Page 137 of Finding Hayes
“Listen, Doc, I’m just worried about my wife. This woman right here…” Hayes said, motioning his hand from my head to my feet. “She’s my whole world. And I need to know that she’s getting the best care possible.”
I covered my eyes with my hand because even though it was sweet, I was embarrassed that he was questioning her.
She chuckled, which had me relaxing. “I have a husband at home who is just like him.”
“There’s two of them in Magnolia Falls?” I asked, and Hayes rolled his eyes.
Dr. Shorting looked back at my husband. “I give you my word. I will take the best care of Savannah that I can. I’m going to give you my home number, and you can call me after hours if you have any issues. We’re a team, and we’re in this together, okay?” She extended her hand to Hayes, and he shook it before she turned to me and did the same.
She left the room, and I changed back into my clothing, and we stopped at the front desk to make our next appointment.
When we were on the elevator, I glanced up at him. “Get rid of Roddy? Are you serious?”
“I love that little fucker, but if he hurts you, he’s gone.”
I shook my head and laughed. “You’re lucky I love you.”
He reached for my hand, the corners of his lips turning up. “I’m the luckiest man on the planet. I don’t doubt that for a minute.”
And I knew I was the luckiest woman on the planet, too.
Because this man may be overbearing and protective, but he was all mine.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Good, because there’s something I want to do when we get home. And I’m hoping you’re on board.”
“Name it,” he said as we drove toward the house.
“I saved the very last letter for us to read together.”
He groaned. “I’m glad that it’s the last one, at least.”
I chuckled when he pulled into the driveway, and we made our way inside. I told him to meet me on the couch, and Roddy jumped up to sit beside him as I went down the hall to grab the last letter.
I sat down beside him and tore it open. “You never wanted to read these after all these years? Every single one was still sealed.”
“I wrote them. Why would I need to read them?”
I laughed as I pulled out the last letter he’d written me and unfolded it.
“I’m going to read it aloud.”
“Of course, you are. You love to torture me,” he said, as his hand rested on my thigh, and our pup lay sprawled across his lap.
“Sav, it’s been one year today since you left. I said I’d write every week for a year, and if you didn’t answer, I’d stop writing. So, this is the final letter I’m going to send, and I fully expect it to be returned.”
I paused to look at him and smiled. “You gave it a good fight. I wouldn’t have guessed you’d hang in that long.”
“Yeah, well, there you go. I didn’t give up easily,” he grumped.
I looked back down at the paper.“Today I went out to see Abe. That’s how desperate I am. I don’t feel like myself, even after all this time. I didn’t mention the letters to him. I just asked if he’d heard from you. He told me he had and that you seemed to bedoing well. He’s a loyal fucker, so he didn’t give me much. But I’m not going to lie. It pissed me off. You talk to him all the time, and you won’t even read my letters or pick up the damn phone and call me. I just don’t get it.”
I sighed and glanced at him again. “I didn’t know you went to see Abe.”
“Yeah. I forgot about that. I was pretty desperate at the time. And then I remember feeling defeated because I imagined you were chained up somewhere all that time, unable to talk to me. But you were talking to him and Lily.”
I squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry. But I love that you went to see him.”
