As she filled out the paperwork, an unusually warm, happy feeling came over her. It wasn’t about the money, it was about Jett taking care of her, just as he always promised her he would do. He was a man of his word until the very end.
As soon as she finished her business, she returned to Hayden’s Jeep which was waiting out in the parking lot.
“You all good?” he asked.
“Yep,” Stormy said with her best poker face. She was going to tell no one about the money; not Brooklyn, not Hayden, and not even her parents. She would wait until the time was right, but for now, she needed to figure some things out.
Four hundred thousand dollars could go a long ways in Coleville. She could buy a house, a reliable vehicle, and take her time finding a good job. She could start fresh, which was all she really needed anyway.
CHAPTER 23
Two weeks had passed since Stormy had returned to Coleville. She was still shacking up with Hayden, but things were one-hundred percent platonic. Hayden was doing a great job at keeping her spirits high and keeping her distracted from everything that was going on.
Her second day back in town, she showed up at Brooklyn’ place and got the much deserved lecture she so knew was coming to her. Brooklyn showed her some tough love, but ended her talk with a hug as always.
Her third day back in town, she showed up at her parents’ house. They were shocked to see her, but not shocked to hear that it didn’t work out. Amazingly they refrained from saying “I told you so” and pretended like nothing had happened. They asked very few questions and showed their support.
The rest of her days were spent paling around with Hayden, playing video games or watching movies with him, and engulfing books while Hayden was away at class. She helped decorate his place a little bit and cooked him some meals, but she kept her distance from him emotionally. He had become a good friend to her, which she hadn’t expected.
Ryder had called her every single day for the first week, but then the calls suddenly stopped. Stormy wasn’t sure if she was relieved or bummed that the calls stopped. She was as confused as ever. Her head told her to stay far away from him, but her heart missed him more than anything. He didn’t deserve to be left in the cold that way, but she had panicked. How could she explain that to him?
Most nights, she’d lie on the couch under the covers and think about all the sweet things Ryder had said to her or the passionate way he kissed her or how he wanted to take care of her. She thought about how he sought justice for Jett’s killer, even though they were estranged. He never stopped loving his brother. Then she thought about how dangerous the MC life was and how she needed to get far, far away from all of that. Still, for whatever crazy reason, she missed him, and it only got worse with each passing day.
She would never admit to anyone that she missed him, but it was all she thought about. She thought about him all day, every day. He was the first thing she thought of when she woke up and the last thing she thought of when she went to bed.
That Saturday night, Stormy and Hayden ordered pizza, drank cheap beer, and played video games. In the midst of one of the games, Stormy’s phone lit up and buzzed on the table.
“It’s that scumbag,” Hayden seethed. “Let me answer it.”
“No,” Stormy said, but it was too late. He had already picked up her phone and slid the bar across to answer it.
“Listen you little punk,” Hayden yelled. “Stop calling Stormy. She’s over you, man. Move on. You fucked up.”
“Hayden!” Stormy whined. “Why did you do that?”
Hayden pulled the phone away from his ear. “He hung up anyway.”
He sat the phone down and continued playing the video game like nothing had happened. For a split second, Stormy felt bad for Ryder. He probably just wanted to talk to her, to explain or apologize, and now he knew she was with Hayden. Obviously he didn’t know if they were back together, but she was sure he assumed it. And for another second, she worried that Ryder might send someone after Hayden, thinking they were back together. She knew what Ryder was capable of. He had a lot of power and influence and connections.
She chugged the rest of her beer and tried to forget about it for a bit, but she couldn’t help wanting to talk to Ryder. Her guilt and angst was fading with each passing day, and her self-control was wearing thin. She and Hayden were spending almost every single day together and she knew he would flip out if she reached out to Ryder in any way, shape, or form. He had grown more protective of her than ever, and she was even noticing a possessive streak.
“I think I’m going to go to Brooklyn’s later,” Stormy said.