“It’s so wonderful to hear you laughing again, sweetheart.” The mere mention of laughter had hers fading away. There hadn’t been much of it in their house since the accident. Everything was all doom and gloom, sadness. Nothing had ever been the same again.
For a split second, they were normal, happy even. Then in a flash, it was gone, and the guilt came flooding in. How could she be happy and smiling when Ryder was dead?
“Don’t do that, baby, please,” her mom begged.
“Don’t do what, Mom?” But she knew.
“Feel guilty for laughing, for being happy. I don’t want that for you, and Ryder certainly wouldn’t, either.”
She was right. Of course, she was. Didn’t mean Hayes could let it go, though. Being happy meant a life without her brother in it, and that was a life she wasn’t sure she could live in.
Smiling at her mom, she nodded her head and cut the chicken the way it needed to be done. “I’m gonna go for a run,” Hayes told her before leaving, not giving the woman a chance to answer.
Taking the same route through the park and back around that she always did, Hayes was quickly lost in the beat of her feet hitting the pavement. The sound of her blood rushing through her ears, and the cramps in her sides.
When she finally stopped running, she was back at the baseball field. Back where she’d met him. Where she’d felt something for the first time in far longer than she could remember. He’d ignited a spark in her chest and hope had coursed through her.
That was four days ago. She hadn’t seen him since. Running the same path at the same time every day since then had not garnered her one sighting of him. She wished she’d stayed that first meeting and gotten to know him. Now, she was going to have to live with never knowing who the man was that had opened her heart up again.
“Hey there,” a deep voice called from behind.
She’d been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized the sun was setting or that the park had emptied. It wasn’t her mystery man. This stranger’s voice wasn’t smooth like fine wine.
“You shouldn’t be out in the park so late,” he warned.
Instantly, her hackles rose and set her on guard. “Uh, yeah, lost track of time.” She stalled, looking around for the gopher holes that had tripped her mystery man before, not wanting to be murdered because of some dumb rodents.
“You okay?” the man asked, his voice closer. Hayes could practically feel his shadow over the top of her.
“Yeah, yeah, fine.” Pulling her phone from her pocket, she was prepared to dial nine-one-one when his hand landed on her shoulder. His bruising grip was all the warning she needed to kick him in the nuts and run like hell. “Shit, shit, shit,” she murmured, out of breath, as she made it off the beaten path. His curses could be heard from behind her while she ran. Thankfully, the streets were busy as she kept running, only slowing her pace when she was sure the stranger was no longer following her.
“Son of a donkey’s petunia,” she whispered to herself.
“A donkey’s what now?” was said directly over her shoulder. Still in fight or flight mode, she spun around swinging.
“Slow down there, tiger.” A set of hands gripped her arm before she could connect. The playful smile on the man’s face vanished as soon as he got a look at her. “What happened?” he demanded.
Mystery man. She sighed.
Looking all around her to make sure the guy from the park was nowhere to be seen, she told him, “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Like hell you are,” he countered. “Something scared the shit out of you. What happened?” His voice came out darker, more menacing.
“I said I’m fine. Leave me alone.” Hayes went to pull away from the guy, but his grip was solid. Not hurting her in any way, just not letting her go.
Pulling her into him, her companion let her arm go only to slide one hand around her neck while the other went to her hip. “Talk to me,” he whispered against her cheek.
The voice was so smooth she nearly melted into him. His soft blue eyes beckoned her to tell him what happened, and so she did, without thought. “I was there, again,” she pointed towards the baseball field, “and someone showed up. He grabbed me.”
His eyes went from worried to angry in a flash. “What do you mean grabbed you?” His grip tightened.
“Just held onto my shoulder after asking me if I was okay, twice. I told him I was, then kicked him in the giblets after he didn’t remove his hand.” She shrugged like it was no big deal when, in fact, it scared half her life away. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream, she wanted to be normal. She wanted Ryder.
Pulling her more firmly to his chest, her newest acquaintance whispered soothingly into her ear while she calmed down. She hadn’t realized just how terrified she was over it.
“Can I take you home?” he asked her when she pulled away.
“No, thank you. I live just up the block.” She pointed the way behind her, not wondering why, but knowing he wouldn’t hurt her. She felt safe in his presence. “You were right about the gophers by the way.”