Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
Easton
It’s the worst timing to start dating someone. I’ve gone months keeping Hadley an arm’s length away, and now that she’s mine, I’m on the road for the next seven days.
I knock on Hayes’s hotel room door since the four of us are going to dinner tonight.
Decker opens the door, eating a container of nuts.
“Raiding the mini bar?” I walk in, finding I’m the last to arrive, but Hayes isn’t in the room. “Where’s Haymaker?”
“In the shower. Problem at home.” Decker cringes.
Foster’s in the chair by the window, remote in his hand. “Deck man, pass me a bag of chips.”
Decker grabs one and tosses it to him. Foster catches it.
“What’s the problem?”
Hayes comes out of the bathroom in a towel. “The problem is that Lake thinks she’s too good to babysit her siblings.” His face is still red.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.”
Decker shakes his head, sitting in the chair opposite Foster, cracking open a can.
Hayes points at Foster and Decker. “You fuckers are paying for this shit.”
They dig out cash and toss it on the table with identical looks of, “There, are you satisfied?”
“Twin moment,” I say, pointing at them. It’s amazing how the twin thing is starting to show now that they’re close again.
“Anyway, I think we’ve given you enough time of dodging our questions,” Decker says, eyeing Foster and Hayes.
“Hold on, wait.” Hayes takes a stack of clothes into the bathroom, returning in jeans and a T-shirt, and sits on the bed. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
My forehead wrinkles. “I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Bullshit.” Decker tosses a nut in the air and catches it in his mouth.
“Try me,” Foster says, opening his mouth. Decker aims and throws, but it knocks off Foster’s teeth and shoots toward the window. “Again.”
I think I’m in the clear, that they’re too distracted playing juvenile games that I won’t have to talk to them about Hadley. Not that I don’t want to brag.
“So, what’s up?” Hayes eyes me. Leave it to him. He’s our captain for a reason.
I shrug. “We’re together now.”
The Davis twins stop what they’re doing and stare at me.
“Like, you hooked up?” Foster asks.
I shake my head and their mouths slowly fall open. “We’re together. We’re giving it a real shot.”
Even Hayes’s eyes widen, but he nods as if it took him a while to think about it. “Okay. You sure?”
“Fuck you.”
“You can’t blame us, Kodiak,” Decker says, pushing away the nuts. “I mean, you fake married her, and she’s your nanny. And you’re still contracted to her for how long?”
I’ve done the math. I did it before I asked her. If this goes south and I fuck this up, I’ll still own my end of the bargain, but I don’t see it going bad. “It’s fine. We’re on the same page. But I’m telling you guys, the feelings are there.”
Hayes walks over and holds out his hand. “I’m happy for you. Truly.”
Foster nods, crumpling his empty bag of chips. “Yeah, I’m proof it only takes the right woman.”
Decker doesn’t say much, but he’s never been a fan of this idea, so I’m not surprised.
My phone dings in my pocket, and I pull it out, seeing Hadley’s name.
“Hadley?” Hayes asks.
I nod.
“Well, there’s the difference. When is the last time he smiled when a woman messaged him?” Hayes laughs.
Hadley: I think I found her.
I blow out a breath, unsure why I started this search in the first place.
“What?” Decker asks.
I must be transparent with my facial expression.
Check out this Insta profile.
Do you remember if this was her?
I click on the links she sent. The girl is a blonde with bright blue eyes.
She was in Cabo with you. There are pictures on her feed, and you’re in the background.
She’s made this her mission after I heard from my cousin with more details.
Maybe.
You should reach out to her. I think she lives in the suburbs, which is weird, right? Like she moved to the Chicago area right before or something.
Now that she mentions it, it sounds vaguely familiar. Like I told the girl we could meet up or I’d show her around. Fuck.
Oh, give me 10. Tanner is a very unhappy boy right now.
I blow out a breath, and when I look up from my phone, all my friends are staring at me.
“It’s… the Tanner’s mother thing. My cousin got back to me and got me a name. Hadley has been searching and…” I lift my phone. “Found her.”
“You’re still looking for her?” Foster asks, going to the mini bar and taking a drink.
“Hey, asshole, we’re leaving,” Hayes says.
Foster tips the can in my direction. “Clearly not yet. Kodiak needs a little intervention.” He sits back down.
I sigh. “He deserves a mom.”
Foster’s eyebrows lift as he cracks open the can. “Seems like he already has one.”
“Hadley isn’t his mom.”
Decker doesn’t say anything.
When I look at him, he’s got an expression on his face I can’t read. “What?”
“I’m kind of with my brother here,” Decker says. “Maybe because Hazel is mine in every sense but blood, but I don’t think it matters. She loves Tanner like he’s hers.”
Hadley’s never said that. We’ve never discussed anything like that. And I would never presume to put that on her. Although it is a reality that if she’s going to seriously date me, Tanner will be a part of our lives.
“I feel the same. I mean, Lake, Linc, and Monroe… they’re mine as much as Flora.” Hayes shoves his hands in his pockets.
I flip my phone around in my hand. It felt weird when I brought the search up to Hadley yesterday, but she was excited, going for her phone immediately. As if she wanted to find out just as badly as I once did.
“Just because she’s with me doesn’t mean she wants a kid.” I drop my insecurity right into the middle of our conversation.
They all stare at me as though I missed a routine ground ball.
“Half the reason you fell for her is how she is with your kid,” Foster says.
I open my mouth.
“Don’t try to deny it. It’s true,” he continues, tipping back his head.
“Sure, that was part of it, but it’s more than that.”
Hayes sits down. “Hey, you don’t have to describe it to us. We all get it.”
“You think I can explain why the hell I love Callie?”
“Hey now,” Hayes warns.
Foster gives him an annoyed expression. “I have reasons and could list them, but I can’t explain how I knew she was the one. It was just this feeling that came over me and has only grown every day.”
“Someone get Reap some tissues,” I say, always more comfortable with humor than feelings, but I’m not sure he could have described it better.
It’s just this thing I can’t put my finger on.
Like there should’ve been some big moment or flash of lightning that told me she’s the one.
Instead, it was more like a slow storm on the horizon moving in over the days and weeks.
And sure, seeing her with Tanner is… indescribable, but it’s just us, together. We fit.
“So cut the mom search,” Hayes says.
“That affects Tanner.”
“How? His mother didn’t want him. I mean, if she hasn’t come back for him by now…” Foster’s voice is knowing.
“Foster,” Decker says with a sigh.
Foster raises his hand. “I get it, and I’m in a good place with Mom now, but I also understand what it’s like to feel unwanted. Why search out a woman who left him at a bar?”
“She probably thought he had money to take care of him,” Hayes says, always the softer one. “But I kind of agree.”
“Me too,” Decker says. I must give him a look because he continues. “What? You’re surprised? Hazel’s dad hasn’t wanted her since day one. I’d never allow that piece of shit to try and come into her life. I’m her dad.”
The more they talk about it, the more I think maybe I should let this search die.
“Maybe you’re right,” I say to no one in particular.
“We’re always right.” Foster stands and throws away the chip bag and drink.
“Let’s go. We can talk more at the restaurant,” Hayes says. “I’m starving. Arguing with Lake makes me hungry.” We all stand, but Hayes stops in front of the door and points at Decker. “Clean up your shit.”
Foster smiles at me. “See? I grew up without a mom, and I clean up my shit. He had our mom, and he’s a slob.”
Once we’re all in the hallway, we see the DICs about to walk in the elevator.
“One more week, and then you’ll be taking us to dinner.” I love egging them on about our monthly bet over which three of us can tag as many bases. We’ve beaten them every month this year so far.
“And this time, I’m coming,” Foster says.
“We’re not paying for you, Reap,” Drew says.
“You owe me after you almost blew the Colorado game when you let that ball get past you in the eighth and two runs scored on your error.”
Drew says nothing, but his jaw flexes.
I pull out my phone and text Hadley.
I think I’m gonna let it be.
What?
The whole mom search. Why do I care?
The three dots appear and disappear before her response comes in.
Okay, if you’re sure…
And then a video comes in.
Hadley is showing Tanner my picture and repeating dada over and over. And then Tanner repeats dada. Or at least I think he does. It sounds like it.
So damn cute, this little man
The guys are right. He doesn’t need a mom because if this thing goes all the way with Hadley, she’s his mom, which scares the hell out of me… because I want that more than I wanted to be the number one draft pick my year.