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I go up on my tiptoes and point a finger in his face. “You’re delusional, Haze. That young girl who was obsessed with you, the one who worshiped you and put you on a pedestal higher than she could ever reach, is gone.”

“I don’t want the girl. I want the woman,” he fires back, leaning down to press a soft, chaste, unexpected kiss against my mouth. “And I want my best friend back.”

With that parting shot hitting its mark, he leaves the gym.

Fuck.

My shoulders slump.

I want my best friend back too.

HAZE

Age Eighteen

“Where was she?” I ask my mom, frowning at my now passed-out sister. She’d gone missing again. I’ve lost count of the number of nights we’ve spent out looking for her. Aspen is a mess. She’s dropped out of school, and all she does is party and take drugs. She’s ruined her friendship with Luella, who was once her favorite person in the world. It’s not only our heart she’s been breaking by taking this path, but every time Luella sees Aspen, her face no longer lights up. Now it drops.

“Passed out at a party.” Mom sighs, sitting and covering her face with her hands. It’s been a year of this, and it’s broken her. Her marriage to my father didn’t survive it either. He just moved out, leaving us to deal with everything on our own. “Your grandparents have offered us their investment house if we want to move. I think it’s a good idea. We need to get her away from here, from these people she’s surrounded herself with.”

My first thought is Luella.

I don’t want to leave her.

Her parents—if I can even call them that—don’t give a shit about her. Luella looks after herself, hiding under the covers while they drink and fight. She’s been raising herself for as long as I’ve known her. I bring her food, drive her to school and the gym, and make sure she’s okay. Over the years, she’s grown into the most beautiful girl, inside and out. Smart, sweet, and hardworking—she studies hard and loves to bake.

And she’s mine.

I’ve always known it, even when I didn’t want to accept it.

My girl’s not ready for me yet, but when she is, I’ll be there.

At least, I thought I would be.

“I don’t want to leave Rest Falls,” I quietly admit, swallowing hard.

“Hayden, she has marks on her arms,” Mom whispers, tears dropping down her cheeks. Aspen’s drug use went from alcohol and weed to hard-core drugs within a few months. She’s slipping through our fingers, and we all know it. “If we don’t do something now, we’re going to lose her forever. There’s a rehab center there. It could be a fresh start for us. We need this. Aspen needs this."

“Fuck,” I grit out, standing up from the couch and starting to pace.

I’m the man of the house now, and I need to step up and look after my mother and sister.

But Luella.

“Okay, I guess we don’t have a choice,” I mutter, and my mother cries harder.

To save my sister, I’m going to have to leave my heart behind.

Present

Luella’s sitting at the bar, laughing with Ora and Xanthe, their other friend. Her curly hair tumbles around her shoulders, and her lips are painted a soft pink. She’s beautiful. She always has been. My little rose might have thorns now, but I know her deep down to her soul.

No longer the girl I knew—she’s all woman now.

And she’s mine.

“You not fucking her yet?” War asks, smirking from beside me. We’re on the other side of the room playing poker.

“She’s more likely to stab me than let me in her pussy,” I mutter.