“Jesse Enders...” She groans and hops out of the truck, and is already to the shop’s entrance by the time I catch up, chuckling beneath my breath. Even outside, the sound of gritty rock already tinges the warm night air.
“Your face is flushed, city girl. You sure you’re ready for this?” I tease, pulling open the door for her.
“Hell, yes, I am.” She pops her pretty lips, all sassy like, and then turns on her heels to head inside.
“Jesse!” Drew calls from behind the counter, a big grin on his clean-shaven face. He’s sporting dark-framed glasses next to a tight faded haircut and he has a new neck tat that goes all the way up to his jaw. “And you must be my new canvas.” He comes around into the sitting area and takes both of Hayden’s hands into his, kissing them dramatically.
When the hell did he become such a gentleman?
“Look at all of this beautiful virgin skin…” He runs his fingertips along her bare arms, eliciting a breathy laugh from Hayden that makes me want to wedge myself between them.
“Not for long.” She bites her lip. “I appreciate you squeezing me in like this.”
“My pleasure.” He tips his head my way but never takes his eyes off of her. “We gonna let this guy watch?”
“Yes,” I snap at the same time Hayden gives an adamant, “No.”
She shoots me a knowing smile. “Sorry, frat boy, but you’re going to have to wait.”
Bullshit. Utter bullshit.
“I don’t want you to see until it’s done.” Stepping away from Drew, she comes back to me, that flirty little dress floating around her thighs. My fingers itch to pull her close, just so I can put my hands where that short hem meets her skin.
“Hold this?” She takes her phone from her purse and hands me the bag. Then, with a playful gleam in her eyes, she toes up and whispers, “I promise it’ll be worth the wait.”
“We’ll see about that.”
She wrinkles up her nose and then sashays away, already scrolling through her phone, presumably to show Drew what she wants.
Drew, the cocky bastard that he is, simply waves her toward the back before tossing a wink over his shoulder. “I’ll take good care of her, man.”
Damn right, he will. And he’s lucky we’ve known each other since high school and that I trust him like a brother, otherwise, I’d be standing bodyguard over that chair whether Hayden liked it or not.
Settling in for the wait, I kick back on one of the couches in the sitting area and shoot off a quick text to Amelia to check on Jett.
We’re at your house now, she replies back. It’s possible we’re watching The Good Dinosaur.
He should be in bed.
Ppfftt. Not when you force me to babysit.
Consider it retribution for the fucking heart attack earlier.
Yeah, yeah.
Probably going to be a late night.
Once I’m out, I’m out, so don’t bring Hayden back to bang, okay? I don’t need to be woken up like that.
I almost respond and tell her that’s exactly what I’m going to do, just to piss her off. But talking about Hayden like that, even joking, feels wrong. She’s the mother of my child, for God’s sake. And when we do finally fuck it sure as hell isn’t going to be with Amelia on the couch.
Wouldn’t think of it. And thanks again. Kiss him good night for both of us.
Ssh. We have a movie to watch.
I laugh, click the phone to sleep, and lean back in the seat, hands folded behind my head.
Who the hell knew that so much would change in two weeks? I went from having dinner with Mikayla and trying to convince myself that I should ask her out again, to having dinner with Hayden and knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that I never want to share a meal with another woman again.
I don’t want to date anyone else. I don’t want to fuck anyone else. I don’t want to think about a future with anyone else.
Hell, I never did, but four, almost five, years of waiting and hoping and praying damn near broke me.
But now she’s here.
And she’s giving me everything I wanted and more. Not only is she getting my business back on track, she’s getting me back on track, too. What’s more, I’ve seen Jett more in the past month than I have in six months.
Life doesn’t get much better than this. And that makes me nervous.
I know she said that things with her and Lane were bad for a while and that her feelings for me only grew stronger over the years because of our relationship raising Jett.
But what if her emotions are all fucked up and she’s saying these things because I’ve always been that guy in the background? The guy she already came to once when things went to hell?
I don’t want to believe that’s true, because Hayden and I have always been honest with each other about what we were doing. Even when she came to town five years ago, she was straight with me about not wanting a relationship.
And now she’s telling me she’s rethinking that.
I want to believe she knows what she’s saying. What she’s asking for. But five years is a long time to stand on the sidelines and want something you can’t have.
Do I still want her? Fuck yes. More than ever. But I’m a little gun-shy this time around, because it’s not only my heart on the line this time—it’s my boy’s, too.
Two and a half hours pass before the raucous music is interrupted by a hoot of laughter from the back of the shop. Drew emerges a couple of minutes later, peeling off his gloves and grinning like he just had way too much fun.
“She says you can look now. And bring the purse.”
“That didn’t take long.”
He lifts a shoulder. “The lady knew what she wanted.” I expect him to lead me back, but he just juts his chin toward the hall. “Go on. I’ll let her show you before I tape it up.”
“Thanks.” I head back to the room I’ve been in a few times myself and find Hayden sitting forward in the chair, inspecting her right arm. “So was it as ahhhhh-mazing as I said it would be?” I ask from the door.
She laughs softly, but when she looks up, tears line her eyes.
“Shit, was it that bad?”
“It hurt a little, but I managed.” I expect her to show me, but she turns her arm over instead, almost as if she’s hiding it.
“You don’t like it?” Dammit, I knew I should’ve suggested she wait to be sure.
“I love it,” she rasps, her voice just a touch louder than a whisper as her dark eyes lock on mine. “I hope you do, too.”
“Me? It’s your body, Hay. All that matters is that you like it.”
She doesn’t say a word, just searches my face in silence, almost like she’s trying to figure out how tell me something.
“What did you do to yourself?” I ask gently, sidling into the room, claiming the stool beside her, and reaching for her hand. “Show me.”
She turns her arm over at the same time my thumb glides against her palm and the first glimpse of dark, delicate ink is revealed.
It takes me a second to realize what I’m looking at, because from my angle it’s upside down, but then it hits me…
Holy shit.
My initials—JAE—are woven into the vine-like tails of a half dozen shooting stars. It’s feminine and pretty and… “Wow. These are… I mean, it’s…” I’m at a loss for words. The stars, the letters... I get what she was trying to tell me now. Loud and clear.