BAILEEHe was nowhere to be found for the rest of the day, and after dinner that night, I walked down to the docks and dangled my feet into the water. It wasn’t long before I heard footsteps on the wooden planks behind me. The hair rose on the back of my neck, and tingles of nerves shot through my skin as Alex approached and kicked off his shoes to join me. “Are you okay?” He asked, sitting next to me, his thigh touching mine. “Were you suspended?” I whispered, guilt flooding through me at the thought because I knew how hard he was working to better his life since his dad had been sent to prison. I had overheard him telling Ben about his plans to get into a law school, and this could ruin that. Alex let out a bitter laugh before sighing. “Yeah.” “Are your foster parents angry?” “Don’t worry about me, Bailee. I can handle it. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He hadn’t answered my question directly, so I knew that was a yes. “Me? I wasn’t the one in a fight today!” I ex
BAILEE It had taken several days for Brinley’s fever to break and a few more for me to feel comfortable enough to send her to daycare. I had resisted when Caleb demanded we get a nanny instead of sending Brinley to daycare, but I lost that argument. Now, I finally had the chance to do what I
“You were on a dream vacation with your boyfriend, expecting your own ring and happily ever after. I wasn’t going to dampen your excitement over your future with my drama!” I exclaimed, hearing the bell chime from the front of the store. I always had two employees working up there, so I ignored it
BAILEE By the time I got into the car to end my day, I was hot and sweaty. My hair was sticking to my face, and my shirt was uncomfortably damp from walking the giant bouquets of roses up and down the street, giving them to other businesses. Twenty-Six. He had sent me twenty-six bouquets.
BAILEE I had just put Brinley down in her new bed when I heard voices downstairs. My back went rigid, and the hairs on my arms stood in terror as I scanned my surroundings for something I could use as a weapon. Only the hallway was bare except for a few picture frames. There was nothing for me to
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Some loser sent them to me. I’ll throw them away tomorrow. Just like I did with all the others.” Alex’s face hardened, the muscle above his jaw flexing as he pressed his teeth together. “Others? Is some guy harassing you?” Ben asked, looking angry, but he relaxed
ALEXANDER “I need a favor!” Ben exclaimed, storming into my office with a smiling Brinley in tow. She had purple paint all over her face in the shape of a butterfly, and her hair looked like she had been attacked by a second-grade classroom with unlimited access to colorful ponytails and clips.
I hadn’t even realized he had been invited. His parents would normally be there, but Caleb hadn’t made his name big enough on its own yet to be included in most of the functions I attended. “Really?” I leaned back further, instinctively twisting my chair a few inches each way to rock Brinley as s
HAVEN “Let me get this straight because I’m having difficulty understanding,” Suzie said, standing behind her desk with both hands palm down on it as she glared at me in the visitor’s chair. “One of our biggest clients of all time, the owner’s best friend, just left my gym on the verge of tears, an
HAVEN I watched as the blood left his face, his cheeks turning a chalky white. The sight was too much. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve, and I was ripping it off and stomping on it. His hands shook as he lifted them and shoved his fingers into his hair. My eyes closed, unable to continue
HAVEN Ben went through the motions of each exercise, counting each set, not arguing that he could do more than I asked him to, and had yet to make any sarcastic or inappropriate remarks. It was oddly uncomfortable to see him like this. Ben was the kind of man who would drop everything at a momen
BEN My fingers tapped against the machine I was leaning on as I waited for Haven. I didn’t like how she left, but I was eager about the conversation she promised me. The serious tone and her obvious anxiety had me excited. There were only two things that I could think of that would make her so an
HAVEN “Rob,” I breathed, gasping in shock as he grabbed my elbow and pulled me to the corner of the lobby behind the decorative pillar. He had always hated when I called him by his first name. He felt that someone as lowly as an assistant should show him the respect he believed he had earned by n
HAVEN I had barely made it to work on time and was panting by the time I ran inside, went down to the lounge to drop off my things in my locker, grabbed my tablet, and got back upstairs to the gym, where Ben was supposed to be waiting. Thankfully, he was there and didn't look angry that I was lat
HAVEN I had been ecstatic that Ben hadn’t been in the lobby when I left with Siri. Bonnie had gone up before us to check, and when she said he had left, I almost felt like I should thank him the next time I saw him. He had every opportunity to corner me with her and try to push the matter, but
BEN “You’re going back up?” Mason said, and I let out a deep breath and nodded. “It would be too hard to see her and not say anything. Plus, if I’m just staring at her, it might scare her.” I said, regretting the decision as soon as I made it, but I also knew that if I stayed down here, I would
HAVEN “She will be fine. I promise.” Bonnie said as I brushed the hair over Siri’s cheek to get it out of her face while she fought the urge to fall asleep on the break room couch. “I know she will. You are a good aunt. I’m not worried about leaving her with you.” I said, forcing a smile at my bes