Page 46 of Hello Trouble

HAYES

As we lay in my bed, naked under the covers, Della traced her fingertips over the ridges of my stomach and then stalled on one particular tattoo.

“What does this one mean?” she asked, tracing the letters. Lead with love .

“It’s my first tattoo,” I said. The ink wasn’t as sharp, the letters slightly fuzzy at the edges, but it was still my favorite one.

“Really?” she asked, turning her green eyes on me. And instead of asking, she waited—because it was so different from my other tattoos.

“You want to know the story?” I asked, covering her hand on my chest. Her warm palm flattened against the tattoo, and I held it there.

Her voice was soft as she replied, “Only if you want to share.”

“I do.” I buried a kiss amongst her wild curls, closing my eyes to savor the moment, to gather my strength. “This one is for my mom. It’s what’s written on her gravestone.”

“Oh,” Della breathed.

“I’m not sure if I remember her saying it or if it’s just a memory my brain filled in. But according to my dad and my older brothers, it was her life’s motto.”

Della leaned her head against my shoulder, her weight a comfort. “What does it mean?” she asked. “I mean, I can guess, but...” Her words trailed off, leaving me to fill in the blanks.

“Mom said that there were a lot of unknowns in life and no one was ever handed a manual with instructions. And Dad said even if there were instructions, the men wouldn’t read them.

” We both chuckled at that. “So Mom said that when you were in doubt of what to do next, you should always lead with love. When you’re lost, ask what love would do, and do that.

She said that love could never steer you wrong. ”

My throat grew tight, thinking of the night before. “Fear led me away from you last night. And love brought me back.”

Della looked up at me, her green eyes shining. “That’s beautiful, Hayes.”

DELLA

He gripped my fingers and brought them up to his lips before placing them over his steadily beating heart.

I realized I had been letting fear lead me too. I’d fallen for him but held back the news about my job because I was worried about what he’d say. The loving thing to do would have been being up-front with him. I promised myself that would change right now. “Hayes, I love you.”

The hope in his eyes was nearly my undoing. But then he asked, “You do?” and my heart melted for him. Some part of him worried if he was worthy, just like part of me worried the same.

I wondered how much better the world would be if we could just say how we felt. To be bravely honest like Hayes.

“I love you,” I repeated. “So much that it scares me. But I want to lead with love like your mom... like you.”

Emotion pooled in his eyes, and he brought me in again for another kiss that showed exactly how he felt for me.

* * *

Hayes and I spent the rest of the evening in his bed, savoring each other and the time we had. I think we were both shaken by the fact that we could have been spending this night very differently, depending on how our conversation went.

I hardly got a chance to look at my phone, but once during a bathroom break, I checked my messages.

Liv: Can we talk? I don’t like how we left things last night.

My shoulders tensed, and my chest ached, because I didn’t like it either. But I also didn’t want to argue with my friend about the man I loved.

Liv: Can I come by your place tomorrow?

Liv: I’ll bring food too.

She was making an effort, which helped me feel better. And when you were friends for as long as we were, you were bound to have some ups and downs. So I typed back my response, hoping for the best.

Della: 7 work?

Liv: See you then.

I walked out of the restroom in my dress, holding my phone to my chest. There was a commotion coming from the other side of the house, though, and I could hear several masculine voices speaking.

“Hayes?” I called out. “Where did you go?”

“Over here,” he called out, the other voices silencing.

It sounded like he was in the hallway. I walked out of his room to find the hallway empty, but the door to his guest room open. There stood Hayes, Ethan, and another one of his employees while Chopper danced around their feet.

“What’s going on?” I asked them. It was past seven o’clock, and Hayes hadn’t mentioned company.

Ethan looked over at me, eyes stalling on my mass of tangled curls. I tried not to flush at the fact that I definitely had sex hair. “We’re moving these boxes to the garage,” Ethan said. “Dane, why don’t you carry the smaller ones and I’ll get the dolly?”

“Sure thing...” They continued strategizing, but I couldn’t hear them over the buzzing thoughts in my head. Hayes met my eyes, and I gave him a questioning look.

He simply offered me a gentle smile.

Hayes was making room in his home... for me.

With the guys set up, Hayes brought me back to his bedroom, closing the door to give us privacy. “Sorry,” he said. “They’re a little earlier than we planned.”

I shook my head and gave him a hug. Emotion was threatening to spill from my eyes at the depth of what the gesture meant, but I blinked it back. “It’s okay. I should go anyway. I slept like shit last night.”

He chuckled wryly then kissed the top of my head. “Call me before you go to sleep?”

“I will.”

As I walked out to my car and drove home in the dwindling evening light, everything about life seemed better. The grass was greening up in everyone’s lawns. Some people even had their hanging planters out with fresh new flowers, making the whole town look brighter.

Or maybe that was just me seeing life through love-colored glasses.

I was excited about the future for the first time in a long time. And that was all thanks to Hayes.