Finding Hayes (Magnolia Falls #5)

by Laura Pavlov

Savannah turned to look at me. “So, are you in? Do you want me to be your ball and chain for the next few months? I promise to be the best girlfriend and then fiancée and then wife before I leave you high and dry and file for divorce.” She extended her hand in offering to seal the deal. “Sounds like a match made in heaven.” I oozed sarcasm and wrapped my large hand around hers. It was probably the worst idea I’d ever agreed to. But for whatever reason, I couldn’t say no. “I’m in.”

He pulled the seat belt across my body, and his hand grazed my thigh as he did it. How was I going to pretend to date him? Here I was, trying to avoid him, and now I’d agreed to marry him? How did this even happen?

I’m not sure I’m the right guy for the job anyway.” “Why do you say that?” I asked, as he pulled down the long driveway toward the farmhouse. “Because I have no desire to play the game. Maybe I’m not meant to lead if I can’t get on board with the politics side of things.” “Don’t you dare say that about my future husband,” I said, as I waggled my brows. “We’re going to get you that promotion, Woody.”

I dealt with everything alone. The brutal divorce my parents went through. My mother having a torrid affair with one of my high school teachers and the whole town finding out. My father’s cancer. Completely uprooting our lives and moving away with no notice. Leaving Abe and Lily and a part-time job that I’d loved. And the loss of my best friend.

The fewer people that knew, the better. It wasn’t a full-on lie. I’d known her most of my life. Even though we hadn’t talked in years, it didn’t feel that way. It felt like I’d just seen her yesterday. We’d always had a connection. So whether she hated me or liked me, it didn’t really matter. I knew this girl. I knew her well. I may not have understood her choices, but I knew who she was. Good to her core. Maybe she’d just outgrown me. I could understand that. She was always destined for big things. For more. I’d known it early on. I wouldn’t fault her for that. My life was a shit show, and it was easy to get pulled down in all that drama back then.

I glanced over at Savannah, giving her a knowing look. She surprised me when she smiled so big it had my chest squeezing. How long had it been since she’d smiled at me like that? Too long.

“Dear God, what is he doing?” she whisper-hissed, leaning close so only I could hear. I leaned down, my lips grazing her ear as the smell of vanilla and lavender flooded my senses. “I don’t know, but maybe it’s time we make sure he realizes you aren’t available. Well, that’s pending how you want to pull this off.” Her eyes widened when she pulled back, and she gave me the slightest nod. She leaned against me, and I wrapped an arm around her on instinct. It was so easy. Far too easy.

I wasn’t looking to let anyone in more than necessary, and I’d always been that way. With the exception of Savannah Abbott. She was the one person I’d always let in.

“You like taking care of me, Hayes?” Her voice was all tease, but my dick jumped to attention at the tone of her voice. At the heat in her honey-brown eyes. I slipped the mittens over each hand and nodded. “Always, Shortcake.”

She looked down at me, and her hand moved to the top of my head as her fingers scraped along my short hair. “It’s easier to hate you when I’m not around you.” The admission hit me like a punch to the gut. She’d blocked me. She was admitting that she hated me. It was one thing to think it and another to hear her say the words.

She laughed, her eyes were closed now, and she whispered four little words that I hadn’t expected to hear from her. “I missed you, Hayes.” I miss you, too, Shortcake.

This whole plan was already more complicated than I’d expected. And lying to people I cared about was not something that I felt good about. I needed to get this renovation started, get hitched, and then get divorced, sell the farm, and leave town.

my eyes scanned down her cream-colored dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Ever since I’d walked in on her naked in my bathroom, I’d thought of nothing else. I’d fucked my fist too many times to count. This whole fake relationship was messing with my head. I probably needed to go out and get laid, and that sure as hell wasn’t going to happen now. It would be a while until this façade was over.

Romeo The last man standing is going down. King The bigger the asshole, the harder they fall. Fuck off. You assholes told me to play the game. So I’m here.

Nash Holy shit. Hayes is throwing a party? King With his girlfriend. Romeo I give him six months, and he’s walking down the aisle. River I don’t think he’ll wait that long. When you know, you know. <middle finger emoji>

They were all laughing, and I just watched her. My woman. Fake or real—it didn’t really matter at the moment. She was here with me, and she felt like mine. Maybe she’d always felt like mine.

“Come here,” he said, voice hard and commanding. I glanced around before unbuckling my seat belt and scooting closer along the bench seat of his truck. Before I could process what was happening, he reached for me and pulled me onto his lap. One leg fell on each side of his thick thighs, and his hands found my hips. This was unexpected, but I certainly wasn’t in a hurry to move away.

His moss-green eyes locked with mine. “I’d like to kiss my wife before I agree to spend my life with her.”

“Wow. My man is a real romantic.” I tried to be funny, but my voice was void of all humor. He didn’t laugh. Didn’t smile. His eyes zeroed in on my mouth, and the way he was looking at me had the air catching in my lungs.

“I’m going to kiss my wife now.” It wasn’t a question, but he was giving me a moment to pull back if I didn’t want it. But I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to.

His mouth covered mine. Powerful and determined. My lips parted without hesitation, and his tongue slipped inside. Slowly at first, as he explored my mouth. And his hands, they were everywhere. One tangled in my hair as he tilted my head to the side, granting him better access. His other hand was on my neck and jaw, like he wanted to touch as much of me as he could in this moment. His lips were plump and soft, yet firm at the same time. The man could kiss.

I pulled my mouth from his, and his eyes locked with mine once again. His lips were so freaking plump and perfect, and it infuriated me that I wanted to kiss him again.

my husband opened the passenger door for me. I climbed in, and when he attempted to pull my seat belt out for me, because apparently, he thought I needed his help with that all the time now, I smacked his hand away. He glared at me and slammed the door before stalking over to the driver’s side. And we drove back to his house in silence. Happy first day as a married couple.

She’d gotten pretty good at faking it in public, and she’d given me a big hug and giggled when I’d made a joke, but she still wouldn’t look at me. And I was about done being ignored by my wife. Fake or not—it was bullshit.

“Were you really sad?” Cutler asked. The little dude should consider being a therapist in the future, because this was the most we’d spoken in a week. “Yes. I actually was.” “I don’t believe you,” Savannah whispered, eyes wet with emotion, and it made my fucking chest squeeze to see her hurting. Even if I was pissed at her. I still couldn’t stand to see her upset.

Do you think you guys will have a baby someday, too?” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it. “No.” “Yes. I’d like to have a big family,” Savannah said at the exact same time, and we both stopped talking immediately. I knew that Cutler was the closest I’d ever come to being a father. I’d had too many bad examples in my life, and I knew how easy it was to fuck a kid up if you didn’t step up to the plate. I’d never take that risk.

“This marriage is the only thing that isn’t real. Our history. Our friendship. That was all fucking real.”

Why did you care that I left?” I shook my head in disbelief. “How the fuck can you ask me that? You were my best friend. The guys are like brothers to me, you know that. But you and me, Sav, we were always different.”

Just read the fucking letter. We can’t pretend to be married with you hating me. We’re supposed to be newlyweds.” “I can be a damn good actress when I need to be.” She walked back to the bed and tore open the envelope. “Yeah. Apparently, you’ve always been a good actress. You can turn it on and off whenever the fuck you want to.” “Takes one to know one,” she said. And when she pulled the letter out of the envelope, I turned for the door. Drudging up the past wasn’t something I wanted to do. But it was the only way we could move forward.

I unfolded the notebook paper, and even his handwriting was strangely comforting to me. Familiar. Hayes Woodson had always felt like my home. Until my home was shattered, and he’d turned on me like everyone else. I swiped at the tear rolling down my cheek and sucked in a deep breath.

I’m so sorry if I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. I don’t know why you and your dad took off. How could you move without telling me? I would walk through fucking fire for you. You know that. Please call me.

Savannah had always had the power to hurt me because she’d implanted herself in the center of my fucking heart from as early as I could remember.

“Losing you was tougher on me than finding Kate in bed with Lenny. She was my fiancée, so that was a bit alarming. After you left, I think I really changed a lot, in a way I can’t explain.”

you were always different. You were a part of me in a way that I can’t even explain. I would do anything for you, but I also trusted that you would do anything for me. It went both ways. I leaned on you, I told you everything, shared my hopes and my fears, which I don’t usually do. So losing you—it hardened me in a lot of ways.”

“This is the thing about you and me, Sav. We may have spent those years apart, but we never lost this connection. It’s too strong. That’s why when the fake marriage idea came up, I didn’t hesitate. Because it’s you. I have no fucking desire to ever be married. I don’t want that life. I don’t want to care about anyone that way. I’m not looking for a fairy tale. But if there’s something that I could ever do for you—I wouldn’t think twice. P and C, right?” She traced her thumb over the little green pea inked on my wrist before pressing her wrist against mine, our tattoos meeting as our skin touched. It’s something we used to do all the time. “Peas and carrots forever.”

We’d gotten the tattoos on her fifteenth birthday at some back-alley tattoo shop that didn’t question our age, because Savannah thought a tattoo would make her look like a badass. But a tiny carrot on her wrist only got her grounded by her parents, and no one else seemed to notice. But we always knew they were there. A constant reminder of what we had in one another.

when Hayes was around, I wanted to be close to him. Touching him. Breathing him in.

Hayes Woodson was the whole package—he was the only one who didn’t know it.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. My woman. I didn’t even have to fake it. We’d sang a few ridiculous karaoke songs together, and everyone was laughing their asses off. We’d been hand in hand earlier, and I fucking loved it. I’d never been that guy who wanted to show off his woman. But damn, I was proud as hell that everyone thought she was my wife. When was the last time I felt that kind of pride?

“Get the fuck away from my wife,” I growled, as I moved across the room and stood beside her.

“Such a protective hubby,” she said, moving closer, her hands on my chest. She smelled like peaches and vodka, and it turned me the hell on. Her cheeks were a little flush, as she clearly had a slight buzz going. She’d never been a big drinker, and that seemed to hold true. We were similar in that way. We both always wanted to be in control. “Always when it comes to you. Fake or real, I’ve got you. You know that.” I kept my voice low, my eyes landing on her mouth. Those soft pink, plump lips that I thought about every fucking day.

I wanted to kiss her so fucking bad I couldn’t see straight. What was this woman doing to me? This. Is. Not. Real. You’ve just missed her. She’s your best friend. Off-limits. I wasn’t about to risk losing her for another decade by crossing the line while knowing it couldn’t go anywhere. I wasn’t that guy. And she deserved a hell of a lot better. The most I had to offer was a fake marriage and some mind-blowing sex. Some would consider that a great offer. But Savannah wasn’t one who would. She’d always wanted more for herself. Hell, I wanted her to have everything

“We’re married. We’re happy. That’s all anyone needs to know. That’s all that fucking matters.” Hayes pushed to his feet and tossed his empty coffee cup into the garbage can. “And you’re getting that money. And your dad is going to get into that trial, and he’s going to be okay. Because you deserve that, Sav. You’re the best person I know. You’re my wife, and you fucking deserve everything good.”

Savannah was beating herself up that she’d dragged me into this, but what she didn’t know was that I was happy to be here. With her. I’d missed her. All these years we’d spent apart, something had been missing. And now she was back in my life, and I wanted to keep her right here.

“Why did you always insist on that side, even when you knew that was the side I slept on in my room?” She’d texted me a few times when her parents would have these brutal screaming fights, and I’d sneak out of my house and in through her bedroom window. Because when Savannah needed me, I was always there. And vice versa. “Because if anyone ever came into your room, they’d have to go through me to get to you,” I said honestly. I’d lived with a man who was violent during my teenage years, so I assumed it was just my instincts wanting to keep her safe.

“You were always so hot all the time. I swear your body temperature is not normal,” she whispered, but she didn’t pull back. Her fingers traced along the muscles of my bicep. “Maybe I’m just hot around you. Did you ever think of that?” “Are you flirting with me, husband? You know you don’t need to do that. I’m in this. There’s no wooing necessary.” She chuckled, but I knew her. She was nervous. “This isn’t about wooing you. We’re married.”

“That’s how I felt when I looked at you. Like you were perfect. My favorite person. My best friend. And I was a lost kid, you know? Getting into fights and getting into trouble. I never wanted to do anything to mess up the best thing I had going for me. So, I tended to date people that weren’t very good for me. Because I think I probably felt more comfortable in volatile situations where there was nothing to lose, you know?”

“I see a man who would do anything to protect his sister because he loves her so fiercely. A man who would walk through fire for his friends. A man who takes his responsibility as a godfather to Cutler very seriously, hence the endless supply of chocolate milk in the refrigerator. A man who was willing to marry a woman he hadn’t seen in over a decade because she needed him. Even after she left him and was quick to believe the worst in him. A man with a huge heart that he hides behind all these sexy muscles,” she said, with a little chuckle.

“I need to taste my wife right fucking now. I need to bury my face between your thighs and feel you come on my lips. I’ve thought about it so many times, Sav.” “How about we do it together? You taste me and I taste you. You aren’t the only one who’s thought about it.” Fuck me. I nodded slowly, as her teeth sank into her bottom lip, and I nearly came right there.

I wanted to memorize every gorgeous inch of her, so if she disappeared again, I could remember everything. I’d be prepared this time.