“Go,” Hailey said with a smile. “You’ve done more than enough for us without feeling guilty about having to go to work.”
A band seemed to lessen around his chest. “Make sure you have fun. Oh, and leave the dishes, I’ll do them tonight.”
“Who even are you?” she asked, shaking her head with a smile.
“Stick around and find out,” he said with an answering smile. Giving into his instincts, he strode forward and planted a kiss on her cheek. Hailey went red, and Chase sighed, hating that he had to leave right now. But duty called. He’d get to work, give his intel, and turn right round and come back. The sooner he left, the sooner he could be back with them.
Chapter Nine
Hailey
Hailey finished drying the last of the dishes and put them away, keeping one eye on Riley pushing his new toy train around the kitchen table. Of the half dozen presents she and Chase had wrapped for him, the red train was a clear winner. It was hard to get her head around how much kindness he’d shown them both.
Unease wormed its way into her stomach. Was kindness really his primary motivation here? This wasn’t the first time in the last twenty-four hours that Chase seemed to be a little too invested in the pair of them. It wasn’t that she thought he had any sinister motives—the very thought seemed incomprehensible—but his behavior was certainly odd. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was missing something. The man was hiding things from her, she was sure of it. He’d as much as admitted to it earlier, in the attic.
It didn’t bode too well for their future as a couple—if they were going to have one. The last time a romantic partner had been keeping secrets from her, she discovered the father of her child was running an underground child trafficking ring. It was the reason she’d finally plucked up the courage to leave. Just the thought that her sweet, little Riley would be brought up to be the heir of a business like that was…
Too horrifying for words.
Chase’s secrets were probably far less sinister. But that didn’t change anything in her mind. She couldn’t put Riley through that again. She wouldn’t.
Her son had gotten far too attached to Chase far too quickly. And the same could be said for Chase. He was just…too perfect. Everything about him seemed like it had been written down from her own personal wish list and wrapped in a hot body that made her throb with anticipation every time he was close. And as for Riley? Chase was behaving like Riley was already his son.
It was awful. The two of them were supposed to leave in a day or two. At least one of them was going to get their heart broken. She just hoped Riley would be too young to remember.
The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. Hailey stiffened, turning instinctively to check in on Riley: he was still playing with the train. Safe. But someone was out there, and Chase wouldn’t need to ring his own bell.
Her heart raced—and not for the reason it had done moments ago. Was it Michael at the door? Could he have found her so quickly? She knew it was possible. If it truly had been one of his men who’d run her off the road, then they’d know she would have to stay close. And if it hadn’t been…Well, he had eyes everywhere.
She should never have stayed, not even for the night. She should have found a way out of town, and now they were all in danger. And if Michael found out she’d slept with Chase, there would be no limit to his rage. It didn’t matter that she’d left him, he still viewed her as his property. He’d once sworn he’d kill any man who so much as looked at her, and she didn’t doubt his sincerity.
She considered just hiding here, but the bell rang again, and she didn’t get the sense whoever was there was going away. She was torn between grabbing Riley and running, or hiding in the attic and hoping he didn’t find them. If it was Michael, she reminded herself firmly. It might not be him.
But who else would be turning up on Christmas day, at the exact moment she and Riley were on their own here…
“Stay here, baby,” she murmured to Riley, and planted a kiss on his head. “Mommy will be right back.”
She needed to know for sure. Chase’s door had a peephole, so she moved through the hallway as quietly as she could, and peered through.
Relief flooded her. The face on the other side didn’t belong to Michael. Which of course it wouldn’t, because she was a completely paranoid wreck, and he probably didn’t have the first idea where she was. Also, him and his men would be more likely to kick the door down than ring the bell.
Her relief ebbed just a fraction. The face didn’t belong to Michael, but itcouldbelong to one of the men who worked for him. But then, that brought her back to the point about bell ringing and door kicking. She gnawed at her lip and shook her head. This was getting out of hand. She refused to live in fear. She refused to raiseRileyto live in fear. Caution was one thing. Hiding from every stranger was another.
She sucked in a deep breath, and opened the door a crack.
“Hello? Can I help you?” Hailey’s voice wobbled, and she cursed herself. The man in front of her was heavy set and broad shouldered in a way that suggested he was all muscle, and his face was ruddy but not unfriendly. She couldn’t help but notice the dark smudges under his eyes, like he needed a good night’s sleep or three.
“Hi. My name’s Kemp, I’m a friend of Chase’s. Perhaps he’s mentioned me? I was taking a look at your car.”
The polite words sounded odd on his lips, and his posture was also a bit awkward; he was holding himself too stiffly to be natural. She got the feeling this wasn’t natural behavior for him, but she also didn’t think he was lying. On the other hand, she’d believed Michael for years, and look how that had turned out.
“Oh, right,” she answered, smile a bit thin. “Yeah, he did mention something like that. Thank you for coming. Sorry for the rude welcome; I’m a bit antsy since Chase isn’t here right now.”
“He isn’t?” the man said, his face falling into a frown. “Damn. I was hoping to speak with him while I was here.”
“Sorry.” Hailey shook her head. “He got called into work.”
“Never mind. I came by to drop your car off—it’s fixed.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, and sure enough, there was her car, sitting on the driveway.
