Don't Let Go(83)

Hayden turned to him and narrowed his eyes in question. “And who might you be?”
Seth offered a hand. “Bastard child. Nice to meet you.”
Hayden stared at him as he slowly moved to shake his hand, and his face fell. He looked back at me and then to where Noah stood looking spring-loaded. Mortification draped over him like a blanket.
“Oh, f*ck me,” he said under his breath.
He sank into a nearby chair and leaned his elbows on his knees, all the hot air knocked from him. He looked defeated and deflated and sad, and it squeezed my heart. I knelt at his feet, and the irony of that being the second time within the hour was not lost on me.
“I’m sorry, Jules,” he said softly, staring at the floor. “I didn’t mean that.”
I pulled his head to me in a hug and just held on. “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out.”
I looked up and saw Seth calling someone and Noah raking fingers through his wet hair to dry it. He had his own demons. Lord, they seemed to be running amok lately.
“Noah, you need to go home,” I said softly.
He looked down at me comforting Hayden, with so many words spilling from his eyes. I couldn’t read any of them, so I tried to give him some of my own. Please don’t leave town.
“I just tracked the GPS on her phone,” Seth said, walking back. “I can go straight to her.”
“Wait, what?” I said. “I don’t have that on her phone.”
“You don’t have to,” he said with a wink. “I have magic powers.”
Hayden stood up. “What?”
“He’s a police detective,” I said, pride oozing from my voice.
“Oh, thank God,” Hayden said. He grabbed Seth’s hand again. “Man, I’m sorry—I didn’t—I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s all good,” Seth said. “Don’t sweat it.” He turned to me, all business again. “She’s not a criminal here, and both being minors, neither is he.” He paused and studied my eyes as if weighing his words. “They are two kids doing what . . . two kids do. You can go barging in there and scar yourself and her forever, or I can go make sure she’s safe and just wait and bring her home.”
Hayden turned and paced the room, but I knew Seth was right. I couldn’t control this one.
“Thank you,” I whispered, going to him with a hug that needed to fill twenty-six years.

? ? ?

Ruthie sat across from me in the biggest chair we had, crossing her legs under her, which made her look dwarfed. For once, I was glad of a slow day and no customers. The quiet and simplicity of rain hitting the roof was soothing.
Hayden left to run work errands but was staying in town and told me four times to call him as soon as I heard something. Noah had left when Seth did, giving me a last look as he went through the door. A look I couldn’t read and refused to agonize over. I had other teeth in my pond right now.
“Talk to me,” she said.
“Pick a category,” I said, rubbing my temples. “Never thought I’d long for a simple Johnny Mack drama.”
“Yeah, that does seem like ages ago, doesn’t it?” Ruthie said. She paused, and I knew where she was going. “Tell me about Noah.”
I felt the stab to my heart and the strength ebb out of my bones. “I don’t know.”
“Well, last I heard—”
“Yeah, that was a mistake,” I said, remembering the summary I’d given her and not wanting to revisit it. I didn’t even want to revisit the last hour. That was torturing me enough.
“And so what was today?” she asked, eyebrows raised.
“Shayna—oh, crap, that’s right,” I said, leaning forward. “You don’t know.”
“Hell, no, I don’t know!” she said. “I’m in the Land of the Lost over here.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “The baby isn’t Noah’s.”
She tilted her head. “Say what?”
I relayed the Shayna visit with all the details I could.
“Holy hell,” she said when I was done, putting her hands over her face. “Even I feel sorry for him on that one.”
“It’s so messed up.”
“And the romp in the rain?” she said, gesturing to the door. “That was—what?”
I paused. Good intentions. “Me finding him in the park,” I said.
“Because that was your obligation?”
I huffed out a breath. “No, Nana Mae, that was me looking to help a friend who was hurting.”
“By falling into his mouth.”
I stared at her. “So—my daughter’s having sex right now.”
She paused and raised her eyebrows as she looked down. “Better subject?”
“Frighteningly so,” I said, closing my eyes. “I just hate sitting here waiting. I need ice cream and a blanket.”
“Wow, desperate measures,” she said, then winked and shook her head. “Jules, she’ll be fine. Seth will find her. He’s amazing, by the way.”
Warmth spread through me at the mention of his name. He was amazing. Not that I had anything to do with it. His adoptive mother deserved the credit for how she raised him. The child I raised was currently shacking up in a hotel and ditching school.
“Yes, he is,” I said. “Funny, smart, introspective. He’s so much like Noah, it’s eerie.”
Ruthie hung her head. “And all roads continue to lead back to him.”
“Ruthie, quit,” I said. “Please. This thing you have against Noah is—”