Never Say Never (15 page)

“He’s a great kid. You did good.” Lucas said and she looked at him with a sigh.

“Can I tell you a secret?” She asked.

“You can tell me anything.” He nodded.

“Sometimes I’m afraid of him.” She admitted.

Lucas frowned and looked at her. “How do you mean?”

“When he’s agitated, he looks at me in a certain way that reminds me...” Hayley said. “He looks just like his father.”

“Like in the car?” He asked.

“Yes.” Hayley nodded. “I’ve been trying to convince myself that I was imagining it, but I’m not. He looks just like him.”

“You said it yourself, he is nothing like his dad. He’s a good kid, Hayley. He’s smart and has a good heart, just like his mom.” Lucas squeezed her hand. “Your eyes crinkle up the same way when you laugh as well.”

“So I’ve been told.” Hayley smiled slightly. “Thank you.”

“For what?” He frowned.

“For everything actually. For bringing us here, for being there for Owain, for me.” Hayley smiled at him.

“I’m really glad you drove into my car when you did.” Lucas gave her a crooked smile and his eyes sparkled with mischief.

“You’re welcome.” She chuckled and leaned forward slightly.

She took hold of the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, kissing him lightly on the lips. His fingers raked through her hair and cradled her face. His lips touched hers and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She lifted her face and looked into his bright hazel eyes. “You know your parents, and my kid are downstairs…”

Before she could finish her sentence, he placed his finger gently over her mouth and grinned. “Then we’ll just have to be quiet.”

“That sounds like a plan.” She laughed softly.

His hands travelled down her sides and he kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his waist and felt his hands pulling at her dress. She pulled away and looked at him, breathing loudly. She smiled slightly and looked down at his waist. She slid her hands under his shirt and felt the smoothness of his skin under hers. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. She took a second to study his muscular body and looked at him.

“Your turn.” He breathed and slid his hands down her thighs.

He moved the soft material up her body and slipped her dress over her head. He dropped her dress onto the floor and looked at her. He ran his fingers down her body and gave her a slow, sexy smile.

“You’re beautiful, Hayley Pearce.”

Hayley looked over at Lucas, on his back with his eyes closed and smiled slightly.

“Staring is rude.” Lucas whispered and she giggled softly.

“I was not staring.” She smiled at him. “I’m just watching you.”

He opened his eyes and rolled onto his side. “It’s creepy.”

“No, it’s not.” She frowned. “It’s creepy that we just did this in your parents’ house.”

“This is definitely a first.” He admitted.

“You’ve never had sex in your parents’ house?” She asked.

“Never.” He grinned.

“I don’t believe that.” She giggled.

“You’re the first.” He said and ran his fingers up her arm, along her shoulder and stopped on the side of her neck. He noticed a pale scar running from below her jaw to just below her ear. She broke their gaze and gently pushed his hand away.

“What happened there?” He frowned.

“Nothing.” She whispered.

“That doesn’t look like nothing.” Lucas frowned again and moved closer to her.

Out of habit, she moved away from him and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Lucas sat up and looked at her, with a concerned look on his face.

“Hey.” He reached for her hand and she let him take it.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that….” Hayley stuttered.

“It’s okay.” Lucas shook his head. “I was a jerk, I shouldn’t have pressed.”

Hayley nodded slightly and pursed her lips together.

“Come here.” He looked at her.

She nodded again and moved closer to him. She laid down next to him and he put his arms around her. There were a few moments of silence until she turned her head to look at him.

“I was shot.” She whispered.

“What?” Lucas looked at her with a stunned expression.

“That’s how I got the scar.” She traced the line with her finger. “I was shot.”

“Oh my god! Are you serious?” He asked and she nodded. “What happened?”

“It was about eight years ago. My best friend and I were out one night and we got attacked by two guys.” She frowned at him. “She got away.”

“Oh my god.” He breathed. “What do you mean she got away? Did they…?”

“They were trying to pull us into their van, but she managed to break free and run.” She broke their gaze and studied his hand. The veins on the top of his hand were prominent and she lightly traced them with her fingertips.

There was another few moments of silence and she looked at him.

“I wasn’t that lucky. The pulled me into their van and held me captive for about ten days.” She said softly and he looked at her with a remorseful look on his face.

“Oh my god, Hayley…” Lucas brushed a lock of hair off her face and touched her cheek.

“They tied me up, beat me, and when they were done having their fun, one of them shot me and left me by the side of the road to die.” She frowned and felt her eyes well up with
tears, pausing for a few seconds. “My dad and Daniel found me, on the outskirts of Atlanta, half dead.”

“Daniel?” Lucas looked at her, searching her face, but she simply frowned at him.

“I was engaged to him. We were supposed to get married a few months later, but he said that I changed.” She frowned. “That I wasn’t the person that he fell in love with anymore.”

“He was stupid for expecting you to not change after something like that.” Lucas said. “You are an amazing woman, Hayley.”

“That’s exactly what my dad said.” She smiled slightly.

“Well, he’s a smart guy.” Lucas smiled at her. “Was that when you moved down to Dunedin?”

“Yes, only a few months after. I had to get better, and go through all the procedures, like psychological evaluations et cetera, but as soon as I passed all the criteria, I left.” She nodded. “My dad was sad to see me go, but he understood. Atlanta wasn’t the place for me anymore. There were too many things that reminded me of that time. I was a paranoid wreck. I couldn’t sleep or relax, and I didn’t want to live my life like that.”

Lucas frowned slightly and looked at her. “I know exactly how that feels.”

“Your brother?” She rested her head on her arm.

“Yes.” He said simply.

“How did he die?” She asked.

“He was shot by a cop.” Lucas looked at her.

“That’s horrible.” She frowned and reached for his hand.

“He and his best friend came back from a trip to New York and they went into a gas station that was being robbed at the time. Ric got caught in the crossfire and died in hospital a few hours later.” He said, and Hayley noticed a slight hint of anger and resentment in his voice.

She took his hand in her and slid her fingers between his. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. We all have our sad stories. It’s part of life. It makes us who we are.” He looked at her.

“Exactly.” She smiled at him and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Tell me more about him.” She whispered, tracing her fingers along the outline of Lucas’ hand.

“Okay. He was five years older than me, but we were best friends. We did everything together. He always stood up for me, and knew right from wrong, you know. He had morals, like you wouldn’t believe. He was
funny and strong and was always there when I needed him.” Lucas smiled slightly.

“He sounded nice.” She whispered.

“He would have liked you.” Lucas grinned. “Not the way I like you, but he would have liked you. You are honest, and to the point.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at him. “Did you have a lot in common?”

“The only things we had in common, was our last name, and our dark hair. I got the Lynch family genes and Ric got the Donovan family genes. Ric had these dark eyes that the girls loved. He was more suave than me, of course, and could get whichever girl he wanted. They never said no to him. He never took advantage of that though, he was a good guy and the best brother ever.” Lucas paused, with a slight frown and looked at Hayley. “Then he became friends with a guy called Jack and he changed completely. Jack got into a lot of trouble, unfortunately that meant that Ric also got into trouble, and I had to bail the two of them out most of the time. Ric started doing coke and got into trouble a lot after that. I was growing tired of bailing him out all the time. He promised he would change, but he never did.”

Hayley looked at him and ran her fingers down his arm. Without saying a word, he
looked at her and smiled slightly.

“I remember this one time, when I was about eight, we unrolled a whole roll of black garbage bags across the lawn, took some of my mom’s bubble bath, and made our own slippery slide.” He smiled at the memory.

“Your mom must have been furious.” Hayley laughed.

“She was, but only for appearances. Afterwards, she was on there with us.” Lucas laughed.

“I can see her doing that. I like your mom, she’s nice.” Hayley smiled and secretly longed for the mother she never had.

“She’s been through a lot though, with my dad.” Lucas’s smile faded slightly and Hayley’s frown demanded an explanation. “After Ric died, my dad started drinking, a lot, and my mom had a difficult time. I still don’t know how she did it. She’s always been so strong, never failing, always supporting, no matter what. It’s been a tough couple of years for them, but they are so much better than they were.”

“That’s good.” She pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked at him. “Your dad doesn’t talk about your brother.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Lucas frowned. “Ever since Ric got mixed up with Jack, Dad cut him
off from the family. He said that he didn’t raise a criminal, and will not be able to live with the fact that Ric shamed the family name.”

“That’s so sad.” Hayley frowned.

“Tell me about it. It’s as if Ric never existed. There are no pictures of him in the house. Dad burnt them all. According to him, he has only one son.” Lucas sighed.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered and ran her finger along his chest.

“Thanks, Hales.” He smiled at her and there was a moment of silence in the room.

“I feel really guilty for not visiting my dad.” She said and he looked at her.

“He’s still in Atlanta, right?” Lucas asked.

“Yes.” She said.

“But isn’t that where you were attacked?” He asked.

“Yes, but I don’t expect him to leave and move elsewhere, it’s his home.” She shook her head and suddenly there was a sad expression on her face. “You know, I can still hear his crying when he found me that night. He thought I was dead. The whole state thought I was dead.”

“That must have been horrible for all of you.” Lucas whispered.

“It shook my dad’s core. I’m his only child.”
She said and smiled slightly. “Every year, on my birthday, he would go to the place where he found me, and put up a wreath, thankful that I can still celebrate another birthday.”

“We should go visit him, seeing as you’ve met my parents.” Lucas said.

“I’ve tried a few times, but I can’t get myself to actually go.” She said and looked at him with a frown. “I tried just after Owain was born, but I couldn’t. It was too hard.”

“I could take you, if you want.” Lucas traced a line from her shoulder, down her back.

“I would really like that.” She nodded and leaned closer to him, kissing him softly on the lips.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his body.

After a long silence, Lucas looked at her and frowned. “Hayley, was Daniel Owain’s dad?”

Hayley looked at him and took a deep breath. “No, he’s not.”

“Then who was his dad?” Lucas asked.

“No-one worth talking about.” She frowned.

“How long did you know him?” Lucas asked.

“Not very long. It was a crazy time in my
life.” She frowned.

“And you still had his kid?” Lucas frowned.

“Yes, of course. You make me sound like a slut.” She frowned at him.

“Sorry, that’s not what I meant.” He smiled slightly. “I just meant, that there was hope for me after all.”

“I don’t understand.” She shook her head.

Lucas laughed heartily and Hayley tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, relieved that the subject of Owain’s father was forgotten, for now.

“My mom is very worried about me. I recently got out of a relationship with a girl my mom thought was the one.” Lucas grimaced.

“And she wasn’t?” She tilted her head with a grin.

“Not in the least.” Lucas chuckled. “My mom thinks that I should be settling down now. According to her, I should have been married with two kids by now.”