Page 69 of Make Me Whole
Chapter Thirty-Two
HAILEY
Like I'd doneevery day for the past week, I woke up with a smile on my face. There were so many things to be happy about. The tiny pieces of my scattered life were finally falling back into place. I just had to make sure I didn't do something to mess it up.
Throwing the covers off me, I hopped out of bed and padded to the closet. After pulling on my jeans and tank top, excitement had me rushing to the door.
It had become part of my morning routine to find Bandit waiting for me in the hallway. And today was no different. The instant he spotted me; his thick tail furiously swished from side to side while the sound of his nails clicking against the wood greeted my ears right before his bark did.
"Hey boy." As I always did, I pushed my fingers into his fur and gave him a good scratch behind his ears. "You know, you're part of the reason I want to stay right here on the ranch." Like he understood exactly what I'd said, he stretched his neck and dragged his tongue over my face. Over and over again, until I broke out in a fit of giggles. "Yeah, yeah," I said between laughs. "I'm happy too. Now, let's go get some breakfast."
Bandit and I descended the stairs side by side, but instead of rounding the corner into the kitchen, I stopped in my tracks when I heard my name being mentioned.
"Of course, I am happy that Bradley has found someone," I heard Mr. Walker say. "But I can't help but be a bit worried for them too."
"Mmm, I know what you mean," this coming from Mavis.
My heart shot into my throat while I slid down the wall to scratch Bandit's belly in hopes it would keep him still. Sure, I knew eavesdropping was in bad taste, but I needed to hear where this conversation was going.
"Has Hailey spoken to you about it at all?"
"Not a word." I imagined Mavis' salt and pepper bob grazing her shoulders as she shook her head. "But to be fair, I didn't handle it particularly well when she first showed interest in Bradley." There was a pause during which I heard something metal tapping against porcelain. "It's not that I don't want her to be happy, I'm just worried about how she'll react if something goes wrong."
"Understandably so."
"I love her dearly, Bradford. It would break my heart if she fell back into the clutches of her past."
"I know, Mavis. I know. I'm worried for Bradley too. He's finally opening himself to new things…If things should go south, I don't think that boy will trust a woman again. His mother leaving the way she did left too many scars."
My stomach twisted in knots, pushing bile into my throat. I didn't know if I wanted to cry or throw up. My hand went to my chest while I frantically tried to suck air into my lungs. It wasn't working. The space felt too small; the walls closing in with each breath I took.
Shooting to my feet, I hurried to the front door and yanked it open. I made it all of three steps when a wall of six-foot-something muscle stopped me dead in my tracks.
"Where are ya off to in such a hurry, sweetness?" Bradley's voice rolled over my skin and filled me with warmth. That feeling was quickly chased with nothing but anxiety. Inside my chest, my heart kicked up a few beats.
Unaware of the myriad of emotions rushing through me, he lifted his hand to touch my cheek. I squeezed my lids together and willed the tears to go away. He traced along my jawline, until he could tuck two fingers under my chin and tilt my head back.
I swallowed hard before opening my eyes to look in those beautiful blue depths. His dark brows furrowed; concern written all over his features. "Hey, what happened?"
"Nothing happened." I was grateful when my voice didn't wobble.
Bradley didn't seem convinced, though. It was there in his eyes; he knew something was wrong but for whatever reason, he didn't push. "Can you take a quick drive with me? I'd like to show you something?"
My gaze flicked to the barn. "The stalls haven't been mucked yet."
The smile touching his lips didn't match the desperation in his gaze. "Jeremy's already in there."
I got the impression this was important to him; that left me with no other choice than to say, "Okay."
Neither one of us made an effort to move. I felt the air shift between us, and I knew without a doubt I loved this man with every broken part of my soul. But instead of feeling happy about that realization, nervous tension held me hostage.
What if I had a relapse? I would never be able to live with myself ifIwas the one to cause him pain.
I was pulled from my melancholic thoughts when Bandit's loud bark rang through the air followed by Bradley's chuckle. "You can come too, boy." He then wrapped his rough hand around mine and after smacking his thigh twice, the three of us made our way to the truck.
I climbed into the cab while he lowered the tailgate so Bandit could hop onto the back. As I watched him approach in the little mirror, I pushed the worry to the back of my mind and forced a smile to my face.
Like it always did, the air got sucked out of the tiny space when Bradley slid behind the wheel; filling my lungs with nothing but him. I knew that if he studied me long enough, he'd see right through the mask I was carefully shifting into place. Which was why I turned my head to the window and tried to get a handle on the emotions swirling around inside me.
