Welcome back to the last part. Thanks for sticking with this story and I'm sorry it took so long to finish.
"Are you just getting in?" Hailey tugs her oversized pullover on, zipping it up some as she looks at her roommate. It's a quarter to 7 and those are definitely the same clothes she left in yesterday.
"Maybe…" Vanessa grins. "Got something to say about it?" Hailey wouldn't judge her, she's not worried about that. She'd gone out with Kevin again last night. It was their fourth date and yeah…she'd finally spent the night with him. The wait had definitely been worth it.
"No, just…I'm glad you're happy." She laughs at that, Vanessa is the happiest person she knows most days, but today, she looks even more so. It's a good look.
"Yeah, me too." Vanessa shoots a grin her way before disappearing into her room. She's pulling on a sweatshirt when she returns minutes later. "So, speaking of happy…what's going on with you and Jay?" Since the 'incident', as they've taken to calling it, Vanessa has noticed that Hailey spends a good bit of her time with the Halstead boys.
"We're just…" Hailey stops, looking down at the floor, unsure of what to say.
"Hey…I was just teasing. I'm glad things are back to normal, though." It was nice that everyone could hang out together. Jay and Levi were even hosting Trudy, Vanessa, and Hailey for Thanksgiving. "Alright well, go for your run. I'll see you later."
Hailey gives a grateful smile, thankful that Vanessa hadn't pushed and then heads down the back steps to start her run. It's the middle of November and Levi has been back in school for a while now. They no longer run together in the mornings but Hailey switched her weekend run to midday Saturday so Levi could still join and sometimes, like this morning, Jay joined her.
They had been taking things slow as she requested for the last month. They've kissed. A lot actually, but Jay's hands never roamed. He was waiting for her.
" 'morning, Hailey." Jay grins and she swears the way he draws her name out will never get old.
"Jay." She grins right back, bending slightly to ruffle Smalls' ears. "Ready big guy?" Reaching for the leash, she begins to jog, Smalls leading the way.
"So…I was thinking we should race to the end…make a little wager." Halfway through their run, Jay is the first to break the comfortable silence.
Hailey turns her head slightly to look at him, the devilishly charming grin he gives her has her laughing. "Oh yeah? And, what would that wager be?" She shakes her head, pretending to think about it.
"I beat you and…you have to kiss me."
"Mmmm, and if I win?" Hailey counters, barely hiding the laugh that wants to bubble out.
"What do you want?" He almost stumbles when she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, managing to right himself at the last minute.
"I'm not sure yet, but…you're gonna lose!" Hailey drops the leash, letting Smalls race ahead since there isn't anyone out yet, and then she takes off ahead of Jay.
"Cheater!" He's laughing as he calls after her, letting her get a bit of a start. It's not like he minds the view…even in an oversized sweatshirt, she still looks amazing.
He times it perfectly, sprinting full out to catch up to her just before she reaches the end but instead of passing her, Jay snakes his arm around her waist, a delighted thrill racing through him at her shriek of surprised laughter when he lifts her off the ground.
"Hey!" She pouts, "Who's the cheater now?"
In answer, Jay sets her down across the finish line, checking to make sure Smalls isn't up to trouble. "This way…we both win." His lips crash into hers a breath later.
Even if she hadn't just raced to the end, her heart would still be beating wildly in her chest. Kissing Jay was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to do.
I'm crazy about you…He mouths it against her neck, pulling the sweatshirt aside to nuzzle there, his words a secret just for him.
"Jay…". Hailey pulls back, her breath catching at the intensity of his gaze.
"I know what I want." Her fingers trace the star logo on his sweatshirt, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
"Yeah? Name it."
"A date." She caught him off guard, her eyes softening when his fingers pressed into her skin.
"A date, huh?" He's pretty sure he's got the goofiest grin on his face, but he doesn't care. "I think I can swing that." They're both smiling when his lips fall to hers.
"I'm serious, Hailey. You look fine." Vanessa assures her for what must be the tenth time. "Seriously, I didn't even know you had this many options. Just pick one. Did he tell you where you were going?" That could help narrow it down.
"Ugh…I just…nothing feels right and I…" She breaks off, shooting a look at Vanessa that clearly says help me.
"You're nervous." And now she feels bad for not noticing sooner. Hailey wasn't just stressing about looking good, she was nervous about taking this step. "Hey, it's just Jay." Vanessa walks over to her, hands resting on her shoulders. "Just you and Jay."
Hailey closes her eyes, letting out a slow breath. She's right…it's just Jay. "Sorry. I know I'm being stupid but it's um, been a very long time since I've been on a date." She gives Vanessa a sheepish smile. "Even longer…maybe never, since it mattered this much. It's Jay…". She doesn't want to mess it up.
"Okay, go with what you'll feel most comfortable with. Jeans and that blue sweater would look nice." With that, she pushes Hailey back to the bedroom to finish getting ready. Jay's going to be here soon.
She's just grabbing her jacket when she hears Vanessa talking to Jay. The nerves mingle with the butterflies that haven't stopped dancing in her stomach all day but it's an excited nervous.
"Hi." Jay takes her hand, tugging her to him, laying a quick kiss to her cheek. "You look perfect, Ready?"
"Yeah." Going casual was the right choice, she's dressed similarly to Jay. "See you later, Vanessa."
"Have a good time."
"Favorite sweet treat?" Jay watches Hailey as she thinks it over, a smile quickly forming.
"That's easy…chocolate. All the chocolate." After a quiet dinner at an Italian restaurant in the next town over, Jay had led Hailey outside, walking beside her down the main road. There are lights strung from light post to light post, casting the sidewalk in a warm yellow glow.
Jay grins at her, enjoying the carefree version of Hailey that's emerged. "So what you're saying is, I can easily win you over with chocolate? Noted." He full out laughs when she pushes him playfully, her own laugh mixing with his. "Want some ice cream?" There's a little ice cream parlor at the end of the street. He and Levi have been to it a couple of times. "They make awesome sundaes." He doesn't really care what they do, he just wants to spend time with her.
"Ugh…I'm so full. Maybe we can pick up some ice cream and toppings on the drive back and we can make sundaes with Levi. I'll probably have room by then." At the way Jay just stops walking, staring at her, she wonders if she said something wrong.
"Jay?" Tipping her head slightly to the side, Hailey wipes at her face, convinced she must have something on it for him to be staring at her like that.
"Sorry…I uh…" His hand rubs at the back of his head, "I love the way you love him, Hailey." I love you too…but he keeps that part to himself. At least for a moment but then she's smiling and he figures that now is as good a time as any to tell her the truth.
"You're incredible." His steps are slow and measured as he approaches her. "The absolute kindest person I know. People here…they care about you. My son loves you and I know you're scared," Jay reaches out, taking hold of her hands. "I know that you want to take things slow and I think, I think that's why I want you to know that I…" In his hand, her fingers tremble, loosening for a moment before tightening again. "I love you, Hailey. I've been in love with you for…a long time." Through the sheen of tears in her eyes, Jay catches a hint of fear. "We can take things slow but I wanted you to know that I am all in. That this isn't just some bit of fun I'm after." His thumb brushes quickly at a tear that slips from her eye, her whole body trembling beneath his touch.
"I've known for a long time that I want it to be you and me, Hailey. So yeah…I'll go at whatever pace you want as long as you know that I plan to spend the rest of my life with you. You, me, and Levi." That's what he wants, what he'll always want.
If she could get her mouth to form words, she might have told him that she liked the sound of that. Her, Jay, and Levi…she was definitely on board with that. Too overwhelmed to actually respond, Hailey pushes up on her toes, pressing her lips to his. It's not an answer, not that he really asked a question, but she hopes through the kiss, he can feel how much she wants that too.
They pull apart after what feels like forever, Jay gently tucking stray wisps of her hair back from her face. "Alright then…we uh, seem to be on the same page." He grins at her, winding her arm through his, leading them back to his truck.
"Sundaes with my favorite people sounds like a great way to end this night."
Two weeks later, on the morning of Thanksgiving, Hailey finds herself covered in flour, her fingers sticky with a sweet honey glaze.
"Careful. You have to be quick but they're hot." She lets Levi take the tiny Greek donuts from the oil and coat them in the glaze, laughing as he gets more of the coating on his fingers than some of the donuts.
"Okay, I'm ready for the last batch." Levi grins, swiping his hand over his brow, smearing the glaze there. "Dad's gonna be so mad if we don't clean this up before he gets back."
"I'm not the one who dumped nearly the whole bowl of flour on the floor." Hailey quickly rolls the dough into balls, passing them to Levi so he can set them in the oil.
"What in the world is going on here?" Jay enters what used to be his kitchen, setting some last minute groceries down on the table. The floor and counter, not to mention his son and Hailey, are covered in flour.
"We're making Loukoumades, dad."
"I'm sorry, was that a sneeze?" Jay jokes, earning a half hearted glare from Hailey and a laugh from his son. "Seriously though, this is…quite the mess. Trudy is gonna be here in about an hour to start on the sides. It's got to be cleaned up by then, yeah?" He pops one of the donuts into his mouth, "Sooo good" he groans around the bite.
"Don't worry, Jay. You won't even know that we were in here." She bumps him away from the rest of the donuts, ignoring the way his eyes linger on her. They haven't told Levi what's going on between them, but he's a smart kid and Hailey is pretty sure he already knows. Still, she thinks he deserves to hear about it from one of them at least, before she and Jay took the next step.
"Alright, I'm gonna go change and I'll be back down. Someone's got to supervise this mess getting cleaned…" Jay's voice trails off as he heads upstairs and Hailey pulls the last of the fried dough from the grease to add to Levi's dipping pile.
"Levi?" Hailey waits, reaching to help set the donuts on the drying rack. Her heart does a somersault in her chest when he smiles, lifting his green eyes. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about but I wasn't really sure how to say it." His gaze turns more serious, both their hands fiddling nervously with spare flour on the counter.
"It's about you and my dad?" He'd known something was different between them for a while now. His dad was weirdly smiling all the time and Hailey…she was always coming around and hanging out. Not that he minded her being around all the time.
Her gulp is audible, of course he knows. "Uh, yeah. Yeah it is. We weren't keeping it from you, it's just…we were being careful because you are so important to us." She smiles when he links his fingers with hers. "If you're not okay with this, I understand…"
"Do you love him?" The question surprised them both but Levi waits, holding his breath for her answer.
Does she love Jay? What she had with Casey was certainly not love. In fact, the way she feels about Jay makes her wonder if she ever were truly in love before. All she knows is that Jay and Levi have become two of the most important people in her life.
"I care about your father very much, Levi. I think…I think I can see that happening." She's probably already in love with him. Sometimes it feels like she always was. Levi studies her quietly, his gaze much like his fathers that she wants to laugh.
"Okay." He heads to the sink to wash his hands as if that explains everything. It takes her back to another time, when Jay had said the same thing about her wanting to stay.
"Okay?" She shouldn't question it, but she needs to make sure he really is okay with this.
"Yeah, okay." In a way that only a ten year old can, Levi rolls his eyes at her. "Just don't be gross in front of me." He shivers for effect, a giggle bubbling out when Hailey pulls him into a hug, pressing a noisy kiss to his cheek.
"That does not look like cleaning." Jay jokes, heading straight for the closet to get the broom and dustpan.
"Everything good?" After passing the broom to Levi, Jay leans a little closer to Hailey, whispering to her.
"Yeah, all good." Her smile stretches wide as she lays a hand over his forearm. Everything was exactly as it should be.
6 ½ Months Later
"I'm telling you, you could open a shop and just sell these. That's how good they are." Vanessa finishes the tiny donut, licking the glaze from her fingers so as not to waste any. "If I don't hide some of them, I sell out completely and then there are no delicious treats left for me."
"You know, I could make an extra batch when I make these. Have Jay drop them off to Kevin at the station." It's been nearly a full year since Hailey first arrived in Avalon Landing and a lot has changed since then. She still works at the diner, but Trudy just offered her part ownership of the cafe. Vanessa is pretty serious about Kevin. He transferred here a month ago and he and Vanessa are renting a house just off Main Street. She's pretty sure that once Jay asks her to move in with him, the two of them will move back into the apartment above the coffee shop.
"Why would you send them with Jay? I'm the one that likes them, not Kevin."
"Exactly…this way, you won't eat all of them at once and make yourself sick. Kevin can ration them out for you." She's laughing even as Vanessa pushes her off the stool. "Oh come on, I was only teasing…sort of."
"Isn't it time for you to go?" Despite her efforts to sound unimpressed, Hailey can hear the smile in her words.
"I'm going, I'm going…" Today was a big day. She hadn't wanted it to be, but suddenly her beach trip of just her, Jay, and Levi, turned into the three of them plus Trudy, Vanessa, and Kevin. They were going to start off the unofficial beginning of summer today.
"Think you'll make it in?" There's no judgment in her tone as Vanessa watches Hailey pack up her things.
By the time she told Jay about her fear of going back into the ocean, the weather had turned and they hadn't been able to try and work through anything. Today would be the first time she was going to try since October.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna try." Maybe enough time has passed…she hopes.
"That seems like an awful lot of sunscreen, Levi. Think you might have used too much." Hailey smiles at him, laughing at his poor attempt to rub the lotion into his skin.
"It just all came out really fast. Here, you take some." Even with the amount he's able to scrape off his skin and smear onto her hands, there's still a ghostly white cast to his skin. She can't help but laugh.
"Hey you two! Look up here!" Jay calls out to them from the back deck, snapping their picture when Hailey pulls Levi close, both smiling up at him. "Alright, let's do this." Jay joins them, leading everyone down to the water.
Hailey closes her eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath and then opens her eyes, her gaze landing on Levi.
"We don't have to go down. I can stay up here with you." He doesn't want her to feel pressured.
He never stops amazing her. He's so kind and compassionate, always wanting to protect her. It's one of the many things she loves most about him.
"Thank you, Levi, but I'm going to at least try." Hailey drapes her arm across his back as they walk towards the water following the rest of the group. It comes as no surprise when Levi delivers her to his dad, giving him an unnecessary warning not to push her.
"You ready for this?" Jay takes her hand, lifting their joined hands to his lips.
Maybe it's all the months that have passed that dulled the fear or maybe it was the fact that she was flanked by two people who loved her more than she ever thought she could be loved, but when the three of them, hands linking them as a unit, entered the water, Hailey felt like she could do this.
She had thought Avalon Landing could be a good place for her to hide, a place to start over as someone else. She never dreamed that this place…these people, would become her home.
