Page 37 of Fragile Hearts (Hibiscus Hearts #3)

It’s been a week or so since Sloane’s mom got arrested, and when I walk into the kitchen, Sloane is standing by the island, her phone in her hand and her eyes glued to the screen.

“Hey, everything okay?” I ask, dropping an arm around her shoulders as I press a kiss to her temple.

She turns to me, an easy smile on her face that is definitely more frequent these past few weeks. “Yeah, just got a text telling me that Jenna has left and is on her way to California.”

“How are you feeling about that?” I ask, squeezing her shoulder.

“Good,” she says with a nod, dropping her phone on the counter. “I’m not wasting any more time on her. That part of my life is officially over.”

I pull her into me so we are facing each other, circling my arms around her shoulders. “Good,” I say, giving her a quick kiss. “And I know I’ve said this before, but if you ever change your mind and want to go and see her, you know I’ll make it happen.”

Sloane smiles up at me as she presses up on her toes to kiss me again. “I know you will. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, babe,” I tell her.

She laughs, shaking her head at me. I know Sloane thinks I spoil her, but I don’t care. I would do anything for her, and that has nothing to do with her background or her family or whatever and everything to do with how much I love her.

“Cheeky,” I say, gripping her ass. She squeals, and just as I’m about to drag her back to our bedroom for some fun, she reminds me of why we can’t.

“Don’t we need to get going?”

I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling as I say, “Yeah, we do. You good to go?”

We head over to my parents’ house, and as we pull into the drive, I notice Sloane is suddenly quiet beside me. Glancing over, I reach for her hand, squeezing it gently as I say, “Babe, please tell me you aren’t nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” she says, shaking her head.

Chuckling, I lift her hand to my mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “You remember you have met my parents before, right?”

Sloane looks over at me, a look on her face that has me laughing as she says, “Yeah, but not at their house.” She turns back to the view out the window, the huge house that sits on a cliff overlooking the beach.

Even I can admit it’s an impressive house, but it’s still just a house. And Sloane has spent plenty of time with my parents and at two of their luxury hotels.

Shaking my head, I lean over and kiss her, my lips against hers as I murmur, “It’s just a house, babe. Come on.”

She blows out a breath as we both get out of the car, meeting in front. I sling my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as we walk toward the front door. I press a quick kiss to her temple before opening the door and walking in.

“We’re here!” I shout, closing the door behind me.

My parents’ dog, a three-legged rescue, comes running at the sound of my voice, and I practically feel Sloane relax beside me as her face lights up and she drops to a crouch in front of him.

“Hey, Tripod,” I say, leaning down to give him a pat.

“Owen, don’t call him that!” Sloane says, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close, the crazy mutt wriggling with happiness as he tries to lick her.

Laughing, I drop a kiss to her head as I say, “Why not? It’s his name.”

“Seriously?” she asks, glancing up at me.

“Yes, seriously, I chose it,” I say, giving her a wink. “And he’s not the only tripod in the family, is he?” I add, cupping my junk as I hit her with a grin.

“Oh my god,” she mutters, and I laugh again as my mom walks into the entry.

“There you are,” she says, smiling as she walks straight to Sloane and pulls her into a hug, smiling at me over Sloane’s shoulder, even as I roll my eyes at her clear favoritism.

Sloane returns the hug as she says, “Hey, Sally.”

Mom eventually lets her go, turning to me and giving me a quick once-over as she says, “Hmm, wearing a shirt for a change, good to see.”

I roll my eyes again as Sloane laughs, and I lean in to give Mom a kiss on the cheek. “I can take it off if you want?”

“No,” Mom replies with a smile before hooking her arm through Sloane’s and leading her back toward the kitchen, the two of them chatting easily, as though they’ve known each other for years.

I seriously love how much my family has embraced Sloane.

Not that I thought they wouldn’t, given they’ve known her for a year already, but it’s different with her.

Even before we got together, I know my mom always tried to help Sloane as much as she could.

Something I’m sure Sloane doesn’t even realize.

“Are you joining us?” Mom calls, looking back over her shoulder at me.

“Yeah, Ma,” I reply, following after them.

We spend a couple of hours at my parents’ place, hanging out and having lunch. My sister and Zach also come over, and she fills us all in on how the hotel on Lanai is going now that it’s been open for a couple of weeks.

It’s easy and chill, and by the time we decide to head home, I can tell Sloane is not even close to being nervous anymore.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Mom says as she hugs Sloane goodbye.

I laugh. “Oh my god, Ma, you see her at work every time she has a shift.”

Mom hits me with a look as she says, “Yes, and that’s work. I’d also like to see her outside of it. Regularly, in fact.”

“I’d like that too,” Sloane says quietly, smiling at Mom.

“Good,” Mom says with a nod as she glances at me again, a knowing look on her face, and beside her, Cara laughs, waggling her ring finger and the huge diamond solitaire that Zach gave her at me.

“Jesus,” I mutter, reaching for Sloane as I discreetly flip my sister off. “Come on, babe, let’s go.”

We head home, but as we pull into the drive, I see Miles sitting on the front porch. “Hey, everything okay?” I ask as we get out of the car.

He nods, glancing at Sloane as he says, “Hey, Sloane.”

“Hey,” she replies, shooting me a questioning look.

“Dude, you okay?” I ask again while we make our way to the front door, Sloane taking the keys from me before she disappears inside, leaving us to chat.

“Yeah, no,” he says, blowing out a breath as he shoves a hand through his hair.

“What’s up?” I ask as I gesture for him to head inside, following behind as we head toward the kitchen. Sloane offers a quick smile as she takes Mochi outside, closing the doors to the back deck behind her to give us some privacy.

“I think...” Miles starts, scrubbing his hand over his jaw. “I think I...” He trails off, and I can’t figure out if he’s nervous or just doesn’t know how to say whatever it is he’s come over here to say.

I grab us both beers from the fridge, twisting off the cap as I hand him one and say, “You want her back?”

Miles takes the beer, taking a long pull, draining half the liquid in one go as he looks at me and nods. “Yeah,” he eventually says, the word low. “I never wanted to let her go, Owen.”

I smile, stepping toward my best friend, a guy I’ve known for most of my life. Putting a hand on his shoulder, I say, “I know, dude.”

This is the first time since they broke up that Miles has admitted he wants Daisy back, something I think we all knew anyway without him ever having to say it. And maybe that’s partly why he’s here, because he watched me wait for Sloane, win her over, and he wants to do the same with Daze.

And even though I don’t know the real reasons they ever broke up in the first place or why the fuck she hooked up with Isaac, I do know that she and Miles belong together. And that I would do anything to help my friends find their way back to each other.

“What do you need from me?” I ask.

Miles finishes off his beer, holding the bottle up as he says, “Couple more of these?”

Chuckling, I grab us both another, handing him a fresh one as I say, “Come on, let’s go chat outside and come up with a plan.”

I walk over to the doors, waiting for Miles to join me before I open them wide and we step outside to find Sloane and Daisy sitting together on the deck, Mochi sitting between them. They are both clearly deep in conversation. A conversation that stops the second we walk outside.

I glance at Sloane, who gives me a small smile and a knowing look, before I turn to Daisy, who’s staring at Miles.

“Miles?” she says, a surprised look on her face.

Miles freezes beside me, a look on his face that’s half shock and half wonder as he says, “Hey, Daze.”

In the end, Sloane and I spend at least two hours talking with Miles and Daisy.

Miles and I on the front porch, Sloane and Daisy on the back deck because it’s clear they still need space from each other.

Miles and I talked things out though, and while I still don’t know the reasons for their breakup, Miles can at least acknowledge that he needs to tell Daisy he wants her back.

“How’s Miles?” Sloane asks, her warm body curled around mine in the bed we now share.

“A mess. How about Daisy?”

“Same, but she’s not ready to…” Sloane trails off, her words lost in the silence of the room. “I still have hope for them. If we can make it.”

She looks up at me with her ocean-blue eyes.

Eyes that drew me in the first day I met her, and my chest aches with just how beautiful she is.

Her hand is resting on my cheek, her gorgeous lips pursed, like she’s deep in thought.

It’s a look that I know well, her thoughts swirling, always concerned about everyone else.

It’s a beautiful thing, her empathy, her love for everything, and the growth she’s made.

I still can’t believe she’s mine. That I get to kiss her, touch her whenever I want, and I think about all that time I spent waiting.

She was so fucking worth it.

I’d wait a million lifetimes if I knew this is where we’d end up.

She smiles now, loose and sweet as her eyes fall closed, a calm washing over her that I never thought I’d see on her face.

“What are you thinking about?” she asks me, her breath grazing over my skin.

Gently, my fingers trace her bare skin, loving the feel of the goosebumps that dot her skin with my touch.

Her lips press against my chest, lingering over my beating heart, a heart that is completely and entirely hers and always will be.

Tilting her chin up so she’s looking at me, I capture her lips in the darkness of the night in a kiss that says everything I feel for her, everything I’ve always felt for her.

“God, I’ve got it so fucking bad for you,” I hum, my words filled with promise and love, and I pull her closer, our bodies nearly becoming one.

“You will always be my better half, and I will spend forever being grateful for that,” she whispers back, and I tuck a few strands of her blonde hair behind her ear.

“I love you, Sloane.”

“I love you, Owen.”