Broken

by Teigen Harper

  “Thank fuck, the favorite son returns,” Lucas calls when he spots us coming around the corner that leads to the kitchen.

  Hayley

  Immediately, I recognize Stef. How could I not? Her legs look as if they go on forever. Her blonde hair is cascading down her back, and she has the same color eyes that Logan has. A bright, crystal blue.

  When she sees me, her eyes widen, and she barrels forward. I’m worried she’s going to fall. Her lilac skirt is super tight and those heels she’s wearing, well, I don’t know how the hell anyone can walk in those, let alone run.

  Logan chuckles and drops my hand, and then I’m almost bowled over. “Oh, my God, I can’t believe I am finally getting to meet you.” Her grip on me is tight.

  “I know. Thank you for coming. I think the boys needed back-up,” I whisper.

  She pulls back and sets her gaze on me. “They don’t need me anymore. They have you. And you, my friend, have been the only other person that has ever been able to tame those two butt heads,” she laughs. “So, I know you’re on break soon, and I know the boys are coming to New York in a couple of weeks, will you be joining them?” she’s pouting. How does this family do it? Every single one of them is gorgeous. They could pull the most horrible faces, and yet, they’d still be hot as hell.

  I shake my head, disappointed. “My dad’s coming home that weekend, and I haven’t seen him in months. Hopefully, next trip. I’m sorry, Stef. I do want to go, but it’s always something that gets in my way.” I want to see my father, but at the same time, I don’t. For months, it’s just me, me with no rules, but then he comes home trying to act like a father. He isn’t one, and as much as I try to hold my feelings back, sometimes they seep through, and I tell him how I feel, and then I’m ‘punished’ until he leaves again. It’s been the same routine since I turned sixteen.

  For two whole years, I’ve been raising myself. Sure, in Vegas we had live-in sitters, but since being here in OC, nothing. I haven’t had a single ‘adult’ to seek guidance from except Logan’s father. Sure, Thomas is away a lot, but he’s easy to talk to. He told me just last month when he called to check up on me, that he would boot Celeste out of the house so that I could move in, but I declined. Who the hell am I to ruin a family?

  I should have known the divorce was coming after that comment, but I never told Logan what he’d said. Maybe the boys won’t need to leave the house at all. Maybe it will be Celeste who does?

  “Your dad sounds like a dick,” Stef says, her face serious.

  I nod. “He can be.”

  “Is that my future daughter-

  in-law I can hear?” My body stiffens. I hate it when Thomas calls me that. I always feel it could be the thing that will scare Logan off.

  “Yes, it is. She’s in the kitchen,” Logan laughs.

  Admittedly, I feel somewhat relieved, but I’m still embarrassed, which my beloved boyfriend notices and comes over to me. He grabs the hem of my shirt, pulling me closer, “Not going anywhere, remember?” I nod. “If it were up to me, you would already be his daughter-in-law.”

  My eyes widen and my stomach drops, I think I’m going to be sick. Does he want to marry me? “What?” I manage.

  He tilts his head, his eyes on mine, “I’ll explain later. Will you be okay waiting to hear what I have to tell you?” I shake my head. “Tough,” he chuckles, “Because your number one fan is coming up behind you.”

  It takes a moment for my brain to click to what he’s saying and before I have a chance to turn around, Thomas has his arms around my waist, lifting me up. “How are you, my love?” he laughs.

  “Put me down, and I’ll tell you,” I choke out.

  He lowers me until my feet are on the ground and I spin around to face him. Those damn genetics. Thomas is Logan in twenty years. They have the same jawline. The same hair color and even the same dimples when they smile. “So, I hear you are the reason we have all congregated here this morning?”

  Moving back, I grab one of the stools that are still in one piece and take a seat on the island. “Yep. I couldn’t do anything.” I shrug. “She’s turned their,” Lucas had walked in the room while his father was swinging me around like an idiot, so I point in his and Logan’s directions, “fucking lives upside down. I was convinced that she was causing drama just to keep your son and me apart. Sober, she likes me, drunk, I’m the slut that took her son from her. Rarely do I come here anymore, Thom. She’s horrid when she’s had too much.”

  He nods in agreement, and

  he then shifts into serious mode. “The offer is still there. Okay?”

  He’s so sweet. Even my own father doesn’t love or care for me the way Thom does. “I know, and thank you. I’ll keep it in mind, but I would like to see how this morning pans out.” Suddenly, the doorbell sounds.

  I stand, then give Thom a quick hug and go to answer the door.

  “What was the offer?” I hear

  Logan ask, curiosity thick in his voice.

  “She’ll tell you later. Don’t worry, it will benefit the pair of you,” Thom assures him.

  When I open the door, immediately I recognize the woman standing before me from her image on the website. “Carol, thank you so much for coming, I’m Hayley.” I open the door a little wider for her to enter. She’s not all that tall and her hair is a chestnut brown and is very short. She looks to be in her fifties, but I can also tell that she’s drained. I’m hoping it doesn’t have to do with Celeste. But Carol must find it hard to have a job like this. I don’t think I’d be able to keep my own emotions at bay if I had to deal with broken family’s day in and day out.

  “Good to meet you, Hayley.” She comes in and stops beside me. “Is the family all here? The station called and said that Celeste would be released within the hour.”

  “Everyone’s in the kitchen. As you can see,” I point in the direction of the destroyed living room, “the family is in desperate need of help.”

  Her eyes widen just a fraction. “Is there somewhere else we can go? The kitchen is a little impersonal. We need her calm and not feeling threatened, or it won’t go to plan.”

  I have to think for a moment, “Thom,” I call.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can we use your den?”

  He comes around the corner and walks over to us. “Hi, I’m Thomas. Celeste’s husband.” He reaches for her hand, and she shakes it.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Carol. I just wanted somewhere to sit that won’t make your wife feel threatened. The kitchen won’t do.”

  “What about the sitting room, just off Logan’s room? The den is too small.”

  “Perfect,” Carol agrees.

  “Thom, can you show her where to go and I’ll gather that lot in there?” I want to see if Logan’s okay before we head up. He gives me a look that tells me he knows why I want him to be the one to take Carol upstairs.

  “No problem. Go check on him,” he assures me.

  While he takes Carol to the sitting room, I make my way back to the kitchen. Lucas is sitting on the island, while Logan and Stef are on the stools in front of him. “Hey, what are we doing?” Lucas asks, and when he does, Logan’s gaze shifts to me, and he sits up a little straighter.

  “Upstairs sitting room. Let’s go.” All of them stand and move towards me. “Except you,” I point to Logan. “You, I want a minute with.” He comes to a standstill in front of me.

  “Hurry up, and no sex,” Lucas calls, and we ignore him, our eyes are locked.

  I move closer, closing the gap between us and as I do, I run my hands up his chest, and I cup them at the base of his neck. “You okay?” I ask as I lean in and press a kiss to his lips.

  He gives me a half-smile. “I will be. I hate not knowing what’s going to happen.” His hands grip my hips, and he brings me even closer. “Whatever happens up there, please know that I love you, even if Celeste doesn’t.”

  “I know that.” I give him another kiss. “Come on, babe, let’s get prepared.”

&n
bsp; Literally, I have to drag him up the stairs. When we arrive in the large sitting room, I see that Carol is on the single-seater sofa. Thom is sharing one of the lounges with Lucas, while Stef sits alone on another couch. Moving to the couch, I drop down beside her, and Logan takes the vacant spot beside me.

  The moment we’re comfortable, Carol goes on to explain what may occur once Celeste arrives back at the house. “Anger, guilt, frustration, betrayal, and sadness will only be the beginning. She will try and use your connections with her to get out of seeking treatment. She’ll promise you she’ll seek help on her own, but in my experience, they never do. I was a drug addict for many years. I wasn’t just trained to do this job. I’ve lived it. I was a person that made promises to keep people happy, but then I’d go and steal something to get drug money later that night.”

  At that moment, I hear the

  front door slam. My stomach twists and Logan takes my hand. I know I’ll be the first to receive a berating from her and I’m already bracing myself for it.

  “I think you should get her Stef. She’ll come with you,” Carol suggests.

  I know Stef’s pissed, but she is the only one that will be able to get her mother up here. It’s been so long since the two exchanged words, let alone been the same room together. She’s our only hope at getting Celeste to listen.

  Before she stands, she leans in and kisses my cheek. “Don’t let her get to you.” I nod in agreement before she stands and moves towards the staircase.

  Logan lets go of my hand, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him, protecting me. “Love you,” he’s making sure I know it.

  “Oh, my God, why are you here, Stefanie?” I hear Celeste squeal, but she still sounds drunk. How fucking much did she have to drink before being arrested? I’d hoped being in the drunk tank for the night would have sobered her up, but because it didn’t, I know for a fact that she will try and attack me. Fucking hell. This is going to be far worse than I anticipated.

  “Just come up.” Poor Stef, she’s really trying to keep her shit together.

  Not one minute later, I see a pissed off Stef come around the corner, and a second later, I spot the devil that is Celeste.

  “Why are you here?” she repeats to Stef, and as she does, she looks around the room. “Thomas, what are you doing here?” she seethes. It’s so wrong that she’s still so beautiful even after spending the night in the drunk tank, but Stef is her mirror image, tall, leggy and beautiful.

  “Just sit down,” she orders her mother.

  As Celeste takes a couple of more steps, she looks around the room, and then she spots me. Immediately, her eyes darken with fury, “You, you don’t belong here, you’re no family of mine,” she spits as she stabs her index finger in my direction.

  Logan’s grip on me tightens. “Fuck, she hasn’t done anything against you, so shut the fuck up and listen,” he’s pissed. He just needs to hold it together for a bit longer.

  Celeste continues to move until she’s standing directly in front of us, and I shift my focus. I knew this would happen. I love Logan, but at the same time, I don’t need this shit, so I decide to stand up for myself. I stand up until I’m almost in her face. “You’ve fucked your family over for the last time. Pull your fucking shit together before you end up alone. I’ve had to stop you from beating the shit out of your son because he won’t hit a woman. At least someone taught him morals,” I look to Thom who nods, permitting me to continue. “You destroyed the house, your family’s house, but you don’t give a fuck, do you? No, no you don’t. Why would you? You just throwback another bottle of whatever you're drinking that day and you don’t give a flying fuck who you hurt in that time.” I have to take a breath. “Your daughter moved to the other side of the country because of you.”

  The bitch snickers, “What would you know about family? Your own parents don’t even want to have anything to do with you. You fuck my son, that’s why he hangs around you. Stop putting out whore, and you’ll see that I’m right. No one wants you. No,” and then she’s yanked back. Logan has her by the arms, and he looks like he might just finish her off.

  “This isn’t helping. I’ll go downstairs. Deal with her,” I tell Logan.

  “Are you sure?” he’s worried I believe her. Unfortunately, part of me does. I’m already exhausted, and I nod in return as he continues to hold his mother back. I turn away and begin to walk towards the stairs.

  “Good, fuck off, whore,” I hear Celeste spit.

  I turn again just in time to see him push her into the seat I was just in. I continue towards the stairs, but before I can descend, Lucas catches me. “Hey, you okay?” I don’t like it when he’s serious. It doesn’t suit him, at all.

  “I’ll be okay. Can I take your

  car? I’m going home.”

  He pulls me in for a hug. “Keys are on the hall table. Make sure you have your phone, okay?”

  I nod, “Okay, but don’t tell Logan I’ve left until this shit is sorted. He doesn’t need to be worrying about me.” I’m close to crying, but I have to get out of here first.

  “Hey, don’t let her get to you. She’s more fucked up than all of us combined,” he says as he pulls me in for

  one last hug.

  “Go back in there. They need you.” I peck his cheek and then race down the stairs, grabbing his keys off the table and leave the house. I climb into Lucas’s Chevrolet Silverado, turn the key, and get the hell out of there.

  Driving always manages to help clear my head, but today, it’s doing jack shit. I want to scream because Celeste was right and that’s what’s gotten to me the most. My family doesn’t love me, if they did, they’d be here, with me. Instead, they traipse the world, without me.

  WHEN MY EMOTIONS BECOME too much to handle, I pull into the parking lot at a park, shut off the engine, close my eyes and rest my feet up on the dash. While I cry, my phone rings. I pick it up and see that it’s Logan. I can’t answer because I can’t talk. My sobs have taken over my body. I drop the phone again, and a moment later I hear a ding.

  Logan: Where are you?

  I try to text him back, but my chest is heaving, and my heart is full of despair.

  Logan: Where are you? Please answer, baby.

  Me: I’m fine.

  That’s the best I can do for the moment.

  He tries calling again, so I press accept and put him on speaker. “Where are you?”

  “I don’t know where I am. I started driving,

  and then I pulled into a park,” I sob. While I wipe away my tears, I tell him, “You need to focus on your family, don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

  “You are my family, babe,” he whispers.

  “I’ll go home soon. I just need some time.”

  “Let me come to you. I’ll bring Lucas. He can drive the car back.”

  “No, I can’t have you always saving me, I need to work through this. I’ve got to go. I love you.” I hang up and switch off the phone.

  After throwing it onto the passenger side seat, I shift back and closed my eyes. I’m so tired and worn out that I fall asleep.

  MY HEART ALMOST JUMPED out

  of my chest when there was a tap on the driver-side window. Immediately, I was on alert until I looked up and saw those very familiar sparkling blue eyes looking down at me. I flicked the button and unlocked the doors. “How did you find me?” I ask as he opens the door. My throat is dry, and my head is pounding from crying.

  “We started checking parks, eleven later and here we are.”

  Fuck, I feel horrible. “You need to be with the others. Not me,” I tell him as I rest my head back against the seat and as I do, the passenger door opens, and Lucas slides in, his arm comes around me, and I rest my heavy head on his shoulder. “Wanna get drunk?”

  My chest moves with my chuckle. “I really do.” I need to lose myself for a little while. Be carefree, even if it is only for a few hours. It will have to do.

  “Good. I filled his trunk with booze before
leaving the house,” he points towards Logan. “Your place?” he asks.

  Before I can answer, Logan says, “Come on, baby. Let’s go home.” His hand reaches for mine, and I take it. As much as I want him to forget about me and be with his father and siblings, I know I need him too.

  Once we’re in his car and on the road, Logan tries to get answers out of me, but I don’t want to talk about any of the shit that went down that morning. “Please, can we just be? I can’t talk about it. I’m tired, and I can’t think about my family, let alone talk about them, babe.”

  His grip on my hand tightens. “Whatever you want.”

  WITHIN TWO MINUTES of arriving back at my house, Lucas had a Bourbon and Coke ready for me, and I skull it. “Another,” I order as I slide the glass to him. He fills it, slides it back, and I again finish it in one guzzle.

  “Another.” By the fourth drink, I feel my body begin to relax.

  Logan’s on the stool beside me, and his arm snaked around my waist. “You okay?”

  I nod. “Yep. Or I will be, I don’t know.” What Celeste said to me hurt, it hurt bad, but I need to push through. I don’t have the lovely parents that want to be with their child, and I need to get used to it because it’s never going to change.

  Lucas rests his forearms on the counter, his eyes on mine.

  “Don’t let what she said to get to you.”

  My breath catches. “It’s true, though. She wasn’t lying. She was stating a fact.” Fuck, the tears are back, and I reach up and wipe them away with the backs of my hands.

  “You really think I’m only with you for sex?” Logan’s arm drops from my waist. He sounds hurt.

  My gaze meets his. “No, that’s not what I agreed with. She wasn’t lying about my family. You, I know is with me because you want to be,” I see his shoulders slump with relief, his hand moves to my waist again. “What she was right about was that if my parents loved me, then maybe they would be here.” I shift my gaze to Lucas. “Another.”