Page 12

Chapter Twelve

Griffin’s Beach Hailey

“ T hank your family for me?” Lindsey asks.

“I will,” Hailey assures.

The not-so-innocent-anymore blonde hugs her tightly. “I’m going to miss you, but I don’t think I’ll be back.”

“Take care of yourself, Lindsey.”

She watches her former roommate leave with her parents. Her father didn’t understand why no charges were being pressed, but they seemed to accept the problem had been taken care of when they realized they picked their daughter up at a motorcycle club clubhouse.

Walking to her car, she’s thankful for her family, too. They’d gone to the dorm and collected everything for both her and Lindsey. And they brought back Hailey’s car. She’s been able to shower and change into her own clothes after a real night’s sleep.

“Time to have the first tough conversation,” Hailey mutters to herself and drives to Lex and Colt’s house.

Hailey steps inside to find Lucas on the couch playing a video game. He looks up at her and sets the handheld game down. “Hey.”

“Hey. Where is everyone?”

“Colt’s in the garage working on his bike, I think. Lex just stepped outside with the kids after putting the rest of your stuff away in your room.”

“Colt’s home?”

Nodding, he sighs. “I think he wants to stick close to home right now. You should have seen him last night, Hailey. Both him and Lex were frantic. And Colt was ready to kill anyone who got in his way.”

She sits next to her brother and hates how she never saw just how much they cared before. “He did kill. The man who pulled us into this mess was trying to hurt Lindsey. Another guy tried to hurt me, and Colt saved us. I begged Colt to kill Gary, and he just… did. No hesitation.”

“Hails, about that last conversation we had… I didn’t mean—”

“You were right. I’ve been so angry for so long, and I just…” Sighing, she tries to find the words. “I think I forgot what it was like to have people who actually care. The ones who care usually disappear, but most don’t give a shit.”

“You try to protect yourself.”

She nods and looks at her hands. “I know you didn’t abandon me by letting them adopt you. I was just angry.”

“At what?”

“The world, I think?” Hailey poses it as a question because she can’t pinpoint just one thing.

She’s always in a perpetual state of anger.

Until now. “I think when it came to Lex and Colt, I felt I wasn’t going to get to keep everything good that had suddenly come my way, and I tried to prepare myself. But I was wrong.”

“You know who would probably love to hear you say that?” he asks with a smirk.

Laughing, she nods. “I know. Could you get Colt for me? I’ll go get Lex.”

“Sure.”

The butterflies take over, and Hailey hates it. She pulls herself off of the couch, the button on the sleeve of her long-sleeved shirt catching on the cushion—which she wears despite the warm temperature because she needs to feel completely covered. No longer exposed.

Opening the sliding door, she catches Lex’s gaze. “Can I, uh, talk to you for a second? Inside?”

“Be right there,” Lex says. “Noah, keep an eye on Calla, okay?”

“Sure, Mama.”

This right here is what Hailey worried she’d never see again. Noah’s the sweetest boy, and he cares so much. Just like Lucas. She stopped caring like they do a long time ago after being hurt so much, but it’s time to find that girl again. The one who doesn’t push love away.

“What’s up?” Colt asks, wiping his hands on a rag.

If killing those men last night bothers him, he doesn’t show it. In fact, he looks relatively relaxed.

“Before we talk, I have something for you,” Lex says and disappears down the hallway.

Hailey looks at Colt who just shrugs, and she smirks. He wears his leather when he does everything, never taking it off like others would take off a jacket or an extra layer in the warmer temperature days.

Probably only takes it off to sleep, screw, and shower. Just like Gavin.

When she catches sight of the box in Lex’s hand as she returns, Hailey gasps. Tears spring in her eyes, and her hands shake as she takes it. She never thought she’d see it again.

“I went and got it for you the other day,” Lex says. “Just like I told you I would.”

“A jewelry box?” Colt asks.

“It was my mom’s,” Hailey whispers as she holds it like it’s made of glass.

In reality, it was probably purchased for ten dollars at some big box store, but it was her mom’s. The only thing she has left of her. Sitting down, she opens it and lets out a sob as she sees all of the jewelry still there.

“It’s all here,” she says, her voice cracking. “The cross necklace Iris took from me. Even…” She digs at the bottom and holds up the simple band, “her engagement ring.”

“You saw my mom?” Lucas asks.

“I did,” Lex says. “Hailey mentioned the jewelry box on a rare evening she shared something personal with me, probably because I was having a meltdown, and I promised I’d get it for her.”

Taking the necklace out, Hailey clasps it behind her neck and touches it against her chest. “I honestly thought she’d thrown it all away. Or sold it.”

“H-how was she?” Lucas asks.

The conflict in her brother reads clear as day, and Hailey just wants to hug him. Even though she hates her stepmother, he still loves his mom. Iris only ever cared about three things. Hailey’s father, Lucas, and drugs. Eventually, drugs were the only things she cared enough about, though.

“She’s not doing great,” Lex says. “Her problem seems to have gotten worse.”

“I’m sorry,” he says and looks at his feet. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay, buddy,” Colt says. “You can care about her.”

Cupping his face, Lex gently forces him to look up at her. “It’s okay to love her. No matter what, she’s your mom.”

“You’re my mom.”

“I know that heart of yours is big enough for the both of us. Trust me, I understand how it feels to have to love someone from a distance. You still love, you just aren’t there .”

The way he hugs her, seeing comfort he hasn’t gotten at home for years, reinforces Hailey’s decision. The one that has her feeling like she might throw up if she’d had anything to eat today.

“How you doing, Hailey?” Colt asks in his nonchalant way. “Do you need anything?”

Her eyes stare at the box as she sets it on the coffee table. The fear kicks in. What if they say no? What if they’ve changed their minds and decide I’m too big of a pain in the ass?

“What’s going on?” Colt asks and sits down in the recliner.

Lex moves to sit next to him on the arm of the chair, and Lucas sits on the couch. She has to admit it feels far less intimidating to have everyone looking at her with expectations while they’re sitting rather than standing.

“What happened… It forced me to re-evaluate things.”

“What does that mean?” Lex asks.

Glancing from the box to Lex, she finally meets her bright blue eyes. There’s a look of concern mixed with kindness Hailey doesn’t feel she deserves after the terrible way she’s treated everyone.

“When Mel and Gary took us, the person who popped into my head to help me was you, Colt. I was, in true Hailey fashion, going to try to get myself out of the mess, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t possible. For the first time in my life, I wanted my dad. I wanted you.”

His hand reaches out and takes hers. “I’m always here. Always.”

“You shot him for me. I asked you to, and you pulled the trigger like it was nothing. After the way I’ve acted, I didn’t deserve it, but—”

“Stop it,” Lex says. “Don’t think for once second you deserved anything less than your family to help you. Nothing you have gone through in your life has been deserved, and I know it’s why you’re so resistant to letting us in. Colt and I both understand that, but we’re still going to be here.”

Sniffling, she wipes her eyes with her free hand, liking the feel of Colt holding the other too much to release his grasp. “You never gave up on me.”

“And we never will,” he says. “You’re our difficult child.”

She laughs. “I know it’s kind of cheesy and totally lame now, but I was wondering if you’d still want to… adopt me? I know I’m eighteen and—”

“Yes,” Lex and Colt say together.

A breath of relief escapes. “I was so scared I’d never see any of you again.

All I wanted was to come home to my family.

With you guys. I wanted the happiness I never quite let myself feel because I was scared the moment I did, it would get ripped away.

I’m a little used to being disappointed in life. ”

“We’ve kind of noticed that,” Colt says, but he stands and pulls her up into his arms to hug her.

“I knew I could count on you when I needed you. I haven’t felt safe with many people for a while now, but that’s why I know I’d like to be a Nichols. Officially. If it’s okay with you.”

“You want to change your name?” Lucas asks.

Nodding, Hailey wipes her eyes. “I do. I get why you don’t, Luke, but if I ever get married, unless the guy has a terrible last name, I’m going to change mine anyway, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Lex says. “We told you from the very beginning that it changes nothing for us. As far as we’re concerned, we are your parents.”

“I know,” she says with a smile. “Neither of you has ever tried to replace my parents, and I think that’s why I want to do this. You loved me the way I would allow, and you never pushed. And you didn’t give up on me. I think my parents would have liked you guys.”

“Dad would have been so jealous of… Our first dad would have been so jealous of my new dad’s motorcycle,” Lucas says. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

Everyone laughs, and Colt nods. “I wish I could’ve met your dad, but I think he knows we’re going to take care of his kids for the rest of our lives.”

“I’ll call Lily and get the papers drawn up,” Lex says. “And I want you both to understand that it’s okay to talk about your parents with us.”

“It won’t make you upset if I talk about my mom?” Lucas asks. “I mean, she’s still alive.”

Placing a large hand on his shoulder, Colt smiles. “Lex is the best person to talk to about her. She knows how it feels to be hurt by your parents’ decisions.”

“Do I,” she mutters. “You both can talk to us about anything. And we will always be here.”

That they are. Hailey wants to kick herself for being so blind and stupid. Everything she’s ever wanted is right in front of her, but she was too scared to accept it.

Not anymore. I’m going to take the leaps of faith I’ve been too scared to take. Even if I fall on my face.