The Road To Heaven (Allendale Four 3)

“Are you interested in…trying some new things?”

He swallowed. “Maybe. Hopefully. It just may take a while for me to get used to it. But I’m open minded and I promise not to judge.”

“We can take it slow. Or not at all. Our relationships have always been unique, which is why it worked for so long.” I brushed his hair out of his eyes. “But I’ve also realized that as we mature, so do other parts of our commitment to one another. We’re different now and that’s okay. Stagnating and trying to fit into the same mold as years before was what did us in. It’s why the distance killed us. We needed to adapt but didn’t know how.”

He nodded in understanding and on a whim and rush of love, I jumped at him and he caught me in his long, strong arms. I didn’t care that I was only in a towel and that it was slipping off my body inch by inch. I only cared about the way his lips felt, hungry and secure, the way his heart beat, hammering against my chest. I only cared that he was here, finally, and another piece of my life fell into place.

I eased myself out of his arms, using a hand to hold up the towel at my chest, although it was no longer wrapped around me, just hanging by my clenched fingers.

“How’s Hayden?” I asked, well aware that his eyes were roaming. I linked my fingers with his.

“We need to talk about him, but probably with the others. I think I finally understand what’s going on.”

“Should we get Oliver and Jackson?”

“We should,” he said, not all that convincingly. His tongue swiped at his bottom lip and I felt his hand graze my lower, bare back.

“Maybe in a minute?”

He took a deep, steadying breath, like he was wavering between tossing me on the couch and ravishing me right there and…well, not doing that at all. His mind was at war over something, probably all of this, and I knew it would be better if he had time to think it over.

“Let’s go talk to them,” I said, making the decision for both of us. “It’s important, and maybe Hayden will come out of the apartment and stop sulking.”

Anderson froze, his mouth in a grim line.

“What?” I asked, fearing the worst. It didn’t take long for my concerns to come true.

“Hayden left right after I got here,” Anderson said.

“Left? To go where?”

“Home,” he clarified. “He flew back to Atlanta.”

42

Jackson

“Maybe I should go up there,” I said, pacing the room. “Anderson and I have always been the closest. We’ve worked through Heaven issues before—maybe I can explain.”

“Give him a chance to settle down,” Oliver said. We’d both changed out of our wet clothes and were in the living room trying to decide how to handle the blow-up by the pool.

“God dammit, if we fucked this up…” I’d had a sick feeling in my stomach for an hour.

“Jax, we knew there was a chance they wouldn’t approve. Sharing Heaven this way, it’s different, and neither of them are big on change.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Hayden that angry.”

Oliver rubbed his face. “I don’t know what to do about Hayden. He’s been a mess since he got here. I thought coming home to recover would help, but he seems worse. He’s restless, overworking himself, I don’t think he’s sleeping…”

“He’s a fucking disaster,” I agreed. “I have the feeling what he saw today may be the last straw. Maybe he’s just too fucking proud to really commit to this relationship.”

“Or he’s just moved on.”

We were both silent, mulling that over. Like any relationship, someone should be allowed to leave if they aren’t happy, but something about Hayden’s behavior didn’t add up.

“So much for keeping the drama low for Amber’s wedding. We’re a bunch of assholes.”

“That’s the truth,” Anderson said from the doorway. Oliver and I both looked his way. Heaven stood by his side, cheeks slightly flushed. They held hands.