“Let me guess… it brought up all the old baggage you’d locked away in a dusty old closet in your brain.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Tears are flowing freely down her cheeks now, as she tells me how she repeatedly ignored the deeds office calls, then eventually relented but refused to sign, therefore stalling Hayes’ land purchase.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Raegan, he’s been working so hard to buy that land for Gravity.”
Her body stills for a moment, before she straightens her spine and swipes the tears from her eyes. Her energy has shifted into something considerably lesseasy. “So. What?” She punctuates each word, pausing to drive her point home. “I spent years missing him. Wondering if he’devercome back for me. You know what? Heneverfucking did. Twenty painful, messy years, Demetria. I lived the lasttwentyyears without him. So please… tell me why I should fucking care about somelandhe wants to buy behind his precious kink club. Maybe it was petty, but if you ask me… he fucking earned it.”
Jesus. I knew she struggled, but I don’t think I knew how deep her pain runs.
Unfortunately, I know why Hayes ran away from her. If she knew… I know it would change everything between them. Okay, maybe noteverything. But Iknow it would change how she sees him. If nothing else, at least she’d know it wasn’t her fault.
“Did Hayes ever tell you why he left that night?” I don’t know why I ask. I know damn well he hasn’t told her shit. Stubborn bastard.
“All he’s said is ‘it’s complicated’.”
My face twists as I work hard to conceal my knowledge of the truth. Unfortunately–for me–I have a terrible poker face and she clocks it.
“Why? What do you know?”
Grabbing my phone, I glance at that blank screen and let out a fake chuckle. “Wow. Would you look at the time? I should get going. Thanks for… earlier.”Jesus, Demi. Could you be any less weird?
I move to stand but am met with a strong hand draped over my shoulder, pressing me back on my ass.
“Words. Now.” she tells me, her voice stern and unyielding.
“Raegan, it’s not my story to tell.”
“Respectfully, fuck that,” she spits. “What if henevertells me? Don’t you think I deserve to know why myhusbandleft me in the middle of the night without a word?”
Fuck. Why does she have to say it like that? She’s not wrong. She definitely deserves to know why Hayes did what he did. It literally turns my stomach knowing the damage his father inflicted on him.
I squint and drop my face into my palms, pressing my fingers into my eyes to halt the tears that are now threatening to make this one big cry fest. All we’d be missing is a quart of superman ice cream.
When I finally lift my head, I stop thinking and just speak.
33
Hayes
“Wanna tell me why our booth is corded off and marked for fucking construction?” Ryker asks from the couch with his right arm draped across the back and one leg crossed over the other.
My door swings open. Fucking Axel. “His girls defiled it last weekend,” he says plainly. “Put on quite a show. Your bestie here says no one is allowed to touch it until further notice.”
“Define defiled,” Ryker asks, with slight concern marring his expression.
I’m not ready to talk about it yet, but shortly after Raegan and Demi handed my keys off to Roxie, I got the text from creeper extraordinaire over there, informing me that he caught Raegan devouring Demi’s perfect cunt on my usual booth. Did I watch the footage? Fuck yes, I did. I was only blessed with so much restraint and watching the two of them together is my newest obsession. I may have also jacked my dick until I came all over myself shortly after.
“Hayes, my man!” my bouncer and Axel’s best friend, Dom shouts from the doorway.Fuck. Here we go. What could this twit want? “I have a great idea for you.”
We all stare silently back at him, waiting for him to continue. He hasa lotof ideas and most of them revolve around some form of nudity. I swear, I’ve never met a man quite so obsessed with his dickandbeing naked.
“I think we should try a themed night. Like, no pants Friday.” His grin spreads from ear to ear as he bounces, eagerly awaiting my approval.
I prop my elbows against my oak desktop and run my fingers through my hair, groaning at the ridiculousness of it. Releasing a breath of air, I grumble, “You’re all fucking fired.”
“Is that a hard no?” Dom asks.
