ALEXANDER What just happened? I thought to myself. The room around me seemed to be giving me their undivided attention, and I was quite positive that wasn’t a good thing. “A baby?” Mrs. Evan kept repeating. Maggie's had a strict no-phone rule, but I was positive this would end up on TMZ or at le
BAILEE I was humiliated. Never in my life had I felt this bone-achingly horrified. Even when the town had turned on me, and I had been beaten and abused into running for the hills, had I felt this way. No, that was a physical pain. This one was emotional and something I hadn't been expecting
BAILEE Camera. The cameras were still working. “Alex,” I croaked out, terror coating the single syllable as my eyes traveled up as I searched for the small camera. Left, right… there. The small device was pointed right at us, and I didn’t know if Alex was watching from the other side, but I kne
ALEXANDER “First floor clear.” The team said into my ear, and I ground my teeth together, watching the screens. I had already told them that. Caleb and Bailee were upstairs in my office. He had her backed against the far wall and was holding his knife out toward her. She looked terrified, and I
BAILEE "You won't find it," I said, jumping when he spun on me, knife waving in the air. "Whatever you're looking for, you won't find it." "Don't worry, Bailee. We'll be getting out of here in just a minute. I just need proof that he's been stealing from his company, and we will be on our way." Ca
ALEXANDER I saw the moment he noticed me. His nostrils flared, and he moved the knife down from Bailee's chin just as I collided with him. It happened so fast, and I thought I had time. I thought I had time. The red and blue flashing lights bounced off every surface as they grew nearer, illumi
BAILEE “Ms. Evans,” The on-call OB greeted me, and I nodded. “Yes.” “Good news! I reviewed the ultrasound, and your baby is doing just fine.” She smiled at me warmly, and I took in a shocked breath. The baby was fine? I didn’t realize how affected I was by the encounter until my eyes filled
BAILEE - Four months later A loud buzzing filled the room as I sat in the cold, hard chair before me. The other visitors did the same, the room filling with the loud sound of the chair’s legs squeaking and grinding against the floor as they were pulled back. I jumped at the sound of the large m
BEN There was a bullshit rule I’ve heard since I was little that I had lived by after every check, slam, or hit on the ice. Real men don’t cry. No one really believed the nonsense rule, but it was undeniable that people’s opinions and perceptions always changed once they saw a person vulnerable.
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