Never Let Me Go (15 page)

“Skylar!” A small girl in a bright yellow dress came rushing toward Skylar, her auburn curls blowing in the breeze. She reached us and wrapped her arms around Skylar, hugging her tightly. “Hi, Uncle Hayden!”

She waved “hi” to me, taking Skylar’s hand. “Happy birthday, Josie!” Sky exclaimed, hugging Josslyn back. “Josie, this is my Michele! She’s my friend and my daddy’s too!”

I grinned. “Hi. Happy birthday, Josslyn.”

Hayden’s hand draped around my waist and he turned to the little girl. “Where are your mom and dad, Joss?”

“They’re in the backyard talking to Aunt Lizzie and Auntie Sum.”

We held Josie’s gifts in our hands and Hayden led me toward the backyard.

I could pick up on the theme of the party already: it was themed after the song
Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows.
Each table was decorated with a different tablecloth and there was a bowl of skittles in the center, right beneath a tissue paper rainbow. Clearly Josslyn was meant to be the sunshine, and the lollipops were sticking out of small flower pots with each child’s name on it, which I assumed were the grab bags for the kids.

“Wow.” I could hardly keep my jaw off the floor. “I wasn’t sure what I expected when you told me that you and your sisters planned events, but it sure as shit wasn’t this.”

Hayden chuckled as he led me through the crowd of people. I wasn’t sure how many of the guests were his family or friends, but I could tell that all that was on his mind was getting me to his parents and siblings.

“HJ!” Summer exclaimed, waving us over. She was deep in conversation with two girls who were clearly older than me. They both had curly hair and had features that resembled both Skylar’s and Hayden’s, so I immediately assumed that they were Hayden’s sisters Olivia and Elizabeth. “Michele! I’m so glad you could make it!”

Hayden stopped short, then turned to face me. He placed both his hands on either side of my face, gazing in my eyes.

“Are you ready for this? My sister and Sum when they get together can be…a bit much.” He looked cautious, as though he was ready to leave at any sign that I was uncomfortable. “Say the word and we can do this later on, after you’ve had time to adjust.”

I shook my head, taking his hand and walking over toward Summer. “I’m fine. Let’s do this.”

I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable meeting everyone at a birthday party, at a family function, but like I’d told him before, I was a “rip-the-Band-Aid” kind of girl. I might as well get it over with since I was already there.

“Hey, baby brother,” the taller one said, her hair cut into a short, curly bob. I could see the resemblance between she and Hayden. She smacked him on the back of the head, her eyebrows furrowing—that must be a family trait—as she wagged her finger at him. “What the Hell is your problem?”

Hayden’s hand went up immediately to his head, and he looked at his sister like she was crazy. “Um, okay, Psycho. What the Hell is
your
problem? What did I do?”

The other sister giggled, her smile widening as she took in her brother’s confused expression.

“You know what the Hell you did! Why did
Summer
get to meet Michele before I did? And to make matters worse, I told you
two weeks ago
that Spence and I wanted to get together for lunch. Now you’ve made it all
awkward
for her! How would you feel if you had to meet almost her whole damn family at the same time?!” She huffed loudly, then turned to face me. “Hi, Michele. I’d know you anywhere—Summer can’t stop talking about the pretty blonde that HJ brought into her daddy’s restaurant. I’m Livie; HJ’s told me all about you.”

I extended my hand to her, and Livie looked down at it like it was disease-ridden or something. She stepped forward, but instead of shaking my hand, she pulled me into a hug. I tensed up immediately—I definitely wasn’t expecting that—but then I relaxed after a few seconds. She pulled away from me, and Elizabeth stepped up and did the same.

“We don’t shake hands here,” Lizzie said. “You’re family now. You get a hug.”

I looked over at Hayden and he shrugged. I was afraid at first to meet his family, but I knew then that I had no reason to be.

Chapter Ten

I talked with Hayden’s sisters for almost two hours before their mother stopped by our table and sat down to talk to me. They were the sweetest group of people I’d ever met. Hayden’s brother, Asher, and his wife Jourdan had showed up half an hour after we did, and the boys took off, leaving us girls alone to talk while the kids ate.

I found out that Asher was the oldest at twenty-eight years old. Livie and Hayden came next at twenty-six and twenty-two, and Elizabeth was the youngest at twenty. They were pretty tight-knit as far as I could gauge, and Lizzie was the only one without kids.

Asher and his wife had two daughters: Eliana and Kayla, and Livie had Josslyn and a son named Travis with her boyfriend Spencer. All the kids were around the same age, and it reminded me of Nic’s family. Her brothers’ significant others were both pregnant at the same time—and one of them was pregnant with twins—so it made family gatherings fun because the kids were the same age.

It was nearing the end of the party—in fact, the cake had already been cut and the presents had been opened—and Hayden’s sisters were having a hushed argument so that only our table could hear.

“All I’m saying is that you’re too young to be getting involved with someone who’s so…
immature
, Liz,” Livie lectured her little sister. “You’re in college, you have no kids, and you’re a part owner of the biggest party planning company in all of North Carolina. Don’t get tied down to the wrong person too young.” She looked pointedly at me, then smacked her hand down on the table. “I mean, look what happened with HJ and Samantha. I
love
Skylar to the moon and back, but I can’t
stand
that hoebag who’s the sorriest excuse for a mother I’ve seen since that one girl with the terrible eyebrows from Teen Mom. I tried to warn him, and he
swore
he was in love, then that bitch took my baby brother’s heart and crushed it to pieces.”

I had to admit, I was shocked at the way Livie talked. I’d been afraid to meet Hayden’s family because I thought
I’d be too rough around the edges for their liking. Instead, I’d found that they were more like me than I thought.

“Liv, HJ made his choices. He was a big boy then, and I’m a big girl now. Don’t get involved, Livie, please. Let me find out for myself, and if shit goes sour, I promise you can tell me that you told me so.” Lizzie looked desperate. I could tell that she was getting uncomfortable.

Summer, Mrs. Jax, and Jourdan looked on as though this was a something that
always
happened at family gatherings.

“I’m only looking out for you! If you don’t want my expert advice, just say so, Elizabeth,” Olivia said, throwing her hands up in the air.

“I never said I didn’t want your advice,
Olivia
. I just want you to let me make my own mistakes. It’s not your job to keep all of us from getting hurt,” Lizzie countered.

“I’m only trying to protect you!”

“I don’t need your protection! But if and when I
do
get hurt, I just need you to be there! I don’t need you butting your big head in until then!”

“Girls!” Mrs. Jax exclaimed. “That’s enough. Now, this is Josslyn’s day, and you are
not
going to ruin it with your bickering!” She turned to face her eldest daughter. “Olivia, let your sister be. She’s still young—she’s got a few mistakes to make before she realizes what she’s doing.” She faced her youngest. “Elizabeth, your sister is only trying to look out for you. Now can we all get along? You look like you’re scaring your brother’s girlfriend!”

I sat back, stunned.
Was
I Hayden’s girlfriend? I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to correct his mother. I didn’t even know what we were, but I knew that I wasn’t his girlfriend—not yet anyway.

Summer tapped my hand, grinning at me. “I’m sorry if they’re scaring you, Michele. They get better once you get to know them, I promise.”

“Oh, of course not,” I said. “I was just thinking that you two remind me of me and my sisters.”

The entire table erupted in laughter and Livie piped up. “Oh, are your sisters as
hardheaded
as Lizzie is?”

I laughed, looking to Elizabeth for her comeback. “Or are they as
overbearing
as Livie is?”

I shook my head, giggling at the both of them. They were hilarious, and they’d treated me like today wasn’t the first time they’d met me.

“Hardheaded, no, but overbearing, oh yes. My older sister Cecilia is worse than my mother sometimes. But I love her. I know she’s just looking out for me.” I smiled, and a few moments later I felt a hand on my shoulder. Hayden leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. “Hey!”

I turned to face him and he gave me a smile, holding a groggy Skylar on his hip. “Hey, beautiful. Are you ready to go? Sky’s dead on her feet and I want her to nap on the way back to your place.”

I nodded, getting to my feet. Mrs. Jax, Olivia, Elizabeth, Jourdan, and Summer all followed suit. They each took turns hugging me, and Livie insisted that we meet for lunch sometime in the week that followed. I gave her my cell phone number and we were on our way.

“You know,” I said to Hayden as he buckled his seat belt, driving toward the house. “I think your family is pretty tame compared to my friends. I mean, they’re all teenagers. We don’t
have
to do this today.”

Hayden’s hand held mine atop the middle console as we drove toward the Westwick estate. He pulled it up to his mouth and then kissed my hand gently. It sent chills up my spine.

God, just kiss me already
, I thought.

“I can’t do that, yet.” Hayden’s voice was stern, yet so soft. “If I kiss you now, I’ll fall head over heels for you—even deeper—and I’ll be a goner.” He returned our hands to the middle console as I blushed, unaware that I’d spoken aloud. “But I want to meet your friends today. If they’re important to you, they’re important to me, too. I like you, Michele, and I want this thing between us to turn into something real. And if—no,
when—
it does, your friends are going to be part of my life as well as yours.”

“Okay,” I whispered. “Let’s go then.” God, that boy had such a way with words.

…

Skylar had woken up mere minutes before we pulled into the drive at the Westwick estate. I’d tried to check my cell phone, but it had died, but I didn’t worry about it too much. My mother and sisters knew how to reach me if they needed to, and Nic knew that I would be home today, so I didn’t think much of it.

We had gotten out of the car and I grabbed Hayden’s hand, suddenly excited. I was nervous to introduce Hayden to Nickayla—and especially Colin—because I wanted them so desperately for them to approve of him.

“Come on,” I said, dragging Hayden toward the door, Skylar racing behind us. “I want you to meet my friends.”

Hayden chuckled, his boyish grin completely vibrant. We ran up the steps of the beach house, and I pulled my key out, unlocking the door even though I could see that both Cal and Rory’s cars were in the drive.

“Who’s here?” Hayden asked, picking Sky up and propping her against his hip.

I led him through the living room, closing the door behind him. He grabbed my hand, twining our fingers together before bringing my hand up to his mouth and kissing it.

My body responded accordingly, and I wished for only a moment that he would allow me to kiss him. I had been dying to from the moment that we met, but when he did cute little gestures like that, I could feel his resolve fading just as quickly and as easily as my own.

“My best friend Nic, her boyfriend Colin, the drivers Cal and Rory, and I think Cal’s family is here for the weekend,” I said, trying to make my voice sound as normal as possible even though his touch took my breath away. “Cal’s twins are around Skylar’s age.”

He nodded, and we made our way to the kitchen.

“Hey, guys,” I said, grinning. “This is Hayden, the one I’ve been talking about.”

Colin was standing at the island, his head in his hands, and Nic was downing a glass of wine. Callum was tying one of the twins’ shoes while Amanda made smoothies. I couldn’t place it, but there was an air about the room and something unreadable in their expressions and demeanors that had me worried.

None of them would look at me, but Nic’s eyes finally met mine when she slammed the empty wine glass on the kitchen table, causing it to shatter.

“God
damn
it!” she exclaimed.

Colin rushed to her aid, putting her hand under a stream of water to make sure that she hadn’t cut herself while Rory took to sweeping up the glass.

“Um, am I missing something?” I asked.

Colin shook his head, not necessarily saying no, but as if he were trying to shake something off that was annoying him. He shook his head again, stepping forward and shaking Hayden’s hand.