understanding. How did he explain that when there were two men and lots of testosterone in the room, not to mention men as volatile as he and Jack, sometimes arguments could happen?
"You don't shut your door," she commented, but wouldn't meet Riley's eyes.
"I'm… we don't… we…" Riley Campbell-Hayes, twenty-eight and lost for words in front of an itty-bitty girl.
"Look," she said, "Ebony's mom would shout at her dad and he would shout back and then there would be cuddles. And sometimes they would shut their door."
Jeez. Riley felt a blush rise from his toes to his face. Out of the mouths of babes or some such nonsense.
"Uh huh?" It was the safest response he could give that didn't involve him tripping over his words. He wondered briefly if Eden was still around. Maybe this was something that should be classified as girl talk.
"You don't do that. Momma said you 'n Jack were real happy. Like married happy, and that means you should cuddle and sometimes you need to shut the door."
"We do—"
"I haven't seen you cuddle once."
"Okay… we'll, um… cuddle," he finished helplessly.
"And shut the door?"
"Yes, we'll shut our door."
"'Cause I'm okay, you know."
"What?" Riley didn't mean for that to come out as blunt as it had. What did she mean she was okay?
"Momma said I would be sad, and that would be okay. I will be sad. I know. And sometimes I am sad. Sometimes I am more than sad, and then I read her letters. But I'm okay in my room on my own."
Riley was stunned. He had been walking on eggshells, trying not to push his relationship with Jack in her face, trying to make it all okay, and here she sat, telling him he was doing it wrong. Realization smacked into him with the force of a truck. She was right. He opened his arms, and she clambered onto his lap and cuddled into him. He held on for dear life, choking back the emotions that threatened to burst from him, and buried his face into her neck. She smelled of apple shampoo and horses and all manner of things that reminded him of Eden. God, the times he had held Eden when she was little as they listened to their dad rail at their mom or when Jeff was being a particular kind of a bastard to them both. He had the same love for Hayley he'd had for Eden, and it was a love that started in his heart and spread like wildfire through him.
"I love you, Hayley," he said simply. He had only known her two weeks, but he knew she was the most precious thing to him. He, Hayley and Jack were a family, and he needed to let Jack in.
"I love you too, Daddy."
"Jack?" he called. If he knew Jack, then his husband would be loitering in the hall waiting for a sign everything was okay. Jack peered around the door and then stepped in when Riley crooked a finger to indicate he should. He sat next to Riley and allowed himself to be pulled into a kind of odd three-way hug. Hayley just nestled in closer, and Jack inclined his head. Riley didn't have to be told he'd done okay.
He could feel Hayley's tears against his throat.
C HAPTER 13
Eden, Beth and Donna had taken Hayley shopping, citing they had better fill her wardrobe before the article hit the press and shopping became a chore rather than an enjoyable day out. Riley was under no illusions that once the news hit the stands the gossip rags would pull out every single excruciating detail of what had gone on with the Hayes family last year. Hayley needed clothes, an iPod and more books apparently. The clothes were Eden's idea; the iPod, Beth's. Donna was the one thinking along the lines of education. Hayley's uniform was hanging on the back of her door, waiting for Monday and her first day of school, and Donna was taking the list of what she needed to buy. Hayley was visibly hopping from one foot to the other in excitement and hadn't even given her dad a backward glance as they drove off to God knew where.
Riley left Jack pacing outside Taylors' stall and took the hours to go into the office. Something wasn't going according to plan with the horse, and
"You don't shut your door," she commented, but wouldn't meet Riley's eyes.
"I'm… we don't… we…" Riley Campbell-Hayes, twenty-eight and lost for words in front of an itty-bitty girl.
"Look," she said, "Ebony's mom would shout at her dad and he would shout back and then there would be cuddles. And sometimes they would shut their door."
Jeez. Riley felt a blush rise from his toes to his face. Out of the mouths of babes or some such nonsense.
"Uh huh?" It was the safest response he could give that didn't involve him tripping over his words. He wondered briefly if Eden was still around. Maybe this was something that should be classified as girl talk.
"You don't do that. Momma said you 'n Jack were real happy. Like married happy, and that means you should cuddle and sometimes you need to shut the door."
"We do—"
"I haven't seen you cuddle once."
"Okay… we'll, um… cuddle," he finished helplessly.
"And shut the door?"
"Yes, we'll shut our door."
"'Cause I'm okay, you know."
"What?" Riley didn't mean for that to come out as blunt as it had. What did she mean she was okay?
"Momma said I would be sad, and that would be okay. I will be sad. I know. And sometimes I am sad. Sometimes I am more than sad, and then I read her letters. But I'm okay in my room on my own."
Riley was stunned. He had been walking on eggshells, trying not to push his relationship with Jack in her face, trying to make it all okay, and here she sat, telling him he was doing it wrong. Realization smacked into him with the force of a truck. She was right. He opened his arms, and she clambered onto his lap and cuddled into him. He held on for dear life, choking back the emotions that threatened to burst from him, and buried his face into her neck. She smelled of apple shampoo and horses and all manner of things that reminded him of Eden. God, the times he had held Eden when she was little as they listened to their dad rail at their mom or when Jeff was being a particular kind of a bastard to them both. He had the same love for Hayley he'd had for Eden, and it was a love that started in his heart and spread like wildfire through him.
"I love you, Hayley," he said simply. He had only known her two weeks, but he knew she was the most precious thing to him. He, Hayley and Jack were a family, and he needed to let Jack in.
"I love you too, Daddy."
"Jack?" he called. If he knew Jack, then his husband would be loitering in the hall waiting for a sign everything was okay. Jack peered around the door and then stepped in when Riley crooked a finger to indicate he should. He sat next to Riley and allowed himself to be pulled into a kind of odd three-way hug. Hayley just nestled in closer, and Jack inclined his head. Riley didn't have to be told he'd done okay.
He could feel Hayley's tears against his throat.
C HAPTER 13
Eden, Beth and Donna had taken Hayley shopping, citing they had better fill her wardrobe before the article hit the press and shopping became a chore rather than an enjoyable day out. Riley was under no illusions that once the news hit the stands the gossip rags would pull out every single excruciating detail of what had gone on with the Hayes family last year. Hayley needed clothes, an iPod and more books apparently. The clothes were Eden's idea; the iPod, Beth's. Donna was the one thinking along the lines of education. Hayley's uniform was hanging on the back of her door, waiting for Monday and her first day of school, and Donna was taking the list of what she needed to buy. Hayley was visibly hopping from one foot to the other in excitement and hadn't even given her dad a backward glance as they drove off to God knew where.
Riley left Jack pacing outside Taylors' stall and took the hours to go into the office. Something wasn't going according to plan with the horse, and
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