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
BAILEEBrinley was still passed out in my bed when I got out of the shower. With how overstimulating and exciting the day was, I hadn’t expected her to wake up while I was in there, but I still took the quickest shower of my life, terrified she would roll out of bed or wake up and realize she was in
ALEXANDER “So, Andrea was like screaming, trying to get this disgusting squirrel off her head, but she just made it angrier, and it, like, went down the back of her shirt!” “No!” Ben exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief, his sarcasm thick in his voice. I threw my head back, laughing, but I ha
BAILEE I couldn’t look at my parents at breakfast the next day, and I was relieved to find that I could move my flight up. Instead of staying for a few days, Brinley and I could leave that afternoon. Brinley would be cranky with the flight overlapping with her usual naptime, but we would get thro
ALEXANDER I felt like I had been sucker punched, and I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Bailee. Was Brinley not her first kid? It was like I was seeing her clearly for the first time. Her resistance to letting me in wasn’t just her being mad over the prom. It was so much more th
ALEXANDER“You had your career and school to worry about, dear. We took care of it.” Mrs. Evans said, but Bailee dropped her head into both hands. “Really, Mom? You handled it? Was that before or after the town boycotted the resort? How about when they trashed multiple rooms and shattered seven wi
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