Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 466(@200wpm)___ 373(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
“Oh, um.” Hayden ran his hand through his hair and tried to come up with a plausible excuse. “I’m not sure if my parents will be home to watch my son.”
“Well, I’m sure Devorah could do it. She’s not busy. Are you?” Sapphire tilted her head to the side in an attempt to get Devy to look at her.
“Nope, why would I be busy?” Devorah stated. “Conor can come over while you go on a date.”
Hayden met Devy’s eyes and saw defeat. Watching Conor was the last thing she wanted to do. Going shopping tonight was probably at the bottom of her to-do list as well. He turned back toward Sapphire, who had her phone out.
“I’ll let you know. It’s really up to Conor right now. He’s my priority.”
“Of course,” Sapphire said sweetly. She put her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Give me your phone—I’ll put my number in.”
This was the oldest trick in the book, and he had no choice but to hand over his phone. He waited, tried to force a smile without making it look like a grimace, and cringed when she said, “I texted you back, so now you have my number.”
“Great, thanks.” He took his phone back and set it in the console next to him.
“The kids are coming,” Devy said as she got out of the truck. She walked toward Maren and Conor, and the whole time, Hayden didn’t take his eyes off her.
“See you tomorrow, Hayden,” Sapphire called as she walked back to her car.
“Wh-what? Oh yeah, okay,” he said as he got out to greet Conor on the sidewalk.
“Hey, bud. How was school?” Hayden took Conor’s backpack and then reached for Maren’s. He opened the back door and waited for the kids to get in before setting their bags on the floorboard and then shutting the door. He wanted to be a gentleman and shut Devy’s door as well, but she had beaten him to it.
He stood there for a moment, feeling disappointed. The emotion confused him. Yes, he’d been raised to open doors, but he was also aware that women were independent.
He had a niggling suspicion in the back of his mind that Chad didn’t open doors for Devorah, and if he had to guess, the only time he did anything gentlemanly was when people were watching.
Back behind the steering wheel, Hayden adjusted the rearview mirror so he could see Conor. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
“Maren?”
“Yeah, it was okay,” she said in a sad voice.
“Well, that doesn’t sound like a fantastic Friday. I guess we better make it better. Off to shopping we go.” Before he left the pickup line, he turned on some music: the Top 40–type tunes Conor liked to listen to. Hayden figured Maren would enjoy the same. By the time they were heading toward the interstate, both of them were singing, which was at least a start. Now all he needed to do was turn Devy’s frown upside, and things would be better.
Not perfect.
But better.
When Hayden had asked Devorah and Maren to come with Conor and him, it was because Hayden wanted to spend time with Devy. He liked her, and seeing her earlier in the week had only brought back those memories from junior high and high school. He didn’t live with many regrets, but Devy was one of them. All he’d had to do back then was be honest with her and himself, but he was afraid of what Colt would think.
And Crow. That man still scared the shit out of him.
Even after he left for college, he still called Devorah when he could and when he knew her father or Colt wouldn’t be home. He talked to her only a few times before he realized how homesick he was. Not because he missed his parents or Oyster Bay, but because he missed Devorah. He booked an unscheduled trip home to finally confess his feelings to her.
Hayden waited for Devorah after the homecoming game, only to find out his chance with her had sailed from the harbor.
Hayden knew the risks of going home without telling his parents, but he had one goal in mind—to tell Devorah he was in love with her. She was all he thought about. Day in and day out at school. He’d made a mistake in not telling her how he felt, and it was something he should’ve done the day she started high school. He was a good kid, raised right by a good man; Crow Crowley would’ve approved of his relationship with Devy, and Colt would’ve come around.
Eventually.
He took what he had in savings and paid for a flight back to Rhode Island. He didn’t want to wait until Thanksgiving, although that might have been easier. Once he was at the airport, he took the train as far as it would go and then hitchhiked from there. It wasn’t the best way, but he didn’t want to call his parents or even Colt.