Until Then

26. Hayley

TWENTY-SIX

Hayley

I send a quick text to Rees before it got too late. He doesn’t respond, and I take it to mean he’s on a plane.

Noah rolls his eyes when I tell him his twin is adamant on coming to L.A. but he never truly grumbles about Rees being dramatic. There’s even a slight, hidden smile on his mouth when we settle back in the truck bed.

All night we sleep under the stars on that hill. Bundled in blankets, holding each other close, I’ve never had a better night’s sleep.

Sunday mornings on the ranch almost always consist of brunch in the main house. Today is no different, there are simply more faces.

I take note of Rees first. His dyed hair and tattoos tend to stand out. The second Noah and I step into Nan’s house after freshening up at mine, Rees Hayden crosses the room, shoves his brother in the shoulder, then hugs him without a word.

Noah claps Rees on the back. “I’m good, man.”

“You better be,” is all Rees whispers. “Don’t ever turn off your phone again.”

“Ever?” Noah’s tone is playful.

Rees merely slugs his shoulder again, but sticks close to his brother when we enter the dining room.

Briar is there with Tyrell, laughing at old memories with Nan and my mom. Times when we thought we could fly from the hayloft in the barn, or when Briar made me model new cowgirl boots for everyone. Complete with a runway.

She must’ve called Carter, or maybe he called her. It doesn’t really matter, what’s important is the dining room is packed with people from Noah’s life and mine. My uncles, stuntmen, Greer, Justin and Adaline, a writer from the show, Tyrell, Nan, Mom, and Rees.

Noah takes in the sight. A muscle ticks in his jaw.

I give his hand a few quick pulses and whisper next to his ear. “Don’t forget how much you matter to people, Noah Hayden.”

“There he is.” Uncle Milton stands and slides a chair from the long wooden farm table. He pats the seat. “You come sit by me, son.”

Most of the ranch side claps and laughs when Noah hesitates.

Milton waves his hand. “Come on. You did what I’ve been wanting to do for almost thirty years. You’re sitting right by me.”

Finally, Noah takes his place, still holding onto my hand.

Briar hugs his neck, then mine. “You fell off the face of the earth, bud.” She shoves his arm. “You okay?”

Noah nods. “I figured there’d be some backlash. Thought I’d avoid it for a day or two. Ty, sorry if this puts you in a tough spot with the new season. I didn’t mean to cause trouble or add to your plate.”

Tyrell taps the table. “I mean, there’s been talk, for sure. But Rob spoke with us and your manager. The videos all show him putting his hands on you first. Kim made a statement on your socials. We’ll be all right.”

The way people shift in their seats, there’s more. I look to my mom. “What is it?”

Her eyes dance between me and Noah. “Um, well, Addy’s been our social media hawk.”

The teenager beams at me like she’s a genuine spy.

“She’s been scanning the internet, trying to find a statement from Holston,” Justin grumbles.

“She found one,” Mom goes on. “There was a quote by one of his lawyers saying they . . . well, they hinted they would likely be taking action against Noah.”

Tyrell leans forward at once. “Noah, you have your own legal team, and video proof.”

“I still hit the guy.” Noah glances at his bruised knuckles.

“Knowing you,” Briar says, “you had good reason.”

Carter frowns. He’s not the same man filled with bravado when he meets my gaze across the table. “I’m sorry you have a crappy dad, Hayley. I have one of those too.”

“Oh yeah?” Not the story I expected.

Carter scoffs. “Yeah. A casino tycoon in Vegas. Basically thought having kids meant a monthly check for a long time. He’s a little better now.”

“What changed?”

Carter’s face brightens. “His kids finally stood up to him. Publicly. My sister led the charge, but once we let him have it on how he basically sucked our entire lives, he started making . . . effort, I guess. He’s not dad of the year, but he’s apologized to all of us, and is making up for it by being a better grandpa to my nieces and nephews, at least. The point is, I’ve seen a guy with power try to bully his offspring into submission. Don’t let him.”

I give Carter a small smile. There’s a hardness in the man’s eyes. Clearly, this entire situation has dug under his skin. It means something he’s frustrated for Noah out of their friendship, but also for me out of solidarity.

“What was the reason you hit him, Noah?” Tyrell asks.

“Shane insulted me,” I blurt out before Noah has a chance to downplay his reasons and make himself look like the bad guy. “He called me a vulgar name, grabbed Noah, and he reacted. Shane is so disgusted he helped make a child, that he tried to threaten Noah’s career over being with me. He says we’re always concerned about him, when really Shane’s always the one trying to crush us.”

“Like, why are you so obsessed with me?” Adaline says, mimicking a valley girl until the table laughs.

“Exactly, kid.” Milton high-fives the girl and looks to Noah. “So he talked bad about my niece?”

Noah shifts, clearly uncomfortable. “He did. I didn’t know he was her biological dad when I went to that meeting, but the things he said . . . Val”—he looks at my mom— “I’m not aggressive with Hayley or anyone else. I swear. He just wouldn’t let me leave, and kept saying crap?—”

“Noah.” My mom reaches out and puts a hand on his wrist. “You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to do the same thing with the way that man has spoken to me and our daughter. You defended my girl at the risk of yourself. What more does a mom want for their kid?”

I let my head fall to his shoulder when he lets out a breath of relief. How long did his thoughts convince him everyone would despise him, believing he was some short-tempered, violent man?

“Look,” Nan says. She uncovers a deep casserole dish in the center of the table. “We’re not worrying about all this on empty stomachs. We’re going to eat, laugh, and we’ll worry about life a little later. Now, dig in. Noah, you first. You look rough.”

“Nan.”

“What? Look at those bags under his eyes.”

More jokes spill out, mostly charged by Rees, who insists he’s now the better looking twin. Like Nan wanted, for a moment we just breathe.

“Hey, Rees.” I step onto the balcony of Noah’s condo. All morning we avoided social media, we finished the chores on the ranch together, then when Noah looked ready to collapse, we came back to his place. He crashed on his bed two minutes later.

Rees looks up from his phone. “Hey.” He tucks the device away and tugs a chair next to his. When I sit, he leans onto his elbows over his knees, eyes pinned to the ground. “Thank you, Hayley. For being here. I can’t tell you what kind of relief it was to know he wasn’t alone.”

“I love him, Rees. I plan to always be here.”

There are key differences in some aspects of the twins’ faces—Rees has a straighter nose, but Noah has the sharper jaw. Rees is half an inch shorter, and Noah isn’t quite as broad as his brother.

But both Hayden boys have the same, beautifully sly smirk.

“He’s glad to have you,” Rees says. “Thanks for loving him. And not ghosting him.”

I feign disbelief and shove his shoulder. “I freaked out back then, okay. A little thing like dating some sex-symbol TV star isn’t going to run me off this time.”

“Good.” Rees straightens and watches the waves in the distance.

“I have a question for you. Well, more want your opinion.”

“Go for it.”

“How far of a reach do you have on your socials?”

Rees arches a brow. “My personal ones or the band’s?”

“Yours.”

“Uh, I’m not super active. It’s more our social media managers, but I have over a million followers. Noah will definitely point out that he has two.”

I run my palms over the tops of my thighs. “How would you feel with me making a live statement on your profile?”

Rees tilted his head to one side. “You look like you’re scheming. I’m on board with scheming.”

I smile and tell him exactly my plan.