Every Way (The Brush Of Love Series, #4) Read online

  I could feel her turning my words over in her head. Anything to get her to open up to me about what happened was fine in my book. And if I had to promise I wouldn’t press her about it, then that was simply what I had to do. I had to make her comfortable. I had to realize that she compartmentalized and dealt with things differently than I did. I wanted to hash things out, get it all out on the table, and formulate a plan. But Hailey kept things cooped up until she could emotionally handle them before she talked.

  Which could take days, weeks, even, if it was bad.

  “Okay,” Hailey said.

  “Okay. So, what’s your question?” I asked.

  “Have you ever wondered what happened to those drugs?” she asked.

  “What drugs?”

  “The drugs that girl was giving away. Remember that?” she asked.

  “That was the night those guys came into the studio, right? When John intervened?”

  “Yeah. The conversation today ran me through those events, how John got tangled up in all of this and how maybe it is my fault he’s dead.”

  “Don’t you dare do that to yourself,” I said. “It is nowhere near your fault that John’s dead.”

  “But if I had just given those men the money they were looking for, he would still be alive, right?” she asked.

  I pulled Hailey upright and forced her to look into my eyes. I gripped her chin to keep her from looking away from me. I wasn’t going to allow her to travel down this road again. I wasn’t going to allow her to shovel blame onto her shoulders when she had to business carrying it.

  “Look at me,” I said.

  “You promised,” she said breathlessly.

  “I’m not pressing you with questions. I’m settling this debate once and for all. The only people who are responsible for John’s death are the men who shot him up in that alleyway. John made a choice, and his choice was to protect you. No matter the cost that came with that. It was a testament to his character and to the man he grew into despite his past with drugs. Don’t you dare shoulder that blame. It’s not yours to carry.”

  I watched tears crest Hailey’s eyes before she collapsed into me.

  “Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m right here. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  She sobbed into my chest, and my heart broke for her. It never occurred to me that answering questions about John’s artwork would prompt this type of emotional response from her. I knew she was pregnant, and she was dealing with hormones, but this was something else altogether. Worry and panic flooded my chest as I held her tightly, trying to get her to settle down, if only for the sake of our child. I ran my fingers through her hand and massaged her shoulders. I rubbed her back and pulled her into my lap.

  “It’s okay, Hailey. I promise you, it’s all okay.”

  I rocked her side to side, my arms encompassing as much of her as I could. I could feel her body growing weak, giving out in its riled emotional state. Her sobs were settling down, and her body was no longer shaking. I could feel her breaths evening out as her sniffles came to a halt. I pressed kiss after kiss onto her cheek and in her hair, trying desperately to give her the solace she sought after such a long, hard day.

  It wasn’t until soft snores were coming from her lips that I laid her down on the couch.

  I laid her down gently and propped a pillow underneath her head. I took her shoes and socks off, tossing them into the corner of the room. I slid her pants down her body as my eyes caressed her skin, taking in the fullness of her beauty before I covered her with a blanket. She was battling something, something big and deep within her. I bent down and kissed her reddened forehead, silently pleading with her to talk with me. I wanted to be there for her and comfort her in whatever had happened at that damn gallery today. But I couldn’t make her talk, and I knew trying to would only make things worse.

  “I’m here whenever you’re ready,” I whispered.

  I took the food I bought and stuck it in the fridge. I’d lost my appetite for the takeout I’d bought, and opted for an apple instead. I sat at the kitchen table and listened to Hailey’s soft snores as the summer wind whipped against the windows of the house.

  I couldn’t shake the worry that had built up around my heart, nor could I get rid of the panic that flooded my veins. She still wasn’t being truthful with me. She was still holding something back. This was more than someone asking her a few simple questions. She was dredging up things we had long since put behind us.

  Maybe it wasn’t about the questions that were asked and instead about who was asking those questions.

  Had someone from John’s past come into the gallery today? Had someone threatened her? Surely Hailey would tell me if someone had threatened her.

  But as I sat there and stared at the couch Hailey was sleeping on, that idea made more and more sense.

  I had to figure out who the hell had come into the gallery today.

  Chapter 8

  Hailey

  “What do you think about this?”

  Anna held up a package of gender-neutral onesies, and I nodded my head.

  “Looks good to me,” I said.

  “Do you guys have bottles yet? Or are you going to be breastfeeding?” Anna asked.

  “Breastfeeding, definitely. I’ll leak way too much not to,” I said.

  “Then you’ll need pads for your bra and a pump.”

  “A pump?” I asked.

  “Yeah! For all that breastmilk that starts hurting your boobs in-between feedings,” she said.

  “That’s a thing?” I asked.

  “I thought you were the one reading all the books.”

  “Yeah, on childbirth and raising a child. Not on my boobs,” I said.

  “Well, we should stay safe either way. Pads for your bra and a pump, which means you’ll also need bottles or storage bags. What about these? They’re supposed to help with gas.”

  I was looking at the bottles Anna was holding up, but my mind kept going back to the man who’d threatened me in my gallery. I had no idea what in the world I was going to do. I couldn’t empty one of our bank accounts without Bryan knowing. We had agreed to put my profits from the European tour into a joint account to start the combining of our lives. If I drained one of those accounts, he would know and get suspicious.

  “Oh, oh, oh! Hailey, look at these cute little socks!”

  I watched Anna hold up a package of red and blue socks with little bows on the sides.

  “See? Red and blue for a boy, but bows if it’s a girl,” she said. “And if you have a boy, just cut the bows off.”

  “Why can’t boys wear bows?” I asked. “What if my little man liked bows?”

  “Then keep the bows. I don’t care. All I’m asking is if you like them.”

  “Sure,” I said. “Throw them in.”

  The man’s comment about the police was true. Even with Bryan’s father pulling the strings he did, he saw how apathetic the police department was toward John’s case. They hadn’t cared back then because John had a history of drugs, and they didn’t care a few months ago because the case was so old. No police officer would give two shits about some man threatening me for drug money. They’d arrest him, and then someone else would seek me out.

  Apparently, that was an easy thing to do now.

  “Have you guys thought about baby baths?” Anna asked.

  “Huh?”

  “Hailey, are you even here? We’ve had this shopping date on the calendar for three weeks.”

  “Sorry. I’m not sleeping well at night anymore,” I said.

  “Yeah, well. That happens when you’re pregnant. Now, do you guys want this bulky plastic thing with a mesh net, or do you guys want this cute little flower that sits right in your sink and cradles your baby like a silken cloud?”

  “All right, weirdo,” I said, giggling. “The silken cloud flower it is.”

  “Good choice. They have it in yellow as well as orange. Which one do you want?”

  “Let’s go with ora
nge,” I said.

  If this man was related in any way to the man who had pulled me out of my bed by my neck, then I knew he was serious. He was serious about getting his money, and he was serious about the threat against my child. Would it just be better for me to pay this man off? He said he would go away if I gave him the money. Was he telling the truth with something like that? Or would he only come back and hound me for more money?

  “You guys have the nursery down, right?” Anna asked.

  “Yep. Bryan’s made the entire nursery set,” I said.

  “Such a man. Mm. You’ve got yourself a good one there.”

  “You had yourself a good one with Drew too. You guys talked lately?”

  “Let’s not get into that today. Today is all about buying cute baby stuff for my little niece or nephew,” she said.

  “Uh- huh. You’re not getting out of this conversation that easily,” I said.

  “I know, but let’s save it for food or something. Right now, I want to focus on all the cute stuff in this store.”

  I was scared for my child’s life. The man who had come into my shop was rough. He was more than ready to gut the paintings on my wall and had no issues with intimidating me to get what he wanted. He had no moral code, and he certainly had no boundaries. And the money he was seeking out was a lot. Men had killed each other over much less.

  And the worst part about it was that if Bryan got dragged into this, he would have to rehash his brother’s death like I was being made to do. The man’s questions about the paintings had thrown me off, but once he started diving into details of my past with John, it made me sick. I couldn’t drag Bryan back into something like that. Things were going so well for him with the foundation and our marriage. He was so excited about having a child with me, and I didn’t want to dampen any of this for him. He had dealt with enough guilt and enough bullshit surrounding his brother’s death. Hell, he was still going through it with his own mother.

  I couldn’t drag him back into this if money was how I could solve it.

  “Hailey, are you okay?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Okay. I’ve asked you three times if you’re going to use cloth diapers or use disposable ones. What gives? And don’t give me the nothing trick. I know something’s wrong.”

  “Anna, I’m tired. I can’t have caffeine, and I am riddled with hormones I can’t control. This child is less than two months from being born, and I just feel unprepared.”

  “You’re nervous,” Anna said.

  “Yes. Very.”

  “Uh-huh. I’m not sure I believe you fully, but I’ll accept it for now. But you know you’re going to be a wonderful mother, right?” she asked.

  “I’m trying to be.”

  What would a wonderful mother do in a situation like this? Would she pay off a drug runner to keep her child safe? Or would she go to the police and inform them of what was going on and risk the safety of her child? Maybe Bryan’s mother was right and I was going to be a terrible mother.

  “And with the diapers, I still don’t know. At this point, I think I’m going to go disposable for now. It’ll be easier, at least in the beginning,” I said.

  “Then you’ll need diapers as well as a diaper pail.”

  “How much are you planning on spending today?” I asked.

  “As much as I can until you stop me.”

  “So, I take it your work at the foundation is going well?”

  “Oh, it’s going wonderfully. I can support myself while giving help to those who need it the most. Ellen has hired me as an in-house counsel as well, so that income really helps. It was her hiring me on in that position that enabled me to take on the project I’m doing this summer. You know, the free legal counsel thing.”

  “I heard that got approved. Congratulations,” I said, grinning.

  “Thanks. I’m really excited about it. Working with the foundation was the solution to all the problems I was facing. I run my services out of the foundation headquarters, so I’m not renting a space out-of-pocket. I have a regular income through foundation employment, so I can drop my prices even lower for my services. I have creative freedom on who I take on as clients, so my schedule is always booked. There’s no one looming over my shoulder unless a massive case drops into my lap. It’s the perfect scenario.”

  “But?” I asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Anna, you’re my sister. I know when you use the word perfect, it means there’s a ‘but’ coming on,” I said.

  “There’s no ‘but.’ I feel so much better about life. I know we talked about singing or whatever, but this really does make me happy,” she said.

  “But?” I asked.

  “Fine. Whatever. But it is a bit lonely.”

  “And that’s where Drew comes in,” I said.

  “I’m not calling Drew.”

  “Then get out there and start dating. If you don’t want to date Drew, then find someone else to date,” I said.

  “Hailey, I’m not ready for something like that. Is it lonely? Yes. But I have to be ready, and I’m not there yet.”

  “I know you guys drifted apart, but I also know you guys enjoyed the time you spent together. I’m sure you still have his number in your phone, right?” I asked.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” she asked.

  “Just text him. You don’t have to see him or go out with him, but maybe talking with him will alleviate some of the loneliness.”

  “Hailey, come on,” she said.

  “What? What’s so wrong with that?”

  “He should be pursuing me. That’s how he operates, right?” I asked.

  “Seriously? You’re not calling him because you think he should be calling you? Anna, I can’t think of one good reason why the two of you couldn’t get back together.”

  “I thought you said you just wanted us to talk,” she said.

  “Why are you being so weird about this?” I asked.

  “Why are you suddenly so persistent about it?”

  Because the topic of conversation was a damn good distraction from that man in my gallery. Every time I thought about it, I worried about my life. About my child. About the safety of my home. Knowing that man was out there somewhere, tracking me and looming over me, it made me feel like I was being watched. Like at any moment, I could turn my head and he would be there with that knife in his hand. It made me scared to walk to my car alone. It made me scared to be in my gallery alone. I didn’t even feel comfortable conducting other interviews in my gallery until I could get this resolved.

  If any of those people got hurt because I put them in this man’s path, I would never forgive myself, Bryan included.

  “You know what? I know how I’m going to repay you for all this stuff,” I said.

  “You don’t have to repay me. It’s not for you anyway. It’s for my little niece or nephew that I’m going to spoil relentlessly,” Anna said.

  “Nope. I’m going to repay you, but not monetarily. I’m going to help you find a man.”

  “What?” she asked flatly.

  “Yep. I’m going to hook you up with someone. Anna, you’re a workaholic. Liking your job or not, you work too damn much. You don’t take any time for yourself. You need a stress release, and we both know the best kind is a good man,” I said.

  “And you think you’re going to help me find a good man,” she said.

  “I found you Drew, didn’t I?” I asked.

  “I found Drew. When I came to visit you last year over the Fourth of July.”

  “Semantics. We’re going to find you a good man who knows how to treat you right,” I said.

  “Drew treated me just fine.”

  “Funny, I never said anything about that.” I grinned at my sister, and she rolled her eyes at me. I knew she was still stuck on Drew, but if she wasn’t going to make the first move, there was nothing I could do. I didn’t know Drew well enough to poke him on his end, and I was tired of watching those
two dance around one another. I would help her find someone to spend her time with, and it could go one of two ways. Either it would give her the stress release she needed, or it would help her see how much she missed Drew.

  Either way, it distracted me from this crap that had kicked up in the gallery. And I was looking for any type of distraction from it.

  “Well, I appreciate the help,” Anna said.

  “Perfect. Now, where are those damn diaper pails?”

  Chapter 9

  Bryan

  “Morning, handsome. What are you doing already dressed?”

  The sound of Hailey’s voice always put a smile on my face in the morning. I loved waking up to her body pressed against mine. She always had her leg snaked in between my thighs, and my hands always seemed to gravitate toward her belly. Her musky smell in the morning drew me to her. It reminded me of all the things we had overcome and how she was still lying here in my arms. I loved burying my face into her neck and drinking her in, kissing her shoulder until she stirred before slipping between her legs and reminding her of how breathtaking she was to me.

  But I was anxious to check on the house today, and I was hoping I could sneak out before she woke up.

  “Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to wake you. Just got some foundation work to check up on today.”

  “On a Sunday?” Hailey asked.

  “Unfortunately. It shouldn’t take long. I’m not laying it myself, but I need to make sure it’s being done properly. We officially open a project tomorrow, but it’s supposed to be rainy on and off all day. If we pour today, we can tarp the concrete and get it set before the bad weather rolls in.”

  “That makes sense,” she asked. “Just don’t be too long. This is our day off together, and we promised each other we wouldn’t work.”

  “Well, how about this? I could come back with something wonderful to eat for lunch, and then we have a naked movie marathon?”

  “Bryan, you know we never get through movies when we do one of those,” she said, giggling.

  “That’s the point,” I said with a grin.