by Tia Wylder
“You are a skittish little thing, aren’t you?” Charlotte laughed and turned her back towards Hayley so she could change in peace.
The dress flowed over her hips and nestled daintily against her skin. The neckline was high even though it was sleeveless. The modesty of decades ago suited her. “Mrs. Kyle, this is beautiful.” Hayley swirled in front of the mirror.
“It suits you.” Charlotte turned to look at the young woman in front of her. “Why don’t you keep it.”
“Really?!”
“Of course.” They were going to be family soon, anyway. Even if Hayley didn’t know it yet.
“Thank you so much. It’s such a lovely dress. Won’t you at least let me pay you for it? I don’t feel right taking this for nothing.”
“Hayley, you’re helping Deckland be a better man. That is the best gift any mother could ask for. Please, I insist. Just think of this as a thank you.” Charlotte placed her hand over her heart for an extra touch of sincerity.
“I don’t know what to say.” Hayley had never been with a man long enough to get to know his family. This was all new territory for her.
“You don’t have to say anything.” Charlotte straightened Hayley’s hair and patted her shoulders.
“Mrs. Kyle, dinner is ready.” Maria spoke up patiently from the doorway.
“Thank you, Maria. We’ll be there shortly.” Checking her makeup in the mirror, Charlotte glanced at Hayley. “Are you ready to meet Deckland’s father?”
Hayley laughed nervously and followed Mrs. Kyle to the dining room. The light blue dress fluttered around her with every step. As they entered the dining room, Hayley saw a man with broad shoulders at the head of the table. He had the same piercing blue eyes as Deckland, but his jaw was firmly set. Hayley got the impression that even family dinner was business for him. She instinctively headed for the chair next to Deckland. He was becoming her safe place.
“So, you must be Hayley.” Deckland’s father was glaring at her. “I’m Senator Kyle. It’s nice to meet you.”
Deckland’s hand slipped discreetly under the table and rested lightly on her knee. His touch made her heart skip a beat, but it also gave her courage. Taking a deep breath, Hayley put on a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
“I see you’ve made quite the impression lately.”
“I’m sorry?” Hayley wasn’t quite sure what he meant.
Maria walked around the table pouring everyone red wine. Hayley tried to stop her, but she was already mid pour. Senator Kyle was still staring at her with his penetrating gaze. “You and my son were all over the news this morning.”
“I have no idea what started that, sir.” Hayley’s cheeks turned pink. She reached for her wine. If ever she could use some liquid courage, it was now.
“To be honest, it’s the first time Deckland has been in the news that I haven’t had to apologize to someone, so thank you for that. Lord knows how you got him to behave.”
“All due respect, sir, but I didn’t make Deckland do any of that stuff. He came with me on his own.” Hayley couldn’t remember the last time she ate. The tart wine was starting to go to her head.
“Well, one thing is for sure. He didn’t have this sudden desire to help people before you came along. So, whether you drug him along with you, or whether he chose to go with you on his own, my son never did a minute of volunteering or community service in his life that wasn’t court ordered until you came along. Don’t sell yourself short.” Charles Kyle Sr. lifted his glass to toast her.
Hayley started to argue with him, but Charlotte interrupted before she could get another word out. “You know, tomorrow Hayley and I are actually going to donate some of the clothes I don’t wear anymore.” Hayley looked up at her confused, but Charlotte just smiled and nodded.
“Really?” Senator Kyle raised his eyebrow at his wife. “It seems you are having quite the impact on my family, Miss Reams.”
Deckland laced his fingers through Hayley’s under the table and gave her and a squeeze. He could tell the conversation was making Hayley uncomfortable, so he tried to change the subject. “The dinner looks great, Maria.” Tilapia with seasoned asparagus lined their plates.
“Thank you, sir.” Maria bowed her head from the corner of the room.
“How is work going, Charlie?” Senator Kyle turned his attention to his oldest son.
Charles Kyle II smiled as he cut into his fish. “We should be closing up the Steven’s case on Friday. I’m on the way to making partner at the firm.”
Senator Kyle’s phone rang. He checked the screen and excused himself from the table. “I have to take this. I’ll be right back.”
“So, Hayley, what is it that you do for a living?” Charlie brought the conversation back to her.
“I work at a bakery.”
“Really? I thought you would do something more worthwhile with your life.”
Hayley grasped her wine glass and chugged the rest of it. Deckland’s brother was getting on her nerves. “You asked what I do for a living not what I do to make a difference. I think that people are more than just their jobs, don’t you?” She was starting to feel lightheaded. Maria poured more wine.
“You need to eat something. Drink some water.” Deckland leaned over and whispered in her ear. He could see the alcohol starting to take effect.
“That’s true. Fair enough.” Charlie averted his eyes and went back to eating his food.
“Hayley volunteers at an orphanage. Don’t you, dear?” Charlotte couldn’t help but butt into the conversation.
Senator Kyle came back to the dinner table. “Landon is on his way back from Italy. He wanted me to send his love to everyone.”
“Landon is my middle brother.” Deckland leaned in nudged her water glass towards her. “He was on vacation with his girlfriend.”
Hayley picked at her food while nursing her third glass of wine. Her nerves about meeting Deckland’s family were still gnawing at her. The table was silent as they sat there eating. The silence was worse than the small talk. Sadness started to settle in the pit of her stomach. She turned towards Deckland as the meal concluded. “Would it be okay if I went back to my room now?”
“Yeah, sure.” He watched her stand up as she said goodbye to his family and limp slowly towards the staircase. Deckland excused himself from the table and slipped into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and some crackers. He walked up the stairs to Hayley’s room and knocked softly.
“Yes?”
“Hey, I brought you some—what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Deckland rushed to her side and wiped the stream of tears falling down her cheeks.
“I’m sad.” Hayley’s lip trembled. “I’m drunk, and I’m sad.”
“The alcohol will wear off. It’s going to be okay. Why don’t you tell me why you’re sad?”
“When I was growing up, I never had many family dinners. Your family has them, but you’re all so distant from each other. It makes me sad for you.” A new wave of tears started.
Deckland chuckled and pulled her to his chest. “It’s going to be okay. You know, to be honest, I never really enjoyed family dinners. There’s nothing for you to be upset over.”
“But that’s even worse! You have this wonderful gift, and you don’t even realize it.” Hayley buried her face in his neck. Her eyelashes tickled his skin every time she moved.
“Don’t worry about it. You know, since I met you I actually appreciate my father more than used to.”
Hayley sniffled and stopped crying. “Really?”
“Really.”
With the wine still making her emotional, Hayley wrapped her arms around Deckland and snuggled into him. “I love you.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Hayley froze.
Deckland stopped petting her head. His heart skipped a beat, but he couldn’t say it back to her. Not like this. Not while she was drunk. “Make sure you drink the water. I brought you some crackers, too.”
He quickly stood up and left the ro
om without looking back. Hayley was left sitting alone after accidentally confessing how she felt, and all he could do was bolt. Kicking himself for leaving her like that, he locked himself in his room. Maybe she was drunk enough that she wouldn’t even remember it in the morning. His heart sank as he struggled to fall asleep.
Chapter 13: Motherly Confessions
“Knock, knock!” Charlotte opened the door to the guest room.
Hayley pulled the blanket over her head. She couldn’t remember what time it was when she finally fell asleep, but she thought it must have been close to dawn. The mortification of what had happened after dinner was still replaying in her mind.
“Come on, sleepy head. You said you would show me where to donate my clothes.” Deckland’s mom pulled the blanket back and saw Hayley’s puffy, red eyes. “Honey, what’s wrong? Did Deckland do something? What did he do?! Deckland!”
Hayley sat up and covered Charlotte’s mouth. “No, please. Please, don’t do that. I’ll get dressed. We can go right now.” She dropped her hand and pulled her holey jeans up under the dress she had slept in.
“Hayley, I want you to know that you can tell me if something is bothering you, okay? I may be Deckland’s mom, but I want to be part of your life, too.”
Slipping back into her shirt, Hayley wadded her hair up into a messy ponytail. “I appreciate that, but I’m not ready to talk about it just yet.” She didn’t want to have to face what had happened just yet. Saying it would make it more real.
“Well, when you’re ready, I’m here.” Worry knotted Charlotte’s stomach. Hayley was such a sweet girl, she hated to see her upset.
“Thanks, Mrs. Kyle. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. Maria loaded up the dresses for me.”
Hayley had a sudden realization. “Shoot! Do you think I need to put the wig back on?”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about the press today. You’ll be fine.” She had called off the hounds. The only photographer they would need to worry about today was Charlotte’s personal photographer, and he was under orders to be discreet.
The two of them walked down the stairs towards the front door. Hayley saw Deckland talking to his father in the living room. Their eyes locked from across the room. This time it was Hayley’s turn to bolt. She couldn’t face him after what she had said last night. Without a second thought, she ran outside to the car that was waiting. Charlotte followed her.
To Hayley’s surprise, Charlotte was driving them instead of a chauffeur. “If you know the address, just plug it into the GPS.” Mrs. Kyle touched a screen in the dashboard of the car, and a keyboard popped up on the screen.
After typing in the address, Hayley lost herself in the scenery passing by her window. She knew she would have to face Deckland sooner or later. Part of her just wanted to forget everything, but the problem was that what she had said was true. She had fallen in love with him, and now she had probably scared him away.
Charlotte left Hayley alone with her thoughts until she started to recognize the neighborhood they were in. The atmosphere in the car suddenly became tense. “Hayley, where are we going?” There was a note of panic in her voice.
“Hmm? We’re almost there. It’s the little grey building on the corner.” Hayley pointed out their destination. Charlotte parked a little way away from the building. Her hands were shaking on the steering wheel. “Mrs. Kyle? Are you okay?” The older woman had gone pale.
“Hathaway House for Women.” Charlotte’s voice sounded distant.
“Do you know it?” Reaching out a comforting hand, Hayley tried to calm Charlotte down.
“Hayley, I’m going to tell you something that I have never told anyone, okay?”
“Okay.” She was a little afraid of what Charlotte was going to say, but she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Before I met Deckland’s father I was in a bad relationship. It was mentally abusive to the point where I doubted myself even on the small things. I finally managed to get up enough courage to leave, but I didn’t have anywhere to stay. I didn’t want my family to know what happened. I couldn’t bear the shame of it.” Charlotte wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. Even now, the memory was painful for her. “Somehow, I made my way here to Hathaway House. They took me in and helped me. After a few months, I was back on my feet. This place helped me through a really tough time, and in all these years I never thought about giving back to them. Hayley, thank you for this. This is something I didn’t even know I needed.”
“Mrs. Kyle, I’m so sorry for what you went through. When you think about it though, you didn’t let your circumstance keep you down. Look at you now. You have a beautiful family, a beautiful home, and no one would ever know that you suffered like that. You got back at your abuser by living a beautiful life. That is the best revenge you could possibly have for something like that.”
Charlotte stifled the tears trying to escape from her. She had always been trying to cover up her shortcomings with fancy clothes and expensive jeweler, afraid that people would see the scars she still carried inside of herself. Now, here was this young woman who showed her that what she thought was her weakness was really her strength. Charlotte squeezed Hayley’s hand. For the first time in years, she felt closer to accepting herself for who she was—not who she pretended to be for everyone else.
“Come on, let’s get these dresses inside.” Charlotte smiled and opened the back of the car.
Hayley grabbed an armload of clothing and lugged them inside followed closely by Deckland’s mother. A woman behind the counter welcomed them in. “Good morning, ladies. How can I help you?”
“We just wanted to make a donation.” Charlotte placed the clothes in her arms on the counter.
“These are in wonderful condition. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this will help the women here.” The woman flipped through some pages. “Here, let me give you a receipt for tax deductions. Who do I make this out to?”
Holding up a hand, Charlotte shook her head. “No, please. This is an anonymous donation. I just want you to know that what you are doing makes such a difference in the lives of the women you help.” Her voice trembled as she said the last part.
“Thank you.” The appreciation of Charlotte’s words shone through on the worker’s face.
With a shaky breath, Charlotte turned and left the building. Her heart felt lighter than it had in years. Watching her, Hayley felt like she owed Mrs. Kyle the same amount of trust and openness. “I think I’m ready now to talk about what happened.”
Charlotte froze and turned to face the young woman. “Okay.”
“I told Deckland that I loved him.” Hayley sighed. Her heart hurt as she said the words. “And he didn’t say it back.”
A small smile of surprise landed on Charlotte’s face. “That’s what it was? Hayley, I know this is hard for you right now, but I don’t think you should right him off just yet. When we get back to the house, talk to him. Okay? Just give him a chance to explain.”
It wasn’t her place to reveal her son’s feelings for Hayley. If Deckland hadn’t told her himself, then he must have a reason. The phone in Charlotte’s pocket vibrated. Her photographer had sent her a text with the images he wanted to release to the press. Charlotte smiled and simply texted back three words: Delete them all. Today was a special memory for her, and she wanted to keep it that way.
Chapter 14: Confrontation
Kyle Manor loomed in front of them as Charlotte parked in front of the house. For her, it was coming home. For Hayley, it meant she was one step closer to having to face her fears. Even with Charlotte’s reassurances, Hayley was nervous as they stepped inside. Her footsteps echoed hollowly as if she had been swallowed up by a great, empty beast.
Deckland sat in the living room. His hair was pristinely spiked, but he was fidgeting nervously with something in his hands. Hearing their footsteps, he quickly stood up and fumbled the object into his pocket. Hayley’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. The roar crashed lik
e thundering waves inside of her. Deckland’s mouth moved, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying.
“What?” Hayley blinked, trying to calm herself down.
“I asked if I could talk to you for a second.”
Fear of rejection bottomed out her stomach. “Sure.” She tried not to sound as weak as she felt.
Deckland led her out to the balcony where they had tucked themselves away during the masquerade on the night they had met. He kept studying her face, but Hayley wasn’t sure what he was trying to find there. “How was today? My mother didn’t bombard you with questions or anything, did she?”
“No, we had a good day actually.” The truth was she felt like she knew his mother better now, but she didn’t want to talk about how she had bonded with his mom when she still didn’t know how he felt about her. “Is this really what you wanted to talk about?”
Deckland cleared his throat. His hand fished in his pocket. “No, it’s not. I actually wanted to talk to you about last night.”
Hayley closed her eyes. “I’m sorry that I said that to you. It just kind of slipped out. I understand you don’t feel the same way. If there were any way for me to take it back, I would.” Her heart sank as she said the words.
“What if I don’t want you to?” Deckland’s words caught her off guard. She looked up at him quickly, and a crooked smile made his eyes sparkle. “Hayley, the reason I didn’t say it back was because you were drunk. I didn’t want the first time to be that way. I wanted it to be special. There are a lot of things I want to be special for you.” Deckland dropped to one knee and pulled out a velvet covered box.
“What?” Hayley whispered the word. Her eyes widened. Was this a dream??
“I know this is a little sudden, but I feel like I have gotten to know you better in short time since we’ve met than I know most people that I’ve been around for years. No one—and I mean it when I say this—no one has ever made me feel the way you do. Hayley Reams, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” He pulled back the lid of the box. Inside was a large diamond on a golden band.