Page 68 of Until Then

“A real date?”

“This was never fake for me.”

He speaks with such confidence, such surety, I stumble over my own breath for a second.

I nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He winks and slips into the driver’s seat. “Until then, Wildfire.”

I don’t leave the drive until the red glow of his taillights fade into the dark. My heart is soaring. Every step is lighter.

This is happening. Noah Hayden asked me to be his. Only his. No ruse, no hiding. There is something so powerful and sincere about the way he speaks I have no choice but to believe him.

Maybe I’m a fool—the man acts for a living—but maybe it’s also time to trust my own instincts.

Noah’s a good man.

He loves enormously.

He surrounds himself with those who believe in that same love.

And the truth is, I’m careening over the ledge and falling for the man. At this point, I’m not certain I could stop.

When I make it back to my house, my mom sits on my porch swing, her knee bouncing.

“Mom?” I hug my middle. “You okay?”

She forces a smile. I know my mom’s fake smile by now. “Um, so I got an interesting text message. I thought twice about showing you, but you’re a grown woman, and I . . . I think you should be prepared. Noah, too.”

My pulse quickens. “What is it?”

“Hayley, please know he’s a small man. You are the light of my life and I have absolutely no regrets. I merely want to bury him where no one can find him for how despicable he is to my daughter.”

“Violent mom is coming out, huh.” I hold out my hand. “That can only mean one guy. What’d Shane say now?”

“Again, I’m showing you only as a warning. Do not take?—”

“Mom. I know. I’m much surer of myself than I was as a kid.” Still, I brace for the sting of rejection I know is coming.

With a sigh, she shows me an open text message beneath a screenshot of Noah’s post on his account. It’s a shot of me smiling up at the horse. Only one of Colt’s legs is in the image, and the picture is nothing but me, laughing at something.

Shane: Jasper Barnes reached out to show me this. If he’s looking for a connection through Hayley, it’s caught my attention. I’ll have my assistant reach out to his agent. Or I’d be willing to speak directly. I have a project we’ll want to discuss.

Maybe it’s the night with Noah still lingering in my heart, but the audacity of my biological father hardly stings.

I’m more annoyed that Jasper can’t keep his mouth shut.

I hand my mom’s phone to her. “I love how arrogant he is with the insinuation Noah’s only with me to get to him.”

My mom’s face tightens. Maybe she has the same concern.

I place a hand on her shoulder. “Mom, Noah doesn’t even know who my dad is.”

She nods. “He’s lucky to have you, Hay. He is, but I know how motivating it is for people to get a good connection in this business. I like Noah, and felt like you should know Shane might be reaching out to him. If he doesn’t know he’s your dad, you might want to prepare him. Shane doesn’t quit when he gets an idea.”

“I don’t know how to bring it up without admitting how ridiculous I’ve been, pining for a dad’s acknowledgement. It’s pathetic.”

“You are not pathetic.” Mom stands and grips my hand. “Tell him when you’re ready. I just wanted you to know he’s on the prowl.”

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