Page 132 of Hound Dog
I could chooseHaylee.
Emotions swirled inside me like a Cuisinart. “Mom, you should have told us.”
She shook her head. “When a dying man gives you his wishes, you abide by them.”
“Yeah, but that was still fifteen years ago. You could have told us at some point since then.” The next thought struck me hard. “Wait, have you had boyfriends since John?”
She shook her head, the sad smile still there on her lips. “I’ve had guys I’ve dated. Some of those guys I dated for a few months. Not many, but a few. But John was my soulmate. Even now, it’s hard to imagine myself falling in love again, but that’s why I’m here. That’s why I signed up with Hound Dog. Because I’m ready to try.”
“Wait… you reallyarehere as a client? This wasn’t just some ruse to catch me in the act?”
She shrugged. “I’ll admit I’ve been suspicious for a couple weeks now. Ever since that day in the park that I saw you and Haylee get so flustered. Then, when I found the dating app that was the same business name and the LLC trademark was registered in New Hampshire… well, I put it all together.”
Dammit. The LLC. Of course. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Hound Dog.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about John.”
I took a sip of my coffee that was now significantly watered down with melted ice. “Are you going to tell Neil, Liam, and Addy?”
“I will when you will.” She paused, her thoughtful eyes finding mine. “What about Haylee?”
The question echoed like a gong in my head.What about Haylee?I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Picturing her face. I stared down at the plastic cup, branded with Lex’s cafe logo, until the words blurred.
“You know,” Mom said, ignoring my silence, “even when she claimed to hate you, it was so obvious how strongly she cared about you. You don’t hate someone you don’t care about. That’s not how it works. I hated your father for leaving because I loved him. Now, I’m indifferent. And a girl like Haylee? She’s a rare one.”
“What if… what if I try with Haylee and I screw up again? What if I lose her? Hurt her?”Or hurt me,I thought. My voice cracked as I added, “I couldn’t live with myself.”
“You might screw up,” Mom said with a shrug.
I snorted and shook my head, peeling the corner of the label on my coffee cup. “Great pep talk. Thanks, Mom.”
“I’m serious,” she chuckled. “You might. You might hurt her. She might hurt you. But can you honestly sit there and tell me you’re not hurtingright now, anyway?”
The brick that was lodged in my chest sunk deeper.
Shit. I was. I was hurting so damn much not being with Haylee.
Mom was right. With or without Haylee, I was miserable. So why nottry? Why not give it my best and maybe I’d beat the odds. Beat the statistics. Hell, Neil and Liam already did.
And Haylee was worth the effort. As long as I vowed to always consider her happiness… and my own, how could we go wrong?
Slowly, I peeled my eyes off of the coffee cup and looked at my mom as she said, “Love is always a risk. But it also comes with rewards. And they far outweigh everything, Finn. I want to see you happy. I want to see you loved. It’s the most freeing feeling in the world.”
A little bit of her mascara stained on her cheek, and I smiled, lifting another napkin and gently wiping her cheek.
“Now I just need to figure outhowto win her back,” I said.
A wide smile broke out across Mom’s face, and she lit up like the Northern Lights. “Well,that’sthe fun part.”
“Is it?”
Haylee didn’t owe me a damn thing. She didn’t owe me the time to listen to my explanation. She didn’t owe me forgiveness or a second chance, either.
But that wouldn’t stop me from asking for all of it.
“In the meantime…” I handed Lady’s leash to Mom and stood up. “We’ve got some manhunting to do.”
Mom’s face went pale. “What? Now? Finn, no. You have things to arrange—”
