Reed really didn’t want me there, and he made that evident by his silence and refusal to make eye contact. This is what I’d wanted in the waiting room when he tried to talk to me, but somehow, that doesn’t make me feel any better about this.
I think I just got Riked.
Reed
“Well, that was nice and pleasant, wasn’t it, boys?” Laura claps her hands together, breaking the long silence of the awkwardness left after Hadley’s exit.
A purse on the chair catches my attention and I pick it up. “You all stay here till Monica comes back. Corey, I’ll be back tonight.” I leave the room without looking back and start looking for Hadley. I walk hallway after hallway, elevator after elevator in search of her. Finally, I spot her. Hadley’s fixed near the wall a little ways down from me.
As I get closer, I notice it’s the newborn baby part of the hospital, and Hadley isn’t looking at a wall, she is staring at the babies through a window. Slowly stepping toward her, I see she’s crying. It’s been fucking hard as shit these last couple of days not to come and see her, but that’s what Hadley needs and wants now, she needs to deal with her mom first before me. But fuck, I love her too much to let her cry by herself.
“You did always like babies.”
Hadley looks up at me and quickly wipes the tears off her face before turning back at the window. “What do you want, Reed?” Her voice comes out soft, but not in the good way. It’s depressing and…kinda like she’s given up, defeated. The scorching pain inside my chest grows deeper and deeper, threatening to blaze through me until there’s nothing left.
“You left your purse.” I hold it out but she pays me no mind. “I see that hasn’t changed. You remember that time you left it at the mall and—”
“Thanks for my purse, but I really don’t need a trip down memory lane with it.” She cuts me off before I can even finish my memory and takes it from my outstretched hand, flinching as my hand grazes over hers. I can’t believe this is where we stand now. Like two fucking strangers, and it kills me to know that I can’t hold her and wipe the tears away like I used to.
Hadley gets her phone out of her purse and mumbles something under her breath that I can’t hear. Then she leans her forehead against the glass and closes her eyes as more tears roll down her cheeks.
“Hads, what’s up?”
She wipes her face again and sniffles. “Nothing, it’s just been a shitty couple of weeks, and my dad can’t pick me up because some doctors want to do more tests on my mom.”
I want to ask more about what’s wrong with her mom since this is the closest to a conversation we have had, but I’m not pressing my fucking luck anymore. “I can take you home if you want.”
Hadley looks up and seems to be considering it, but then the darkness comes over her again. “I’m just going to call a cab. It’s only down the street anyway.”
She starts to walk away—I have to stop her. Being this close to her does funny things to me. I can’t let her leave, especially when she’s like this.
“Hadley, come on. If it’s not that far then what’s the fucking harm in me taking you?” I’ll fucking beg her if I have to.
She rolls her eyes and my dick automatically loves it. I used to always get turned on when she’d get feisty.
“Fine, it’s the Range Rover dealership. My car had to get serviced. You know where it is?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Thank you God! I would’ve gotten on my hands and knees if I had to, but I want to save that shit for the cold, rainy day when she asks why I left, when I beg for her forgiveness. After that, the next time she gets me on my knees, I’ll be between her legs, and then she’ll be the one begging.
We make it out of the hospital without saying one single word to each other, walking two feet apart in silence. It’s fucking uncomfortable as shit. As soon as we get to my car, Hadley stops moving and gasps, her eyes light up so fucking bright. “Oh God, Reed. I can’t believe you finally got it. You always talked about it. I just never thought…” Hadley gawks at my ‘69 cherry red Chevelle with an opened mouth, slowly taking everything in. “I just can’t…” She shakes her head, running her fingers over the hood.
We always talked about getting this car together. The Chevelle had always been my dream car. On our first date, we bonded over our love of them.
Her dad had one when she was younger, and Hadley always said it was one of her favorite memories with him. He would work on it, and she would help him out by handing him the tools he needed every Sunday for almost a year. Hadley had a ton of pictures in our apartment of her dad and her with the car. When she was ten, Matt took it out when he was back from college and totaled it. Her dad never got a chance to get another one and it crushed her. I promised her that when I made it, it would be the first purchase I made. The minute my first check cleared, I found a Chevelle the very next day, and then spent all of my free time for the first two years fixing her up for both of us, thinking maybe one day, I would show Hadley I did this. No matter what girl I “dated” throughout the years away, no girl had ever been allowed around, near, or in this car. It’s just for her, my fucking Hads.
“I promised you I would do it and I did.” I open the passenger side door for her and she slips in, shaking her head at me. As I walk over to my side, I can’t help but look inside the car and see Hadley grinning, trailing a hand over the dash. And before I reach the door handle, she crawls over the driver side to unlock it for me. I always open the doors for girls, but no one has ever done that for me, except her. I can’t help but smile to myself.
“I know you said it, but I just thought it would be like everything else you promised. You just wouldn’t do it or, hell, maybe forget about it.”
My face falls and I instantly feel like the biggest dick.
“Sorry, Reed. I just don’t have a filter anyone.” She can say anything to me as long as she is fucking speaking to me.
Hadley’s phone rings and she looks down to see who it is. Sighing, she answers it. “Hey, Bennett.” Pause. “Yes, I would have, but you were busy.” Hadley looks over at me, and then turns her head to the window. “I know, I just didn’t want to be an inconvenience to you.” Fucking d-bag couldn’t pick her up, some damn boyfriend he is. Keep playing it, asshole…I’ll have her with me before you can blink. “Just an old friend.” Another pause. “Yeah, I will call you when I get home, but I need to go over to my parents’ tonight so it will be late.” The inside of the car becomes more uncomfortable with each pause she makes. “Okay, I will be late, but I guess you can come over after.” And then the words that feel like a knife slicing through my chest, “Okay. Bye, baby.”
Hadley hangs up and looks over. “Sorry, some nurse told him I left and he was wondering who with.” I grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. Shit, she even calls him baby—this is fucking worse than I thought. I silently count to ten to calm myself before I kidnap her and force her to see what I feel.
Her phone rings again. She looks down and mumbles to herself, “Jesus, this never stops.”
“Hey, Matt… No, Matt… Yes, Matt.” She looks over at me while rolling her eyes at her brother. “Matt, I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’ll be at Mom and Dad’s in about an hour and we can talk then. ‘Kay?” She sighs and sags in her seat. “Yes, Matt, I still love you. Bye.”
Hadley lays her head against the seat and groans. “Do you ever wish, just once, that life came with a map to prepare you for it? Because sometimes it just fucking sucks.”
I inhale sharply, because she hit the fucking nail right on the head. “All the damn time, Hads. All the damn time. What did Matt want?”
Her expression is a mixture of grief and exhaustion—a strange sad face. “Nothing really, just shit with my mom has gotten bad and they aren’t sure how much longer she has because the cancer is spreading so fast. We are all going over there and having a family meeting.”
I squeeze her knee in comfort. “I wish there was something I could say to m
ake it better, but not a damn thing will and we both know that. Just know that I’m here for you, even if it means to go out and get you drunk.”
Hadley lets out a little laugh. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Not saying everything is going to be okay, or some other bullshit people say when they hear about my mom.”
I pull into the parking lot of the dealership and find a spot.
“Thanks for the ride, Reed.” Hadley doesn’t wait for me to say anything before getting out of my car, never once looking over her shoulder as she steps into the building.
“So she saw the car?” After I finally got back to the hospital, I needed a drink in the worst sort of way, so Laura, Lance, and Courtney took me out.
“Yes, Hadley saw it. Why does this interest you so much?”
Laura and Courtney look at each other and both look back at me.
Courtney’s face is filled with excitement and she flails her arms around. Fucking chicks. “That’s like The Notebook, but instead of a house, you built her a car.”
Lance shakes his head at her. It’s fucking weird as shit that they are what Hadley and I once were—all lovey dovey and shit now. I’m glad at least one of us is getting something more than the cold shoulder.
“Okay, really guys, do you not understand how big this is?” Courtney continues. “You built her dream car because you love her that much, just like the guy in the book, but he built a house or a room, or something—whatever it was, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is, you did it for her. This is some huge shit, like enormous. If I knew this earlier, I would have been on your side way before now.”
Lance moves his arm around Courtney kisses her forehead. “I think Reed and I are just going to have to take your word for that, because there’s nothing you can ever do to get me to watch that.”
Courtney giggles and whispers in his ear. I have officially seen enough of them.
I slide onto one of the stools at the bar and sip my beer. A minute later, the sound of a stool dragging across the floor breaks me out of my head, and when I turn, Laura is sitting next to me. “Why didn’t you ever tell me more about Hadley and you?”
I start to pick the label off my beer. Laura’s hurt I didn’t tell her more about us, but it’s my story to tell, my fuck up. “I don’t know. When you were hired, I just wanted to forget her. Then when we all moved here, I thought if I talked about her and the reason I’m here, it would jinx it.” Taking another sip of my beer, I turn away from the TV to face Laura. “When I met Hadley, she was so fucking pure. I mean, God, she was a virgin at nineteen. She had this light about her—always happy and whole. We would get in these fights and she wouldn’t even cuss. I think the worst thing she called me was a damn butthead. Hadley never knew how fucking beautiful she was, still doesn’t. She had the biggest heart and would do anything for anyone. She’d wake up every morning and make me these pancake things when I was training, no matter how late she stayed up the night before studying. She had this fucking strange obsession with Milk Duds and pumpkin anything…it wasn’t normal. She couldn’t sit on any couch without having a blanket wrapped around her, even if it’s a hundred degrees outside. Hell, the girl even put the toilet seat up after she used it for me. I mean, what girl does that shit? Damn, I haven’t thought about those things in fucking forever.” I rub my head as the memories flood my mind. “I loved her something fierce. I always thought she would stay that way, no matter what happened. I thought Hads would be better if I left. I didn’t deserve her then. God, I was so fucking broke—couldn’t rub two pennies together back then. I thought I made the best decision for us at the time. But fuck, looking into her eyes tonight, there’s a darkness to them I have never seen. The innocence of her is lost, and that shit right there is on me.” I point into my chest. It’s all on me.
Laura jerks the beer from my grasp. “Reed, grow some fucking balls. You have been acting like a pansy since we got here. I never thought I would miss Riker, but damn, I really think I do. You never let anything get to you—you take what you want and never take no for an answer. Maybe you can find a balance between the Reed you are now and the Riker in the cage to get her back.” Laura hops off the bar stool, kisses my cheek, and goes over to some other people, leaving me with my mind running on overload.
Chapter 12
Hadley
I’m standing in front of my floor length mirror, putting the final touches on my outfit for the gala, and I can’t help this feeling in the pit of my stomach. It’s been lodged there with every question Bennett has asked over the last few weeks. I manage to turn each question around on him, not knowing how to answer any of them. But Bennett is smart and knows what I’m doing, and it’s only a matter of time before he figures it all out, and how it involves Reed.
Bennett’s been acting so strange, even for him—not yelling, no snide comments, not acting so dominating, like the Bennett he was when we first started seeing each other, and it only makes my hatred for him grow with each passing minute spent together. I know that’s not him, he’s holding it in and I’m waiting for the glass to break. The eggshells I walk on every time I see him are there, more than ever, and I know I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t live with disgust at the hand I’ve played in our relationship, and tonight will be the last time I will.
When I went shopping for my dress, I had no clue what to buy. I knew I wanted something different, yet something classic at the same time, and per Bennett’s request, it had to cover me. The moment I saw the black lace dress outside my favorite boutique, I knew I had to have it.
And as I stand in front of my mirror and admire it on me, I know I’d made the right choice. The entire dress is lace with a nude underlay that gives the illusion nothing else is beneath it. And the best part is, it fits me like a glove and shows off every single one of my curves that I work so hard for. The lace starts at my neck and goes all the way down my arms. The back is open in an oval shape and hits right below my hipbones. The nude slip stops right at my knees, but the lace flows to the ground, perfect for showing off my new six-inch crimson Louboutins I got to wear with it.
I hook my gold and crimson Cartier dangle earrings through my ear when Bennett comes through my bedroom door wearing an all-black tux and a smile on his lips. He casually walks to me, eyes me with so much passion and lust that he could devour me right here, right now, but I feel nothing. He draws me to him, kissing me hard and intense on my lips.
“Hadley, baby, you look breathtaking.”
I fight the need to swipe my fingers over my lips, fight the bile that slowly rises from my stomach with every touch he drags over my body. I pull from his embrace and move into my walk-in to grab my shoes.
When I step out and adjust the bottom of my dress over my shoes, the face that seemed ready to devour me two minutes before, burns bright red with rage, ready to fight me.
“Bennett, what’s wrong?” I stand, staring at him while I wait for the answer, but he only glares at me with his pinched eyes and pursed lips.
He rushes toward me and thrusts me forcefully against the door.
“Bennett, that really hurts. Please stop.” I whine, knowing his grip will leave bruises.
He looks down at me with fire in his eyes and drops my arm. A sadistic smile covers the lower half of his face. It’s pure evil and sends a shiver of panic through me. I’ve never seen that amount of coldness in his eyes before. Something is off…something eerie has taken over him.
“Nothing is wrong, sweetheart. Your dress looks wonderful,” Bennett whispers in my ear, although it’s not convincing in the least. I swear, it hurts him to compliment any part of me. “I just got a little too excited seeing you like this. You know I don’t like sharing you, and with this dress, I am going to have to fight everyone off you tonight.” He says it with no apology in his voice, trailing a finger down the soft skin of my back as my insides suffocate.
I know if I stay, this will only get worse—this hot and cold demeanor of
his will build a tornado within me until it sucks me dry…drier than I already am.
“Come on, we should get going. You know how much I hate being late, and I’m sure your family is waiting for you by now,” he says in a calm, even tone.
I pick up my clutch on the bed and trail behind him.
The entire ride to the W hotel in Buckhead—where the Gala is being hosted—Bennett and I sit in uncomfortable silence. I ask a couple of questions, only to get one-word answers snapped back at me, the façade of the nice man in the bedroom gone once again. Only when we are about to get out does he finally speak to me. “Remember, tonight you belong to me.” Before I can protest, the door opens and photographers from some local magazines snap our picture.
After posing for a million photos outside, we finally make our way inside the hotel. Bennett pulls me toward a group of some of his closest business associates and starts a conversation with them, completely ignoring me—except for his possessive hand on the center of my back, not letting me forget I’m only here to be his trophy. That’s the last thing I want to be. Nothing is worse than a bunch of boring men talking about how big each other’s egos are.
I scan the room for an escape, and when a waiter makes it near, I grab a glass of champagne off his tray and drink it quickly. Tonight, there isn’t enough alcohol in this room to make anything about these people close to entertaining. The topic of their last time at the golf course together comes up, and finally, having enough, I take the chance to make my exit. I excuse myself quietly before Bennett can object and leave them to mingle on my own.
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