“Hailey... I wouldn’t have come if I didn’t want to. Stop fretting.”
“What happened to ‘hell is other people’?”
“Not the people I like.”
She grinned. “Oh, you like me? Good to know.”
Hailey made me long to experience things I’d dismissed before; I wanted to experience them with her.
“You know, when we ate with my parents, after you and Mom left the room, Dad gave me this speech about how I should enjoy life more.”
“Okay. You weren’t expecting that?”
“Not really. He’s never had much to say about my personal life.”
“So, he thinks you’re too focused? Too determined?”
I heard the admiration in her voice, and a sense of euphoria rushed through me. Was that how she saw me? Focused, not robotic? I kissed her right there and then, against the railing.
“Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but what was that for?” she whispered.
“Just felt like kissing you. Do I need a reason for that?”
“Hmm... good point. Want to do it again? I kind of liked it.”
“Kind of?”
She licked her lips as I leaned in, but at the last second, I veered in to her ear, laughing at her small sound of protest.
“I could kiss you again, but then I’d have to throw you over my shoulder and take you to the hotel.”
She shimmied against me.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I drank up every reaction, every word, everything she had to give to me.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. We still have a boat tour.”
I chuckled, stepping to one side, leaning against the railing next to her.
“So... you were saying about your dad? Why do you think he’s bringing this up now?”
“Because I’m different around you. He saw that.”
“I think it’s admirable that you wanted to make sure the legacy is kept, even if it wasn’t the easiest path for you. And then you kept doing it.”
“Because I was good at it.”
“But I think that’s how life goes. We don’t know we’re good at something until we not only try it but give it our best shot. I’ve tested a few jobs, and wasn’t sure I was going to like this one, but I just wanted a well-paying job in LA so I could be close to my family. But I turned out to love it. I think everyone has their path. Val always knew she wanted to make fragrances. She just waited for the right moment.”
“Val’s the oldest, right?”
“She and Landon. They raised us. The rest of us did get to have a normal childhood. Will was really good at parenting us too. It was hard on them.”
“On all of you.”
She nodded, smiling sadly. “The first years were pretty rough. I... well, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I kind of pushed my siblings away. Didn’t mean to do it, just kept to myself a lot. In those first months, I was so afraid that something could ha
ppen to the rest of the family, that I could lose them too, that sometimes I’d shut myself in my room, pretend I was on my own, just to prepare for how it would feel.”