matters with Cormack into her own hands, and having Hayden change into a completely different person, I felt like my head was going to explode.
I knew something had been off even before she started in with all the questions, but by the time I managed to talk Charlie down and get back to the table it had gotten so much worse. She tried playing it off, claiming she’d come down with a bad headache and wasn’t feeling like herself, but I knew that wasn’t it.
The tense, stilted conversation we had at dinner had turned to complete silence on the drive back, and my muscles were locked so tight from the anxiety gripping my chest, it was a wonder I didn’t splinter apart.
I turned the truck into my driveway and killed the engine, trying to think of what to say.
She refused to make eye contact as she rounded the hood and started toward her house, her voice small as she said, “I think it’s probably best if you stay at your place tonight. I’m really not feeling well. I need to sleep.”
She didn’t need sleep, she needed to avoid me, and I’d be damned if I let that happen.
“Hayden.” I reached out and grabbed her arm as she attempted to pass by, turning her to face me and pulling her close. I gently pressed my fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head back so I could meet those gorgeous blue eyes. “I know something’s off. Talk to me. We can figure this out.”
She looked so sad, and seeing that felt like someone filled my chest with gasoline and threw in a lit match. “That’s funny,” she started on a whisper. “Now you want me to talk to you when I’ve been trying for weeks to get you to talk to me.”
“Baby.”
Then she asked a question that turned my blood to ice. “Who’s Charlie?”
Hayden
His fingers clenched, grasping my arm tighter. It almost felt like he was worried I was about to slip away, and he couldn’t let that happen.
“What?”
“Who’s Charlie?” I repeated louder.
“Where did you hear that name?”
“I got tired of sitting at that table all by myself, and after about ten minutes, I started to get pissed. I went to find you and heard you talking on the phone.”
His expression turned to stone at my answer. “You were eavesdropping on my phone call?”
I shook my head, feeling my lungs grow tighter as I got more agitated. “No. I went to confront my boyfriend about abandoning me and just so happened to hear him telling another woman if he had his way, this whole thing would be over and that he’s trying his best and to please just bear with him for a little while longer.”
The hardness melted from his features almost as fast as it had appeared, twisting into something that looked an awful lot like panic. “Hayden, what you heard . . . it’s not what you think, I swear. I know it sounded bad, but I’d never do that to you. You have to believe that.”
God, I wanted to. So damn bad I ached. “Then tell me who Charlie is. Is she the reason you came into my bed the other night smelling like perfume?”
He clenched his teeth so hard the muscle in his jaw began to tick. “It wasn’t like that. I just gave her a hug, that’s all. I promise, Red.”
“If you want me to believe you, tell me who she is, because right now, things are looking all kinds of bad.”
“I can’t tell you who she is. All I can tell you right now is that there’s nothing romantic between us. You have my word. She’s like a sister to me.”
That wasn’t good enough. I believed he wasn’t cheating. I felt the truth of that down to my bones, but the secrets were still weighing on me like cement blocks, making it hard to take a full breath. “Does she have something to do with this case you’re working on that you won’t tell me about?”
Please tell me. Please tell me.
Releasing me from his grip, he took a step away, his arms hanging down at his sides, his fists clenching so tight his knuckles bleached of color.
Please tell me. Please tell me.
“Hayden, I can’t talk to you about that. Please trust that I know what’s best when it comes to this.” he croaked, his voice sounding as agonized as I felt. “I’m just trying to protect you, baby.”
“Micah, I don’t need you to protect me,” I