Page 58 of Hire A Cuddler

He disappears, and I go over to where my shoes are and slide them on. I hobble to the front door where Chrissy is waiting for me. “You okay?”

Instead of answering her, I blow out a breath. Overwhelmed doesn’t cover it, so I say nothing.

She opens her arms, and I step into them, letting her hug me. If nothing else, my time with King has opened me up to touch… at least with his family. “Thank you for everything.”

She whispers into my ear, “You’ll always be my sister, Haven.”

I shudder a breath, and she continues. “I know it’s a lot to ask. I know he hurt you, but I also know that it’s because he’s spent all his life being hurt, Haven. It’s not right… he didn’t handle it right… but I hope you let him make it up to you.”

I don’t know what to say to her, so I just nod my head. She hugs me one more time, and I meet King on the front porch.

He tries to help me, but I shake my head. “I got it. I’m good.”

He sighs but doesn’t argue with me. He opens the passenger side of my car and then gets in the driver's seat. He doesn’t talk the whole way there, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m making the worst decision by going home with him.

I glance over at him and take in his disheveled look. I’ve never seen King look like he does right now.

As we pull into the driveway and park, I’m out of the car before King can come around and open my door. I let him grab my suitcase as I walk up the porch to the house. I’m about to disappear up the stairs to my room when he stops me. “Haven, wait. Please.”

I stop with one hand on the railing. “What is it, King?”

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry that I looked at those pictures and thought what I did instead of asking you about them. I’m sorry that those men got to you and I didn’t protect you. I’m sorry for how I acted and how I made you feel. I was wrong, and I know I don’t deserve it, but I’m asking you—I’m begging you—to give me a chance to make this up to you.”

My hand tightens on the banister. Right now, I feel like I can’t even function, and all I want to do is go to bed and stay there for a week. Without turning around and looking at him, I tell him the truth. “I don’t know if I can do that… I’m going to lie down.”

I continue up the steps, and he doesn’t try to stop me. As I lie down on the bed, I try to ignore the part of me that wants to run to King and make it all okay.

32

KING

I'm pretty surethis is what going crazy feels like.

The fun, happy Haven is gone, and it kills me what I’ve done to her.

Yesterday, she spent all day in bed. I brought her food, cleaned and changed the bandages on her cuts, and then hovered nearby, hoping to just get a glance at her. She slept in the spare bedroom, and I couldn’t stand it, so after she went to sleep, I went in and slept on the chair in the corner of her room.

This morning, she got up to go to the community center, and I had Callan drive us here. This place usually brings her so much joy, but it’s like the light has gone out of her. I ask Callan to grab us breakfast from the Glaze Bakery downtown,and as soon as he leaves, I ask Haven, “What’s the plan for today?”

She’s looking at the notebook in her hands. “I have some interviews set up for an assistant, but while we’re interviewing them, we can see what we think of them as the manager too.”

Fuck, she’s determined to move on from me.

She continues, “I hired the painters, and they’re supposed to start today. Next week, the furniture is getting moved in. This afternoon, I’m going to look at an apartment, but it’s right down the road, so I can walk.”

When I don’t say anything, she finally looks up from her notepad. “You know it’s crazy for you to hang out here all day. You have a company to run.”

I stuff my hands in my pockets because its either that or I’m going to be reaching for her. “The two men have been tracked down and taken care of. Becca’s been fired, and I don’t think she’ll bother you, but I’m not chancing it.”

“So what? You’re just going to hang out here all day, every day? That doesn’t make sense. Hire someone so you can get to work.”

“You don’t get it, Haven. I can’t even think about work. I had a meeting today. A prospect for a twenty-five million dollar project, and Icanceled. I don’t care about anything right now except making things right between me and you.”

She looks down, and it kills me that she can’t look at me. “King, that’s crazy, you know that, right?”

I shrug and tell her honestly, “I sort of feel like I’m going crazy. I miss you… I miss us.”

Haven takes a deep breath. Something is weighing on her, and finally she says something. “What is it with you and her?”

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