Page 32 of Hartley

“Why do you have me on speakerphone?” I could hear the frown in her voice.

“This way my partners can hear you too. Just describe it, please.” I needed to keep her focused, not irritated others could hear her.

“I don’t know what you’re up to.” The disappointment was obvious in her tone. “It’s a black SUV. Four doors, bigger. Not one of those small things.”

“Can you see if there’s anyone inside?”

“No, the windows are tinted. It’s been out there for about a half hour. Your father wants to confront them.”

“No,” I rushed to say, then had to calm my voice. My parents didn’t need to know about the people after Jordan. Hepaced away as I kept talking. “Dad shouldn’t go out there. We don’t know who it is, and it could be dangerous.”

“Is this what I have to expect now that you’re with a criminal? I wanted better for you. And that you’re dragging poor Hartley down with you…”

“I’m not poor anything, Mrs. Ayers,” Hartley said from my side. “I’m right where I want to be, with who I love.”

She scoffed, but didn’t say anything else.

Jordan paced back to us. “Mrs. Ayers, that is one of my men out there making sure the area is safe in case Vail wanted to visit.” He didn’t introduce himself and the lie rolled easily off his tongue. I knew where his men were, and they weren’t there.

“You need to send them away,” she said firmly. “I’m not in any danger.” Then she hung up. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I also had to finally realize I’d probably not see them for a long time. They wouldn’t accept Jordan, even after he saved me from Gil. They wouldn’t do anything because all they thought when they heard Jordan’s name was that he was a dangerous criminal, not bothering to learn about the man he really was.

Sighing, I pocketed my phone.

“Sheldon and Oleander are on their way there,” Jordan stated. “Reghan is with Lane. Albert is outside our door and Raiden, well, you can see him. We’ll make sure your parents are okay.”

Was it wrong that the thought didn’t even occur to me once she started with her attitude? I was too irritated about her being mean to Jordan. Some son I was.

“You okay, V?” Forest asked from where he sat in one of the chairs in the room.

“I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Yet you are. I really hoped for your sake they would have been better, but my gut was right. They’re not going to change. They didn’t love you like you needed back then, and they sure as fuck aren’t now.”

“Vail,” Hartley said softly, gently turning my chin toward him. “Remember what Pop used to tell you when you’d come over and he saw how unhappy you were?”

“That he had enough love to go around, and he’d never treat me differently because of who I was attracted to?”

Hartley nodded. “So many of his friends gave him shit for sticking up for you and me. He told me that a while back. How no matter who thought he did the wrong thing, he didn’t care, because he loved us, all three of us, and would always be there when we needed him. While it fucking sucks that your parents are like this, we have enough love for you. Jordan and me. Forest and the guys.”

“And me,” Ava spoke up. “Mama would have never treated me that way. That’s not how parents are supposed to be. She loved you too. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have…” She shook her head and looked away. I didn’t need her to finish her sentence. If she didn’t love me, she wouldn’t have put my name in her will as the guardian for Ava.

“You’re right,” I told her, then turned to Hartley. “You’re all right. I can’t let this get to me. There’s other shit going on and I need to be present, not stuck in the imaginary place where my parents wanted to meet the man I loved. ThemenI loved,” I corrected. “They knew you in the past, Hart, but they don’t know the person you’ve become.”

He shrugged. “It’s their loss. I’m amazing.” He grinned.

“You are.” Leaning down, I brushed my lips over his. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for loving you. It’s a privilege.”

I was lucky to have the people with me I did. I would have been fine if I were on my own, living in my home in West Dremest, cooking at Untouchable and giving lessons. But my life with Jordan and Hartley was everything to me. They were supportive in every aspect.

Jordan gave me space in his building to create a dream kitchen, where I could cook for not only the people I loved, but the friends I’d made, the guards who worked for Jordan and the other staff. He wanted me to thrive. Sure, some might see it as him trying to control where I was, but they didn’t know him. They hadn’t seen what he had or been through what I had. Where they might see another cage, I saw room to grow. I saw opportunities. Jordan didn’t stop me from working. He simply wanted me protected while I did it.

Hartley supported me in other ways. He was there for me when I hadn’t even realized I needed his comfort. I’d wake from nightmares and find his arms around me. Even in sleep, he’d reach out for me like his body knew there was something going on with me, even if I didn’t wake him up. He’d caress my arm absently. When we were awake, he’d nudge me to put my head on his lap while we watched TV. He’d visit me at Untouchable sometimes or show up in my new kitchen to see how the progress was coming along.

I couldn’t forget about Forest, Ava, or the other people in my life. They each had their own ways to show me they cared. Ava didn’t owe me anything, yet at night when I would sit with her while her tears dried, she’d thank me for being there. For not letting her go into the system or end up with a family member she didn’t know. She might be young, but she recognized how different herlife could have gone. She was an amazing person who would no doubt grow into an adult who changed the world.

It wasn’t long before Sheldon called Jordan to tell him the SUV was gone. They drove around the block, up and down the street, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn’t like they could get out and make sure no one was hiding on my parents’ property in broad daylight. Jordan told them to return to the hotel. He was uneasy with two fewer guards here.

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