AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Crocheted,” Hayes corrected.
“Whatever. It…was perfect. All of it. And I realized that it’s what I want. It’s all I want. The mundane, simple stuff. The boring stuff that no one else wants any part of. That’s what I wanna share with you. Tyler, I don’t wanna share you anymore, with anyone. I want you. All of you. And I want you to have all of me. We can do whatever freaky shit you want, but I don’t wanna do any of it with anyone else. Is that…can we do that?”
Hayes nodded, staring at the ring on his right hand. “It’s so much better this way.” He pulled Ryan toward the door that led back into the bedroom. “Now, get in here and fuck your fiancé for the first time ever.”
We Made It (31)
February 10
Day 25 of sober living
Day 60: treatment complete
“Listen, Hayes. I really like you, so don’t take this the wrong way, OK? But I don’t ever wanna see you again. Ever. You understand me?”
Hayes laughed, hugging Annelle as he waited at the entrance where Amara and Jake would be picking him shortly. “I don’t ever wanna see you again either, Annelle. But hey: thank you. For everything. You made this…bearable.”
She pulled away from him. “And you made this interesting, Hayes. Good God, kid. The mouth on you. How do you not get your ass beat on that ice every single night running your mouth like you do?”
He shrugged. “My boyish good looks make up for it, I guess.”
“Well, listen. Remember what I told you the first day you got here? This wasn’t the hard part. The rest of your life is the hard part. You’re going to have cravings, you’re going to feel triggered to use, you’re even going to forget that you’re sober at times. Stay on your toes, kid. Especially in your line of work. You’re gonna be around a lot of temptation. You’ve gotta actively fight it, OK? Promise me you’ll fight it?”
“I promise,” he said, staring at his right hand. “Oh, I’ll fuckin’ fight it alright.”
“And remember: a lapse can happen. I’m not saying it will, but if it does, it’s not the end of the world. You just get back up and you continue fighting. You understand?”
“Yes, Grandma,” he said with a wink, followed by her smacking him in the chest.
“I’ll give you Grandma. Smart ass.”
“Looks like my ride's here,” he said, peering out the front windows as the Wagoneer pulled up. He grabbed two of his bags and Annelle grabbed the other two.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. “These are the names Dr. Ozbeck put together of some recovery therapists in the Bridgeport area. Not sure why he couldn’t email or text them to you…”
“Because he’s a thousand years old,” Hayes interrupted, taking the paper and stuffing it into one of the bags. “Thank you. “Come on,” he signaled toward the door as they headed out to meet Jake and Amara. Hayes took the bags from Annelle, loaded them into the back of the Jeep, and hit the button to drop the liftgate. He hugged her one last time before she turned and went back inside.
When he flipped around, Amara had gotten out of the car and immediately stuck herself to him like a leech. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Tyler. You made it!” she cried into his shoulder. “You made it.”
“I know. Crazy, right? Figured I was a lost cause, did you?”
She removed her arms from him and shook her head vigorously. “No way. You’re a lot of things, Ty, but a lost cause definitely isn’t one of them. Hey, let me see it!” She grabbed his right hand and examined it. “Oh, Tyler. It’s really happening with him. Ryler is really happening!”
“Sure is. Here, look.” He twisted it off his finger and handed it to her. “He had it inscribed with the date we met and our initials. I don’t know how the fuck I got lucky enough for that man to fall in love with me.”
“Because Tyler? You’re hard not to fall in love with.” Amara blushed, then examined the ring. “Tyler Alexander Hayes, and Ryan…R Baylor? What’s the R stand for?”
He smiled. “Ronald!” he squeaked out with a laugh.
“Shut the fuck up! Ry’s middle name is Ronald? Oh, he’s officially the hottest guy to ever have the name Ronald in any capacity.”
“So, are we blowin’ this popsicle stand or what?” Jake rolled down the passenger side window and yelled from the inside of the SUV.
“Yes, please!” Hayes pulled open the door and climbed into the captain’s chair, smirking as he flashed back to the night he left rehab and Ryan bent over the center console while Hayes rimmed him senseless. He immediately pushed that thought from his memory as he looked over at JT in the opposite captain’s chair. “What’s up, little man?” He reached over and flicked the blue and orange whales that Amara had hung from the handle of his car carrier. “These are pretty cool. Someone really amazing must’ve made those for you, eh?”
Amara turned around and smiled at him. “Someone super amazing,” she said, reaching her hand back to grab his. He leaned forward and kissed it before she pulled away. “So, what’s the plan? You stay with us tonight and then what?”
As the SUV pulled away, Hayes took one last look at Regency before exhaling loudly and doing his best to stifle the unexpected wave of anxiety that hit him.
