Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(37)

The relief was evident on his face. “That’s good to hear. Do you want to go out to lunch today?”

Since it was Michael’s day off, I didn’t have any plans, so I nodded; I could use the company. “Sure. I just want to check on my puppies first. I’m taking Patch home today.” I couldn’t wait to get my snuggle buddy home. I’d spent the whole week buying things for him, and now I was ready.

“Sounds good. I’ll be in my office whenever you’re ready.” He smiled and disappeared behind his door. Jeremiah was a good-looking and safe alternative to Derek, but I couldn’t bring myself to think like that about him. Even if I did want to date him, Wilford probably wouldn’t approve of his doctors seeing each other.

After I checked on Patch, I was ready to go. Kellie had adopted out one of his sisters, and there was someone else coming in to look at the others. I was happy they were going to be sent to good homes. Before fetching Jeremiah, I stopped in the break room to drink some water.

“Oh, good, you’re still here,” Wilford announced, coming into the room.

I put my water in the refrigerator and faced him. “Good afternoon, Wilford. I haven’t seen you all morning.”

He chuckled. “That’s because I’ve been busy with my lawyer.”

“Lawyer? What’s going on?”

His smile grew. “There’s something I’ve decided to do, and I think I’m ready. It all depends on you.”

“On me? I don’t understand.”

“I want to give my practice away, Hayden. I’m not getting any younger, and I want to make sure this place goes to someone who’ll take care of it.”

My heart thundered relentlessly. Was he offering it to me? “What exactly are you saying?” I asked.

He chuckled. “I want to give it to you. At the end of the year, I’m going to hand everything over. Consider it a gift.”

Eyes burning, I slapped a hand over my mouth in shock. I had to be dreaming. “You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack. Just tell me thank you and give me a hug. I know you have a lunch date.”

“Thank you,” I cried, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He patted my back and laughed. “You’re welcome. Now go eat something. I can hear your stomach growling.”

I stepped back and wiped my eyes. “It doesn’t bother you that Jeremiah and I go out to lunch together?”

“Of course not,” he chided. “I like seeing you two together. You have so much in common.” We did, a lot more in common than Derek and I had, but that was one of the things that made my time with Derek exciting: We were different. The pain in my chest returned with a vengeance.

“Thank you, Wilford. You have no idea how much this means to me. I won’t let you down.”

He tapped my chin. “I know you won’t. That’s why I chose you.”

“What about Jeremiah? He’s been here longer than me. Will he not be angry that you chose me over him?”

He shook his head. “I’ve already talked to him about it. He agreed that you’d be the perfect candidate.”

“He did?”

Moving closer, he lowered his voice. “I think he fancies you, dear.”

Just then, Jeremiah appeared at the door, his lips pulled back in a small yet seductive grin. “Ready to go?” Taking a deep breath, I nodded and joined him, wishing like hell things were different.





Chapter 16





Derek


Every morning before practice, I’d seen Hayden leaving the café, her face a stony mask, without the usual smile or the spring in her step. I’d f*cked up, and she was paying the price. Spending the whole week without her had been agony. I’d thought I could get over her, but the more time I spent away, the more I wanted to go to her.

“Heads up, D!” someone shouted. I couldn’t tell who it was, because my head wasn’t in the game. However, the warning was too late. The searing pain of the football slamming into my back brought me out of my inner turmoil, and all I saw was red.

Growling, I picked up the ball and jerked around, ready to kill. “Who threw the f*cking ball?”

A couple of the guys backed away, lifting their hands in the air. But then I found the culprit, with his arms crossed over his chest: Blaine McCarthy. “I did,” he snapped.

I charged toward him and threw the ball right at his head. Unfortunately, I missed. “You got a problem, dickface?” McCarthy was a prick who thought he was better than everyone else. I’d been itching to get a piece of him ever since I joined the team. Some would say Jax was worse, but I had to disagree. I tolerated him because he was part of the team, but I was in no f*cking mood to deal with him today.

Nose to nose, I faced off with him. He was ready for a fight and so was I. He tried to push me off and I reacted the only way I knew how: I punched him square in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, but then he recovered and started to lunge.

Evan jumped in between us while Cooper held McCarthy back. “Dammit, D, calm the f*ck down,” Evan growled, holding me back. Breathing hard, I glared at McCarthy as he pushed Cooper away.

McCarthy pointed at me, his face full of fury. “You’ve been playing like shit all week. Either you’re here or you’re not. If you can’t get your head in the game, you need to get the f*ck off the field.”