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

“You know he hates surprises, right?” River asked, as he stood in the kitchen of the farmhouse that was nearly finished being renovated.

“Yep. But he’ll like this one, even if he pretends he doesn’t,” I said, as I guided everyone toward the kitchen. “He’ll be here in five minutes.”

I could not wait for Hayes to get here. He’d never cared for his birthday when he was growing up. Usually, he and I would go hang out on the lake. We’d take the old canoe that we’d found and tried to clean up, and we’d float around in the water. His mother didn’t do the birthday thing, and he’d never cared.

He always made my birthday special, just like he did when it was Saylor’s birthday.

But he didn’t want to celebrate his own.

So, I’d get him his favorite cupcake and sing him “Happy Birthday,” and we’d just sit in the boat and talk and laugh.

But this was our first birthday together as a married couple.

I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that we were a married couple.

For real.

It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t for any other reason than we just wanted to be together.

“This was really sweet of you to do for my brother,” Saylor said, wrapping an arm over my shoulder.

“He’ll pretend to hate it, but we both know he’ll love every second.”

“And you have his surprise in the laundry room?” Ruby chuckled, as she walked up.

“Yep. I can’t wait to give it to him.”

“I just came out of there. He’s going to freak out,” Demi said, as she had both hands on her lower back and arched her baby bump toward us.

“I hope so,” I said. “And you look like you’re ready to burst.”

“Any day now.” She shrugged.

“I’m glad you were able to waddle your big belly here for the party. And I love that you’ve softened the big grump, Sav,” Peyton said to her bestie before turning her attention back to me. “I never even knew Hayes had teeth before Savvy came back to town.”

That had everyone laughing, and I looked down at my phone to see the Nest camera go off. “He’s here.”

I had all the lights off, and everyone grew quiet as I heard the door open and close.

“Sav? You here?”

“Yep. I’m in the kitchen,” I called out, trying to contain my excitement.

“Why is it so dark?” he grumped, just as he flipped on the lights to see us all gathered there.

“Surprise!” we shouted, and he just stood there, gaping at us.

“I hate surprises,” he said, with a sexy smirk on his face as he moved toward me. He tugged me close, lifting me off the floor as my legs came around his waist. “But I love everything you do.”

Everyone whistled and cheered, and he set me back down on my feet as he made his way around the group, getting hugs and birthday wishes from all his friends.

We had the French doors open to the backyard, and the cool breeze floated around us. There were acres of green grass and large trees, and it looked like something you’d see in a painting.

Everyone started eating and drinking, and Hayes made his way over to me and wrapped his arms around me, my back pressed to his chest. “Thank you, baby.”

I turned in his arms. “You aren’t going to tell me how much you hate this?”

“I mean. I’d rather have you all alone, but I can deal with it for a few hours.”

“You know we can hear you, right?” Kingston barked out a laugh.

“We all know the dude hates parties,” Nash said as Cutler stood beside him.

“Not anymore. My uncle likes anything our girl Savvy does.” Cutler beamed. He was wearing a white tee, a black leather coat, and a pair of jeans and boots. His hair was slicked back with extra gel, and he was the cutest little guy I’d ever laid eyes on.

“You know it, little dude.” Hayes high-fived him.

Ruby got the music going, and everyone was having a great time and walking around to see the latest updates at the farmhouse.

“Hey, I want to give you your gift. Will you come with me?” I asked, as I took his hand and led him toward the laundry room.

“Oh, does this mean I get to drop to my knees and bury my face between your thighs in the laundry room? Because I’m here for it,” he whispered in my ear.

“No. We’re having a party. But I’m all yours later.”

“Fine. What do you have hiding in here?” I opened the door and pulled him inside.

He just stood there, gaping at the cute chocolate lab sitting in the corner of the room. He was a puppy, so he was still pretty small, but he was adorable.

“Sav,” he whispered. “What is this?”

“It’s a dog.” I laughed and shook my head.

“I know it’s a dog. But why is he wearing a blue bow and sitting in the laundry room?”

“He’s your birthday gift.”

“No fucking way. You got me a dog?”

“Yep.” I turned to face him. “You have a wife now, so when you’re away at the firehouse, he’ll be with me. He’ll be part of our little family. Saylor already agreed to watch him when I go to Dallas and you have a shift.”

His gaze softened, and there was so much emotion there.

“Our family,” he whispered.

The pup trotted over and started biting at Hayes’s ankles as he bounced around, squeaking and attempting to bark.

“He’s fucking cute.” He bent down before completely sitting on the floor as the little guy climbed all over him.

“Happy Birthday, hubby. Cheers to many more.” I went to sit beside him, and we stayed there for a few minutes before Saylor knocked on the door.

“Hey, we all want to meet your new addition,” she called out through the door.

We made our way out, and everyone took turns holding our new pup, but Hayes kept taking him back, keeping him close.

He loved him already, and I hoped that this was the start of many more birthdays together that he allowed me to celebrate him.

His mom walked over and petted the top of the pup’s head, as her son kept him in his arms.

“You got your dog after all,” she said. “What are you going to name him?”

Hayes glanced over at me and then down at Cutler, who was standing there beside him. “Beefcake and I were just talking. Tell them what you came up with.”

“Ride or die for all of my uncles is Rod, like my dad and Uncle King’s business. But a puppy needs a better name, so we think we should call him Roddy!” Cutler shouted.

“I like it.” I petted the little pup on the back of his neck.

“Stop cradling him like a baby,” River said. “He’s a dog.”

I laughed because seeing this big guy cradling this little puppy made my chest squeeze.

“Shhhh… he just fell asleep,” Hayes hissed at River, and everyone laughed.

After a few minutes, I convinced him to put the dog in his crate so we could have cake.

We sang “Happy Birthday,” and Hayes pretended to be annoyed, but I saw beneath it all. He loved it. The way his eyes kept finding mine, and his lips turned up just the slightest bit in the corners as everyone sang.

“Thank you,” he said, and he blew out the candles before tugging them out of the cake and licking the icing off the bottom.

“You didn’t make a wish,” Kingston said.

“I forgot you two and your dandelions are all about the wishes. Maybe mine already came true.” Hayes winked at me.

“Oh, boy.” Demi’s voice broke through the loud celebration, and we all turned to look at her. She stared down at the floor, which was covered in water. “I think we’re having a baby, Golden Boy.”

“Holy motherfucking shit balls!” Romeo shouted, running his hands all over her body like she’d just been in an accident. “Baby. Are you hurt?”

Emerson was at her side as Cutler gaped up at Romeo. “Uncle Ro must be scared because he just said all the bad words.”

“It’s all right. He’s just nervous,” Nash said, clapping Romeo on the shoulder.

“She’s okay, but we need to get to the hospital right now. Looks like we’re having a baby tonight,” Emerson said.

“I’m so sorry about the mess.” Demi stared down at the water on the floor. “You guys stay here. I don’t want to ruin the party. We’ll keep you posted.”

“Oh, hell no.” Hayes picked up the cake and told King to grab the plates. “We’re all going to the hospital. We can eat cake there.”

Demi tried to argue that we didn’t need to leave, but no one was having it. It was like a three-ring circus, the way everyone was frantically grabbing their keys.

“What about Roddy?” Cutler asked, and Hayes and I came to a stop as we glanced at him in his crate.

“I’ve got him. You go. I can hang here or bring him to your house and sit with him there,” Stella said, surprising everyone.

Hayes leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom. There’s a key under the orange flowerpot in the backyard. You can take him to our house, and we’ll meet you back there after.”

“You got it. Go.” She hurried us out the door.

Peyton and Slade had insisted on driving Romeo’s truck, and Emerson piled in with them just in case there were any issues, and we all followed them to the hospital like a large caravan.

“I can’t believe they’re having a baby tonight. On your birthday,” I said, as we drove the short distance to the hospital.

“You think she’s okay? She’s not due for another week, right? Is that fine? Is it too early?” he asked, and I could hear the fear in his voice.

This was his family.

Our family.

“It’s totally fine to be a few days early. The doctor told her last week it could happen any time.”

“All right. That’s good. I can’t believe how calm she was. Romeo looked like he was about to pass out.”

I chuckled as we pulled into the parking spot beside Kingston and Saylor. Ruby and River parked on the other side of us, and Nash and Cutler were beside them.

We all hustled into the waiting room, and Kingston had the cake and the plates with him.

Peyton and Slade were there, pacing in the waiting room. Slade was on the phone with his parents, and Peyton filled us in. “They took her back. Emerson went with them.”

“Pops, is my Sunny going to deliver my new brother?” Cutler asked.

“I don’t think she’s going to deliver the baby, but I think she’ll be in there with them to make sure everything goes well.”

“Well, we’ve got more than one reason to eat cake, don’t we?” Kingston asked, as he started cutting the cake on the little table in the waiting room and handing out slices.

“Looks like you’re getting all the gifts this year, huh?” Saylor asked, settling on the other side of her brother as they both held their cake plates.

“Yeah. This is going to be hard to top.” Hayes looked up at me, his gaze locked with mine.

“We both always wanted a dog, and now our pups can be besties,” Saylor said with a laugh. “And having a new baby to celebrate, who happens to be born on your birthday, if they get that baby out before midnight. That’s pretty special.”

“No doubt about it. Life has been full of surprises lately.” He set his plate down and patted his lap for me to come sit. “This one being the best of all.”

Saylor smiled. “I’m happy for you guys. And it’s nice to see Mom spending time with you.”

We sat there talking, everyone anxious to hear about the baby, as the next few hours passed. Hayes had called his mom, and the puppy was doing just fine.

Nash had tried to take Cutler home, but he’d wanted to stay, and he’d fallen asleep on his father’s lap in the waiting room.

It was just before midnight when Romeo came out, with Emerson right beside him. Demi’s mom and dad were sitting with Romeo’s mother and grandmother, as Peyton and Slade paced around the waiting room, and we all moved to our feet.

“She did it. We’ve got a healthy little boy. He’s seven pounds, eight ounces and already looks like a little brute,” Romeo said, and we all took turns hugging him.

“Congrats, brother.” Hayes pulled him in for a hug, and everyone took turns doing the same.

“Does this little boy have a name yet?” Peyton asked.

Romeo looked between his friends. “Well, considering he was born on this guy’s birthday, it only seemed fitting to carry on that legacy. But Demi and I wanted him to have a piece of the men who have been my brothers every step of the way.”

“Did you name him Roddy like the puppy?” Cutler asked, rubbing his eyes as his father held him on his hip.

“No.” Romeo chuckled and turned to look at my husband. “His name is Hayes Pierce Heart Knight. The little dude’s got a lot to live up to. He’s got your namesake in there, too, Beefcake. And I’m hoping you’ll come up with a cool handle for him when he gets a little older.”

They’d found a way to incorporate all the guys as well as Cutler.

“I’ll come up with the best handle for my brother, Uncle Ro.”

I looked over at Hayes, and he was standing there staring at Romeo, eyes wet with emotion, and I could see he was overwhelmed by the gesture.

“Honored that my son will share a birthday and a name with you, Hayes. If he’s half the man you are, he’ll be winning at life.” Romeo pulled him in for one more hug before telling us all we could go down to the nursery and take a quick peek before we headed home.

And that’s exactly what we did.

My husband just stared through the glass at that little boy, like he’d never seen anything more perfect.