Page 17 of Consequences

Hailey shrugs and drops her gaze to the floor. “That’s always been my plan. This isn’t home for me like it is for you. Colt and Lex took me in, and I’m grateful to them, but they’re not my family. They adopted Lucas, not me—”

“Because you didn’t want them to!” he cries. “They wanted to, and you pushed them away.”

“I’m eighteen. No one adopts an eighteen-year-old. They’re Lucas’s family, and he’s my family. But no matter what, they’re not my parents. I have no parents.”

“You’re just going to use them and let them pay for your school before waving and never coming back.”

Leaning back, she looks hurt. “You think I’m using them?”

“Aren’t you? You just used me. The least you could have done was tell me you were leaving before getting naked with me.”

“Would you have climbed into bed with me if you’d known I was leaving?”

She manipulated him. She knows him, and she wanted this before she left. “No.”

“I wanted one last great memory together, Gavin. I can’t let you make a decision for my future. My life hasn’t been my own for so long, and I know that if we keep going, there are only two endings.”

“What are those?”

“We explode because we can’t make it work with both of our schedules. Or we make it work, and I’m forced to live here even though I want out because of what we have. Then I’ll grow to resent you, and we explode.”

Shaking his head, Gavin can’t look into her eyes. “You used me. You’re using Lex and Colt. I guess that’s kind of what you do, huh? Fine. Go.”

“I hoped you wouldn’t be mad, but I can’t really blame you. I’m sorry you feel like I tricked you.”

Hailey’s gone and out the door before he can stop her, and he sits on the bed. His chest aches in a way he’s never experienced before, and he can’t believe this. He was about to tell her he loves her, and she always planned to tell him goodbye.

Changing, he walks downstairs, and Lex walks up to him. “How are you holding up?”

“You’re not going with her to move in?”

Shaking her head, she sighs. “She didn’t want us to come with her. Breaks my heart, but I know she’s got demons I can’t even imagine. You didn’t know, either?”

He looks at the ground and holds back the cry of pain he wants to unleash. “Nope.”

“I’m sorry, Gavin. Are you going to do the long-distance thing?”

Walking to the bar, he grabs a bottle of whiskey from the shelf. “Nope. She dumped my ass.”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ky calls out. “I’m not drunk enough to forget you’re only nineteen tomorrow, boy.”

He looks up to see Lex and Colt waving his father away. They know what’s going on, and they’re giving permission.

Happy birthday to me.

Chapter Six

Griffin’s Beach

Lex

“Lex, my dad’s here!” Margaret calls from the front door. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Lex asks.

Normally, she doesn’t have interaction with Zane when it’s time for him to pick up his daughter because he’s gone a bit off the deep end since Lane died. As much as he hates his sister, he seems to have no problem with her picking up the slack for his lack of parenting.

“Oh, no,” Lex says as she takes in the sight of her brother. “Margaret, stay inside.”

---