“She’s fine. Baking a cake with Birdie and Sage.”
“Then why do you look like you’re about ready to murder someone?”
I scrubbed a hand over my face as I sat down in one of the chairs opposite Hayes. “Jackie’s creating problems.”
Hayes leaned back in his desk chair. “She’s good at that.”
“Understatement of the century.”
I grunted in response.
“What’s going on?”
I cracked my knuckles on one hand, trying to alleviate a small portion of the tension running through me. “She approached Hadley this morning. Told her that she was here to get her family back and that Hadley was standing in her way.”
Hayes let out a low whistle. “Did Hadley deck her?”
“No. But when I went to have a stronger word with Jackie just now, she told me that she’s been talking to a lawyer. She’s going to try to get some of her rights back.”
Hayes straightened in his chair. “You call your lawyer?”
“I will first thing tomorrow. I want to say it’s just posturing, threats to get me to let her in a little, in the hopes that she won’t take this to court.”
“You gonna do that?”
“Hell, no. All this proves is that I’m right not to want her in Birdie’s and Sage’s lives. She doesn’t care about them. She’s using them as pawns.”
Hayes’ jaw worked back and forth. “Want me to do some digging?”
“Nothing that would get you into trouble, but I think I might need to file a restraining order.”
“I’ll look into things as much as I can. Making some phone calls isn’t illegal. I’ll be clear that it’s in an unofficial capacity.”
I pushed to my feet and held out a hand. “Appreciate it, brother.”
Hayes gave me a half-slap, half-shake. “I’d do anything for you. You know that.”
I grinned at him. “Bury a body in the desert?”
He chuckled. “It would depend on who it was.”
“Cold. I wouldn’t even ask who if you called me for my shovel.”
“I guess you’re the better friend.”
“And don’t you forget it.”
The truth was, Hayes was the best friend I could ask for. I had a bountiful life in so many ways. Amazing friends who were more like family. Two girls who gave me more purpose and joy than I could measure. A job I loved. And now, I had Hadley in a way I never thought I would. But that seemed to be the final piece clicking into place. I wouldn’t lose that, not for anything or anyone.
30
Hadley
I twistedthe earring in my lobe. They were little silver stars I had bought myself years ago. They reminded me of Calder, and those late-night rides we took. The ones where we chased the starry horizon. Those memories were my touchpoint, even after the horizon seemed tattered and broken, I could still hold on to those few beautifully perfect memories.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I whispered across the front seat to Calder.
He glanced in the rearview mirror, but Birdie and Sage were engrossed in a heated thumb war game. “It’ll be good. I’ve been thinking about it a lot the past few days. She might go easier on you.”