I won’t take your money.”
I pick up my phone. “Then you leave me no choice.” I flip the camera on, aim it at Tanner, and snap a picture.
“Do not,” she warns, her hand shooting out to grab my phone before I can caption and post it.
“Come on.” I lift it out of reach, but she lunges for me anyway.
We go down in a tangle, her momentum knocking me back as she climbs over me, reaching for the phone. I shift, trying to keep it away, but it slips from my grip and lands somewhere on the mat.
She braces her hands on either side of my face to steady herself, and everything stills.
Our eyes lock.
And just like that, the rest of the world disappears.
Her breath hits my mouth first. Soft and uneven.
My hands settle at her waist without thinking, holding her, not pulling her closer… but not letting her go like I should.
Her gaze flicks to my mouth, then back to my eyes, as though she’s right at the brink I’ve been with us since she came back into my life.
“Hadley…” My voice comes out rougher than I expect.
She doesn’t move. Doesn’t blink. Just stays, hovering over me. Close enough that if either of us shifts even an inch…
My thumb presses lightly into her side, and that’s all it takes.
She inhales sharply, her lips parting as her gaze drops again.
The space between us disappears as we lean toward one another.
Then my phone vibrates, and her eyes pop open. She scurries off my lap, and I snatch the phone, seeing Decker’s name on the screen.
I’m not sure if I want to kick Decker’s ass or kiss his feet, but I’m leaning more toward the broken nose scenario. She felt so good on top of me. It’ll be a damn week before I get that visual out of my head.
“Let’s go, Tanman. A vanilla cupcake is calling our name.” She lifts him and moves over to the stroller.
I slide my thumb over the screen, but it goes to voicemail before I can answer.
I sit up and pack Tanner’s things back in the diaper bag. My phone vibrates another time, this time with a text message.
Decker: Come down to Peeper’s.
Thanks, but I’m going to the food truck festival with Hadley and Tanner.
We have a surprise. We can all go after.
Do I want to hang out with all my friends right now? No. But I also can’t take the chance that what just happened will happen again. Maybe it’s best if we hang out with our friends for the day. I clearly can’t trust myself with her.
“Ready?” Hadley asks from across the room, her bag packed and Tanner already in his stroller.
She seems to be on the same page.
“The gang wants us to stop at Peeper’s.”
“Okay,” she agrees easily, and that’s all the answer I need.
Kissing is off the table for us. Which is good.
Okay, not good, but it’s the right decision.