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)
For the first time since Sofia passed, Hayden felt hope. He hadn’t set out to find someone, but fate had a funny way of showing him what had been in front of his face for most of his life.
He deepened the kiss but kept his hands to himself. This was enough . . . for now. They both needed to move slow because it wasn’t just them anymore. They had children to think about. To put first. And Devorah needed to heal. Thankfully, Hayden had the cure. He’d show her that she and Maren needed to stay in Oyster Bay, and what he and Dev could’ve been had he admitted his feelings years ago.
When they broke apart, they both sighed. He wanted to go right back in for more, to pull her down and under the blankets like the horny teen he had once been.
“That wasn’t awkward at all,” she told him.
“It wasn’t our first kiss.”
“In public it was.”
Ouch, that stung and was well deserved. Hayden ducked his head and sighed. “I’ve grown up a lot since then. Believe me, I wish I had done things differently.”
“Same,” she said.
Hayden leaned in and kissed her again. Old habits were hard to break.
When they parted, Devy sighed. “You know, we pretty much perfected the art of making out back then.”
“Let me know when you’re ready to write the sequel.”
Devorah smiled. “When I’m ready to trust again, you’ll be the first to know.”
He sighed, kissed her forehead, and then put his arm around her. She snuggled into his side and rested her hand on his abdomen.
Returning to Oyster Bay had scared him. He’d worried he wasn’t making the right decisions for Conor and himself. Sitting there in the back of his truck, with a woman he used to be in love with, was now proving he had.
On Monday morning, Hayden felt nothing but relief when he saw the bucket loader and a rather large pile of dirt on his property. They’d finally broken ground on his and Conor’s new house. He got out of his truck and walked to where Link Blackburn stood with a clipboard. They shook hands and patted each other on their backs.
“It’s good to see you, Hayden.”
“You too, Link. How’s it looking?”
“The plans for the house look great. There shouldn’t be much bedrock here. I think our biggest issue will be tree roots, but we’ll get those taken care of.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it. I’m eager to start building. If all goes well, how long are we looking at?”
“We’ll pour the foundation at the end of the week and start framing next week. Do you still plan to help?”
Hayden nodded. “I do. I need something to do.”
Link told Hayden to follow him to his truck. There, he handed Hayden a hard hat and some protective eyewear. “Always wear these,” Link said. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Safety first.” Hayden put the hat on.
“Once we get the dirt out, we’ll start leveling. We can use extra hands for sure.”
“I’m your guy.” Hayden looked at the bucket loader digging into the ground. Each push was oddly satisfying for him. Hayden figured if he worked on the house every day, it would get done faster. He wanted Conor to have his first Christmas without his mom in their new home. The McKenna men needed a fresh start.
“Link, what do you think about a pool?”
He lifted his shoulder. “If you want one, we can dig the hole while the bucket loader is out here.”
Conor definitely wanted a pool.
He wondered if Devorah and Maren would want one.
The thought jolted him and was completely out of the blue. Hayden stared at the ground as he tried to reconcile why he’d thought about Devy in that way. Sure, they’d had a great date and shared a deep and meaningful kiss, but . . .
But what?
Were either of them ready to start something serious?
A smile crept across his lips. He was. He still loved Sofia and always would, but he had fallen in love with Devorah first, and there she was at the forefront of his mind.
“Yeah, let’s do it,” Hayden said. “A pool would be great. I’ll figure out the size and all that.” He reached for Link’s clipboard, took his pencil, and mapped out where the pool would go. Hayden would have to add more decking, but it would be worth it.
Around lunchtime, a truck pulled into the lot. Everyone stopped what they were doing when two women got out and went to the back. Hayden recognized Devy instantly but couldn’t place the driver.
As much as he wanted to walk over to her and see what was up, he stayed with Link and the others. The driver came around the front of the truck, carrying a box. Link’s employees started hooting and hollering.
“Who ordered lunch for everyone?” Link asked, but no one answered him.