26. Hadley

26

HADLEY

G age parked in front of Sticky Sweets and turned off the truck. He hadn't said much on the ride over, but maybe he was saving all of his words for supper.

Maybe. Not likely. Hadley didn't have much relationship experience, but she knew when someone was pulling away. Gage was playing tug-of-war, and she was losing.

He turned to her and jerked his head toward the bakery. "You sure about this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? We don't have to be secretive anymore. They're all in custody."

At least for now. They'd been warned that Tommy, Bruce, and Cain might all be released before any kind of sentencing. Max was out of the picture. They'd sent him back to prison before Gage even finished his interviews with the detective .

Gage shook his head. "I'll get your door."

He got out slowly and walked around the front of the truck. There was no way on earth anyone in his family had taught him to be a gentleman, and somehow, he'd picked up on it anyway.

A man had never opened the door for her, aside from some of the guys on the ranch, but she wasn't dating any of them. He was probably bone tired from helping Emerson move all afternoon, and he still made a point to go out of his way for Hadley, even if it was a small thing.

Fighting the urge to ask what had him so down in the dumps, she took his offered hand and stepped out of the truck. Gage released her hand as soon as her feet touched the ground.

Don't overthink it. Don't overthink it. "Do you have a usual order here?" she asked.

"Nope. I don't think I've been here before."

Gasping, she turned to him. "You've never been to Sticky Sweets?"

Gage opened the door and stepped to the side for her to pass through. "I don't think I've ever gotten a craving for donuts."

Hadley's jaw dropped open as she stepped inside. "Gage, this is gonna be a game changer. They have so much more than donuts here. Though, I will say the lemon-filled donuts are worth every penny."

Gage stepped up beside her and smirked. "Noted. What's your favorite here? "

"Sausage biscuit for breakfast, BLT for lunch, and beef stew for dinner."

"Wow. You've got this figured out."

"Yep. But look, they have a roast beef sandwich." She pointed to the menu on the right side.

"Looks like I've made up my mind then."

Hadley scanned the room. "Let's grab one of those bigger tables over there." Intentionally choosing a secluded spot, she made her way over with Gage following.

The bell above the door jingled, and Brett, Thea, and Emerson walked in. Emerson looked about as happy to be here as Gage, while Thea was sporting a smile as wide as the Mississippi River.

Gage pulled out a seat for Hadley and leaned down. "What do you want? I'll put in our order."

"Sweet tea and beef stew, please."

Gage winked at her, but the grin she'd come to love was missing. "Got it. I'll be right back."

Thea waved at her, and Emerson managed a small nod in greeting. Gage approached their group and stood in line beside his cousin. A couple walked in, setting off the cheery bell. Gage and Emerson turned so they could see both the door and the line in front of them.

Were they always so observant? Gage's attention constantly scanned the restaurant, and Emerson volleyed between the menu and the door.

The couple behind them stood back a good three feet from them. The woman kept glancing at the man with her as if asking a question. Her shoulders were raised and tense as she held onto the man's arm and plastered herself to his side.

Gage didn't look that scary. Sure, he had tattoos and dark eyes, but she'd seen the kindness in him. He wasn't a threat to anyone.

But that didn't matter much when the news about what happened at Bruce's garage had been reported on various local news channels. The story was on repeat, and Hadley had overheard plenty of people talking about it out in public.

When would the town get used to seeing the Howards and the Pattons together? When would they accept them as part of the community? They were survivors, and they could use some encouragement.

Gage would never admit it, but his whole countenance changed every time she reminded him he was on the right track or recognized his efforts to leave the past behind.

Everyone needed that sometimes. Cheyenne had spent their entire childhood building Hadley up, and she was only recently starting to believe it. She knew good and well how hard it was to believe in yourself after you'd been told you were worthless.

The group gathered up their food and surrounded the table. Brett took the lead and blessed the food before they dug in. Gage inhaled his sandwich and gathered a tray full of trash before heading to the garbage can. He stopped by the checkout counter and said something to the owner, Tracy, before heading back to his seat beside her.

"What did you need?" Hadley asked when he sat down.

"Just had to tell her that sandwich was the best I'd ever had."

Hadley rested her head on his shoulder. "That was sweet of you. Tracy is awesome. I'm sure you're one of her favorites now."

The door opened again, and Travis walked in. He spotted them and headed their way instead of taking his place in line.

"What's up? How's everybody doing?"

"Couldn't be better," Brett said.

Travis laughed. "I bet. Congrats to both of you."

A faint blush colored Thea's cheeks. "Thanks."

He turned to Gage and slapped a hand on his back. "Been missing you at the gym this week."

"I'll be back soon. We've been getting Emerson moved in with Hadley today."

Travis turned to Emerson and extended a hand. "I saw you at the garage, but I didn't get a chance to introduce myself. I'm Travis."

"Emerson." She shook his hand but quickly turned away when she released it.

"Glad you found somewhere else to stay. I assume you were living with one of the incarcerated folks."

"Not with anyone, but my dad owned the house." She shrugged. "I didn't want to be a sitting duck if he gets out and isn't too happy with me for…"

"Gotcha," Travis said, offering her an out from the conversation. "What about you, man. You still living on Howard lands?"

Gage made a clicking noise behind his teeth. "Unfortunately."

The house he lived in technically belonged to his mom, but Tommy considered everything that had once belonged to Gage's dad as his these days. Rules on paper didn't mean much to the Howards.

"You need a place? I have an extra room that's yours if you want it."

Gage tilted his head and lowered his brows. What was with the confused look? Travis seemed like a friend. It wasn't outrageous for friends to offer help when it was needed.

"Thanks, man. I'll give you a call about that tonight."

"Sounds good. Think about it and let me know." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the checkout counter. "I'm gonna grab a bite, but it was good to see you."

"Want to join us?" Hadley asked.

"I would, but I gotta run. I'm teaching a class at the gym in a few. "

Gage narrowed his eyes. "I thought the afternoon classes were for kids."

Travis grinned. "You'd be right. I have a herd of seven-year-olds waiting on me."

"How fun!" Hadley clapped her hands. "That's a great age."

"If I can get them to stand still and pay attention for longer than thirty seconds."

"I'm sure it's going well. Keep it up," Hadley said.

"Can I rent you as a cheerleader during the classes? I could use this kind of motivational talk when they all decide the fuzz on the floor is more interesting than I am."

Hadley gestured to Gage. "Just ask Gage to hang around and frown. They'll be too scared to step outta line."

Travis let out a belly laugh, and Brett almost spit out his drink.

Brett caught his breath and said, "Ain't that the truth. You're a little growly, dude. It's not conducive to friendships."

"Who said I'm trying to make friends?" Gage asked.

Travis slapped a hand on Gage's back. "And no one is beating on your door to invite you to tea. Although you'd better be good to Hadley. I have a feeling she won't put up with your growling too much."

Oh, how right you are, Travis .

Hadley was already having a hard time containing her questions about Gage's sour mood since the shootout at the garage. Overall, she was looking at it as a win, but Gage didn't seem satisfied. He'd told her about the numerous times his family had been in and out of jail. Did he assume this time would be the same? If so, they might all be in trouble.

Gage rested his arm over the back of Hadley's seat. "You're right. She doesn't. That's one thing I like about her."

Travis leaned in and whispered to Hadley, "Keep him on his toes."

Chuckling, she turned to Gage and pressed a kiss to his bearded cheek.

"I gotta head out. Good talkin' to you." Travis waved as he turned to leave.

"He's so nice," Thea whispered as he walked away. "We should find him a woman."

Gage shook his head. "He's not interested. Got his heart stomped on a while ago and hasn't decided dating is worth the risk yet."

Hadley pressed a hand to her heart. "That's terrible."

Thea raised her hands in surrender. "Okay. I won't meddle. He's just such a nice guy."

Brett looked at the time on his phone. "You ready to head out? Your mom is probably worrying."

Gage and Thea's mom had moved in with Brett and Thea after Tommy was arrested. Thea's life had changed so much in the last few days. She was married, she moved to Blackwater, and now she could talk to her mom whenever she wanted. It also helped that Thea and Gage could be close to their mom when it was time to take her to her treatment appointments.

Hadley stood and stretched her arms. "Emerson, you riding back with me?"

"I guess so."

Connecting with Emerson wasn't as easy-breezy as getting to know Thea, but Hadley could be patient. Emerson had been through a lot, and the news about her real dad and the brother and sister she didn't know she had was quite a blow on top of moving.

Emerson pointed to the small hallway leading to the restrooms. "I'll meet you outside in a minute."

Hadley took her place by Gage's side as they stepped out into the twilight. Tourists were just beginning to fill in the town, and a few people tugged their coats closed as they walked along the sidewalk.

Hadley bumped her hip against Gage's side. "How awesome is it that Travis offered you a place to stay?"

Gage rubbed his jaw. "Pretty awesome. I hadn't really expected that. "

"One more step in the right direction," Hadley added.

One more step away from his family. The further they got from the hate, the easier Hadley breathed.

Gage stepped up to her and cradled her chin in his hand. "Travis was right. You're like a little cheerleader."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

He leaned down and pressed a slow but chaste kiss to her lips. He'd been pulling away for days, and she craved the nearness. Wrapping her uninjured arm around his neck, she reinitiated the kiss.

This time, Gage's arms slid around her waist, pulling her in and holding her tight as he took control of the kiss.

Maybe he wasn't pulling away. Maybe it was just her insecurities playing against her.