BEN Today was supposed to be an easy day. Low weight followed by a massage… I don’t think I've had such a light-lifting day in years. Haven had me using ten pounds for most of the exercises, which made me laugh when she first told me I would be using them. But I would never doubt her again, not
HAVEN Somehow, the massage today was worse than yesterday. It might have been the anticipation, but after Ben said that there were things he and I needed to work out, he went silent. I didn’t want to dive into it, so I stayed silent, too, wanting to avoid the conversation for as long as possible
BEN The tablet in my hand almost connected with the floor as I stared between the closing elevator doors and the little girl in Haven’s arms. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that she was Siri. The protective way Haven was holding her and how the little girl had her face in Haven’s neck was a si
BEN “You’re not serious,” I said breathlessly, glancing at Haven’s tablet on the couch next to me as if it were her. “Deadly serious,” Mason said, and I watched as the court record pulled up on the computer screen. Right before me were our names, with me as the prosecution and Haven as the defen
BEN “Come on, you have to see they are related. Whatever happened that night must have triggered the restraining order nonsense.” Mason said, and I could see he was pushing for more information. “Nothing bad happened that night.” I insisted, pushing off my knees to stand and pausing when there wa
HAVEN “She will be fine. I promise.” Bonnie said as I brushed the hair over Siri’s cheek to get it out of her face while she fought the urge to fall asleep on the break room couch. “I know she will. You are a good aunt. I’m not worried about leaving her with you.” I said, forcing a smile at my bes
BEN “You’re going back up?” Mason said, and I let out a deep breath and nodded. “It would be too hard to see her and not say anything. Plus, if I’m just staring at her, it might scare her.” I said, regretting the decision as soon as I made it, but I also knew that if I stayed down here, I would
HAVEN I had been ecstatic that Ben hadn’t been in the lobby when I left with Siri. Bonnie had gone up before us to check, and when she said he had left, I almost felt like I should thank him the next time I saw him. He had every opportunity to corner me with her and try to push the matter, but
BEN There was a bullshit rule I’ve heard since I was little that I had lived by after every check, slam, or hit on the ice. Real men don’t cry. No one really believed the nonsense rule, but it was undeniable that people’s opinions and perceptions always changed once they saw a person vulnerable.
HAVEN “Let me get this straight because I’m having difficulty understanding,” Suzie said, standing behind her desk with both hands palm down on it as she glared at me in the visitor’s chair. “One of our biggest clients of all time, the owner’s best friend, just left my gym on the verge of tears, an
HAVEN I watched as the blood left his face, his cheeks turning a chalky white. The sight was too much. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve, and I was ripping it off and stomping on it. His hands shook as he lifted them and shoved his fingers into his hair. My eyes closed, unable to continue
HAVEN Ben went through the motions of each exercise, counting each set, not arguing that he could do more than I asked him to, and had yet to make any sarcastic or inappropriate remarks. It was oddly uncomfortable to see him like this. Ben was the kind of man who would drop everything at a momen
BEN My fingers tapped against the machine I was leaning on as I waited for Haven. I didn’t like how she left, but I was eager about the conversation she promised me. The serious tone and her obvious anxiety had me excited. There were only two things that I could think of that would make her so an
HAVEN “Rob,” I breathed, gasping in shock as he grabbed my elbow and pulled me to the corner of the lobby behind the decorative pillar. He had always hated when I called him by his first name. He felt that someone as lowly as an assistant should show him the respect he believed he had earned by n
HAVEN I had barely made it to work on time and was panting by the time I ran inside, went down to the lounge to drop off my things in my locker, grabbed my tablet, and got back upstairs to the gym, where Ben was supposed to be waiting. Thankfully, he was there and didn't look angry that I was lat
HAVEN I had been ecstatic that Ben hadn’t been in the lobby when I left with Siri. Bonnie had gone up before us to check, and when she said he had left, I almost felt like I should thank him the next time I saw him. He had every opportunity to corner me with her and try to push the matter, but
BEN “You’re going back up?” Mason said, and I let out a deep breath and nodded. “It would be too hard to see her and not say anything. Plus, if I’m just staring at her, it might scare her.” I said, regretting the decision as soon as I made it, but I also knew that if I stayed down here, I would