Jake's POV"Where have you been all night?" Charlotte asks as I stagger into the living room. 'Damn. I was hoping she'd be asleep by now.'"None of your business," I drawl, dropping onto the couch. I slide down until I’m on the floor, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. I need the noise to slice through the tension in the room.To my annoyance, Charlotte plants herself right in front of me, arms crossed, that familiar frown stamped on her face. It's become permanent lately—or maybe it just shows up whenever she’s around me. "Didn't you see that I'd been calling?" she asks, eyes scanning me like she’s waiting for a confession."Just leave me alone, Char. I don't want to deal with this right now," I mumble, my eyes struggling to stay open. "Are you drunk?" Her read jerks back, disgust plain on her face. "This is what - the second time you've come home drunk in two days? It's not even the weekend, but you're already so wasted." I don't say anything, tilting my head to get a l
Hailey's POV It's been a really long morning at work. Turns out my boss isn't as smitten with Levi as I thought. In the last two days, I've been saddled with the task of coming up with new marketing plans for the business, and I have till next Tuesday to pitch my ideas. Another thing that made my morning even more stressful, was the brutal round of morning sickness I had before finally getting ready for work. So yeah, not a great start to my day. Levi offered to drive me to work, and he said he'd come pick me up early so we could go shopping for our trip tomorrow. 'Lucky me.' Not.I arrange my presentation points into a folder, then shut my laptop, deciding to take a quick nap. It's almost time for my lunch break, so sleeping now doesn't exactly count as being lazy. Sadly, my nap is short-lived. A knock at the office door pulls me out of sleep. I groan and stand, reluctantly. I'd locked the door before lying down, just in case my boss decided to pay a surprise visit. Whoeve
Hailey's POV We arrived at a small diner just a few minutes ago. It's tucked between two buildings, right across the street from the town's most popular park. The place is cozy and inviting. The walls inside are painted white, and the booths are a shiny metallic blue. The side of the diner facing the road has a large window that lets in plenty of natural light. A jukebox in the front corner plays slow music, adding a mellow vibe to the place. It's beautiful. Somewhere I could see myself coming often. We've already placed our orders and are now waiting for the food to be delivered. "Do you want to eat over there instead?” Levi asks. I turn to him, brows furrowed. "Huh?" "You've been staring out the window at the park for a while now. I figured maybe you'd rather go there." 'Oh.' I hadn’t even realized I was still looking outside. My gaze had drifted without me noticing, drawn to the quiet scenes in the almost-empty park: a young woman lying on a bench, reading a book; a
Levi's POV "Twelve," I reply. She blinks. "Twelve?" Regardless of the earlier tension, I chuckle. "Yeah." "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, seeing as you have two aunts and an uncle." I don't miss the way she purposely skips over Elliot's dad. Her thoughtfulness makes my heart flutter. "There's actually a baby on the way," I tell her. I kind of enjoy the way she gets surprised with every new revelation. She doesn't need to act interested, since all this is fake, but she does. "Aunt Patricia is pregnant again." "Wow," she breathes. "Can I know their names?" She asks, seeming genuinely curious. Even if she hadn't asked, I would have still told her anyway. I don't want her fumbling with names when someone walks up to her. I'll also try to remain by her side, just in case she forgets a face or name. I move over to her side of the booth, so we're sitting next to each other. She frowns, but I speak before she can protest. "I need to show you their picture
Hailey's POV For the third time today, I find myself sliding into the passenger seat of Levi's car. We're headed to the mall for dress shopping, and I also plan to pick up a few gifts for his family - even though he says it's not necessary. It would be my first time meeting them, and I want to make a good impression. Not that I'm trying to bribe them or anything. I just hope it'll make them forgive me when I inevitably mix up their names tomorrow. After arriving back at work, I realized I was scared for nothing. My boss wasn't even in, and I found out that Matt had gone home after lunch. I could have done the same, but I wanted to play it safe. "So, how did work go?" Levi asks as we pull out of the parking lot. "Fine." His lips curve in a knowing smirk. "Did you get in trouble for not going back on time?" My eyes narrow. "You knew my boss wasn't around, didn't you?" He shrugs. "Fuck you. You're such a jerk." "Language, baby girl," he scolds lightly. "I didn't know
Hailey's POV I step into the first feminine designer store I see, with Levi trailing behind. As I browse through the racks, I manage to find only one blue sundress that actually matches my taste. Pulling it from the hanger, I make my way toward the changing room. Of course, Levi follows. I turn to him with an annoyed click of my tongue. "Are you planning to follow me into the changing room too?" I snap. He scratches the nape of his neck. "Yeah, I guess?"Are the employees really just going to ignore this? Is he even allowed to do that? "No. Stay here. I don't need you coming with me everywhere." He's been glued to me today, and then we would be sitting together on the plane, standing side by side through the wedding... I need a moment to breathe before all that, or else I might just pass out from having him around me all the damn time. It's ridiculous that I find his presence exhausting. Most girls would probably sell their souls to be in my position. I wish I could e
Levi's POV After checking out a few more stalls - me being extra careful not to follow her inside again - we finally get everything we came for. Hailey even picks up a few complimentary gifts for my nieces and nephews, even when I insist it isn't necessary. Her bags in my hand, we head for the parking lot. I hand her my keys and she opens the door for me - a dramatic role reversal - and I drop the bags in the back seat. She goes to her side, and once again, I don't get a chance to open the door for her. Lately, it feels like she doesn’t want me doing that for her at all.I move to the driver's side, but then I stop, remembering something I left back at the mall. I give my keys back to Hailey. "Stay here. There's something I forgot to grab. I'll be quick."She takes the keys without a word, eyes already on her phone.The air between us has been different since the almost kiss. It's awkward now. Uncomfortable. I’d take our usual bickering over this silence any day. At least when we
Levi's POV Sure enough, when I step out of my room early the next morning, the bag is gone. I smile to myself. Looks like my plan worked.She thought she could be stubborn. Didn't realize I’m just as strong-headed—maybe even more.The smile lingers as I head into the kitchen and make two cups of coffee. She’ll be out any moment now—we’re leaving for the airport in less than thirty minutes. I booked an early flight so we’d have time to settle in and rest before the day’s chaos hits.A moment later, Hailey walks in wearing a black romper, and a gray hoodie tied loosely around her shoulders. Her hair’s pulled up into a messy bun, dark circles visible under her eyes—no makeup, no effort to hide the exhaustion. Still beautiful, though. She sleepily drags her feet over to the counter, grabs the coffee with a grunt, and walks right back out without a word. I watch her go, amused. She must be really tired from her activities during the week, not to mention waking up earlier than
Levi's POV Sure enough, when I step out of my room early the next morning, the bag is gone. I smile to myself. Looks like my plan worked.She thought she could be stubborn. Didn't realize I’m just as strong-headed—maybe even more.The smile lingers as I head into the kitchen and make two cups of coffee. She’ll be out any moment now—we’re leaving for the airport in less than thirty minutes. I booked an early flight so we’d have time to settle in and rest before the day’s chaos hits.A moment later, Hailey walks in wearing a black romper, and a gray hoodie tied loosely around her shoulders. Her hair’s pulled up into a messy bun, dark circles visible under her eyes—no makeup, no effort to hide the exhaustion. Still beautiful, though. She sleepily drags her feet over to the counter, grabs the coffee with a grunt, and walks right back out without a word. I watch her go, amused. She must be really tired from her activities during the week, not to mention waking up earlier than
Levi's POV After checking out a few more stalls - me being extra careful not to follow her inside again - we finally get everything we came for. Hailey even picks up a few complimentary gifts for my nieces and nephews, even when I insist it isn't necessary. Her bags in my hand, we head for the parking lot. I hand her my keys and she opens the door for me - a dramatic role reversal - and I drop the bags in the back seat. She goes to her side, and once again, I don't get a chance to open the door for her. Lately, it feels like she doesn’t want me doing that for her at all.I move to the driver's side, but then I stop, remembering something I left back at the mall. I give my keys back to Hailey. "Stay here. There's something I forgot to grab. I'll be quick."She takes the keys without a word, eyes already on her phone.The air between us has been different since the almost kiss. It's awkward now. Uncomfortable. I’d take our usual bickering over this silence any day. At least when we
Hailey's POV I step into the first feminine designer store I see, with Levi trailing behind. As I browse through the racks, I manage to find only one blue sundress that actually matches my taste. Pulling it from the hanger, I make my way toward the changing room. Of course, Levi follows. I turn to him with an annoyed click of my tongue. "Are you planning to follow me into the changing room too?" I snap. He scratches the nape of his neck. "Yeah, I guess?"Are the employees really just going to ignore this? Is he even allowed to do that? "No. Stay here. I don't need you coming with me everywhere." He's been glued to me today, and then we would be sitting together on the plane, standing side by side through the wedding... I need a moment to breathe before all that, or else I might just pass out from having him around me all the damn time. It's ridiculous that I find his presence exhausting. Most girls would probably sell their souls to be in my position. I wish I could e
Hailey's POV For the third time today, I find myself sliding into the passenger seat of Levi's car. We're headed to the mall for dress shopping, and I also plan to pick up a few gifts for his family - even though he says it's not necessary. It would be my first time meeting them, and I want to make a good impression. Not that I'm trying to bribe them or anything. I just hope it'll make them forgive me when I inevitably mix up their names tomorrow. After arriving back at work, I realized I was scared for nothing. My boss wasn't even in, and I found out that Matt had gone home after lunch. I could have done the same, but I wanted to play it safe. "So, how did work go?" Levi asks as we pull out of the parking lot. "Fine." His lips curve in a knowing smirk. "Did you get in trouble for not going back on time?" My eyes narrow. "You knew my boss wasn't around, didn't you?" He shrugs. "Fuck you. You're such a jerk." "Language, baby girl," he scolds lightly. "I didn't know
Levi's POV "Twelve," I reply. She blinks. "Twelve?" Regardless of the earlier tension, I chuckle. "Yeah." "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, seeing as you have two aunts and an uncle." I don't miss the way she purposely skips over Elliot's dad. Her thoughtfulness makes my heart flutter. "There's actually a baby on the way," I tell her. I kind of enjoy the way she gets surprised with every new revelation. She doesn't need to act interested, since all this is fake, but she does. "Aunt Patricia is pregnant again." "Wow," she breathes. "Can I know their names?" She asks, seeming genuinely curious. Even if she hadn't asked, I would have still told her anyway. I don't want her fumbling with names when someone walks up to her. I'll also try to remain by her side, just in case she forgets a face or name. I move over to her side of the booth, so we're sitting next to each other. She frowns, but I speak before she can protest. "I need to show you their picture
Hailey's POV We arrived at a small diner just a few minutes ago. It's tucked between two buildings, right across the street from the town's most popular park. The place is cozy and inviting. The walls inside are painted white, and the booths are a shiny metallic blue. The side of the diner facing the road has a large window that lets in plenty of natural light. A jukebox in the front corner plays slow music, adding a mellow vibe to the place. It's beautiful. Somewhere I could see myself coming often. We've already placed our orders and are now waiting for the food to be delivered. "Do you want to eat over there instead?” Levi asks. I turn to him, brows furrowed. "Huh?" "You've been staring out the window at the park for a while now. I figured maybe you'd rather go there." 'Oh.' I hadn’t even realized I was still looking outside. My gaze had drifted without me noticing, drawn to the quiet scenes in the almost-empty park: a young woman lying on a bench, reading a book; a
Hailey's POV It's been a really long morning at work. Turns out my boss isn't as smitten with Levi as I thought. In the last two days, I've been saddled with the task of coming up with new marketing plans for the business, and I have till next Tuesday to pitch my ideas. Another thing that made my morning even more stressful, was the brutal round of morning sickness I had before finally getting ready for work. So yeah, not a great start to my day. Levi offered to drive me to work, and he said he'd come pick me up early so we could go shopping for our trip tomorrow. 'Lucky me.' Not.I arrange my presentation points into a folder, then shut my laptop, deciding to take a quick nap. It's almost time for my lunch break, so sleeping now doesn't exactly count as being lazy. Sadly, my nap is short-lived. A knock at the office door pulls me out of sleep. I groan and stand, reluctantly. I'd locked the door before lying down, just in case my boss decided to pay a surprise visit. Whoeve
Jake's POV"Where have you been all night?" Charlotte asks as I stagger into the living room. 'Damn. I was hoping she'd be asleep by now.'"None of your business," I drawl, dropping onto the couch. I slide down until I’m on the floor, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. I need the noise to slice through the tension in the room.To my annoyance, Charlotte plants herself right in front of me, arms crossed, that familiar frown stamped on her face. It's become permanent lately—or maybe it just shows up whenever she’s around me. "Didn't you see that I'd been calling?" she asks, eyes scanning me like she’s waiting for a confession."Just leave me alone, Char. I don't want to deal with this right now," I mumble, my eyes struggling to stay open. "Are you drunk?" Her read jerks back, disgust plain on her face. "This is what - the second time you've come home drunk in two days? It's not even the weekend, but you're already so wasted." I don't say anything, tilting my head to get a l
Hailey's POV I'd barely woken up from sleep before I heard the sound of Levi's car driving in. I'd intended to take a short nap, but ended up getting knocked out for four hours. And the funny thing is I feel even more tired than I was when I went to sleep. "Hailey? Are you home?" I hear the faint sound of Levi's voice asking from the living room. With a groan that stretches into a yawn, I push myself off the bed, heading toward his voice. "Hi," I mumble, leaning against the wall opposite him, arms crossed. "Hi." His gaze sweeps over my face, concern crossing his eyes. "Did I wake you?" he asks, a guilty edge to his tone. I shake my head. "You didn't. I was awake before you came home." "Okay." I move past him to sit on the couch. He follows after, plopping down beside me and loosening his tie with an exhausted sigh. I arch an eyebrow. "Long day?" "Yeah," he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. "Trying to nail this building contract. They're being difficult