HAVEN I was nervous about seeing Bailee again after so many years. I had hated her when I worked for Ben because she had always blown him off. Now that I knew it was because her abusive ex-husband had been isolating her, I felt guilty that I had hated her so much, but I didn’t know how to interac
HAVEN I was nervous about seeing Bailee again after so many years. I had hated her when I worked for Ben because she had always blown him off. Now that I knew it was because her abusive ex-husband had been isolating her, I felt guilty that I had hated her so much, but I didn’t know how to interac
BEN “How long will you be staying?” Bailee asked as she sat at the dining room table, her feet on the chair next to her. It was nice to see Ben fussing over her, refilling her water, and putting a pillow behind her back, but it also made me sad that I never got that with Ben. Max had been incred
BEN Seeing Siri and Haven sitting in my kitchen, eating the food I made for them, filled me with so much happiness that I would remember this exact moment forever. We then spent the next few hours building Siri’s furniture together. I hadn’t expected Siri to want to be involved, but she sat in my
BEN Coach Dawson’s unwavering glare made me uneasy as I sat across from him in his polished, oversized office. His desk was far larger than needed for a man who spends most of his time in a conference room with the other coaches discussing strategy, in the film room, the gym, or by the rink. He
HAVEN “That was years ago, and it wasn’t like I was being reckless and having a fling with some random employee!” Ben yelled, and my breathing became faster. “I loved her! I was planning on marrying her as soon as she agreed! People wouldn’t care about us sleeping together if we had gotten married
HAVEN “I worked for Ben for years, but in reality, I worked for your entire team,” I said, and Coach Dawson’s face tightened. “I did everything ever asked of me, regardless of who asked from your team, the cost, or the time it would take. Your wife’s bake sale, when over half of the team wives and
HAVEN “Mommy,” Siri said, pulling her headphones off and letting them and her tablet fall to the floor as she looked around the room at all the strange faces. Her arms wrapped tighter around Ben, and I looked around the room, too, seeing how she could be scared. “This is not a conversation that
HAVEN It had been exhausting to plan a wedding in only three weeks, but somehow, we managed to get it done. The best part was that no one outside of immediate family and friends knew where or when it would be, despite the press trying to get the information out of us. We had gone from a Hollywoo
HAVEN “Excuse me?” I snapped, and Ben’s eyebrows rose in amusement as I moved my shoulder in front of his and faced the microphones. He didn't need me defending him, but I was furious. “You have a lot of nerve making that accusation. Benjamin Evans is a good man and never forced himself on me. He r
HAVEN: “Our daughter’s name is Siri, and she is three years old, about to turn four,” Ben said, and I could see the excitement light in the eyes of the reporters like vultures watching their prey fall to the death for easy pickings. “I did not know about her until recently, but it wasn’t for lac
HAVEN Siri refused to leave Ben’s side the next day, and I was relieved because Diana had several notes for me on my statement and demanded that I get them fixed that morning so the press conference could be in the afternoon. As soon as Ben was done with his physical therapy and massage, I went i
HAVEN “You’re a great mom.” I beamed under his praise. It felt incredible to hear it, and Cynthia and Bonnie had told me often, but it felt different coming from Ben. “Hey, Siri,” I said, walking over to join her in the living room. “Can I talk to you about something for a minute?” “Of course,”
HAVEN “We should tell her tonight instead,” I whispered as I stared at the marriage certificate. We just needed to sign it and have the officiant sign it, and we would be married as soon as it was filed. It felt unreal. It felt too fast. “I agree,” Ben said as he tossed the kitchen towel over hi
HAVEN I expected a celebration, a kiss even. Instead, we spent the next hour writing up my statement to the press about how Ben had been a complete gentleman and that what happened between us was not abuse or harassment. In turn, he also drafted a statement that stated the same. I had been refu
HAVEN “Mommy,” Siri said, pulling her headphones off and letting them and her tablet fall to the floor as she looked around the room at all the strange faces. Her arms wrapped tighter around Ben, and I looked around the room, too, seeing how she could be scared. “This is not a conversation that
HAVEN “I worked for Ben for years, but in reality, I worked for your entire team,” I said, and Coach Dawson’s face tightened. “I did everything ever asked of me, regardless of who asked from your team, the cost, or the time it would take. Your wife’s bake sale, when over half of the team wives and