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I slouch, waving my hand off dismissively. “Believe it or not, I do care aboutourson.” I could scoff. If she’d had it her way, I wouldn’t have ever been allowed to care for either of them.
“You said you met my dad at the door? Did he happen to mention where he was going?”
I should be grateful that she has enough common sense to read the room, but I’m too frustrated now to focus on anything else but my own discomfort.
I pick up my fork, my mood officially soured.
My palm flips and my knuckles hit the table in my tantrum. “I don’t know,Williams.” I hiss her name out in my criticism. “Shouldn’tyouknow that?”
How is this my concern? It’s her dad, after all. Shouldn’tsheknow where he is?
Disappointment makes a bleak trail across her posture, and I want to kick my own ass because, of course, I give in after that. With her, I seem to have zero restraint. My misery be damned if it means hers is lessened.
“I thought he said something about a date?” Maybe. Possibly? I could’ve imagined the whole thing in my haste to see Aiden.
“A date?” Bewilderment shows on her face, sparking in her tone for the first time since right after she’d tried my food.
I gnaw on my cheek. “Do I need to start feeding you crackers every time you repeat an answer I give?” A parrot could give me less of a headache.
Her brows draw together. “I’m not a bird, you asshole. I’m only trying to understand where he went. You know this is all your fault, right?” she spits, tossing the blame back on me.
“Is itmyfault you came mere seconds after I opened the door to your room?” I place a hand on my chest snidely. Confident in what I know I saw. “Because, believe me, Hailey, if this is what turns you on now, I can turn into a fucking burglar.”
My cock stirs at the idea of seeing Hailey sprawled out like this again. I swallow back my groan.
I’m deadly serious, and I know she sees it too because her cheeks have shifted from a tinted pink to the loveliest shade of crimson.
“Stop doing that,” she refutes, trying to be bold, but her words come out breathy instead. Her eyes slam closed in her clout of confusion. Her tooth catching the corner of her bottom lip—
I groan, completely unapologetic because I no longer care if she can hear me. Let her. In fact, I want her to becauseGod, this girl is mental for my health. I so desperately want to be the one biting, running my tongue over that lush, plump mouth of hers.
Her eyes burst back open in an equal combination of anger, confusion, and desire mixed into one beautiful spiral of brown beauty.
“Stop flirting. Stop”—she shoves at her empty plate—“cooking meals for me, just quit doing…whatever this is, okay?” Winded, she’s about as drawn out as I am by the time she’s finished her little charade of a rant.
I don’t take it personally because her mouth may be saying one thing, but the heat she’s disguised as her fury is her giveaway.
A ghost of a grin splays across my face from cheekbone to cheekbone.
Dangerous. Hailey Williams will be my undoing.
twenty-nine
Hailey
It’sonlybeenabouta day and a half, but it seems longer by the time I spot my dad around the house. He with work, and me busy with Aiden, helping Rory with the wedding, or volleyball practices. Both of our schedules have been packed tight.
It’s nice actually seeing him in the kitchen this morning as I walk in. I kiss Aiden on his cheek and steal a bit of his scrambled egg mess, swallowing it by the time I find my spot around the table. Dad must’ve beaten me up, grabbed and fed him.
“Thanks,” I acknowledge sheepishly, more appreciative than he’d ever know.
“You’ve seemed extra busy lately, so I thought I’d let you sleep in some.”
“You’re the best,” I affirm, and I mean it wholeheartedly.
Being a parent is a lot, but with everything else added to the mix lately, it’s become more than a little overwhelming. A large majority of it is in contention with Finn. It’s all so confusing with him. My head is a muddled mess.
Especially after he pompously confirmedandrecognized he was the reason I’d come. I was embarrassed and had too much pride to admit he was right the other night when we’d sat at this exact table and had the conversation.
