Page 66 of Stay

“Don’t bother. Send us cash.”

“I can just pay it online.”

“Why? Don’t you trust me to pay with cash?” her mother huffs. “You’re unbelievable, Haley. So hurtful. After all we’ve done for you, this is how you act? College has made you a snobby little bitch.”

“Mom.” Anger laces her voice, but so does hurt.

Enough of this bullshit. I snag the phone from her and say, “Hi Mrs. Davis. It’s Cole.”

“Oh!” Her tone changes completely. “Hi, Cole. Happy Thanksgiving.”

It takes everything in me to not tell her to shove a turkey leg up her ass. “Have a good night.” I hang up and turn the cell off.

Haley cups her mouth as she stares at me, wide-eyed. “I can’t believe you just hung up on her.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t.” Shit, I shouldn’t have said that. Everyone handles their parents differently and clearly Haley’s piece of shit family walks all over her. “Your mom is an asshole.”

A little laugh bubbles out of her. “That’s being too kind.” She nestles against my arms, tucking in tight to me. “I’m sure she’s having an aneurism right now.”

Does it make me a bad person to hope that’s true? “You don’t deserve to be treated like that, Hales.”

She’s quiet against me.

“As long as I’m here, I’m not going to let anyone disrespect you, Angel.”

Her arm curls tighter around my middle. “Thank you,” she whispers. “But I think I need to learn how to do this for myself. You aren’t always going to be able to stick up for me.”

My heart drops. “I could be,” I say cautiously. “If you wanted me to be.”

It’s the closest I’ve come to telling Haley I love her. I don’t know why I can’t seem to get the words out yet.

“No.” She then gives me the exact reason I keep holding back on telling her how I feel. “You have big things going for you, Cole. I’m not about to be the baggage that weighs you down.”

“You’re not baggage, Haley.”

She doesn’t say anything for a minute. We hold each other in the dark and I start questioning all my life choices because when I have her in my arms like this, nothing else matters.

“I’d give anything to have what you have, Cole.” She runs her fingertips along my pecs. “Your parents love you so much. Your whole ass family is perfection.”

“No family’s perfect,” I shoot back. “But yeah, mine’s pretty great.” I roll her over so she’s straddling me again. “You want in on it?”

“Into your family?”

“Yeah, we’re adopting you. You’re in.”

Haley giggles. “Wow. So soon?”

“Had to wait on the paperwork,” I joke. “Didn’t want to say anything before the final process was complete.”

“Ah.” She nods playfully. “And now it’s all good? I’m in for sure?”

“Yeah, Angel. You’re in.” I run my hands up and down her back. “But just so you know, once you’re in you can’t back out.”

Haley cracks a laugh. “Kinda like the mafia?”

“Pretty much.”

She leans down and kisses me…

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