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
BAILEE SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS AGO (Seventeen Years Old)“You look beautiful!” My mother said as she looked over my shoulder to my reflection. I couldn’t remember the last time that we had ever spent so much time together. Yet, with each strand of my hair that she curled and pinned up, I felt my
BAILEE SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS AGO (Seventeen Years Old)My feet were aching as I stared down the main driveway leading to the resort. I figured if Alex were getting the limo, he would probably use the parking lot instead of my parent’s hidden driveway. Yet, there was no sign of him being there wai
BAILEE I was done. Absolutely and completely done. “Bailee,” My mother called after me, but I ignored her as I carried Brinley to my room to grab the bags I had already packed this morning. “Bailee, wait!” “What?” I snapped, making Brinley jump. I immediately pulled her closer and whispered an a
ALEXANDER It was evident that Bailee had never flown on a private jet before, and I enjoyed seeing her awe as she boarded. She had walked down the aisle and looked at everything, including the bedroom in the back, before returning to the seats with red cheeks. We had a slight delay as we had to g
ALEXANDER Bailee turned to Brinley, holding her hand and talking to her softly to keep her calm as we ascended. Once we were level, miles above the ground, and Brinley was distracted by her movie, Bailee finally turned back to me. “I didn’t just go to your house looking for you, Alex. I went t
BAILEE Alex didn’t have a car seat in his car. While he could afford someone to bring him one, he also seemed to understand my need for space after such an emotionally exhausting day. I was heartbroken over my parents, torn between a father who didn’t want to lose his daughter and a mother who se
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