The floor pitched beneath Hayden’s cowboy boots once more.
“Congratulations.” Steven’s well wishes didn’t sound sincere. He gave Evie a forlorn look.
He still loves her.
Steven seemed to search for words, taking a step back before saying, “If this marriage happens, don’t forget you need to provide the court with your marriage certificate. I know how you get, Eve. You let the important stuff slip through the cracks. Be careful.” And with that, Steven turned and headed for the exit, moving slowly, like a man who’d received bad news and needed time to process it.
As soon as the door swung closed behind him, Hayden removed his arm from Evie’s shoulders and faced her. “Start talking, Evie. And don’t let anything important slip through the cracks.”
*
“Um…” Eve had no idea what to say.
But Hayden did. “I’m going to order a coffee. Be ready to talk when I return.”
Heart pounding, Eve went to the nearest bench and sat down, dropping her head into her hands.
What a mess.
And she had no one to blame but herself.
She hadn’t just lied to her ex-husband about marrying again. She’d lied to Judge McKee in family court this morning about marrying again.
And there was no way Eve’s teenage crush was going to marry her to cover for that lie, as much as she wished he would. Hayden was still her romantic ideal.
Eve’s phone chimed with a message from her mother. She’d just picked up Katie from preschool. Eve texted her back, letting her know she was at the Coffee Corner, along with some of Mom’s retired friends occupying a table by the front.
As soon as she put her phone on the table, Hayden sat down across from her, large coffee cup in hand.
Eve took a moment to register Hayden’s black cowboy hat covering his shaggy black hair and shading his dark-as-midnight eyes. He hadn’t changed much in ten years. He still wore cowboy boots, blue jeans, and a checkered shirt, this one navy blue. Some might find Hayden’s nose a bit crooked, a result of it being broken in a scrap as a teen. And some might say his chin was too strong, a feature of all Bennett men. And some might find his silences and concise sentences intimidating. Not Eve. She still considered Hayden nearly perfect.
If only he’d agree to marry me.
Although once she told him the truth, it was more likely Hayden would never speak to her again.
Hayden sipped his coffee, elbows resting casually on the table, no longer the fuming cowboy dealing with his fiancée’s annoying ex. “Spill, Evie. Start at the beginning.”
No one calls me Evie anymore.
Eve clutched the small clay pendant Katie had given her last Mother’s Day. If she was going to unravel the tangle she’d made, she needed to start now.
Slowly…
Carefully…
Leaving out the most painful bits…
Eve cleared her throat. “When I married Steven, our careers were just kicking off—him as a trial attorney with dreams of owning his own practice, me as a licensed practical nurse with dreams of becoming a registered nurse someday. But Steven was on the fast track and my ‘someday’ was pushed out of reach.” Steven had told her they couldn’t afford nursing school and the loss of her income. And since he took care of the finances, she’d believed him.
I was so naïve.
Just the reminder of how he’d taken advantage of her gullibility was enough to make her blood pressure spike.
Hayden studied her with those dark eyes, waiting.
Eve drew a few calming breaths before getting back to her story. “With every success, every promotion, Steven’s work suits became more expensive. Conversely, his heart seemed to shrink in proportion to those wardrobe prices.” There were no more date nights, no cuddles in front of the fireplace, or whispered endearments before bed. It was work that consumed her husband. “Suddenly, his career was more important than mine. His priorities more important than me and our four-year-old daughter. If he was home, we had to be quiet so he could concentrate. He couldn’t be bothered with our problems. Not my flat tire. Not Katie’s skinned knees.” And especially not any special shifts Eve took at the rehabilitation hospital where she worked.
Hayden’s expression remained unchanged—cool, distant, unaffected.