Page 43 of Protecting Hailey

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

I shook my head. “That’s not what happened.”

Pulling out her phone, she opened an app and passed the phone to me.

There was a photo of Christian and me kissing. My cheeks heated when I looked at Christian’s face. But then I noticed that right next to the photo of us kissing was another photo. This one showed Trey and me fighting. “Does this imply that we fought after the kiss? That’s not what happened at all. Trey was the one who kissed another woman first.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “The sequence of events doesn’t matter. What matters is the perception and the receipts. This story, and every other one I’ve seen online, says you broke Trey’s heart by cheating on him with your bodyguard. The comments are brutal towards you. This is a disaster, Hailey.”

I scrolled to the bottom of the story and read the comments: That two-timing bitch doesn’t deserve him. Poor Trey.

Who does she think she is?

I never liked her music, anyway.

I exhaled and pulled my hair away from my face. I didn’t fucking believe this. He was the one who kissed someone else first. He was the one who came into this relationship with no strings attached and no feelings on the line. And now he was the one everyone felt sorry for?

I turned to Sam. “What’s the plan?”

She exhaled loudly and sat next to me on the couch. “I don’t know, honestly. I have to sit down and think about it. But you need to stay low for a bit and,” pointing to Christian, she added, “for heaven’s sake, keep your lips away from that man.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “As hard as that may be.”

As well intended as it was, Sam’s advice bothered me more than it should have. I nodded and avoided Christian’s gaze.

Sam pushed off the couch and patted Christian’s shoulder. “Stick to guarding, big guy. It’s less dangerous than love.”

He followed her to the door and after she left, he came to sit next to me on the couch. With his head in his hands again, he whispered. “I’m sorry, Hailey. I didn’t mean—”

I silenced his mouth with my index finger. “Shh—don’t apologize. It will only make me feel worse. I don’t regret our kiss. Not for one second.”

His chest rose in a sharp breath. “I don’t regret it, either.” He caressed my cheek. His thumb left a warm trail wherever it touched.

“I’m just overwhelmed right now. Since the stupid Kendra feud, my life has been thrown upside down, and I don’t know if I can handle anything else.” I wanted to run back to bed, throw a pillow over my head, and stay there until the world just forgot about me.

“I understand,” he said and pulled his arm back. My cheek went cold.

“Your family will be here soon. I’ll pick up the food. You stay here and don’t go outside without me. Do you understand?”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

I watched as he grabbed the keys from their usual spot in the foyer. He turned around just before heading outside. He opened his mouth but shut it. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye.” I waved weakly at him.

After the door closed, I forced myself off the couch. My legs felt like lead as I walked back to my room. I contemplated the shower for a second, but then dropped onto my bed and threw the covers over my head.

***

My mother’s voice stirred me awake. She spoke harshly to someone, and the tone triggered some childhood memories. She never raised her hand at me, but she raised her voice plenty.

Pushing the covers off of me, I stumbled to the door and listened.

“I think it’s best that you leave, Christian. You have crossed a line with my daughter, and frankly, I’m disappointed in you.”

“I’ve already apologized to Hailey, and I’ll apologize to you as well. I’m sorry I put her in a compromising position, but I don’t regret kissing her.”

“Well, that isn’t much of an apology, is it? I think you should leave.”

My heart leaped out of my chest. “What is going on here?”

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