Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(40)

I huffed. “I know.”

“Why don’t you move with me? I’m sure there’ll be a space for you at the new office.”

Shaking my head, I let him go and set Patch down. “I can’t.” I hadn’t told him about Wilford’s offer. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

His brows furrowed. “What?”

A smile spread across my face. “Wilford is giving the practice to me.”

He gasped. “Holy shit, are you serious? That’s amazing.”

“Yep, he told me yesterday. By the end of this year, I’ll be the owner of Stonebrooke.”

“What about Jeremiah? Does he know?”

I nodded. “He knows. Wilford said he’s fine with it, that Jeremiah even suggested I take it.”

He chuckled. “Wow, that’s crazy. I know you’re excited.” Grabbing a bowl from the cabinet, he dumped the chips into it. “But what I want to know is, what’s going on with you and Jeremiah? I must’ve missed the part where you told me he kissed you.”

“How did you know that?” I gasped.

“So it’s true? I thought it was just an exaggeration. What happened to not dating your coworkers?”

I crossed my arms over my chest defensively. “We’re not dating. And I had no clue he was going to kiss me; it just happened.”

“Did you like it?”

“Not like I thought I would,” I said, averting my gaze. “We had lunch together, and I tried opening myself up to the possibility of being with someone new, but I just couldn’t get there. When he kissed me…I felt nothing.” I’d desperately wanted to feel something for him, anything, to get my mind off of Derek. Eyes burning, I faced Michael again. “All I wanted was to know if I could feel again. I didn’t realize how big a hole I had inside of me.”

Michael tapped my chin. “That’s what I’m here to help you with.” Grabbing the bowl of chips, he nudged me toward the living room. “Let’s go.”

“Are we watching a movie?” I asked with a laugh. I sat down on the couch and he joined me, placing the chips between us. He snatched the remote and turned on the TV.

“Nope, no movie today.” Flipping through the channels, he stopped on the football game. My gut clenched and I turned my gaze, hoping he’d change it fast. When he didn’t, I glared at him.

“What the hell are you doing? I don’t want to watch this shit.”

He slipped the remote inside the couch cushion and sat on it. “We have to.”

“No, we don’t,” I snapped. “Give me the damn remote! I can’t believe you’d even think of doing this when you know what happened.” I jumped to my feet but didn’t get far before he pulled me back onto the couch, his strong arms wrapping around me.

“You have to trust me, babe. I need you to watch it with me. I knew that if I didn’t make you, you’d never do it.”

Tears burned my eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I ran into Derek last night.”

“What?” I growled, trying to wriggle out of his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He let me go, and I smacked his arm away.

“Because I didn’t know how to. I didn’t want you thinking I was taking his side.”

“You have a funny way of proving otherwise,” I said, pursing my lips. “What the hell did he want?”

Michael pointed at the television. “He wants you to watch the game. I don’t know what he has planned, but he’s determined to get you back.”

I snorted. “He can try, but it’s not going to work. I can’t risk being hurt again.”

“Even if he has a valid reason for why he did it?” he countered.

I held up my hand. “Don’t make excuses for him. I don’t know whether to be angrier at you or him.”

Grabbing a handful of chips, he shoved them into his mouth. “Either way, you’re watching this game, Hayden. He promised me anything I wanted if I get you to do it. Think about all the things I could ask for if you watch it.” With a sneaky grin, he waggled his brows.

“Fine, I’ll watch it, but it’s not going to change anything.”

“I don’t know about that. He seemed adamant about getting you back. Something tells me he’s going to be relentless.”

That was what scared me. Taking a deep breath, I sat back on the couch, curling my legs beneath me. I wanted our team to win, but I didn’t want to see Derek. Just because it was on TV didn’t mean I had to watch it. One of my favorite novels was on the coffee table, so I picked it up and gave it my full attention.

Michael huffed and pointed at the TV. “You’re supposed to be watching the game.”

“I’m in the room, and I can hear everything going on. So basically I am watching it. What’s he going to want, a play-by-play when he gets back?”

Sighing, he turned back to the game while I focused on my book. “I’m just trying to help you, Hayden. I know you’re in love with him.”

Clenching my teeth, I pretended not to hear. I was in love with Derek, even though I was fighting everything inside of me not to be. As much as I tried to ignore the game, I still listened to it. It was late in the first quarter when they scored their first touchdown, and they did it again in the second. I sneaked glances every now and again, flinching every time they did a close-up of Derek. My heart ripped open even further every time I looked at him.