BAILEE“I wasn’t disgusted! I was bothered because you clearly regretted it. I could see it on your face.” My head snapped back, and I licked my lips as I shook my head. “What? No! I was just… I don’t regret it. It was nice. I just don’t think we should do it again.” He laughed, but I could see the hurt on his face as he stepped back. “Right.” “Alex,” I sighed, guilt rearing up as I watched his face harden to hide his emotions. “Let’s just go. Do you want me to take you home, or do you want to go back inside and finish the night?” He sounded exhausted, but from how he had shut himself off from me, I knew he was hiding his real feelings. I just wished I knew which ones were real. “I think it would be best for us to go home,” I said, staring at the small white button on his shirt, unable to meet his gaze. “Okay,” Alex said, turning to leave and holding his arm out for me. We still had an image to uphold, and it wouldn’t look good for either of us to leave the party in the mid
BAILEE I closed the front door quietly behind me, scared to wake up Brinley, but I was relieved to see the monitor on the coffee table and Ben on the couch in front of the television, still awake. His arms were crossed defensively as he glared at the screen, and for a moment, I thought he was angr
ALEXANDER Ben picked up my call on the first ring the next day. I had expected him to have questions about what had happened, as pictures of Bailee dancing with Caleb and me getting between them were all over the tabloids and news. Nathan had been fielding calls from reporters all day. They all
ALEXANDER“Thank you, Ms. Fuller. I appreciate you meeting with me.” I said, taking the seat across from her. “We’ve been seeing you with Bailee Johnson and her daughter Brinley Johnson. Rumors have it that you’re Brinley’s biological father. Is that true?” “It’s Bailee Evans, and no. Caleb Johnson is Brinley’s father. Bailee is fiercely loyal to those she loves, and I have no doubt that she was completely faithful to her ex-husband. She and I weren’t even in contact during her marriage.” “We already know that is false from the DNA test provided to the judge. Caleb Johnson was proved not to be her father.” She smirked as if she had me. “The test provided by Caleb’s team? Knowing both parties, I know who can and cannot be trusted.” I wanted to look over her shoulder into the camera she had set up there as a message to Caleb, but the viewers would just twist it as me being malicious or lying. “That is a big accusation.” She said, licking her lips with excitement as she adjusted in
BAILEE The second the plane touched down, my stomach twisted so tight I thought it was going to fall right out of my body. I wasn’t even sure if that was possible, but it sure as hell felt like it would happen. Not even Brinley’s constant crying and the passengers around us complaining about he
BAILEE Still, as this was the closest airport and most people moved to the city when they were old enough to leave home, I knew there would be at least one person here who recognized me. Yet, when I looked up, no one was even looking in our direction, to my relief. Brinley gripped my shirt,
ALEXANDER EIGHT YEARS AGO (Eighteen years old) “You’ve been acting off. Did Bailee do something? Jacob told me she's been weird lately, but I think that's because she has a crush on him. But if she did something to make you uncomfortable, I could talk to her.” Ben asked, catching me looking outsi
BAILEE - PRESENT DAY Ben pulled his hat down lower as he opened the door to the employee entrance, allowing me and Brinley to go in first. The best part about the town hating me and my parents was that they avoided the resort like a plague. Instead, it was flooded with tourists, and tourists we