Page 184 of Risking the Pucking Defense

Hailee: Thank you. What are you scared of?

Hayden: Snakes and alligators.

Hailee: Yeah, I could happily live life without those in it.

Hayden: I used to have nightmares as a kid of having my legs bitten off by an alligator.

I know that I probably shouldn’t smile at his confession. It sounds terrifying, but I love learning more about him.

I can only assume that it’s how he feels when I open up, and it’s one of the many reasons why I’m trying to do it. I want to let him in, I really do, but it just goes against everything I’ve trained myself to do for years. Letting someone in, allowing them to see who you really are, makes you weak.

Shit. Maybe that’s my biggest fear.

Noticing that I’m almost on the ground floor, I shoot him a quick reply, letting him know that I’ll go toe to toe with an alligator for him, hoping like hell I never have to, before tucking my cell away and letting myself out of the building.

“Holy shit, he let you borrow that?” I balk when I find Bea resting her ass on the hood of Rett’s Ferrari.

“Girl, that boy would let me get away with murder,” she says with a wide grin as she pushes herself to her feet and rushes over to hug me.

“You’re not wrong there.” I laugh, awkwardly embracing her.

I’ve never had a friend I’ve been close enough to hug. It’s…nice.

“So, what has Hayden done?” I ask when she opens the passenger door for me.

“Just wait and see.”

“I don’t like surprises,” I complain.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. But we’ve got about an hour’s drive, so you’re gonna have to contain yourself for a little longer. But as a distraction, there’s coffee and breakfast waiting for you.

I glance in and find a bag from a coffee shop waiting on the passenger seat.

“What’s he playing at?” I mutter, mostly to myself, but Bea takes it upon herself to fill in a few blanks.

“It’s a birthday surprise.”

I freeze, shocked by her words.

“A birthday…but my birthday was⁠—”

“Weeks ago, yeah, he told me. He wanted to do something special for you. You were thirty, Hailee. That needs celebrating.”

“I…” I squeeze my eyes closed, fighting the real threat of tears. “No one’s ever⁠—”

“You’re not alone, Hailee. We’re right here for you. All of us.”

Shit.

“Please don’t make me cry,” I whisper. “It’ll ruin my reputation.”

Bea giggles. “Trust me, I’m in no position to judge anyone for crying. Come on, we’ve got plans.”

“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going, are you?” I ask as she puts the car in drive, the engine purring beneath us.

“Nope. But I can tell you that you’ve got an amazing day ahead of you. Peaceful this morning, but things are going to get a little…wilder at lunchtime.”

“Right,” I muse, racking my brain for what we could be doing.