Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Jason
Hailey spends the night in my bed, and I hate that I have to leave the next day for three games on the road.
Whatever understanding we may have reached feels tenuous, at best, and I’m afraid that if I’m gone for a week, when I come back, she’ll go back to being the timid little mouse she’s been since moving in.
Sure, there’ve been flashes of her fully confident self.
But the way she curls up on the couch like she’s afraid to take up space and mostly keeps to her room feels like she’s trying to minimize her presence in my home—in my life—as much as possible.
Even with going out after the game and planning the reception—she’s happy to go along with whatever I want, barely venturing an opinion, even when asked directly.
Since she’ll have to meet with the event planner alone to make some decisions while I’m gone, that might be interesting.
At least it doesn’t take much convincing to get her into the shower with me, which finishes with another round of exploring her body and making her come with my tongue.
But when I have to pack, she gathers her clothes and heads for her own room—though I notice she takes my hoodie with her, which makes me smile.
When I finish packing, I expect her to be in the living room, but when I go out there, she’s nowhere to be seen. “Hailey?” I call, wondering if she left without saying anything.
She pokes her head out of her bedroom, dressed in a wide-necked long-sleeve T-shirt that seems to want to slip off her shoulder and a pair of comfortable lounge pants. “What’s up?” she asks.
Grinning at her all comfy looking in my house, I walk over to her and rest my hands on her hips. “No plans to go anywhere today?”
She shakes her head. “I figured I’d get some more practicing in once you hit the road. If I’m feeling adventurous, I might go exploring later, but …” She shrugs, leaving the possibility open but seeming unlikely.
“You could get in touch with Marissa. Or Maggie. Didn’t Tina give you her number last night? I bet she’d love to hang out.”
She tilts her head to the side and studies me. “Tina’s busy with her two kids, I’m sure.”
“Maybe,” I concede, “but I know she wants to get to know you more. And like I said before, she’ll know which other moms might want to find a violin teacher for their kids.”
She purses her lips. “Fine. Good point. I’ll probably still wait and reach out to her a different day, though. You’ll be gone for a while. I’ll have plenty of time to get bored and decide I want to see other humans.”
“Okay. Just promise you won’t stay locked in here and go crazy. I don’t want to find you curled up in a weird nest and eating your hair when I get back.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “I promise I won’t turn into a hair-eating nest maker in the week that you’re gone.”
My eyebrows raise. “So you might when I get back?”
Laughing again, she sets her hands on my chest, pushing gently. “I promise I won’t ever turn into that. Happy?”
“Almost,” I murmur, tilting my head down so I can kiss her. “There. Now I’m happy.”
She shakes her head like I’m ridiculous, but there’s no mistaking the pleased smile on her face.
“I suppose I know you won’t be alone the whole time. You have that meeting with Jackie the wedding planner the day after tomorrow.”
Her nose wrinkles at that reminder. “Event planner,” she corrects.
“To-may-to, to-mah-to.”
“Let’s call the whole thing off.”
I freeze, my brows slamming together. “What?”
She looks confused, giving me a tentative smile.
“That’s the song.” Then she sings the line about to-may-tos and to-mah-tos and po-tay-tos and po-tah-tos, ending with, “Let’s call the whole thing off!
” Then she slides away, still hanging onto me with one hand like we’re dancing, the other hand raised above her head in a graceful gesture as she keeps singing the chorus about how calling the whole thing off means we’ll part, which would break her heart. Or at least the songwriter’s heart.
Somehow it makes me feel better, though.
Laughing, I reel her in. “Okay. Good. You scared me for a second there.”
She’s smiling as she shakes her head. “I was just singing the song.”
“I see that now.” I kiss her again, just for good measure. “But since we’re not calling the whole thing off, please pick what you want during the meeting. It’s not something to be stressed over. It’s just a party. There aren’t any wrong choices.”
A sly smile takes over her face. “You sure about that? Because that sounds like a dare.”
Laughing, I nod. “I’m sure. Even if you pick the wildest combination you can think of that makes everyone think, ‘What the fuck?’ I won’t care. I’ll just be happy to be throwing a party to celebrate you.”
“Us,” she corrects.
My smile broadens, and I repeat, “Us.” After one more kiss, I force myself to pull away. I have to get going soon. “But seriously, pick whatever you like. If you’re happy, I’m happy. Okay?”
Her lips are pressed together, and she looks me over with her arms crossed like she isn’t sure she believes me, but at this point, I think it might be more of an act than anything. “Okay.” She holds up a finger. “But if you complain about anything I choose, I’m gonna be pissed.”
I hold up my hands, laughing a little, but more because I’m surprised than because it’s funny.
It sounds like that’s something she has experience with.
Part of me wants to ask, but there’s not time now.
“I swear I won’t complain,” I reassure her instead.
“You can make the whole thing Pepto Bismol pink, and I’ll be in heaven, without a word of complaint. ”
She arches an eyebrow. “There you go, daring me again.”
This time, my laugh is more genuine. “Do whatever you like, Hailey. Try me if you want to, but I think you’d be happier with something other than pink everything.
” She’s not much of a pink person. The only things of hers I’ve seen that are pink are a couple of tops and a few of her body care products that have pink containers. That’s it.
Grinning, she shrugs. “Okay, fine. You’re right. I’ll choose things I like. And if I’m unsure, I’ll text you pictures?”
I nod. “That works. I might not always be able to respond right away.”
“I know. That’s fine. Just as long as you don’t leave me on read for eternity, I won’t be upset.”
“I promise not to do that. I won’t read your texts until I can respond, and then they’ll just show as delivered until I get to them.”
She laughs. “Deal. I’ll do the same.”
Even though I thought I’d already given her one last kiss, that feels like it needs one to seal it, so I steal another one, making her laugh again. “Okay. Much as I’d love to stay, I need to head out. I’ll let you know when we get to Edmonton, okay?”
“Sounds good. I’ll be here, so call if you feel like it.”
That invitation makes me grin. I don’t think she’s ever invited me to call like that before. I didn’t call when I was out of town before this, though we did text a few times a day. “I will.”
We stare at each other for a second, and it feels like I should say something else, but I’m not sure what.
Then it hits me. All the interactions between couples I’ve ever witnessed where they’re parting ways, the final words between them are, “I love you.” But I know that’s not the thing to say.
Not now, at least, even if it seems like it might be—at least on my end—in the future.
Instead, I heft my bags. “Have fun without me. But not too much.”
She grins at me again. “I will. Or won’t?” She points at me. “I’ll do what you said.”
Laughing, I head for the door. “Talk to you soon.”
Her faint, “Bye!” follows me out the door as I pull it closed behind me.