Take A Chance

by Micalea Smeltzer

  “I also have your spawn in my hands and don’t want to kill him, so my brain is kind of focusing on that right now…and for the record, if I had use of one of my hands I’d be giving you the finger right now.”

  Mathias chuckled and rubbed his jaw.

  “It’s not so bad, is it?” I asked Hayes, reaching over so the baby wrapped his tiny fingers around one of mine.

  “Yeah, not so bad,” he mimicked. His lips were turned down in a frown and he still looked scared to death, but his arms had relaxed some.

  I leaned my head on his shoulder and hummed softly under my breath. It was an old lullaby I used to sing to Mia every night. I didn’t have the best signing voice, but it had always calmed her down.

  Liam, instantly, focused his eyes on me. His small pink lips pouted as he regarded me with curious eyes.

  I began to sing the words, oblivious to the others surrounding us.

  When the last note hung in the air I looked up to find Hayes staring at me, his mouth parted in awe.

  “I didn’t know you could sing.”

  I ducked my head, my whole body heating with embarrassment. “I can’t.”

  “Uh, you definitely can.” He assured me.

  I laughed, trying to hide my discomfort at all the attention that was suddenly directed my way.

  “You’re in a band, a world famous band at that—so I know you’re lying.” I poked him in the ribs.

  He brushed off the gesture. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”

  His words only served to make me blush even more. I was sure my freckles looked startling on my nearly red skin.

  “Hey!”

  We all turned towards the stairs at the sound of Karen’s voice, and my heart lurched as panic slid through my veins. I stood, my motherly instincts kicking in as I feared Mia had been hurt or was having a meltdown.

  “What is it, mom?” Ezra asked. He sat lazily on the couch, with his foot resting on his leg and his arm swung across the back of the couch behind Sadie.

  “I wanted to let you guys know dinner was ready.”

  I suddenly felt silly for my gut reaction to jump to attention, but I couldn’t help it.

  “We’ll be up in a minute,” Mathias called. He stood and crossed over to Hayes. “Give me my kid,” Mathias held out his hands, “before you drop him and split his skull open.”

  “Don’t scare him,” I scolded Mathias.

  He turned amused gray eyes in my direction as he lifted his son to his shoulder. “I like you,” he said, completely catching me off guard.

  “Uh…” Before I could form a coherent thought he had started up the stairs.

  Everyone else filed up the stairs, leaving Hayes and I alone for a brief stolen moment.

  I wrung my hands together, suddenly nervous about being alone with Hayes. I hadn’t decided whether or not I was going to tell him about Todd’s surprise visit to the store. We’d only been an official couple for a few weeks, and before that I was used to taking care of everything on my own.

  “I thought they’d never leave.” He chuckled, reaching down to take my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I’ve been thinking about your lips all day.” His eyes flicked down to my mouth.

  At his words my mind instantly emptied and my fingers wrapped around the soft cotton of his shirt. “Then kiss me.”

  He made this half-growl, half-hum sound in the back of his throat that made me feel lightheaded. Since he was so tall, and I was on the shorter side, he had to lean way down to kiss me. I didn’t mind though. I liked having his larger body envelope my smaller one. I felt so safe wrapped in his arms.

  Even though I could’ve stood here kissing him all day I reluctantly took a step back, letting my hands fall from his shirt.

  He was slightly out of breath when he asked, “What’s wrong, Arden?”

  I looked down at the ground, tugging my bottom lip between my teeth.

  “Arden,” he prompted again, the tips of his shoes coming into my line of sight when he stepped forward. “You can tell me anything…you know that, right?”

  I took a deep, steadying breath. I knew that if I didn’t tell Hayes about Todd it would make me feel like shit and eat away at my insides. This was too big of an issue for me to try to hide it and it definitely wasn’t something I could fix on my own.

  I straightened my shoulders and I looked up, meeting his curious gaze.

  “I saw Todd today.”

  “Todd?” His brows furrowed in confusion. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his lips parted with a gasp. “Todd, as in your ex Todd?”

  “Yep, that one.” I sighed, feeling sick to my stomach. I perched my bottom on an armrest of the couch, unable to hold my body up any longer after my admission.

  He ran his fingers through his hair, musing the once perfectly styled strands. “Fuck. What did he want?”

  “To see Mia.” My stomach rolled with the words. I desperately wanted to go back to only a minute ago where his lips had been on mine and life had felt good.

  “Double fuck.” He groaned, raking his hands down his face. “This isn’t good.”

  “I know.” I rubbed my hands nervously on my jeans. “I don’t know what to do. I mean, he’s her father, it’s not like I can keep her away from him forever.”

  “Oh yes you can,” Hayes thundered. “He gave up any right to her when he left you pregnant and alone.”

  “I feel that way too, but he’s her dad,” I groaned, anger surging through my body. “I told him he couldn’t see her, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep him away. When Todd wants something…” I let my thought hang in the air.

  Hayes looked at me with horror. “Your door…before we left for New York, do you think that was him?”

  I sighed. “Probably. Who else would it be?” I lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

  “You’re staying with me,” Hayes nodded to himself, “yep, that’s the solution. You’ll both stay with me.”

  I rolled my eyes, laughing under my breath. “I can’t uproot my whole life, and my daughter’s, and saunter into yours like everything is fine. It’s not fine.”

  “It’s not fine if you’re there in your house, which he tried to break into, either!” He spread his arms wide. “This isn’t about being fine,” he spat the word, “it’s about being safe.”

  I dragged air through my lungs and yet I still felt like I wasn’t breathing. After a moment of silence, my voice finally punctured the air. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

  Hayes frowned, clearly not pleased with this compromise. His shoulders sagged. “That sounds fair.” Pointing a finger at me like I was an unruly child, he added, “But if he shows up again you call me immediately and you’re coming to my house.”

  “Hopefully there won’t be a next time. Maybe he just wanted to rattle me and now he’s gone.” As soon as the words left my mouth I knew how wrong they were. When Todd wanted something he’d go through hell until he got it, and right now he had his sights set on our daughter. He definitely wouldn’t be leaving, even if I wished it were true.

  Hayes looked at me skeptically, not believing my words anymore than I did.

  “Are you guys coming?” Maddox yelled down the stairs. “And I mean coming upstairs, not coming in the sense of the sexual relations kind of coming…because in that case, that’s gross, we sit on that couch and there are children in this house now!”

  Hayes snorted and shook his head. “We’re coming!” He called and Maddox mock-gasped. “Upstairs,” he added while laughing hysterically. “Get your head out of the gutter, Wade.”

  I heard Maddox chuckle before the door to the basement closed.

  Hayes smirked at me. “I guess we better join them before Maddox has them convinced we’re doing the other kind of ‘coming.’ ” He winked, lifting his hands and flicking his fingers in quotation marks.

  I shook my head at his antics and stood up.

  Before I could move towards the stairs he grabbed me around my waist and pulled me
into his arms. Laying his head on top of mine, he whispered, “Everything is going to be okay, Arden. You’ll see.”

  I wanted to believe him, I really did, but I couldn’t.

  When we topped the stairs the sounds of voices drifted from the dining room and Hayes dropped his hand to the small of my waist, guiding me forward.

  Everyone was already seated and looked up when we stepped inside.

  “Hi,” I mumbled awkwardly, making a beeline for the empty chair beside Mia.

  Hayes was right behind me and held the chair out and slid it back in before taking the seat on the opposite side.

  “Look at you being all gentlemanly,” Maddox chortled. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Hayes?”

  Hayes ducked his head, laughing under his breath. “He grew up,” he shrugged

  “Took him long enough.” Mathias grumbled, reaching for a roll.

  His mother swatted his hand and glared at him like he was an unruly child. “Be nice,” she hissed, “and we’re saying grace before we eat. Stop acting like a savage.”

  Mathias muttered something under his breath, but sat back and bowed his head.

  Paul, Karen’s husband, spoke for all of us.

  Once he finished speaking we all chimed in with a collective, “Amen.”

  “Now you can eat.” Karen eyed Mathias. “But mind your manners.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Mathias mumbled, reaching for a roll once more.

  Before I fixed my own plate I tended to Mia, making sure she got a bit of the roast, potatoes, and carrots. I cut it all up into small, easy to manage pieces for her.

  “This looks delicious,” I told Karen, shoveling food onto my plate. Beside me, Hayes was already halfway through his first plateful. “Thanks for having us.”

  “Anytime, sweetheart.” She smiled kindly at me.

  I took a bite of roast and tamped down the moan that wanted to bubble out of my throat. The food was even better than it looked. Nothing beat having a home cooked meal—one that you didn’t have to slave over. I was convinced everything tasted better when someone else made it.

  Idle conversation was made as we ate, but for the most part it was relatively quiet. Karen spent a good time cooing over Liam, and it was obvious she was smitten with her first grandson.

  When we’d finished eating I offered to help clean up, but Karen waved me away. “That’s what my sons are for,” she said with a wink.

  Poor Mia was nearly asleep from a food coma so I guessed it wasn’t such a bad thing that Karen dismissed me.

  “I’m going to head out,” I told Hayes, sliding my chair back and picking up Mia. She wrapped her arms around my neck and legs around my waist. “I think it’s safe to say this one is ready for bed.” I bounced her in my arms slightly. She was already asleep, and within seconds I felt her drool dampen the sleeve of my shirt. When they were babies you got spit up on, when they reached this age it was drool instead…and the occasional booger.

  “I’ll walk you out.” Hayes wiped his hands on a napkin and stood from his chair.

  “Not fair! We have to clean up and he gets to go suck face!” Maddox bellowed as he gathered up a stack of plates.

  “You’re my son.” Karen swatted his side with a towel. “You can suck face later.”

  “But—”

  I didn’t hear whatever he was about to say as Hayes and I left the room.

  We were both silent as we stepped outside. It was already completely dark, and since the night sky was cloudy you couldn’t see any stars or even a sliver of the moon.

  Hayes held the door open and I bent to put Mia in her car seat. She roused a bit, but was already asleep again by the time I closed the door.

  I turned around to face Hayes, drawing my cardigan tight around my body.

  “I’m worried,” he admitted. “I don’t like him being back here.”

  I sighed and my breath fogged the air. “Me either, but what can I do?” I shrugged nonchalantly. I desperately wanted to brush off the fact that Todd was back, but realistically I couldn’t. It would be stupid not to think him being back didn’t pose a threat to Mia or myself. Todd was…unstable to say the least.

  Hayes cupped my cheek in one of his large hands, smoothing his thumb over the top of it. “Just…be careful, okay? And if you get scared or…fuck, if anything happens, call me and I’ll be there.”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  He leaned his forehead against mine. “I love you, Arden, and the thought of him trying to weasel his way back into your life scares me so fucking much.”

  “Why?” I questioned. “I would never go back to him.”

  “I know that, Little Bird. That’s not what I meant. I’m afraid of him hurting you again, or Mia, and…” His eyes squished closed and he looked anguished. “If he lays a hand on either of you I can’t be held accountable for my actions,” he warned.

  “He’s not going to bother us.”

  Hayes looked at me doubtfully. “We can hope.” He whispered, his breath feathering against my forehead. “On a lighter note…Thanksgiving is next week. What are your plans?”

  My brows furrowed in confusion at his sudden change in topic. “I’ll probably go to my parent’s.”

  He reached down and entwined our hands together. Staring at our joined hands, he said, “What if you came to mine?”

  “You want me to come to your parent’s house for Thanksgiving?” I didn’t believe I could’ve possibly heard him right.

  “Yes, I know you’ve already met them, but not as my girlfriend. And,” he hedged, seeming nervous, “my sisters are flying in and I want you to meet them, and for them to meet you.”

  My heart lurched and then sped up. “I’m not sure…” It had been so long since I’d met anyone’s family—and he was right, I had met his parent’s but not as his girlfriend and that made it feel like I was meeting them for the first time.

  He ducked down so his baby blue eyes met mine. “Don’t make me beg.” He jutted out his bottom lip. “Please? There’s no way you can resist this face.”

  I laughed despite my nerves. “I’ll go,” I agreed.

  “Yes!” He clapped his hands together and did a little victory dance.

  “Don’t make me regret this,” I warned him, unable to keep a smile off my face.

  “You won’t, trust me.” He took my face between his hands and lowered his mouth to mine. He kissed me leisurely like we had all the time in the world.

  When he pulled away we were both slightly breathless. He caressed my bottom lip with his thumb, his eyes a dark navy blue now. “I love your lips,” he murmured. “They’re so soft and plump. Kissable.”

  “Mmm,” I mumbled, unable to form a word when he was looking at me like he was now. Unconsciously my tongue slid out to wet my lips, as if called forth by his attention.

  “You’re killing me,” he growled, kissing me again.

  His tongue slid past my lips, stroking against mine and eliciting a moan deep from within my throat. My heart thumped madly behind my rib cage and I was sure he could feel it with how closely our chests were pressed together. I hadn’t noticed, but somehow while we were kissing he’d grabbed my waist and my body had automatically bowed into his.

  When he broke the kiss, I whispered, “I love you,” so our lips brushed with my words.

  He growled low in his throat and kissed my forehead gently before murmuring, “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that to me.”

  “I really need to go now,” I whispered, disentangling myself from his arms.

  “I know.” He took a step back, like he was afraid if he didn’t distance himself he might maul me with his mouth again.

  “Bye,” I told him, slipping into my car.

  “Goodnight, Arden,” he murmured as I closed the door, his words slipping over me like warm honey. I’d never known goodnight could sound so sexual, but the way he said it made me think of how desperately I wanted to spend the night with my naked body wrapped around his.
>
  “Night,” I mouthed through the door, turning the car on.

  I backed out of the driveway and he stood, watching my car until we were out of sight.

  I STARED AT the pile of brand new clothes on my bed. I’d already tried on countless new dresses and nothing seemed appropriate for spending the day with Hayes and his family.

  Just thinking about it nearly had me running to the toilet to throw up.

  I didn’t know why I was so nervous.

  I’d met his parents already and he assured me that his sisters would love me, but that did nothing to calm my nerves.

  I picked up a simple black dress and put it on, quickly vetoing it.

  Hayes was going to be here in less than an hour and I hadn’t even done anything to my hair. At least Mia was ready…although, that fact could prove to be a disaster if she tried to get into anything.

  I picked up the last dress I had to wear, vowing that this would be the one.

  The fabric felt silky as it rubbed against my skin. It was on the shorter side, ending above my knees, and a soft cream color. I closed my eyes before I looked in the mirror, saying a little prayer.

  When I opened my eyes I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw in the mirror. The dress was simple but pretty. I looked dressed up, but not like I was trying too hard.

  Satisfied, I stuffed the rest of the dresses back into the bag and stuck it in my closet.

  “Momma! Momma!” Mia chanted, running into my bedroom and face planting into my legs.

  I laughed and reached out to steady her. “Hey, silly girl, are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she pushed her hair out of her face, looking up at me sweetly, “I haz a qwuestion.”

  “And what’s your question?” I asked, moving into the bathroom.

  She bounced behind me and stood by the counter while I tried to make my hair presentable.

  “My bwirthday is soon…and I want a kitten.”

  “A kitten?” I laughed.

  She nodded her head eagerly, her red curls swinging around her shoulders. “Day’re so fluffy and cute.”

  “And who would take care of the kitten?” I smiled down at her, amused by the random ideas she always came up with.