by Kate Hunt
Bailey and Alice and I find seats in the waiting room. Bailey comforts her mom. Meanwhile, I feel useless, a feeling I fucking hate.
Every time a nurse or doctor walks out, the three of us all look up, bracing ourselves to hear the worst.
But a half an hour passes and no news comes.
Then another half an hour goes by.
And another.
Finally, just as it’s starting to feel hopeless, we get an update about Ian. They confirm that he did have a heart attack, and tell us he’s being treated with medication. He doesn’t need surgery. They’re confident he’ll be just fine.
“Thank God,” says Alice, clutching her daughter’s hand.
I let out a deep breath of relief.
We don’t have to wait too much longer after that until we’re able to visit Ian in the hospital room they’ve transferred him to. Ian looks better than he did when I last saw him, although he’s still pale and obviously exhausted.
“Can’t thank you enough for what you did, Dax,” he says.
I give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Just glad you’re okay, Ian.”
After that, though, I hang back. I let the three of them have their space. And when I see that everything seems stable, I decide it’s time for me to go.
I drive back to the hospital the next morning. As I approach Ian’s room, I can hear Bailey and her mom laughing about something. I rap my knuckles on the door.
“Come in,” Alice calls out.
When I walk in, I’m met with a tired smile from Ian and a loving one from Bailey, who mouths a sweet little hi to me.
“Oh!” says Alice, standing up from her chair. “Dax. How nice of you to come by again.”
I nod and look over at Ian. “How you feeling today, bud?”
“Like I had a heart attack,” Ian jokes. “Pull up a chair.”
It’s good to sit with the three of them. Good to see Ian doing better. But the longer I stay, the more ravaged with guilt I feel about what Bailey and I did last night. I know it’s got nothing to do with her dad having a heart attack, but all of this feels like a bad fucking sign.
I still need Bailey. I still want to marry her, have babies with her, be with her until my dying day.
But I don’t want us to sneak around behind her parents’ backs. I don’t want to be that guy.
“Hey,” I say, standing up and setting my chair back against the wall. “I’m gonna head out.”
“You don’t have to leave yet,” says Bailey.
“No, I should,” I say. I shoot a grin at Ian. “This old guy needs his rest.”
I say goodbye to the three of them and step out of the room, closing the door behind me.
But I only make it halfway down the hall before I hear rapid footsteps chasing after me.
“Dax!”
I turn. My heart swells at the sight of Bailey rushing up to me. She reaches me and smiles as she catches her breath.
“Thank you for everything,” she says.
“It was nothing,” I say.
“No. You saved his life. I doubt my mom or I would have gotten him here so quickly last night.”
“I’d do a hell of a lot more for the guy. For all of you.”
“That’s really sweet of you.”
I run a hand over my chin. Something has just occurred to me about last night. “Did they see you sneak back into the house?”
Bailey shakes her head. “No. I climbed back in through my bedroom window. And I changed into my own clothes right away. They had no idea.”
“Okay. Good.”
She worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “Hey, um…about what you said last night…did you really mean that?”
I smile. “Never been more serious about anything in my life.”
Bailey’s eyes glimmer. “You really want to marry me? Dax, we barely know each other.”
“No, we do know each other, sweetness. We just haven’t spent much time together yet. There’s a difference.”
She cocks her head to the side. “But still…”
“I’m in love with you, Bailey,” I say. “And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
She draws in a quick breath. Her eyes prick with tears. Then she jumps up to wrap her arms around me and hug me tight.
“I’m in love with you, too,” she whispers into my ear.
We hold each other for a long time. I close my eyes and savor this moment. Then I ease her down to her feet and dip my head to kiss those sweet lips of hers. As we kiss, Bailey rests her hands on my chest, one hand over my pounding heart.
We pull apart and look at each other. Her cheeks are rosy, her eyes shining.
“I thought I was crazy for having feelings like this,” she says. “But it feels right, Dax. And with everything that’s happening with my dad, it makes me realize how important it is to not waste any time in life.”
“I agree, Bailey.”
“I want my parents to know about us, though,” she says.
I can’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny?” she says, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Nothing. I was just going to tell you the same thing. I don’t want to hide this from them, either.”
She smiles. “Okay. Good. I don’t think I should tell my dad quite yet, though, given his state…but…soon. I’m going to stay up here for a while, by the way. I want to make sure my dad is okay.”
I nod. “Do you want to tell them together?”
She thinks about it for a second. “No. I should tell them on my own. I think they’ll take the news more easily if it just comes from me.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
She smiles. “I do.”
Chapter Five
Bailey
My dad keeps insisting that he’s fine, that I don’t need to stay, but I tell him over and over again that I want to be here.
“But you’ll miss work, Bailey,” he points out.
“Yeah, and I never take days off,” I say. “The other girls can cover my shifts. It’s seriously not a big deal.”
Thankfully, the manager of the café I work at is a chill guy. When I text him about my situation, he texts back telling me how sorry he is to hear about my dad and assures me he’ll take care of rearranging the schedule.
After that, I text Madison to tell her about my dad and apologize in advance if she gets stuck with a bunch of my shifts.
Happy to take them, babe, she texts back. Thinking of you & your fam. Love you. Btw, any update on D???
A grin lifts the corners of my lips when I see her question. I consider telling her about everything that’s happened with Dax. But I know Madison is going to have a million questions for me, so I just text her back:
Will update you when I’m home.
After I send the text, I just keep staring at it. At first, I can’t figure out why.
Then I realize it’s the word home. Everything that’s just happened has completely changed the meaning of that word for me.
My home is with Dax now.
I just hope it’s something my parents will be able to accept.
A few days later, unable to hold my secret inside any longer, I find my mom in the master bedroom folding clothes.
“Can I talk to you for a second, Mom?” I say, rubbing one hand with the other nervously.
“Of course, honey,” she says. She finishes folding a shirt and sets it on top of a pile.
I walk into the bedroom and take a seat on the bed. “So, uh…I don’t know how exactly to say this, so I guess I’ll just say it.”
She stops folding laundry. “Say what?”
“I…” I swallow. Shit. This is harder than I thought.
“Bailey, what is it?”
I clear my throat. “So…you know how the first time I came up here, Dax and I stayed out by the fire pit after you and Dad went to bed?”
She lets a beat pass. “Yes?”
“Well…we were out th
ere talking for quite a while. And we actually really hit it off.”
My mom gives me a confused smile. “You hit it off?”
“Yeah. In this…crazy intense way.” I draw in a breath. “And I feel really weird admitting this, but I snuck over to his house the night of the storm to see him again.”
“Bailey,” my mom says, shocked.
“I know how it sounds…but…”
“But what?”
“I’m in love with him, Mom,” I blurt out.
The look of shock on her face deepens. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“It isn’t. I’m serious. I know it sounds absolutely nuts, but it’s true. And he’s in love with me, too.”
She just stares at me for several seconds. Then, wordlessly, she goes back to folding laundry.
“Mom?”
“I’m processing it, honey,” she says.
I swallow. “Okay.”
Several minutes of silence pass, with her continuing to fold laundry and me just sitting there watching her. She still doesn’t say anything to me as she carries a couple stacks of clothes into the walk-in closet.
When she comes back out, she finally looks me in the eye.
“I’m not going to pretend like I’m not still shocked,” she says. “But if the feelings you two have for each other are truly genuine…”
“They are,” I say.
“Then I’m happy for you, honey.”
“Thanks so much, Mom,” I say, getting up to give her a hug. It’s such a relief to have my mom’s approval.
But I also know that’s only half the battle.
I go downstairs and find my dad in the living room, watching some old movie on TV.
“Hey, Dad,” I say, sitting down next to him on the couch. “Got a second to talk?”
“Sounds serious,” he says.
I smile. “It is. But it’s a good kind of serious.”
Although he might not feel that way…
My dad mutes the TV and turns his full attention to me. As I knew it would be, it’s even harder breaking the news to him. But I get it out as fast as I can, telling him the same thing I just told my mom.
When he hears what I have to say, his expression changes in a way that makes my stomach drop.
“You trying to give your old man another heart attack?” he says.
“Dad. Don’t joke about that.”
He hefts out a sigh.
Before he can say anything more, my mom walks into the living room. She acts like she’s just come in to gather up the stray drinking glasses sitting around the room, but it’s blatantly obvious she’s really here to see how my dad is taking the news.
My dad’s eyes slide over to her. “I’m guessing Bailey already talked to you, Alice?”
My mom gathers up the last of the glasses. “She did. I’m happy for them, though, Ian. I really am.”
“Hm. Yeah. Well. Life sure is full of surprises.”
My mom laughs gently and shakes her head. “You’re acting like she’s moving to another country, Ian. Your daughter is in love. It’s a good thing, Bailey finding someone.”
My dad looks at me. “Were you looking for someone, Bailey?”
“Dad…” I say.
“You know what?” my mom says. “We should have Dax over for dinner tonight. I think that would be nice. What do you think, Ian?”
I hold my breath as I wait for my dad’s answer. He scratches at a spot above his eyebrow with his thumb, then clears his throat and nods.
“All right,” he says. “Sounds fine.”
Chapter Six
Dax
I’m ankle-deep in sawdust and wood shavings when my phone rings, but I’m in such a zone that I ignore it at first.
I’ve been putting all my focus and energy into the bookmatched table for the last couple of days—from cutting the tabletop down to its final dimensions to chiseling off the bark to going over it again and again with the router to even out the surface. Once I get the tabletop nice and flat, I’ll sand the hell out of it, then stain it, seal it, and build and install the base.
The longer I’ve been working on this table, the more I’ve come to understand why I’ve been obsessing over making it perfect.
This is a table for us. For Bailey and me.
It’s the table our future children will sit around.
The phone rings again and I force myself out of my thoughts. I step away from the table to answer it.
“Hello, Dax,” says Alice.
“Alice,” I say. “Hi.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
I glance at the table. “No, it’s fine.”
“Good,” says Alice. “I’m calling because we’d like to have you over for dinner tonight. If you’re available, that is.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Wonderful,” she says.
She sounds cheerful, but I catch something else in her voice, too.
“She told you, didn’t she?” I say.
There’s a beat of silence on the line.
“Yes,” Alice says. “She did.” She lowers her voice. “To be honest, Dax, I think it’s going to take Ian a little while to get used to it.”
“And you?” I ask.
“Well…I’m not going to lie. I was surprised when Bailey told me. But when I looked into my daughter’s eyes, I saw how much she truly cares about you, and I felt reassured. Besides, it’s not like we don’t know you, Dax. You’re not just our neighbor. You’re a friend. And if you and Bailey have found happiness with each other, then by all means, of course you should be together.”
“I appreciate that, Alice.”
“So we’ll see you for dinner, then?”
“You will.”
It feels like déjà-fucking-vu, going over to Alice and Ian’s place again that night.
Everything’s different though, now, of course.
When I see Ian for the first time that evening, I give his shoulder an easy squeeze.
“Hey, man,” I say. “Looking a lot better than the last time I saw you.”
“I should hope so,” he says. “Thanks again for the lift that night.”
“Just glad I could help,” I say.
It’s obvious that Ian’s trying his best to be relaxed about all this. At the same time, there’s a shade of resentment in his voice.
Not that I blame the guy. Hell, if I was in his shoes—if my only daughter was seeing some dude fifteen years her senior—I’d probably be acting a lot less polite than he is right now.
But it’s not like I’m just trying to get into Bailey’s pants. I’m fucking in love with the girl.
I ask Alice if I can do anything to help with dinner. She just smiles and tells me to make myself at home. But Bailey can tell that I’d rather make myself useful, and she hands me a stack of plates.
I bring them into the dining room and Bailey follows behind with silverware in hand. She sets it down on the table and comes up to me to give me a quick peck on the cheek.
“I apologize in advance if this meal is super awkward,” Bailey says quietly.
“Don’t worry about it, baby,” I say. “I can handle it.”
Bailey and I finish setting the table just as a timer goes off in the kitchen. A few minutes later, we’re all sitting down to eat.
At first, it feels like this evening might actually go by without incident. Alice keeps the conversation light and casual, and it seems like the resentful vibe I got a whiff of from Ian when I first got here has been reined in.
But halfway through dessert, I reflexively reach out to brush away a crumb of coffee cake from the side of Bailey’s mouth, and I immediately feel her father’s eyes on me.
“So, Dax,” says Ian, his voice lower than usual. “Guess you know that Bailey talked to us about you two.”
“Yessir,” I say.
“You have a thing for dating young women?”
“Ian,” Alice says quickly. “That’s not—”
“I
can’t ask the man a damn question?” Ian snaps.
“Why don’t we have this conversation another time?” Alice suggests.
Ian grunts, throws his napkin onto the dining table, and pushes back his chair. The wood screeches across the floor, a sound that makes Bailey grimace.
Ian grumbles something under his breath and walks away from the table.
Bailey rises from her chair, too. But I reach out and catch her hand before she can go after him.
“I’ll talk to him,” I say, getting up from my seat.
Walking through the house, I spot him standing out on the back patio. As I step outside to join him, he remains facing away from me, his arms crossed in front of him as he looks out into the woods.
“Ian,” I say.
He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t even look in my direction.
“Ignore me all you want, but I’m not going back inside,” I tell him.
When he finally turns around, I see that his expression is filled more with sorrow than anger.
“She’s my only daughter, Dax,” he says.
“I know that,” I say. “Look, Ian. I don’t just want to be with Bailey. I want to care for her, support her, be her rock. I want to have a family with her.”
“Those are some awfully big plans, son,” Ian says. “Especially coming from someone who barely knows her.”
“You don’t know what we have.”
He runs his tongue over his teeth.
“Fine. I’ll bite,” Ian says. “What do you have with my daughter?”
“We have a connection that goes soul-deep. We have the kind of love for each other that not everyone is lucky enough to experience in life. And I do know her. I know her hopes and dreams. I know her favorite childhood memories. I know what her subtlest expressions mean. You really want to know how serious I am about your daughter, Ian? Here. Here’s how serious I am.” I shove a hand deep into my pocket and pull out the small wooden ring box, the tiniest damn thing I’ve ever made.
Surprise floods Ian’s face as he gazes down at the box in my hand.
“You’re planning on proposing to my daughter?”
“I am. And nothing’s going to stop me from asking her. But it would mean a hell of a lot if you approved of it before I pop the question.”