Page 10 of The Billionaire's Second Chance
It wasn’t ideal, but maybe Hadley could suggest they talk during one of those breaks. They had a history. They loved each other. Link would want to talk to her, right? “That sounds great.”
“How about after dinner, you, me, and Maddy sneak away for a girl talk at my house? It’s just as tiny as yours, but I have a neat little patio Pierce had built for me this past summer.” Bethany glanced over her shoulder and looked at Pierce. When she brought her gaze back to Hadley, there was no mistaking she loved her soon-to-be husband.
Link had looked at Hadley like that before, many times, and she’d never appreciated it. If she was given another chance, she’d cherish expressions like that like she should have all along. That was if… Otherwise, she’d need all the girl talk she could get because her heart was going to be shredded, and she’d be the only one to blame.
Nodding, Hadley placed her hand on Bethany’s arm. “That sounds exactly like something I need.” She wasn’t sure about Maddison, but Bethany’s friend was innocent and not deserving of Hadley’s venom.
“Awesome. I’ll let Maddy know.”
They walked together toward the long table set up for family and friends, going opposite directions when they reached it. Hadley sat, keeping her attention trained on Link. Apparently, he’d turned into a standup comic with the amount of laughing coming from Maddy.
“Link,” Hadley said, leaning forward. “Could we—”
As if the universe had turned against her, the band started playing before she could get the sentence out. Moments later, Pierce took Bethany’s hand and began dancing with her. Any other time, Hadley would have thought it was the most romantic thing ever, but the urgency she felt to talk to Link overshadowed everything.
Maddy turned to Link. “Oh, I love this song,” she gushed. “Would you dance with me?”
“He doesn’t dance,” Hadley blurted out louder than she planned.
Link looked at Hadley, held her gaze a moment, and returned his attention to Maddy. “I’d love to.” He took her hand, pulled her to her feet, and off they went…dancing. Link. Dancing.
It was a good thing she hadn’t eaten, because it would be all over the floor. Her throat began to close up as her heart buzzed in her ear like a hummingbird. Beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Was this what a heart attack felt like?
What was she going to do now? How could she get him back?
A crushing thought overwhelmed her. Maybe she was too late.
Chapter 9
Curled in her bed, Hadley had stopped trying to wipe her tears away. Halfway through dinner, she’d excused herself and quietly slipped away so she could return home. She was sure Bethany wondered what happened, but Hadley just didn’t have words. She’d tried to talk to Link the entire evening, only to have him either ignore her or give curt, one-word answers—something he’d never done to her no matter how angry he was.
If seeing him with Maddison hadn’t been a wake-up call, then that would have been for sure. He’d always get mad, and later, they would made up. The last fight before the breakup was a little different, but even that hadn’t felt like this. They may not have spoken for the last five years, but that didn’t mean she didn’t care about him or think of him. If she’d called, she had no doubt he would have at least spoken to her.
Her phone rang next to her on the bed, and she lifted it just far enough to read the caller ID. She answered it and put it on speaker. “Hey, Pierce.”
“Bethany has been looking for you. Where are you?”
“I’m at the house. My little house.” She sniffed and grabbed a nearby tissue, blowing her nose. “Link wouldn’t speak to me, and I couldn’t take watching him with Maddison.” A sob bubbled up in her throat, and she failed to hold it in. “I’ve lost him.”
“So you’re just giving up? Just like that? No fight? No nothing?”
“Pierce, what do you want me to do? He wouldn’t even speak to me.”
“I want you to be Hadley Shaw. The woman who doesn’t stop fighting for what she wants. Do you love Link?”
She sniffed. “Yes, more than…” More than what? That was the entire issue. “I love him more than anything, including whatever career or life I’ve built in California.”
“Then prove it. Hadley, you are a brilliant woman. You’ve sold homes other agents couldn’t sell because you didn’t wait for offers to come to you. You went and found them. Now, go and figure out a way to do the same for Link. Show him you’ve heard him. Make him listen.”
Akin to a spring, Hadley bolted upright in the bed. “I am strong and brilliant.”
“Exactly.” Pierce laughed. “It’s why you’re one of my best friends.”
“I can do this.” She checked the time on her phone. It was only six in California. There was plenty of time to come up with something to show Link that she hadn’t just heard him, but that she wanted him. Wanted to be with him. Whatever she had to do. “I have to go.”
“Don’t get caught in something and forget the rehearsal tomorrow.”
“Not on your life. I have a man to woo.”
