by Bailey B
“I’ll be home in five minutes.” I hang up before mom can protest or threaten to leave without me. I straighten Danika’s comforter so her dad will never know I was here and grab my bottle off the floor.
***
We sit in the ICU waiting room—Me, Cooper, Rex, and Mom—anxiously waiting for someone to give us an update on how Piper is doing. My hands shake. The everyday darkness that I fight is heavier today. Hurts more today. I need a drink to lift the veil and find the light, but I don’t want to leave and miss anything.
After hours of waiting, a tiny woman covered in blood pushes through the double doors “Lovelace family?”
We all stand, but mom is the first to speak. “It’s Harris, but that’s us.”
Cooper takes mom’s hand. She’s a mess both physically and emotionally. Between her unkempt appearance, Cooper in shorts and a scrub top and Rex’s rust stained attire, we must be a sight to see.
“I’m Dr. Roe,” the woman says. “The bullet lodged itself into Piper’s shoulder blade, but we were able to remove it and fix the artery it nicked.”
I let out a breath of relief for Piper, but my head spins. I walk back to the chair I had claimed as my own and sit again. My stomach twists, probably because I haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday. I’m struggling to keep myself together when I hear it. Coma. Piper is in a coma.
Holy. Fuck.
I stand and rush to the bathroom. I push open a stall door and heave a mixture of stomach acid and vodka into the toilet. When everything’s out, I lean back against the stall door and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. My phone falls out of my pocket. I stare at it a moment, tempted to send another text message that will probably be ignored. Fuck it. What’s one more?
Me: The sky was clear last night. The moon was large too. Beautiful.
What am I doing? Danika doesn’t care about the moon. Hell, she probably doesn’t realize that last night was prom at the Horizon Hotel or how similar the sky was to Homecoming night.
Me: You know that guy, Rex, Piper started dating? He took her to prom last night.
I need to stop doing this. Texting Danika like we’re still friends. She never responds but she also hasn’t blocked my number which gives me hope that she reads them. That she misses me. And that she might come back.
Me: Anyway, I don’t know how it happened, but someone shot her last night.
Danika: Is she okay?
The air sticks in my lungs. I bring the screen closer to my face, making sure I’m not imagining this. Three months. Three long months of being ignored and finally, finally, I get a response.
Me: I don’t know. The doctor said she’s in a coma or some shit.
Danika’s response is instant and I take the easiest breath I’ve taken in months. She may be miles away but the same relief as having her in my arms washes over me.
Danika: OMG. Logan. Are you okay?
Me: Not really.
Me: I miss you.
Three tiny dots appear under the chat feed and disappear a dozen times. I shouldn’t have said that. I drop the phone in my lap and pull at my roots. She’s probably going to ghost me again.
Danika: 24 hours. I’m giving you 24 hours but you can’t talk about us.
Danika: I’m serious. The second you do I’m done.
Me: I’ll take what I can get.
Me: Can we FaceTime?
Danika: No. This is hard enough Logan. If I see you, I’ll cave and come home.
The corner of my lips lift. I can’t remember the last time I smiled and it wasn’t forced. Danika still has feelings for me. If she has feelings then I have a chance. I don’t care how long it takes or what I have to do, I’m going to win her back.
Me: Okay.
Sneak Peek at I Love You, I Hate You Part 2
Danika
Present Day
I pull my powder puff pink suitcase out of the hallway closet and set it on my bed. I can't believe I'm flying home tomorrow. Florida was the worst experience of my life, and I only lived there for one year—less than a year really. My senior year of high school was supposed to be a fresh start. A way to move past everything that had happened with my mom, my ex, and the girls I used to call friends. Instead, it was derailed by one selfish jerk, Logan Harris. A selfish jerk I was stupid enough to fall in love with.
My phone sings a familiar tune, letting me know I have a FaceTime call. Sarah Archer, my best friend in the world, pops onto the screen. She stayed with me the past three years, even if it was mostly through Facetime and text messages. She and Nona were my rocks when I needed them the most. Unlike someone else I know.
"Hey Hey!" Sarah smiles brightly.
"Sup, Lady?" I walk to my bedroom closet and begin trying to figure out what to bring. Summer in Florida is hot, way hotter than the Georgia weather I’ve grown accustomed to. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to run around in the hoochie-coochie shorts buried in the bottom drawer of my dresser.
"I'm so excited you're finally coming home!" Sarah squeals. The screen wobbles from her excited jumps and I can’t help but laugh. "Three years is too long. So much has changed since you left."
I roll my eyes. Sarah never lost her flare for the dramatics, an unfortunate side effect of her other high school friends. "You were just here at Christmas."
"I know, but that's not the same as you coming back,” she insists, using the reflective image as a mirror for her makeup. “Are you bringing Molly?"
I pull a couple of dresses from the closet and walk over to my bed. I take them off the hanger, fold them neatly and set them in my suitcase. I toy with the idea of bringing a bathing suit, but quickly change my mind. Being around Logan fully clothed is going to be hard enough. I’ve seen his Facebook picture, stalked his social media. Poolside, half naked where he will be showing off his toned body sounds disastrous. Nope…best to avoid that situation altogether. Besides, the last thing I need is for him to see my scars and start asking questions.
I walk into the hallway and peer into my second bedroom. The light is off, the room dark except for the glowing stars on the ceiling. I close the door so our conversation doesn’t wake my sleeping beauty. "Hells to the no. She’s staying with Nona. And trust me, if there were any other option, I wouldn't come back at all. I still can't believe Dad's marrying Mamma T."
I have a lot of problems with this wedding. First of all, I didn't know my dad was dating someone, let alone planning on getting married. I found out about their nuptials when I got the invitation in the mail two weeks ago which was promptly followed by a call telling me that I’m in the damn thing.
If that wasn't bad enough, Mamma T—the bride—is Logan's mother. So, not only am I forced to attend a wedding I had no idea about, but I have to spend three days with the man who single handedly turned my life upside down. The same man who is about to be my step-brother. Fuck. My. Life.
"Walter and Tessa are so cute together. He hangs around the Red Onion more often than not, helping out, sneaking kisses when they think no one's watching." Sarah giggles. She's practically swooning through the phone. Over my dad. Gross.
I pretend to stick my finger down my throat and gag. "When did Mamma T start going by Tessa?"
I don't actually care, but I'd rather talk about Mamma T, I mean Tessa, than my dad’s love life. Sarah shrugs. "I don't know, maybe a year or so ago. So, listen, Logan—"
"Gotta go, Sarah. I've got an early flight and have to finish packing. Can’t wait to see you. Love you, bye!" I hit the end button before she can say anymore. It's bad enough I have to see Logan face to face tomorrow, I damn sure don't want to hear about him.
I tried being friends. Tried being civil after I left, but texting was never enough and I refused to give him more. Leaving Logan was the hardest decision of my life, but it had to be done. I deserved better than a man who would push me away anytime things got hard. Kids are hard, and our daughter deserved better.
I finish packing and take a quick shower. I run a razor over my
legs, eliminating yesterday's stubble simply because I want to look good. For myself, not him. Never for him anymore. After blow drying my hair I slip into my pajamas and attempt to sleep. I'm nervous. Every memory I’ve suppressed comes into focus. I spent almost four years trying to move past it all. And now I've got to play nice and pretend like nothing happened.
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Also by Bailey B
Beautifully Broken
An Amazon top 100 Best Seller in Contemporary Romance
Piper
Most people don’t think about the day they’ll die. They coast through life, blissfully unaware of how their time is ticking away. I wasn’t like most people. I welcomed death, wanted her to take me away from the prison I called life, but she refused. I tried twice only to survive. And then, when I thought I had nothing left it came.
A reason to live.
Rex was a small, unexpected ray of light my world of darkness that blossomed into a beam of sunshine. I thought, maybe this was why Death didn’t take me. Maybe she knew that if I held on a little longer things would turn around. But the third time Death came to my door wasn’t by choice. Someone else brought her, and I fear this time she might take me.
Rex
Being the son of a country star sucks. My parents are never around, I move every year or so, and I have no real friends. Everyone around me has an agenda. Everyone except Piper Lovelace. I can’t get that girl to notice me. Trust me I’ve tried.
Thankfully, fate stepped in and gave me the break I needed. I’ve got her attention, now I need her to give me a chance.
Acknowledgments
I want to start by saying thank you to my family. Writing a book takes sacrifice and sometimes my mom guilt eats at me that I’m not doing enough with my kids. So thank you to my husband for pushing me to write and to my kids for reminding me every day just how loved I am.
Thank you to my Mom for believing in me and helping me through the first stages of this book. It challenged me more than you know but I’m glad I kept it split the way it is.
A super big thank you to Melissa for helping me polish this beauty to near perfection.
A monstrous shout out and thank you to my PA Shantel for taking me on two weeks before the release date and helping me get my life together.
Thank you to my amazing ARC team! You guys are the best. Thank you to all of my friends at Bailey B’s Besties. I have fun hanging out with you guys not quite daily but more than I do anyone else outside of the house.
Thank you to the bloggers.
Lastly, I want to say a huge thank you to you, the reader. Without you, there would be no book.
If you enjoyed IHYILY Part 1 and have the time, please leave your reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub if possible. Reviews are the lifeblood of a book and without you it would pretty much die.
Xoxo
-Bailey
About the Author
Bailey B is an up and coming New Adult author. She lives in Lehigh Acres, Florida with her husband, twin girls, and two fur babies. She enjoys (but doesn’t get to take part in because of her crazy daughter) the simple things like Disney + binge watching, Netflix romcoms, reading, and sleeping past 6:30. She tries to read at least two books a week and thinks if narwhal’s are real animals then unicorns might be too.
Playlist
AJ Mitchell- Slow Dance
Chord Overstreet- Hold On
Blink 182- I miss you
Dan and Shay-1000 hours
Machine Gun Kelley- I Think I’m Okay
Public- Make You Mine
Why Don’t We- What Am I
One Direction- Perfect
Sam Feldt- Post Malone
HRVY- Because of You (Acoustic gospel)
Contents
Let’s Keep In Touch
A note from the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Epilogue
Sneak Peek at I Love You, I Hate You Part 2
Want More?
Also by Bailey B
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Playlist
