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
BALIEEMy father looked stressed as he sat behind his desk, a thin layer of sweat forming on his forehead. He should be. It may be their business, but borrowing that kind of money from my husband should have been something they discussed with me first. At the very least, they should have mention
Ben’s schedule was way more intense than mine was. I worked the same hours every day. He traveled around the country, having practices both in the mornings and the afternoons, and he never had consistent hours because of the time zone shifts. It was just another excuse. “Let’s just get this over w
ALEXANDERIt had been years since I had the freedom to drive through a small town, cruising down the empty streets with the windows down. The air felt thinner, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the elevation difference between the city and here or if the air was just less polluted. Still, as
BAILEEI hadn’t told them what Caleb wanted me to do, but I did tell them he planned to take the resort from them if I didn’t do what he said. We had been discussing our options for almost two hours, and I was exhausted. Brinley had passed out on the couch about an hour in with my mother’s pho
BAILEE SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS AGO (Seventeen Years Old) A light tapping sound against my window made me pull my pencil from my paper, and a smile spread over my face when I saw Alex standing outside with his hood pulled up over his head. The rain was pouring down, and I jumped from my seat as a
ALEXANDER There were too many memories around me, and by the time I made it to my room, I felt drained. Even so, I couldn’t fall back on my bed and pass out like I wanted to because I hadn’t let go of my phone yet. I couldn't miss it when they would call to tell me that my foster parents were d
HAVEN The second I walked into the break room the next day, Bonnie and Calum jumped from their seats, asking if I was okay. Suzie had sent me home yesterday for the rest of the day unpaid, and while I wasn’t expecting my badge to work this morning, it did. “How are you?” Bonnie asked, and I shr
BEN Bailee gently hit his arm with the back of her hand as she walked by him to a cabinet to grab a glass, and I laughed. “It was a week ago. Where is Brinley?” I asked, looking around for my adorable niece. She would probably love to hear my news with them. “She said she had to go find her train.
BEN I wasn’t sure when I decided to return to the city. Still, I found myself pulling up to Alex’s house five hours later, my back irritated from being in the car for so long, and only one text from the manager of the rehab center checking in and asking if they could get me anything since I missed
HAVEN “Hey, have you guys seen my…” Calum said as he trailed behind the security guard who stormed past us, but he stopped in our way when he saw my face. “You’re crying?” “Not now, Calum.” He ignored her, but I didn’t want to discuss this with him. We were just co-workers, not friends. He fli
BEN My hands were sweaty, and a chill went through me. I couldn’t trust anyone. Not my parents, staff, or even Haven after her repeated lies over the past week. If she had told the truth this time, I would be in serious trouble. My staff had access to everything that controlled my life. I wou
BEN My heart twisted in my chest. After seeing her picture, I knew in my gut that Siri was mine, but Haven had lied so many times that even hearing what I had wanted to hear, I wasn’t sure I could believe it. “There wasn’t anyone else?” I repeated. If there wasn’t anyone else, then Haven hadn’t
HAVEN “That’s not possible,” I said, shaking my head back and forth. This room was too small for us to hash this out now. I felt like I couldn’t breathe with Ben so close, and his body heat made me uncomfortably warm. “Look at me, Haven,” Ben demanded, and I ripped my eyes away from the stack o
HAVEN I had resented Benjamin Evans for many things over the years, but the feeling of dread that now bubbled in my gut when I drove to work was the cherry on top. This job was finally something I had outside of my home that I had worked hard for, and that made me happy, and he made me not want t
BEN “Haven, like your old assistant Haven?” Bailee asked, and I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “The one and only,” I grumbled in response, rubbing my temples as I tried to fight the headache that was rapidly coming on. “That’s great! Did you guys talk?” Bailee asked, sounding as excited