AllFreeNovel
Share Us
18
Miles
Quinn set his daughter, Isabelle, on the floor of my living room, his eyes moving toward Hayley’s little boy where he was playing with some toys I had gone out and got him while he and Hayley were asleep. Quinn let out a low whistle as he stared at William. “He’s the fucking spitting image of Damien,” he grumbled as he stood back up to his full height.
I nodded in agreement. “We’ve got a problem,” I told him as I ran my hand over my beard. He arched a brow at me. “Hayley is in trouble. She started working for a strip club to try to keep a roof over William’s head, but she didn’t know about her boss’s sex trafficking ring until she was already working for him. He sold her for three million fucking dollars, and she overheard, which is why she’s here now.”
“She’s on the run,” Quinn stated more than asked, but I nodded anyway.
“She came here—I’m guessing in the hopes that she could leave William with me so that he could be protected. That’s all she asked of me when she told me the truth.”
Quinn scoffed. “She needs protection, too, Miles,” he told me like I didn’t already know that.
“I know,” I grumbled. “Which is what I told her, but she was adamant that she wasn’t fucking family.”
“Hope you fucking corrected her,” Quinn said.
I ran a hand over my face with a shrug. “In my own way,” I gruffly admitted.
Quinn barked out a laugh. “Mother fuck, man. Damien is going to come back from the dead and beat your ass for fucking making a move on Hayley.”
I shrugged carelessly. “Don’t get me wrong, man. Damien was the best damn leader our crew ever had, and he was the best damn cousin a guy could have asked for—basically my fucking brother.” I shook my head. “But Damien never treated Hayley like he should have. Yeah, he changed while he was in prison—was nicer to her when he got out—but he still fucked up a lot with her. So, Damien can roll over in his grave right now for all the fucks I give,” I confessed.
Quinn shrugged. “So, are you claiming her?” he asked me.
I grunted. “Working on it.”
We both turned our attention to Hayley as she emerged from my room. She was wearing a pair of my sweats rolled at the waist and one of my t-shirts. Her hair was piled on the top of her head in a messy bun, her eyes still slightly bleary from sleeping.
“Damn girl, you lost a fuck ton of weight,” Quinn commented, not bothering with normal pleasantries.
She shrugged, not bothering to comment. “You sleep good?” I gruffly asked her.
She gave me a small smile. “Yeah.” She moved past us into the living room. William left Isabelle, getting up to his feet to rush over to his mom, his childish laughter filling the air as she lifted him up.
A smile spread across her face, and my heart skipped a beat. She looked so young and carefree in that moment that it took my fucking breath away.
“Has he eaten breakfast yet?” she asked me.
I nodded. “He had some eggs and oatmeal,” I informed her. “He should be good until lunch. His cup still has some milk that he hasn’t drunk yet.”
She set William back down on the floor. Isabelle suddenly began crying, and before Quinn could move to soothe her, Hayley scooped her up, bouncing her gently in her arms. Isabelle rested her head on Hayley’s shoulder, sticking her thumb in her mouth as her eyes began fluttering closed. I couldn’t stop staring at Hayley. I didn’t think it was possible, but she was even more beautiful as a mother.
Quinn walked over and gently took Isabelle from Hayley, smiling down at her. “I always knew motherhood would look good on you,” he told her.
Hayley blushed and wordlessly shrugged her shoulders. Quinn nodded at me. “Keep me updated,” he told me. “I’ll inform the others.” The others being the agents he worked with.
I nodded once at him in understanding. I leaned my shoulder against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest as I let my eyes meet Hayley’s. “You good?” I asked her.
She shrugged her shoulders, looking up at me. “What do you think, Miles?” she retorted, her tone a bit snappy.
I pushed off the wall and walked toward her. She swallowed hard, taking a step back from me, her eyes nervously following my every move. “I’m not Drake, and I’m not Damien, Hayley,” I reminded her. She swallowed thickly. “All of those years that you were gone while Damien was locked up, I always knew where you were, and I kept you protected. Damien’s enemies never got close to you until Drake took you in and made it practically impossible for me to get close. I’m not letting a fucking thing happen to you or William, you got me?”
I reached out to draw her against me, but she stepped back from me again right before I could grab her. She shook her head at me. “Miles—"
I shook my head at her, taking a step back from her. “Nah, I get it, Hayley.” I let my eyes meet her nervous and indecisive ones. “I know you feel this, too. I’m not dumb, but I’m not going to force you,” I told her. I had way too much respect for her to do that. “You just let me know when you’re ready to make that move forward.”
She swallowed hard at my words. I looked over at William as he got up from the floor and toddled over to me on his chubby legs, grinning up at me as he reached his arms up to me. With a slight laugh, I lifted him up from the floor and settled him on my hip as I carried him into the kitchen with me to get him a sippy cup of milk.
I wanted Hayley so badly—had been waiting on her for fucking years. But I was a patient man, and I could wait a bit longer.
For her, I would wait for as long as I needed to have her in my arms, have her by my side where she had fucking belonged all along.
