Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters Collection (161 page)

“Listen. You wanted Emily and you fought to keep her. How many dads can say that?”

Eddie looked up at Haley’s earnest expression and warmth replaced the hollow feeling that had taken up residence in his chest while he had been rehashing the past.

“That girl is lucky to have you,” Haley said with sincerity pouring out of her. “Any girl would be lucky to have you.”

Damn
.

He really wished that she wouldn’t look at him like that—with hero worship in her eyes. She obviously had a very wrong impression of who he was. If she’d been back at that hotel room and seen how he had treated Claire, he knew that would turn the rose-colored glasses she liked to use while looking at him into a magnifying glass. His flaws would be on large display.

After several silent moments, she removed her hand from his knee. He immediately missed the contact. Sitting back, she spoke with a smile in her tone. “There is one more thing.”

“What?” Eddie wasn’t sure how much more he could take tonight. He’d already had to use more self-control than he had even known he’d possessed not to strip her out of her clothes and take her in the kitchen. Then he’d bared his soul for the first time in his life. ‘One more thing’ might be too much.

“Emily asked me to make her a bra for her birthday.” Haley sliced a look at him, and he could see that she thought he might lose his shit over that declaration.

“Yeah, she asked me if she could get one today.”

A smile crept up her beautiful face. “And you said ‘no’.”

“Yes,” Eddie stated firmly. “She’s too young for stuff like that.”

Haley sat quietly, and it made Eddie wonder if he was right. He didn’t really have a lot to go off of other than the fact that he was pretty sure that girls needed bras when they developed and Emily was far from developed. But with Haley not immediately agreeing with him, it made a niggling feeling of doubt take root.

Before he knew it, he asked, “Right?”

Actually it was more like he barked it but…

Haley looked as though she were choosing her words carefully. Sitting up a little straighter, she said, “Yes, I do think that she’s a little young still. I didn’t get my first training bra until I was ten. But—”

“Training bra?” Eddie interrupted. “You have to train them?”

Haley laughed as she took another drink of her beer. “No, but girls get them so that they get used to wearing a bra. Anyways, I think you should start thinking about it. Maybe give her a time frame that she can look forward to. That’s what my mom did. She chose ten, but it should be whenever you feel is appropriate.”

Never
. He wanted her to stay his little girl forever.

As if reading his mind, Haley added, “She’s growing up.”

“I know.”

He didn’t like it, but he knew it.

CHAPTER SIX

THE SUN STREAMING in through the open window warmed Haley’s cheek as she made her way to Bella. She luxuriated in its decadent warmth until she bounced right off her seat as her car flew over the new speed bump on Eleventh Street.

Shoot
. She kept forgetting that it was there. Obviously, the city had installed it for good reason since each time it slipped her mind she was going way too fast when she hit it. And this morning, the last thing she was thinking about was the speed bump. Her mind was other places. It was probably best while behind the wheel that she at least attempt to concentrate on driving.

It was just so hard to think straight after last night. Her talk with Eddie was playing on repeat in her head. The whole night had had a surreal quality to it. Well, at least the part after Eddie had come home early and scared the living daylights out of her.

Some of it even seemed like she’d been dreaming it. It was hard to believe that Eddie had actually opened up to her about Lacey and his fears with Em. As far as she knew, he just didn’t do that. Ever.

Then there was his rather obvious,
huge,
3D, eye-popping physical reaction he’d had to her in the kitchen. Haley was having a difficult time truly believing that she had been responsible for it. A little voice in her head kept saying that he had just come home early from a date. Maybe he’d gotten blue-balled.

But that was crazy. Completely and utterly ludicrous. Who in their right mind would turn down Eddie? Still, the idea that she’d inspired such a
large
reaction in him was just as crazy.

But all of that paled in comparison to him pointing out that she wiggled her toes when she was nervous. How could he possibly have known that about her? She considered herself a fairly self-aware person and even she hadn’t known that.

Then there were his cryptic words. “
I notice a lot about you
.”

Um, what?!
Hold the phone. Hold your horses. Hold anything else you can.

Since when? Sure, she’d known that he’d noticed things about her car—oil, tires, etc. But this was about
her
.

A huge yawn claimed her as she turned down the side street that led to the backside of Bella. She’d probably only gotten a total of one hour of sleep last night. She’d gone home around midnight, after she and Eddie had sat and talked about random, not-so-heavy topics for a couple of hours. When she’d finally left his house, like always, he’d stood on the porch and watched to make sure that she got home safely. Which was ridiculous, she thought. She lived across the street, and it wasn’t like Harper’s Crossing was riddled with crime. But she did find it sweet and endearing nonetheless.

Last night though, when she’d made the short trip to her house, she’d felt his gaze on her like a blanketed caress. It had covered her whole body. She’d been practically breathless by the time she’d made it across the street just after twelve a.m.

Which meant she had made it home in plenty of time to fit in a good night’s sleep. It was just that she hadn’t. The plain and simple truth was she had not been able to switch her brain off.

Pulling into the back employee parking lot, Haley was surprised to see Amber’s car here. Normally, Sundays were her days off. Inventory had been done for the month, and Amber preferred to design at home, so Haley was at a loss for what she might be doing at the boutique.

Guess I’ll find out soon enough
, Haley thought as she stepped out of her car into the already stifling heat of the day. It was only eight thirty in the morning, and if Haley had to guess, she would say it was already in the high eighties, low nineties.

It was going to be another scorcher for sure.

The heat radiated off the black asphalt, hitting Haley right in the face as she made the brief walk to the back employee entrance of the shop. In the few short steps it took to get to the shop, beads of sweat had already started forming on Haley’s forehead. When she entered the store, the air conditioning hit her like a little piece of heaven.

“Oh, that feels so good,” she breathed to herself.

Haley opened the fridge and bent down, placing her lunch, which today consisted of a turkey sandwich and yogurt, inside. Just as she was shutting the door, she heard Amber’s voice coming from the doorway that led into the showroom.

“Man, can you believe how hot it is out there?”

Standing, Haley turned and saw her boss-slash-friend-slash-cousin-in-law looking like her usual self, which meant she could have just walked off a runway in Milan. The overhead track lighting bounced off Amber’s long, thick, glossy black hair, which was complemented by her flawless honey-toned skin. Today she wore one of her newest designs—an emerald-green jumper short set with tan wedges—showcasing her long, toned legs. She wore sparse jewelry that perfectly accented her outfit.

Haley remembered how intimidated she used to feel around the casually glamorous Amber Sloan. She figured most people were when they first met Amber. But that all disappeared once you got to know her.

Amber was one of the most down-to-earth, hardworking people Haley had ever met. So many people who met her were so taken by her outward beauty that they didn’t ever see beneath it. She was easily able to disguise what life had dealt her—the loss, the tragedy, the hardships. But Haley’s cousin Seth saw the real Amber, and she could not be happier that the two of them had found each other. Even if their road to happily-ever-after was one of the more unusual tales, it had worked. Perfectly.

“I know! I was dying just walking from the car,” Haley agreed as she placed her purse in her small locker. About a year back, they’d had a break-in at the shop. The police had apprehended the perpetrator, but since then, as a precaution, they’d kept everything locked up tight as a drum. “What are you doing here on a Sunday?”

“I have several interviews lined up,” Amber stated matter-of-factly.

“Interviews for what?” To say that Haley’s interest was piqued would be the understatement of the century.

“For help. I am looking to hire at least one, maybe two more employees.”

Haley searched Amber’s face for clues as to what this was all about, but it was unreadable. Seriously, she could pick up on
nothing
. Amber might have missed her calling as a card shark because she had one badass poker face.

“We need more help?” Haley was trying desperately not to jump to the conclusion that she was getting fired, but her feet were already off the ground and she would definitely consider herself mid-hop.

“Actually, that’s what I needed to talk to you about,” Amber said cryptically as she pulled out one of the white and black polka-dotted chairs that sat around the small table in the breakroom. “Have a seat.”

Haley’s stomach was doing an amazing impression of Chubby Checker doing the twist as she slid into the padded chair. Amber sat across from her and folded her hands, resting them on the black wooden surface of the table.

“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought.” Amber’s tone sounded more businesslike than normal, which was not helping the dance party going on in Haley’s stomach. “You have been an amazing employee. In fact, I don’t know how I would have gotten through the last few years without you. You’ve gone above and beyond in every aspect of your job.”

Haley seriously felt a “
but”
coming on.

Amber continued. “So much so, that I think that you’ve outgrown your current position.”

Umm, that definitely sounded like she was getting fired. Haley’s heart raced and her palms grew damp as she swallowed over a large lump in her throat. Just as she was trying to formulate what she could tell Amber to convince her that she had
not
“outgrown her position,” Amber blindsided her once again by announcing through a wide smile, “So I would like to make you a partner.”

“What?” Haley asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Amber leaned down and produced—from where, Haley had no idea—a stack of legal documents, sliding them across the table. Haley stared down at them, dumbfounded.

She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t talk.

Luckily, Amber could, and she continued speaking. “Your Tempting line is one of our best sellers. As a matter of fact, every line you’ve put out we have sold out of.”

Haley was listening and processing what Amber was telling her. She knew that was true. Her lingerie line was popular.

“So my thought was, if you’re interested of course, would be to open a second Bella location, here in Harper’s Crossing, but have it be primarily undergarments. And I wanted to name it Tempting by Bella. It would be your store, but you wouldn’t have to put up any of the upfront costs to open it.”

Haley stared at Amber in disbelief. If last night felt
sur
real, today felt
un
real.

“But”—Amber pulled out a second stack of papers, once again sliding them across the table—“if a partnership is not something that you’re interested in, then I have a second option for you.”

Haley looked down and saw the first words that popped out at her—principal investor.

Amber quickly explained, “I believe in you. And if you want to spread your wings and do this on your own, then I want to offer my help as a silent investor.”

Tears began forming in Haley’s eyes. She couldn’t believe the opportunity that Amber was offering. Her
own
store.

“So think about it, have a lawyer look over the paperwork, then get back to me when you’ve had time to consid—”

“No,” Haley blurted out.

Amber’s eyes widened. She drew her head back slightly, and Haley realized how her one-word response sounded.

She let out a forced laugh as she explained, “I mean, I don’t have to think about it. I want to open Tempting by Bella. I don’t want to do this alone. I have learned so much from you and would feel so honored to be your business partner.”

Now Amber’s eyes were brimming with tears as well. She held up her hands, assuring Haley, “You don’t have to answer right away. You can take as long as you want.”

“Are you kidding me?! I feel like I just won the lotto. I’m definitely cashing in my ticket.”

Amber stood and extended her hand. “Okay, partner.”

Haley stood as well but rounded the corner and threw her arms around Amber. “Thank you so much,” she said as she embraced her.

Amber patted her back. “I really believe in you. Not just your Tempting line, but you, Hales.”

The phone rang, interrupting their moment, and Amber stepped through the beaded doorway to head to the front to answer it.

Haley took a moment, looking around the small room she had spent a lot of time in over the last few years. As excited as she was, she did feel the distinctive pull of nostalgia. She was going to miss this place.

That little voice piped up again.
But you’ll have a new place. Your place.

Tempting by Bella. Haley smiled.
I like the sound of that
.

* * * * *

“DADDY, LOOK!” Emily yelled as she pushed her cousin Mya in the baby swing on the swing set he and Riley had just installed in his sister’s backyard.