Page 49 of Craving You

Nervously, she slowly took a bite of a tortilla chip, and it was easily a full minute before anyone spoke.

“So you’re really against marrying him?” Chloe asked as she sat down beside her.

“No, but…”

“And you’re obviously having a baby,” Ashlynn stated.

Nodding, she agreed. “We are, but…”

“I get that maybe it’s fast, but…are you in love with Max?” Jade asked. “And if it’s too soon to say you’re in love, do you see yourself getting there?”

Ugh…where do I even begin?

“I’m just being practical,” she said primly, choosing to study her plate of chips and not look at anyone. “Yes, Max and I are wildly attracted to each other and so far, we’ve been getting along great.”

“But…” Ash prompted.

“But…” She groaned, already hating what she was about to say. “We’ve been forced into a situation and now I’ll never know if this was meant to be or if we’re just making the best of the awkward circumstances.” Shrugging, she added, “The last relationship I was in was a total nightmare.”

“That’s because he-who-must-not-be-named was a total ass hat,” Sloane chimed in.

“There was that,” Hailey calmly said. “But I also always lacked a bit of self-confidence where guys were concerned. So that relationship didn’t help.” She sighed. “I didn’t think I’d be able to trust another man, and then I met Max at the wedding. It felt safe to…you know…do what we did because I wasn’t staying. It was just a fling. And now we’re here and…and…Max is probably just making the best of it because he’s an honorable man.”

With a snort, Ashlynn mumbled something under her breath and walked out of the room, and Jade quickly followed.

Apparently I make things awkward everywhere I go now.

Beside her, Chloe quietly spoke. “Can I ask you something?”

A nervous laugh was Hailey’s first response. “Sure.”

“If you weren’t pregnant and you came back to Sweetbriar to visit and Max came in and completely swept you off your feet, would you question it?”

“I…I don’t know. And I’m never going to know because…”

“Hales, I spent most of my life having zero confidence in myself. I never had a significant relationship. I felt like the guys I dated always found it easy to walk away. I was completely forgettable.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “It’s depressing.”

Nodding, Chloe went on. “Then I met Tanner. He was…” She sighed happily. “He was handsome and arrogant and the kind of man I thought would never be interested in someone like me. But…I was wrong. He spent so much time and energy showing me how he felt about me, but I refused to let myself believe it. I found all kinds of excuses why he couldn’t really feel the way he said he felt. I exhausted the both of us.”

This all sounds wildly familiar, she thought.

“I get that our experiences aren’t identical—I wasn’t pregnant—but Tanner and I worked together, like literally worked together. We had to see each other every single day and I questioned if he was staying with me so it wouldn’t be awkward at work or if he was using me because I had a great reputation with the staff.” She shook her head as she softly laughed. “I told myself all kinds of lies when the truth was right there in front of me.” Reaching over, she grabbed one of Hailey’s hands and gave it a firm squeeze. “You are an amazing woman, Hailey Donovan. You are smart and beautiful and worthy of being loved. Maybe all those other men were wrong for you because the right one was here in Sweetbriar Ridge, just waiting for you.”

Tears stung Hailey’s eyes. “I’m so afraid of being wrong, Chloe,” she whispered. “What if I let myself fall in love with him and he’s just biding his time until after the baby’s born? What if he realizes it was all just lust? What if…”

“What if this is the greatest love of a lifetime?” her cousin fiercely whispered back. “You deserve to be happy and to live your life loving Max freely and being loved in return. Stop fighting it. Let yourself be happy.”

Now her tears fell in earnest. “I’m trying. There are just so many things to take into consideration besides the baby. There’s moving, finding a job, a place to live…” Another sigh. “Staying here with Billie and Marcus and knowing Max is in the room over the garage…”

“Has got to be a little weird. I get it.” Glancing over her shoulder, Chloe called out, “You can come back in now! Just don’t be bratty! And bring tissues!”

“Ash wasn’t being bratty.”

“Oh, please. She’s my twin and I can say with great confidence that she was being bratty. She may have left the room before she said something offensive, but she was still thinking it.”

Just then, Ash swept back into the room with a box of tissues. “But I didn’t say it out loud, so I deserve a little credit for that.” She gave Hailey a hug from behind before sitting back down. “I hate hearing you sound so down on yourself. I almost went downstairs to give Max and your parents a hard reality check, but Jade reeled me in.”

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