Page 91 of I’d Be Honored

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It was after eight p.m. when Hayley arrived at Maddie’s house. She eased out of the Porsche she had borrowed from Caitlin and listened to the quiet hum of the streets. All that lay between her and Maddie now was the grass-lined pathway that led to Maddie’s front door.

With one final, shaky breath, Hayley gently pushed her way through the small gate and approached the white brick house. Before she could lose her nerve, Hayley pressed the doorbell, her heart thudding hard against her chest. The sharp, electric door chime shot through her like a live current, freezing her in place. Every muscle tightened as she listened for the sound of footsteps, for a light to flicker on, any sign that her verdict was about to be read.

TWENTY-SIX

MADDIE HIKED FRYMAN CANYON THAT MORNING, desperate to quiet the fury she had woken up with. It had worked—for a bit—but the storm returned with a vengeance by late afternoon. Her anger felt stronger than usual that day, and she eventually decided to stop fighting it. Maybe if she did, the rage would burn itself out by the time the sun set, and the iron grip on her heart would ease enough for her to sleep that night.

The colors in her backyard bled into the encroaching evening. As darkness settled, a matching chill began to spread throughout Maddie’s body.

She curled into a corner of her couch with a dirty martini in one hand and the remote in the other, then turned on the TV. She started flipping through streaming services, deciding that a horror movie might drown out her thoughts.

She had just landed on the Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster classic, The Silence of the Lambs, when her doorbell rang.

Ugh, not again.

Maddie yanked the door open as she huffed, “Kim, I told you—” Her heart stopped. “You’re not Kim.”

“I am not,” a voice spoke softly. “Is that okay?”

Maddie’s stomach fluttered, wild and breathless, as Hayley’s voice wrapped around her like it had in her dreams every night for the past few weeks.

Hayley was there, standing on her doorstep in a long overcoat that looked way too warm for LA. A living, breathing reality, smiling right at her like sunlight after a cold winter.

For a suspended heartbeat, stillness swelled in her chest, absolute and overwhelming. Then it splintered into a stark bitterness that tightened her muscles.

“Hayley.” Maddie’s voice trembled, her name feeling fragile on her lips. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to talk to you,” Hayley whispered, an ache in her tone.

“About what?” Maddie asked, crossing her arms tightly at her chest. “You need directions? I think Amy’s law firm has a branch out in Beverly Hills.” She was scathing as she motioned with a sharp jerk of her chin toward the distance.

“Maddie, please.” Hayley stepped closer, her expression raw. “Let me explain. I swear to you, nothing happened that night. I was trying to push Amy off me when you walked in.”

“Was this before or after she sucked on your neck?” Maddie choked out.

Hayley’s gaze dropped, her hands disappearing into her jacket pockets as though she needed somewhere to hide. “It was over. I told her that. I told her I was with you. She never meant anything to me, Maddie.”

Maddie sighed and opened the door wider as she stepped aside, her fingers trembling against the knob. “Just… come inside.”

Hayley cautiously crossed the threshold, as if one misstep might shatter the moment. “I’m not good at this, Mads,” she admitted. “But I want to try.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve never fallen for someone the way I have for you.”

Maddie froze, rooted to the spot.

Fallen?

The word echoed through her, loosening something within her body that had been clenched tight. Tension drained from her shoulders as she forced her feet forward, Hayley following her deeper into the house.

“Can I get you a drink?” Maddie asked, already reaching for a glass.

“Sure, if you want, I mean. Just whatever you’re drinking would be great.” Hayley drifted into the open living room and sat in the oversized plush chair beside the couch. It made her look small in a way that Maddie wasn’t used to.

Instead of pouring another martini, she pulled a lowball glass out from her cabinet and poured Hayley two fingers of the whiskey she still kept on hand for Caitlin. She wished she had Macallan, but she hadn’t exactly been expecting Hayley to show up at her door. She didn’t know what to say or how to feel, so she just handed Hayley the drink and sank into the couch, waiting.

“I’m sorry, Maddie,” Hayley started, then paused to take a long sip. “For everything.” Her voice wavered, but she didn’t look away. “I should have held onto you tighter. I should have been honest about Amy from the very start. And I should have told you the moment I knew my feelings were more than casual.” Hayley let out a soft laugh. “Although I’m not sure my feelings for you were ever casual, since I’m being honest.”

Maddie stayed silent. The brutal surge of emotion from seeing Hayley again was beginning to settle, and beneath it, something unexpected stirred to life—a small, stubborn seedling of hope she hadn’t yet managed to uproot.