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
BAILEE“Ow! Keep your hands off of me!” I exclaimed but instinctively grabbed the paper before it could fall. I glanced up at him every two seconds as I scanned the paper, refusing to let him get one up on me. It was a printout of an article titled ‘Is Alexander Kingston the biological father of
ALEXANDER “What took you so long?” I asked as I opened my front door to see Ben standing there. “I had to talk to my parents before I could leave.” Always the parent and never the child. Ben had cared for his parents for as long as I had known him. They didn’t realize it, but without him acting
BAILEE “You are not going to believe who is inside,” Lacey said as she ran out of the shop as I returned from an early afternoon meeting. Even the pincushion on her wrist and the tape measure around her neck couldn’t detract from how stylish she looked. It was as if her outfit had been designed
ALEXANDER “Mr. Kingston,” Nathan said from my open doorway, and I looked up at him. “Mrs. Patel is here to see you.” My eyebrows pulled together in confusion as I looked at the calendar on my computer. We didn’t have an appointment. “She said she has some information for you but would like to
BAILEE SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS AGO (Seventeen Years Old) Ben acted awkward around me the entire weekend, constantly staring at me as I moped around the house before I finally got sick of it and locked myself in my room, ignoring my parents yelling at me for missing work. It wasn't like they could
BAILEE SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS AGO (Seventeen Years Old) Two letters. One syllable. Just no. That was all I was worth and all I was going to get? “Why don’t you be a big boy and tell me the truth.” I waited a moment, but he didn’t open his mouth to speak. Was he really going to continue ignor
BAILEE I chewed on my lip nervously while waiting for Nathan to let me into Alex’s office. I was almost excited, but I didn’t know why. We had argued the last time we saw each other, but getting so much out in the open between us had been therapeutic. I would probably never get total closer for
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