Chapter Sixteen
In the kitchen, with Hope in hand, Hailey froze when she heard Spencer at the door. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him. She wanted nothing more than to throw open the door, jump into his arms, and let their passion chase away her doubts.
Life didn’t work that way.
“Hailey?”
She walked over to the door but didn’t open it. “Go away, Spencer.”
“I’m not going anywhere until we talk.”
She put Hope down, then placed a hand against the inside of the door. Opening it would be so easy. Forgetting the scene back at the main house wouldn’t be. We were all wrong. Delinda manipulated me. I wasn’t honest with Spencer, and he wasn’t honest with me. We all thought we knew what was best and look where it brought us—here we are crashing against the shore again.
It was all too good to be real . . .
“The person you should be talking to is Delinda. She’s obviously willing to do anything to get your attention.”
“What she did was wrong, Hailey. I’m not defending her choices, but I understand her motivation now.”
“I don’t. I thought I did, but I don’t know anything anymore.”
“Open the door, Hailey. This is an impossible conversation this way.”
“No. I want to, but I have zero confidence in my judgment right now. I’m not angry with you; I’m angry with myself. I’m too old to be as gullible as I’ve been lately. A part of me knew it was all too easy, but I saw what I wanted to see. I wanted to believe in miracles, I guess.”
Hope peed a little on the floor near her feet, and Hailey shook her head in resignation while cleaning it up. Now there is a sign if there ever was one. Reality always crashes in.
“Open the door, Hailey.”
“Have you heard anything I’ve said?”
“Yes, but I’m not a boy anymore. I know what I want now. And that’s you, Hailey. I lost you once because I wasn’t ready. I’m ready now.”
Hailey opened the door. They stood simply looking at each other for a long time. The attraction between them pulsed through them, complicating her feelings further. “That was an ugly scene.”
“I know,” he said.
“You were cruel to Delinda.”
He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “I’m not proud of my behavior, but Delinda and I had to clear the air.”
“And now that you have?”
“Oh, there are still glitches. My whole family is batshit crazy. There’s no denying that.”
Hope whined at Hailey’s feet. “She needs to go out.”
Spencer walked Hailey through the house and out to the backyard where Hope circled a few times before relieving herself. Hailey sat on a step as Hope bounced through the grass. Spencer took a seat beside her. The heat from his body warmed her side, igniting a desire she did her best to deny. He turned his head and looked like he might kiss her.
She raised a hand. “Don’t.”
He stayed where he was, but his eyes burned with a yearning she felt just as strongly. If only this, their hunger for each other, were enough.
She mustered irritation with him. “And don’t look at me that way.”
“Which way?” He leaned closer.
She couldn’t look away, couldn’t stop herself from flicking her tongue over her bottom lip. “Like there is any chance that you and I will—that there’s something you could say that would—you know exactly how you’re looking at me.”
The corner of his mouth curled in a hint of a smile. “Yes, because you’re looking at me the same way.”
She shook her head, but couldn’t tear her eyes from his. Being close to him—knowing that all she’d have to do was stretch ever so slightly to once again feel his lips on hers—made it difficult to remember why she was upset with him. “This isn’t enough,” she said for her own benefit as much as his. “I have responsibilities. I’m still trying to wrap my head around what Delinda did and what that means for me and Skye. If my talk with Delinda doesn’t go well, I’m essentially homeless.”
“That would never happen. You and Skye would come with me.”
“To where?” she asked hoarsely. There was nowhere she could imagine bringing Skye that night.
“My place is big enough—”
“It’s not that easy, Spencer. She doesn’t know you. You haven’t even met her. You may not like her.”
An expression entered his eyes that she’d seen before, but this time it was more intense. “I don’t have to meet her to know that I’ll love her because she’s part of you.” He took out a box and opened it, revealing an enormous sparkling engagement ring. “I’m not asking you to move in with me. I’m asking you to marry me. There has never been anyone else for me. I love you, Hailey Tiverton.”
Hailey blinked back tears, wanting to believe in second chances but afraid to. “This is too fast.”
“Is it? I knew you were the one the first time around; I just wasn’t ready to do anything about it.”
I wasn’t, either.
Don’t—don’t open yourself to hope again. It never ends well. “Did Delinda give you the ring?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
He frowned, hesitating before answering. “Does it matter?”
“Maybe. Have you thought this through? Skye and I are a package deal, and parenting is a full-time gig. Skye takes riding lessons twice a week. Saturday shows. School starts in the fall. That will mean homework. She may take an instrument—maybe an ear-piercing one like violin.”
“You’re not scaring me.”
“No?” Did he understand how big of a commitment it was? “She’s getting to the age when she’ll want friends to sleep over. That means girls giggling all night. I want her to have all of those experiences. She’s not only my responsibility; she’s also a priority. A wonderful, miraculous, sometimes terrifyingly overwhelming priority.”
“Hailey?”
“Yes?”
“I had an amazing father who would have loved every moment of the life you’re describing. I will as well. You think I can’t handle giggling? I was raised with two sisters. In a pinch, I can braid hair and apply nail polish like a pro. It’s not something I normally brag about, but I’ve got skills. I’m up for this. The question is—are you?”
Spencer held his breath. He didn’t want to rush her, but he felt like he’d waited half of his life for this moment. In the movies, women broke into tears and threw their arms around a man who proposed, then the credits began to roll. Reality was much more gut-wrenching. Hailey went pale and hugged her stomach while leaning forward as if she were about to retch. I’m a selfish bastard. She’s been through hell and back, and all I can think about is making her mine before I lose her again. This isn’t business, where closing the deal is all that matters.
This is the woman I love, and she’s scared.
He put an arm around her. “Talk to me. Say yes. Say no. It’s okay. It won’t change how I feel about you or how willing I am to help you. You are not alone. If you won’t marry me, then I’ll still be the best damn friend you’ve ever had—always.”
She shook beneath his arm, and he hated that he hadn’t done every step of this better. “Oh, Spencer. I want to marry you, but I can’t move fast anymore. If we do this, we need to take it slow. I have to make sure Skye’s okay—with all of this. She’s been through so much.”
Spencer closed the ring box, pocketed it, then gently turned her face toward him. “So have you. Let me carry some of the weight you think belongs solely on your shoulders. You don’t have to do this alone.”
He kissed her then. He intended to brush his lips across hers, but that light touch opened the floodgates for both of them. They kissed deeply, feverishly, like lovers who had gone too long without each other. He told himself to pull back, but the feel of her undoing the buttons of his shirt sent him over the edge.
He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the guesthouse, almost tripping over the puppy that darted between his legs when he opened the door. They continued to kiss as he carried her down a short hallway to where he guessed her bedroom would be. The puppy raced around them, yipping with excitement. Spencer raised his head and peered down at the creature. “What’s his name?”
“Her name is Hope,” Hailey said breathlessly, her face beautifully flushed with desire.
“As in ‘I hope you have a crate for her’?” he asked.
She chuckled, then sobered. “More like I hope you forgive me when I say we can’t do this. Skye could be back any moment.”
Just outside the master bedroom door, Spencer slowly lowered Hailey to her feet and rested his forehead on hers. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I don’t know what happens to my brain around you.”
She smiled. “I do because it happens to me, too.”
“We’re quite a pair.”
“Yes, we are.” She framed his face with her hands and tilted her head back so she could better meet his eyes. “There are women with so much less baggage than I have. Why choose me?”
It was a question he hadn’t expected. “You might as well ask me why I choose to breathe. It has always been you, Hailey. Always. We can take it as slow or as fast as you want.” He leaned down and picked up the puppy and held it up to his face. “Hope, huh? Good name. I tried life without you, and it sucked. Walking away was easier, avoiding my family was a hell of lot less messy, but I don’t want that life. I didn’t grow up that way, and I sure as hell don’t want to die that way. So, Hope, how about you convince your mommy to marry me, and we’ll give this whole messy family thing a shot?”
Hope gave Spencer a wet kiss on his cheek that he took as a yes.
“You’re crazy—do you know that?”
He shot her a smile. “Crazy in a lovable, ‘you can imagine spending the rest of your life with me’ kind of way? Or ‘put down my dog because I’m about to call the police’?”
Hailey burst out laughing. “Definitely the former.”
“Good,” Spencer said as he tucked Hope beneath his arm. Hailey hadn’t accepted his proposal, but he now believed she would—in time. And that was okay because now there was hope. “Come on, my entire family is likely lingering in the driveway, waiting to see if you toss me out on my rear or forgive me.”
He held out his hand to her. She hesitated.
“It’s not about forgiving—not even with Delinda. Regardless of what her intentions were, Skye is happy again. Delinda did that.” She searched his face. “I’m not angry with you. I’m—maybe I’m—”
“Scared,” he supplied. I know, Sunshine. “We’ve been here before, haven’t we? But we’re not kids anymore. Sure there will be challenges, but they can only beat us if we let them.”
She placed her hand in his. “Did you say your entire family?”
He smiled and led the way down the hall and out of the guesthouse. “Jordan called them. When I heard that Delinda had blocked you from getting that job—he was probably right to sound the alarm. I was furious.”
There was no one in the driveway, but all the cars were still there. Michael opened the door as Spencer and Hailey approached the house. “Everyone is on the back porch. Should I escort you?”
“You should,” Hailey said. “Spencer, you must know Michael.”
“Of course,” Spencer said. “He’s worked here for as long as I can remember.”
Michael tipped his head in agreement.
Hailey touched Michael’s forearm briefly. “Thank you, Michael, for everything.”
Spencer and Michael shared a brief look. Whatever Delinda’s butler had done for Hailey, Spencer was grateful. He shook Michael’s hand firmly, letting that gesture express how he felt.
Michael turned and led the way to the porch that overlooked both the gardens and the ocean behind it. Stephanie, Dereck, and Delinda were seated. Brett, Alisha, Nicolette, and Rachelle were gathered in a loose circle. Everyone stopped and turned as Spencer and Hailey stepped onto the porch.
Delinda pushed out of her chair and walked toward them. “Hailey, a moment alone, please? This won’t take long.”
Spencer handed Hope to Michael, then while still holding Hailey’s hand, said, “New family rule—no secrets. Our track record with them is horrible.”
Delinda blinked several times quickly, then nodded. “Hailey, I shouldn’t have brought you here without telling you the truth about why. I was desperate, and I saw you as a way to fix something I had broken. I never meant to hurt you. You and Skye have breathed life into this empty house and me as well. Can you forgive an old woman for loving her grandchildren so much she’d be willing to do anything to have them in her life?”
“She sure knows how to lay it on thick,” Nicolette said in a stage whisper.
“Don’t, Nicolette,” Rachelle and Stephanie said in unison.
Nicolette raised both of her hands in mock surrender. “Am I the only one who thinks she’s being too nice? It’s actually making me nervous.”
Spencer changed the subject by introducing Hailey to the group in general and then to each of them individually. For a group of people who were barely holding back their curiosity, they covered it pretty well. A few of them glanced at Hailey’s left ring finger, then at Spencer, but they didn’t say anything.
“Miss Skye has returned,” Michael announced from the doorway of the main house.
Skye burst past him, then slowed as she appeared to realize that most of the people on the porch were strangers to her. She looked from one person to the next, but once she saw that Hailey and Spencer were holding hands, her eyes riveted to him. Slowly, she approached him. “I know you,” Skye said, then turned to Delinda. “I know him.”
Delinda nodded.
Skye’s eyes flew to Hailey’s. “I’ve seen pictures of him. Is your boyfriend Delinda’s grandson?”
Hailey’s hand held on to Spencer’s tightly. She didn’t seem to know how she should answer that.
Spencer looked from his mother’s concerned expression to Dereck’s somber one. Dereck could have announced to everyone that Spencer wasn’t his. He hadn’t. Delinda could have done the same. They had chosen to be his family—chosen, just as he was being given a chance to choose at that moment. He could easily deny Dereck and Delinda. Could anyone blame him if he did?
Family is what we make it. Spencer crouched down so he was eye level with Skye, then held out his hand. “That’s me, Spencer Westerly. Arguably the best looking and most successful of all of her grandchildren.”
His joke drew groans from his siblings, but flew right over Skye’s head. She focused on the only part of what he’d said that mattered to her.
“Auntie Hailey, I love you.” She hugged Hailey tightly. “You do want me to be happy. You really do.”
Hailey kissed her niece on the top of her head. “Of course I do.”
Skye bolted from Hailey to Delinda. She grabbed her hand with a confidence that surprised Spencer. Delinda had never been fond of physical displays of affection, but she welcomed Skye’s touch. “Do you know what this means, Delinda? Do you? When they get married, I’ll be your real granddaughter. Your real one. It’ll be like I came out of your vagina.”
The look on Delinda’s face was priceless as a round of laughter erupted. Spencer knew right then that Skye would keep him laughing. He looked down at Hailey, who was holding back a laugh—barely. “Seems like you might want to go over that birds-and-bees talk again. She almost has it.”
Skye’s nose wrinkled in an expression Hailey sometimes made. “I’m right. Babies come out of vaginas. If you came out of her daughter’s vagina and her daughter came out of her vagina, then you came out of her vagina because you were inside her daughter. Wait, Delinda, do you have a daughter?”
Above more shared laughter, Nicolette said, “Oh my God, I love her.”
Skye looked around and frowned. “Auntie Hailey said vagina is not a bad word. It’s part of a woman’s body.”
“I did say that,” Hailey said, with tears of laughter in her eyes. “But you shouldn’t say the word in public.”
Skye waved her free hand at Hailey. “Why would you teach me words I can’t use?”
Hailey shrugged helplessly and laughed. “I’m learning as I go.”
Spencer walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “If you need any help . . .”
She laced her fingers through his and gave him a smile over her shoulder that knocked the breath out of him. “I do, and I have my answer to the question you asked me earlier.”
He tensed.
She relaxed back against him. “Yes. Yes. Yes a hundred times. Yes a thousand times. We can do this. I believe that now.”
“Wait,” Skye said. “If you get married, do we have to move?”
Hailey opened her mouth, then closed it without saying anything. “I—we—”
“We are going to take it slow, so this time we get it right,” Spencer said.