Page 56 of Craving You

“You’re a good man, Max Calloway. A fine man! I don’t know what my daughter is waiting for!”

And her personal favorite comment of the day:

“You pick the date, Max, and I’ll make sure Hailey is right there at the church with you!”

By the time Hailey announced that they had to go because they had more packing to do, her parents practically begged to come with them to help.

“No!” she blurted out as she grabbed her purse. “I mean…it’s unnecessary. There’s not a lot of room to move around because of all the boxes. We’ve got a system, so…”

“We’re just trying to be helpful, sweetheart,” her mother said with a sad smile. And just when Hailey thought they were going to hug, Bridget turned and hugged Max instead. “Don’t work too hard, Max.” Cupping his cheek, she added, “Remember to take some time to relax.”

Her father repeated the sentiment before he turned to face her. “You found a good one here, Hales. Make sure you don’t wait too long, huh? Some other woman might swoop in and appreciate how exceptional Max is.”

Groaning, she shook her head. “Dad…”

“What? I’m just saying, you can’t expect a guy like this to wait around forever. What are you waiting for?”

Max must have read the frustration on her face because he finally stepped in. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said to no one in particular. “Hailey and I are just fine. I get that you both worry, but…we’re good, okay? I promise.”

When they finally got back in the car, she wanted to scream.

“You okay?”

“No,” she mumbled. “The high-pressure sales pitch the two of them are using just pisses me off. Like they don’t trust me to know what’s best for myself. It’s a little insulting.”

He didn’t say anything.

“It’s like they like you more than they like me.”

“Come on. You know that’s not true,” he countered and then paused. “Although…it’s starting to feel like overkill.”

“Exactly! You and I are figuring things out in our own time. Why can’t they just respect that?”

“I don’t know, but…would it help if I talked to them?”

She glared at him. “You talking to them is what started all of this.” She said it lightly, but it still stung just thinking about it. Right now, she was frustrated and annoyed and tense.

And luckily Max didn’t try to tell her she was wrong.

Which was why when they got back to her apartment, she shut the door, bit her lip, and blurted out, “Can we please hit pause again?” That was clearly becoming their code phrase for sex. Max was all for it, but she kind of hated how she wasn’t comfortable enough to just say that she wanted to be with him and wanted them to make love.

Clearly, they were physically compatible, and every day they were learning more about each other, but she knew when they got settled back in Sweetbriar Ridge, they were going to have to address this. They couldn’t keep hitting pause indefinitely. Eventually, she was going to have to deal with the here and now, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.

On Sunday, all the furniture and large items that she was getting rid of were picked up. There were still too many boxes to fit in her car, so they decided to rent a small moving truck with a hitch for her car to get everything she was keeping back with them. With the townhouse empty, they decided to stay at a hotel instead of with her parents for their last night in Florida.

But the best part of the day?

She never got to ask him to press pause because he surprised her by joining her in the shower that night. It was exciting getting dirty and clean all at the same time, and she could tell he felt the same way. Being with him was becoming addictive, and if it were up to her, this was how they’d end every day.

Someday…

The entire Donovan family was waiting in the parking lot by the rental truck the next morning, and as soon as Hailey saw them, she burst into tears. It took an hour for them all to say goodbye, and as annoyed as she was with them, she knew she was going to miss them like crazy. She’d never lived more than thirty minutes away from her parents or siblings, so this was going to be a huge adjustment for all of them.

When she thought she had hugged everyone and was ready to climb into the truck, her mother ran over and hugged her tighter than she ever had before.

“Just be happy, Hailey,” she whispered fiercely. “No matter what you decide, we love you.”

And that had her crying all over again.

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