Page 78 of Only Ever Yours

“Jaydon, I’m going to sleep. Go away.” Then, her tone changes to something sweeter. “But wake me up if you hear from Haleigh.”

Dammit, she’s not gonna give in. I hang my head in defeat with my arm braced against her bedroom doorframe, as the weight of everything that just happened settles over me. I don’t know how to do this shit. I’ve never had feelings like this for any other woman. I’m not good at this—at all—telling a woman how I truly feel.

I tried, and now she hates me again.

What the fuck?

I spin back towards my bedroom, grabbing both sides of my head. If my hair were long, I would have pulled it out by now. The frustration of fucking this all up is gnawing away at my insides.

I have no idea how I’m going to get through to her, but I’m damn sure gonna try—no matter how much I have to grovel.

Chapter 23

Ellie

Two days. That was all it took for Haleigh to have the most precious baby girl I have ever seen. They admitted her into the hospital due to her blood pressure the night she texted, and it wasn’t long before she ended up going into labor the following afternoon.

The small waiting room was bursting with nerves all day—myself included—and filled with her family and Ryan's. We waited at the hospital all day, where I tried my best to avoid Jaydon's gaze and ignored him the entire time.

My heart melted when I got to meet the sweetest little bundle of joy that afternoon.

She’s perfect, a tiny little miracle that helped solidify their love for one another. She's the most precious little girl, and I’m so proud of my best friend. I’malready in love with that sweet baby and can't wait to hold her again today.

They came home from the hospital yesterday, so I let them have a day to rest, but I can't take it any longer—I need to snuggle her and smell all of her sweet baby goodness. So, I’m on my way to see my bestie and that sweet baby girl.

When I pull up to Haleigh and Ryan's farmhouse, I immediately spot Jaydon's truck parked in the driveway, causing my stomach to tighten.

I should have known he would be here.

He’s been keeping his distance from me, but obviously, I haven't given him much of a choice. He fucks up my head way too much when he's around me.

The day after he made me feel like I was just another notch in his bedpost, I called Kevin. I needed a distraction, so I spent the day with him and tried to ignore the fact that I was just hiding from Jaydon.

I know Kevin wants to be more than just friends, but every time I’m around him, I just don’t feel the same. My heart is stuck on someone it shouldn't be, and no matter how hard I try to move on, I just can't shake the feelings.

I hear voices inside as I knock on the door, then the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards me. When the door opens, I see Ryan's smiling face as he greets me, and I’m so glad Haleigh ended up with him. He’s so in love with her and such a caring husband.

“Hey, Ryan,” I smile up at him.

He waves for me to step in. “Hey, Ellie. Come on in,” he greets me, pulling me into a side hug, and then leads me towards the kitchen.

Jaydon

She hurt my ego… it's my only excuse.

Am I being childish? Yes.

But I’m too fucked up right now to see it any other way.

I was gonna talk to her the day after she ran out of my room that night, but she left with that fuckface she calls herboyfriendbefore I got my chance. I laid in bed all night, tossing and turning, planning a speech to tell her exactly how I feel about her—only for her to run out of my house the next morning and jump in that asshole’s little car.

He will never be her boyfriend though. At least not if I have anything to do with it.

There's no way she really wants to be with that loser. But I’m not gonna lie—it's still fucking messing with my head.

So, when she walks into the kitchen where I’m sitting, I can't help myself.

Goddamn, she's beautiful—even with the scowl etched on her face when she glances in my direction. Ican't let her know she's got my head so fucked up I can’t think straight, but seeing her with someone else is driving me fucking insane.

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