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I hated that she was losing her job. And that she was in so much pain.
And that she might not have a choice to stay.
“I can try and find another job around here, but...” She broke down in a fresh round of sobs. “I’m so sorry.”
“Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m fine, I?—”
“Della, where are you?”
“In the parking lot behind my work,” she managed to say.
“I’ll be right there.” I hung up and told the guys I’d be back soon. Then I hopped on my motorcycle and drove down Main Street to her office. Chopper rested in a carrier bag around my chest.
I never thought I’d be the kind of guy bringing a lap dog on my motorcycle, but it’s funny how life changes. And how happy you are for that change when you find the woman you love.
Within a few minutes, I’d parked my bike beside her car, cut the engine, and was opening her passenger door.
She wiped her eyes as she looked over at me. Black makeup streaked down her cheeks and puddled around her eyes, which were already red from crying. “Babe...” I whispered, reaching across the console to hold her. But it was in the way. “Sit in my lap.”
A skeptical look was her response.
“Come on,” I said. I took Chopper out of his holder and put him in the back seat.
Begrudgingly, she unbuckled and crawled over the console to settle in my lap, her feet still resting in the driver’s seat. It felt so much better to hold her close like this. She wrapped her arms around me and cried on my shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I tried, but I couldn’t make it work.”
“Don’t apologize,” I said, brushing my hand over her head, her curls contained in a low bun. “We’ll figure this out.”
“But how?” she asked, looking at me again. “It’s not like there are a ton of people hiring—especially for office work.”
A thought popped into my mind, but I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. So I held her close, breathing in the smell of her perfume mingling with her shampoo. I couldn’t lose her, not now that I finally had her. “When’s your last day?”
Her answer came out muffled. “Three weeks from Friday.”
“Can you trust me to figure something out by then?” I asked.
She pulled back, searching my gaze, makeup smudged around her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’ll find you a job. A good job. The best job only second to a breast job.”
She cracked a smile and smacked me.
“Kidding,” I said with a smile. “About the last part, not the first. We’re keeping you here, baby.”
She nodded slowly. “I trust you. But I’m wondering how you’re so confident, Hayes. I mean, it’s a small town. It’s not like there are dozens of jobs just waiting to be filled. I’d be lucky to get a job at the diner.”
My heart twitched at her despair. I wished I could take it away. “You forget you’re with a Madigan,” I said, brushing back her hair. “That means you have me and my crazy, overprotective, very motivated family on your side. All my brothers, their wives... we’re going to figure this out, because we’re all here for you.”
Her spirits seemed to lift. “Can I admit something? I was always a little jealous of Liv marrying into your family. I always wanted something big and close-knit like that, but it’s just my parents and me.”
“Not anymore,” I said, holding her tight. “So you get your cry out, and then we’ll take you home and clean you up, and we’ll figure this out. Because giving up on us is not an option.”
49
DELLA
A sense of peace settled over me after talking with Hayes. Even though I wasn’t sure how things would turn out, it was a relief to know I had the world’s most stubborn man (and his entire family) in my corner.