Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
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.
19
Hayley
I silently watched Miles through the sliding glass doors where he was on the patio working out. His muscles flexed each time he brought down the barbell, his abs tightening with the movement as well.
“You know that man is head over heels for you, right?” Quinn asked as he moved to stand beside me.
I jerked back from the glass as if I had been burnt, turning to stare at Quinn with wide eyes, my cheeks flaming red. He laughed softly. “Miles wants you, Hayley,” Quinn reiterated.
I sighed. “The last man that was with me ended up dead, Quinn,” I reminded him, my heart twisting painfully in my chest as I thought of Damien bleeding out on the floor in front of me.
As attracted as I had always been to Miles, I couldn’t act on it. Everyone around me had a habit of dying, and I couldn’t take it if Miles ended up suffering that same, tragic fate.
Quinn shook his head. “That hit had nothing to do with you, Hayley,” Quinn informed me. My eyes widened at the new information. “Someone got their panties in a fucking bunch because Damien started doing business with Kaden Brookes.”
“I ran from here because the fucking guilt was too much, Quinn, and none of you thought I might have needed to know that?!” I shouted at him, fury lighting up my eyes. “If someone had thought to inform me that it wasn’t my goddamn fault, William would be fucking safe, and I wouldn’t be on the damn run!”