Page 76 of The Art Of Starting Over

He shook his head. “I would never.”

“He wants us to move back to Chicago, and so does Maren.”

Hayden’s heart twisted at hearing those words. He didn’t want Devy and Maren to leave.

“Chad said things would be easier for him. Forhim.” She all but spat the word out. “Better for our daughter.”

“Divorce is messy,” Hayden said, even though he had no idea. His parents were still married, and both sets of his grandparents had still been married when they passed away. He had friends whose parents had divorced, but he’d never experienced it firsthand.

“Maren doesn’t like it here,” she said, almost crying. “What’s not to like?” Devorah twirled and held her arms out. “She can be Pearl of the Ocean if she wants.” She stopped, swayed, and looked at Hayden. “I don’t want to move back. I want to stay in OB and just be me. I don’t want to be a Stepford wife or seethemtogether.”

“You don’t have to. Maren will adjust. It’s only been a month. With everything going on, these things take time.” He wrapped his arm around her waist.

“He’s pissed I went on a date with you. He said I should’ve known better. Are you bad news?”

What in the actual fuck?

They weren’t dating, and even if they were, Chad had left her. He’d chosen another woman over her. What was she supposed to do, pine for him until the end of time?

“No, Dev. I’m not bad news.”

She stopped walking and began crying. “He’s mawipulating my daughter.” Her words slurred. “Asking about me. Pretending to care so he can tell me what do to. And she tells him because she loves him. He knows this and uses her.”

Hayden pulled her into his arms. “She’s a child. Maren didn’t do it to hurt you. She loves you, Devy, and doesn’t understand what’s going on. All she knows is her life got uprooted one day. If it’s a lot for an adult to process, imagine being nine.” Hayden expected that Chad had prodded the information out of Maren.

“I have to stop him from hurting her.”

Hayden couldn’t agree more.

“Come on, let’s get you back to Crow’s.” He put his arm around her to keep her upright. After another block, she slumped against him. Hayden lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way. It was a good thing he’d been slinging tools lately and had built up his strength.

When they arrived at Crow’s, he was standing on the porch waiting for them. “The light’s on upstairs. Take her on up.”

Hayden expected to find Maren waiting, but her door was closed, as was the shared door to the bathroom. Honestly, he didn’t know if he’d say anything to her. As it was, he was pretty hurt by what Devorah had told him.

He laid her down on her bed, slipped her shoes off, and pulled the blanket over her. Before he left, he brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. “Please don’t leave,” he whispered to her.

Downstairs, he found Crow outside, rocking in the chair.

“That husband of hers said some things on the phone, which put her in a precarious position with Maren. She wants to blame her, when it’s Chad’s fault. He’s a piece of work and is intent on destroying what spirit she has left or has built up since she returned to OB.”

“He’s gaslighting her and using Maren to further his agenda.”

Crow nodded. “I spoke with Maren after Devorah left. Stressed the importance of keeping her conversations with her dad about herself. She’s old enough to stand up to her father. I wish there was something I could do.”

“I think ...,” Hayden started and then paused. “I think we have to be on her side. That’s all she needs right now. To know she has people who support her. We can’t even pretend to know how she feels. Her world is upside down. People talk about her constantly. The woman she thought was her best friend betrayed her in the worst possible way. Devy needs the people around her to stick up for her.”

Crow glanced at Hayden. “I’ll do better,” he said gruffly. “I want to do better for her.”

“That’s all she wants, and from what I’ve seen, you already have,” he said as he headed down the stairs.

“Hayden?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Since the kids have a baseball game tomorrow, what do you say me, you, Conor, and the old man go fishing after?”

“We’d love to. See you in a few hours, Crow.”

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