Page 46 of Behind the Cascades
Hayes chuckles. “Thought about it, but I’m leaning more toward the desk route right now. I missed out on a lot of stuff—birthdays and holidays. I don’t want to be in a position for that again.”
I squeezed his thigh while grinning at him. We’ve had a lot of in depth talks about our future over the last few months. We both agreed we want to try to have normal, nine-to-five jobs that we aren’t risking our lives in. I think Hayes needs to get a little normalcy back in his life so that he can heal. He’s downplayed all the traumatic events he had while he was deployed but I’m afraid those will resurface in unhealthy ways.
All of the guys nodded and lifted their beers to him for that. None of them are immune to the hardships that being a first responder has. They’ve all had to put their work first and their familiessecond at points in their careers. Olivia picked up her water and took a small sip, avoiding eye contact. I already know the heartbreaking thought that she’s thinking—even if Dan had the option, he wouldn’t change his career.
Luke and Madelyn call it an early night after about an hour. There seemed to be a little tension lingering in the air, but Madelyn ignored it and Luke shut down. I offhandedly asked Olivia if it had anything to do with Hayes and me showing up, but she assured me they were like that before we even got there.
Levi flirted his way through the bar, being Ethan's wingman even though Ethan wanted nothing to do with him. It was actually pretty entertaining to watch Ethan awkwardly avoid any advances toward him. He's been so focused on Jake and the bar that I doubt he's dated since he's been back.
Olivia and Dan danced for most of the night. He looks at her like she's God's gift to earth and she smiles right back at him. I know she has been pretty candid with me about their struggles in the past, but seeing them tonight, it's clear that they have a strong connection.
When they decided to call it a night, we did too. It was fun being out with everyone, but all I wanted to do was go home and be cozy with my man.
My phone rings early—too early for a Monday morning, 6 a.m. early.
“It’s your mom.”
Hayes looks at me with sleepy eyes and says with a yawn, “My mom?”
I don’t even answer his rhetorical question.
“Hey, everything okay?” It’s 9 a.m. eastern time, but Connie normally waits a few hours before calling because she knows that.
“Hi, sweetheart. Hayes with you?” Her tone already sounds off and I sit up in bed, putting it on speakerphone.
“He’s here; you’re on speaker phone.”
She lets out a deep breath. “I got a call from Detective Paul. Carter’s being released for good behavior next week. It’s been about two-and-a half years. He’ll be on probation, but I wanted you to know the second I did.”
Hayes' entire body shifts from relaxed to predatory mode. His eyes go dark as his body tenses. I can almost see the wheels turning in his mind. I have no doubt that if we weren’t across the country, Carter would be mysteriously missing by now.
I gripped his forearm with pleading eyes. I can’t lose Hayes again. If he goes searching for Carter, things will get bad.
“Thanks for letting us know. I’ll call Detective Paul and see if there’s anything we should do.” Hayes told me a few weeks ago that they suspected Carter already knew where I was. All that hard work was for nothing. Thankfully, now that Hayes is here, the news doesn't hit me as hard as I thought it would.
“Ok, sweet girl. I pray every day that he learns from this and is reformed.”
Hayes scoffs, knowing full well the chances of that are slim. His brows furrowed together as he stared at the phone in my hand. "Mom, you going to be okay? I can have someone come stay with you.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t you worry about me. All my neighbors look out for each other and keep a good watch.”
I can see the worry in Hayes already, but he acquiesces.
We catch up for a few more minutes and then hang up.
Hayes falls back onto his pillow, closing his eyes. The noticeable jaw ticking is the only thing I can see moving on him.
“Do you want to go stay with your mom?” I ask, more worried about how he's feeling than myself at this point.
“And leave you? Absolutely not.”
“I’m safe here. Between Dan, Luke, and Levi?—”
“No.” His tone leaves no room for argument, but that’s never stopped me before.
“Hayes, I can tell you’re worried about your mom.”
His eyes fly open, and he sits up, placing his hand on my jawline.
