Page 44 of Hello Trouble

LIV

I tugged at the blanket strings on my quilt as Della told me what had happened between her and Hayes just moments ago.

She sounded so upset, and my heart hurt for her.

I hated that she was going through this, even more so because I saw it coming.

I wanted to throttle Hayes for getting into a relationship with my best friend when he had no idea how to be in one.

Yes, Della could have told him about her job offer sooner, but that didn’t mean he should run away when things got hard.

But then my husband’s phone started ringing and he rolled to the side, blearily looking at the screen. He showed me the incoming call. Hayes.

I pursed my lips.

Fletcher whispered, “I’ll go handle this.”

I nodded, and once he left the room, I shifted the phone to my other ear and said to Della, “Looks like he turned up here.”

She sniffed. “I guess that makes me feel better. At least he didn’t turn to someone else...”

Part of me thought it was just a matter of time before he went back to his old patterns. Someone couldn’t just spend their entire adult life going to bed with a different woman every night just to settle down and devote themselves to only one.

“What are you thinking?” Della asked me, then sniffed.

I gritted my teeth, knowing I couldn’t lay all my feelings on her. Not when she was feeling like this. “I’m pissed that he just ran out on you,” I said. “For starters.”

“He said he needed time,” Della replied.

I frowned at her defense of him. It was hard to see Hayes through her eyes when I’d known him all my life.

He was six years younger than me and grew up on the neighboring ranch.

When Maya Madigan died, he seemed to soak up all the oxygen in that family.

He threw tantrums. Destroyed things. Was constantly in the principal’s office at school.

And then when he got older, it was all about fast cars and women.

I watched a parade of women go in and out of his driveway on my way to work every morning.

He was nothing like I’d pictured Della’s person would be.

But I let out a sigh and said, “I know he was upset, but you’ve been dating for such a short time. How could he expect to know all your future plans off the bat? That’s not fair to you.”

“We said I love you,” Della whispered sadly.

My heart clenched for her and all her pain. “Oh, Della...”

“I know.” She sounded so heartbroken.

I kneaded my brow. “Do you really think Hayes could be your person?” The doubt was clear in my voice. But Della was like a sister to me, and I worried about her like one. She didn’t have a hint of cynicism in her heart, and that was both a power and a weakness.

“Liv,” Della said sharply. “You’re the one who was so desperate to keep me in town you were setting me up on dates! Now the guy I love isn’t good enough to meet your expectations?”

She’d never spoken to me like that before, and I instantly wanted to fix things. “Della, I?—”

“No, I’m sorry he’s not a doctor, and I’m sorry he doesn’t have a past you approve of, and I’m sorry he’s not a good-natured bump on a log like Bennett!” Della’s voice was rising with each word, growing with her emotions.

I gritted my teeth, feeling guilty. “Della, you know I love Hayes. He’s my brother-in-law and a great uncle to my kids. He’s just the last person I expected for you . I think you deserve a prince. I have always thought that.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” Della whispered, almost like she was speaking to herself. “I’ve spent my whole life waiting for Prince Charming, waiting for a relationship that looks like my parents’. But I haven’t thought about what actually makes me feel good.”

At the truth in her words, I tugged a little too hard on a thread and a small hole appeared in the quilt. “It’s your life,” I finally said. “You have to decide for yourself and deal with the consequences too.” I hated the truth in those words. I wanted to save her from all her pain.

“It is my life.” Her voice only shook a little. “But you’re my best friend. I want you to support me.”

“I can support you, but I can’t always agree with you,” I said. “We promised we’d always be honest with each other. Even when it was hard.”

Della’s voice shook as she said, “If I’m being honest, I wish I wouldn’t have called you at all tonight. I didn’t need you to say I told you so.”

“Della—”

“Goodbye,” she said and hung up. I stared at my phone in disbelief. Della had to know I was just trying to protect her. And she had to know how it looked for her to be dating Hayes—she’d grown up in the same town!

The front door of the house opened, and I hoped Hayes wasn’t coming in or I’d be taking out some frustration on him. Instead, my husband walked into our room, a troubled look in his eyes.

“Did you ream him out?” I asked. “I can’t believe he ran out on Della like that.”

Fletcher gave me an incredulous look. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s devastated . I’m worried about him. And I’m pissed Della didn’t tell him sooner.”

“ He’s devastated? What about my friend crying on the phone because Hayes couldn’t handle a hard conversation?”

Fletcher gave me a disappointed look. “There’s more to it than that, and you know it.”

Maybe he was right, but I was also frustrated. “Fletch, you know it was a bad idea for them to date. I told him so in March!”

With a frown, he said, “I disagree.”

“That’s it?” I asked, incredulous. “You disagree?”

Slowly, he walked over to our bed and pulled back the covers on his side, sitting down. “I think it was a great idea for them to date.”

My eyebrows crept up my forehead. “You do?” How could he think that?

“I’ve never been prouder of Hayes than I have here lately. He’s put his heart on the line, thought consistently of someone else, communicated his feelings. I would be torn up too if I were in his shoes. The woman he loves is about to leave and didn’t even tell him.”

Fletcher lifted his legs under the covers and then tugged them up to his waist while I sat there in disbelief...

“He’s in love with her?” I asked. “Really?”

Fletcher nodded. “He’s so far gone, you’d need a map to find him.”

I frowned, trying to reconcile it in my mind. I knew Della said they exchanged I-love-yous, but I wasn’t sure Hayes understood what that meant in a romantic relationship. “But he ran out on her,” I finally said. “He found out the truth and didn’t fight for her to stay.”

“He held it together just long enough to fall apart,” Fletcher said, his voice raw. “You should have seen him out there. If they break it off, I don’t know if he’ll ever recover.”

My heart ached with guilt and regret. If this thing with Della and Hayes is something that lasts, I might have ruined my friendship and hurt my relationship with Fletcher’s family.

“I think I really messed up,” I admitted to him, tears pricking at my eyes. “I love Hayes, you know I do, but I just couldn’t believe he was in so deep, for real. And Della... she deserves the world.”

Fletcher scooted over, taking me under his arm. “It’s ironic, isn’t it?”

I rolled my head on his shoulder to look at him. “What is?”

“That your brother was so nervous about you and me dating because of my past. You were so mad at him, and yet...” He tilted his head at me.

“It’s different,” I argued.

He raised his eyebrows doubtfully.

I sighed. “Shit.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Let them sort it out. And then you and Della will have a chance to talk too.”