Finding Hayes: A Small Town, Marriage of Convenience Romance (Magnolia Falls Series Book 5)

“Hey, y’all. Looks like the rumors are true, huh?” Kate “The Devil” Campbell stood on our doorstep.

Have I mentioned I despised this woman?

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Hayes growled, pulling me close and wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“What? I can’t just pop in and see how you’re doing?” she asked, her eyes scanning over me from head to toe, before stopping at where my hand sat on my hip as she zeroed in on my ring.

“No. It’s late. We haven’t talked in years. Why are you here?” He didn’t hide his irritation.

“I’m in town to see an old friend, and I ran into Lenny at Whiskey Falls. He told me you two got married, and I thought he was messing with me. I just wanted to see with my own eyes.” She smirked before glaring at me. “I knew you always wanted him. You just had to wait it out for a decade.”

My hands fisted at my sides. “You know nothing about me. Never have, never will.”

“I heard Abe’s ex-wife wondered if this marriage was even real. People do desperate things for money all the time. Hayes always did feel sorry for you.”

Before I could get a word out, Hayes stepped forward, shifting his shoulder in front of me now, almost as if he were trying to shield me from all that evil. “Listen to me loud and clear, Kate. Savannah is my wife. She’s the only woman I’ve ever truly loved. I just never thought I was worthy of her until she came back and proved me wrong. So you can turn your ass around and get the fuck off our property. You got me?”

Kate sputtered a few times as she took a step back and finally formed a sentence. “He’s never going to give you what you need. He has no emotions. You’ll stray, just like I did.”

“After having him in my bed all these months, straying is the last thing I’d consider doing. But thanks for the concern,” I said, thinking of all the hell this woman had put me through. I stepped up beside Hayes, and she was still staring at us with her mouth hanging open. “Hey, Kate?”

“Yes?” she hissed.

“Eat a dick.” I slammed the door in her face.

Hayes’s head fell back in laughter. “Damn, woman. That was badass.”

“It felt pretty damn good.” I shrugged. “Why do you think she came here?”

“She comes into town every now and then, from what I’ve heard. She’s a miserable human being, so I’m guessing she and Lenny probably still stay in touch, because they’re both pieces of shit. He probably told her I was married, and she had to come back and see it with her own eyes. I’d say we handled that well.”

I nodded. “She clearly hasn’t changed a bit.”

“She never will.” He studied me. “You look tired, Shortcake. Let’s go to bed.”

I nodded, and we stopped in the kitchen to put the food away and made our way to the bedroom. I was too tired to even wash my face tonight.

I’d been staying up late researching everything I could about my father’s treatment, and I’d usually get to the farmhouse first thing in the morning to meet the guys and oversee the renovations.

I knew I needed to sleep. Hayes pulled me into his arms, and my head rested against his chest. I loved falling asleep to the sound of his heart beating.

“Thanks for bringing me back to life, Sav,” he said, his voice quiet and calming.

“I wish I’d come back and found you sooner.”

“It didn’t matter when you came. I was always yours.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to do my best to be the husband that you deserve.”

“You already are,” I whispered.

And that was the last thing I remembered before sleep took me.

When I woke up the next morning, I reached for Hayes, but he wasn’t there. I found a piece of paper on his pillow, and I sat up, blinking a few times as I adjusted to the sunlight flooding the room.

Sav,

I knew you needed the sleep, so I didn’t wake you. I’m heading to the firehouse. Call me when you wake up. Love you. H

I looked at the time on my phone and hurried out of bed. I was already late, and the guys would have started an hour ago. I brushed my teeth, got dressed, piled my hair into a messy knot on top of my head, and grabbed the box of letters.

I was dying to read them.

When I got to the house, things were well underway. The French doors were being put in, and the landscape in the front yard was getting a nice refresh for curb appeal purposes, which would be important when we listed it. The place was coming together.

I couldn’t believe how quickly they’d gotten things done. But the bones had been there; it was all cosmetic. This house would sell for a small fortune once it was decorated and staged. I’d been finding furniture pieces everywhere and storing them in the garage, bringing them in as each room was completed. All the bedrooms were put together because all they’d required was a fresh coat of paint and the staining of the floors. I’d added area rugs, curtains, furniture, and décor. Each room had a unique vibe, and I loved the way this house was coming together.

“Hey, you all right?” Kingston asked as he pulled me in for a hug.

“Yes. I just overslept.”

“You look tired, Savvy. You’re working too hard,” he said, handing me a donut and an iced tea from Magnolia Beans.

“I’m fine.”

“Hey, you’re here,” Nash said. “We’ll have these French doors in by lunchtime.”

“Great. I’m going to go do some work upstairs in the bedroom. I’ll check back in with you guys in a few hours.”

“Sounds good.” Nash patted my shoulder before one of the guys on his crew called his name.

I took my box and made my way upstairs. I set it on the bed and pulled off the lid. I’d read the first seven letters that he’d written me, and I’d been dying for more.

I pulled out the next one in the box.

I’d wondered what would have happened if these letters had made their way to me all those years ago. Would things have turned out differently? Would we not have lost a decade of time?

I unfolded the notebook paper.

Sav,

It’s been two months today since you left. I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but I’m struggling. I know I told you that Saylor is staying at the Pierces’, and I’m staying with Nash and his dad. Romeo and River are stuck in that shithole of a place, and we can’t see them. But they write us letters. So, I’m going to keep writing you until you decide to read one and write me back.

I can’t believe my dad wouldn’t even step up knowing that Saylor and I were going to be put into foster care. He’s got all this money, Sav, and he can’t be bothered. Who does that? And my mom, she’s staying with that bastard. He put Saylor in the hospital, and she’s still with him. She lost her kids, and she’s still fucking with him.

I don’t know how they can call themselves parents. I hate them for doing this to Saylor. I know she’s freaking out because we’ve never been separated. Thankfully, I get to see her every day, and I know King’s looking out for her. I promised her I’ll get us our own place as soon as I graduate. I’ve got to get her out of that house.

Mark my words… I will never be selfish like my parents. I’ll do whatever it takes to look out for Saylor. How do these assholes get to call themselves parents?

Please tell me that you’re okay. I don’t understand why you left. I’m dying without you, Sav. You’re the only one who truly knows me. I need you. Please call me. Peas and carrots forever, right? I’ve got the tat to prove it. I miss you.

Hayes

My heart was heavy because I could feel his pain through his words. I opened the next dozen letters, and every single one asked the same thing. When was I coming home? Why hadn’t I called him? I could feel his pain bleeding through the ink on the paper. And then I opened the next one, and I fought the tears as I read his words.

Sav,

It’s been five months since we spoke. I’m fucking miserable. I can’t sleep because I’m constantly worried about you. Saylor is doing well, and I think living with the Pierces has actually been good for her. She and Pearl have bonded. They garden together every day, and that’s been good for her to have some stability. But I worry about you. I heard Ben Jones left his wife and moved to the city with your mom. I’m sure this is awful for you, as you’re probably going back and forth between your father’s house and your mother’s house. What the hell is wrong with our fucking parents, Sav? They’re all so fucking selfish, and they don’t realize the way it affects us. We’re the ones who pay the price for their fucked-up choices.

I swear, Sav, I’m never having kids. Any dumb fuck can have a kid nowadays, and they don’t have a clue the damage they could do. I hate my parents for what they did to me and Saylor, and I hate your parents for taking you away from me.

I’m not okay, Sav. It’s like someone has cut out half of my heart since you left. I can’t talk to Kate, and she’s constantly bitching at me for being grumpy. You’d hate me now… I’m grumpier than I used to be, which is hard to believe.

I always thought I looked out for you, but the reality is you were the one looking out for me. Talking me down from my anger. Keeping me in check. You’re my North Star, Shortcake. And without you, I’m lost.

I’m so fucking lost, Sav. Please call me. I’ll come to you wherever you are. I’ll borrow a car and come see you. Please. I can’t do this life without you. Peas and carrots.

Hayes

Tears ran down my face as I folded up the letter and reached for the next. It was painful to realize that he’d suffered as much as I had. For some reason, I’d imagined him running around with his hot girlfriend and hanging out with the guys, living his best life, while I’d been drowning in chemo appointments with my father and my mother was pregnant and completely focused on her new family. I was just surviving back then, trying to adjust to a life in a big city where I knew no one.

But he’d suffered just like I had.

And it had hardened him in a way, too.

I read a few more letters and reached for one more when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” I said, swiping my face clean and straightening my features.

“Hey, everything okay?” King asked, his gaze filled with concern as he stood in the doorway.

“Yeah, of course. Just going through some old things from the past.”

“Are those the letters from Hayes?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder as if he wanted to make sure no one was listening.

“You know about the letters?”

“Saylor told me she found a box of returned letters to you when they moved into that apartment after high school graduation. Did you know he took custody of her and gave up his football scholarship?”

I nodded. “Yes. He told me.”

“He doesn’t know I know about the letters, so don’t mention it. He’d be embarrassed. He’s a proud man, Sav.”

I nodded. “I won’t say a word.”

“I’m impressed he gave them to you. That’s huge. He’s different with you, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

He leaned against the door frame and studied me. “It’s like he’s been missing a part of himself all these years, and you were what was missing. We all see the way you’ve brought him back to life.”

A lump formed in my throat. “Thank you. I think we were both missing a piece of ourselves, because he’s brought me back to life, too.”

“I’m glad you two found your way back to one another,” he said, as someone shouted his name. “All right, how about you give us ten minutes and then come check out the French doors?”

“You got it.” I smiled as he closed the door, and I opened the next letter.

Sav,

Six fucking months. I can’t believe I’m still writing you letters when you don’t even open them or read them. But somehow, it helps to write to you. It makes me feel close to you. I want to hate you for leaving me. I try to hate you, Sav, but I can’t. Kate’s trying to fill your shoes, but I can’t talk to her. Not the way I talked to you. And she’s a cold person, so I don’t trust her. A part of me feels like maybe that’s what I deserve. Someone who I can’t hurt because sometimes I think she doesn’t have actual feelings. I don’t have to worry with her. Maybe we deserve each other.

My mother is still with Barry. She’s a horrible example for Saylor. She married two men that have shit on her children. How will I ever forgive her or respect her after all that’s happened? She had the audacity to tell me that someday I’d understand how difficult it is to do the right thing when I have kids of my own. Sav, I laughed in her face. I’m never having kids. I’m never going to do to anyone what my parents have done to me and Saylor.

Tell me how you’re doing. Please. I need to know you’re okay. Why won’t you speak to me? What did I do to make you leave and cut me out of your life? I know I’m not an easy guy to be around. I get that. But you were the one person who appreciated me for who I am. I miss you. I’m not giving up on you, Sav. Peas and carrots. I’ve got the tattoo to remind me of you every day. Of us. Please call me.

Hayes

I folded up the paper and set it back in the box, lying back on the bed and processing what I’d read.

He had a lot of anger toward his parents, and rightfully so.

He’d needed me, and I hadn’t been there.

But we’d found our way back to one another, and I wouldn’t allow anything to come between us again.