She nodded, smiled at him, and thanked him again. She’d told herself that she wouldn’t ever rely on anyone again but that wasn’t the way life worked. The whole way home, she thought about that, about Wes wanting to help her only to have her push him away. Sure, he’d gone overboard, but it wasn’t just for her. It was for his mom, his brothers, himself. She might have been a deciding factor but if they were going to share a life together, they should be factors in each other’s decisions. But he’d never hid who he was. If she wanted to be accepted, she needed to do the same. The truth was, she’d do anything for him. So why didn’t she trust that his interests were for the same reason as hers?
Feeling exhausted, she didn’t phone him or text when she went home. She’d talk to him in the morning, say sorry for her part in things. She couldn’t have a partner if she was unwilling to lean on him, at least as much as she wanted him to do the same.
* * *
Hailey wasn’t running behind for once. Since she’d hired Dolly, her time had freed up some and she no longer felt like there was no way to accomplish her to-do list. Another example of how letting someone in, trusting them to help and not let you down, works out in your favor. Hailey still needed to run a few errands before she went into the shop. Most importantly, she needed to talk to Wes.
She didn’t, however, expect him to be on her doorstep when she came out her front door.
In a gray sweater and jeans, his hair mussed, he looked like he hadn’t gotten any more sleep than she had.
“Hi,” she said, standing on the bottom step, bringing her eyes level with him.
“Hi.” He touched her waist, stepped into her, their lips a fraction apart.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
His gaze widened. “You are?”
She nodded with a smile, put her hands on his shoulders. “I am. I think we need to talk about some boundaries. But I shouldn’t raise my hackles quite so high.”
His grin was belly warming. “I’m sorry, too. I should have talked to you.”
“Do you want to come up for a cup of coffee?” She could do errands later.
“You don’t need to get to work?”
She was already unlocking the door. “Dolly is opening.”
As if they’d come to an unspoken agreement, they waited to fall together until they were in her apartment. His lips touched hers tentatively at first but she stepped into him, pulled him closer. You’re mine. And I want to be yours. She needed to trust his words, his actions, and his intentions.
When he pulled back, he used both hands to sweep her hair away from her face. “I know I can be difficult.”
She laughed. “Well, I think I might have a couple faults of my own.”
“I didn’t mean to go behind your back. Well, I did, but I won’t again. The thing is, I really think this space is great for my family. I didn’t do it just to help you. I know I have some boundary issues but I promise you, I’ll work on it.”
Hailey felt like she physically melted into him. “I need to work on a few things of my own. Like trust. And also believing that just because you want to help me doesn’t mean you don’t think I’m capable.”
His eyes widened. “Hailey, you’re one of the most capable women I’ve ever met. You’re amazing.”
He really believed that. She ran her hands up and down his arms, so happy he was there. “I just don’t want you to think your money has anything to do with my feelings for you.”
He laughed. “Trust me, I know that. You forgive me?”
“Do you forgive me?”
He nodded. “We’ve survived our first big fight,” he said, kissing her cheek.
Hailey patted him down, earning a sexy arch of his brows. “Making sure you didn’t bring any stupidly expensive jewelry.”
Wes’s deep laugh filled the last dredges of worry. “I know better.”
She pulled him over to the couch where they sat side by side, her legs thrown over his lap.
“Is everything okay with Chris and Noah? I didn’t think about it until after but they don’t usually just show up like that, do they?”
“No. They’d found out from Grace and Everly about the construction. Noah, being Noah, got curious. He looked up the sale. They were there to kick my ass.”
She tilted her chin down. “Poor baby.”
He laughed. “You don’t mean that. They’re no longer mad at me either, though Noah doesn’t want me to dump CoreTech as a client.”