Page 31 of Finding Hayes
The ice queen.
The bane of my teenage existence.
“Kate? Yeah, I think they broke up a long time ago. I never cared for her,” I admitted, as I had good reason besides her cheating on Hayes.
“Someone sounds a little jealous. I always thought you had a crush on him, as well,” Dad said with a laugh.
Normally, I would insist that he was crazy, but I just laughed. I needed to set this up like some sort of long-lost love affair. My father would be crushed when it all got blown to pieces, but hopefully, he’d be in better health and on his way to a full recovery.
It would all be worth it.
“Maybe I did, and I just didn’t realize it,” I said, rolling my eyes because this was far from a crush.
I’d survived without Hayes for a long time, and I sure as hell wasn’t some giddy schoolgirl with stars in my eyes now.
“Anyway, if we can afford to get you into this trial program,I just need to know that you won’t fight me on it.”
“Fine. I’ll agree to go if it’s not too outrageously expensive,” he said. My father was completely disconnected from reality with the financial side of his illness. His disability covered the minimum to keep him alive. Nadia and I handled everything else. We’d fought hard to get him into several different trials over the last eighteen months, and we’d been denied every time.
Every. Single. Time.
So, yeah, I’d marry my ex-best friend and live with him for a few months, if it meant I’d have the resources to help my father. And I’d even do what I could to help Hayes get his promotion because he was doing me a huge favor by agreeing to this.
Although, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. He could easily change his mind and bail on me.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
nine
. . .
Hayes
“You good, dude?”Romeo asked, as my gaze tracked Savannah out on the dance floor with the girls.
“Yeah. Of course.”
“So you came with Savvy tonight, huh?” King smirked.
River shot me a warning look. The fewer people that knew, the better. It wasn’t a full-on lie. I’d known her most of my life. Even though we hadn’t talked in years, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like I’d just seen her yesterday. We’d always had a connection. So whether she hated me or liked me, it didn’t really matter.
I knew this girl.
I knew her well.
I may not have understood her choices, but I knew who she was.
Good to her core.
Maybe she’d just outgrown me. I could understand that. She was always destined for big things. For more. I’d known it early on.
I wouldn’t fault her for that. My life was a shit show, and itwas easy to get pulled down in all that drama back then.
“Yeah. We’ve been spending some time together, and I’m not going to lie—it’s nice.” That was true. I’d never lied to my boys, and I’d find a way to do this without lying now.
At least, I’d try.
River, Romeo, Nash, and King were family. They were more like brothers to me.
