Page 128 of Reckless Storm
“What are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything. That woman, on the other hand…she was not giving off good vibes. I really wanted to slap some decency into her.” I smile as Hayley cringes. “Sorry, I can get a little protective over the people I care about.”
“Believe it or not, I know this about you. And I’m not sorry. I’m grateful.”
“Good.” She finally offers me a closed-lipped grin and my heart jumps. She’s here. And God, she fucking beautiful. “So…how did the conversation go? With you brother and the b-” She trails off when I smile softly.
“She wasn’t always like that, you know. We all thought she was going to be a vet. She worked with my dad for years. Always smiling. Always willing to help. But my brother has a way of sucking people in, making them fall for his charms, and then he drags them down with him. Megan is so far gone, I don’t think she’ll ever find herself again.”
Hayley frowns, highlighting the one major trait my brother is missing—empathy. Actually, he’s missing more than that, but this is a big one.
“Don’t waste too much energy on her though. She’s smart enough to know what she’s doing. She may be under my brother’s spell, but I’ve seen her lash out when he’s not around. She’s not entirely innocent. She loves the attention my brother gives her, and for all his faults, I’ve never seen him treat her badly. He reserves that for everyone else.”
“God, a little part of me feels sorry for her now. But if she’s hurting you, I want to hate her.”
I huff out a laugh and pull her into me, wrapping her under my arm to walk her to the couch. I’ve witnessed her fierce protectiveness before, felt the love she has for her friends, but being the one on the receiving end is an entirely new feeling. One I don’t want to get used to.
I’m about to continue on about my brother when a thought hits me. “Does that mean you hate Bria too? Since she hurt me?”
Hayley laughs but it holds a nervous edge. “I don’t know the right answer to that question. You’ll probably deny it, but you still care about her deeply, so I’m going to tread carefully. I don’t understand her. I wouldn’t say I hate her, but I’m confused by her actions. If she realized she wants you as more than a friend, then why the hell isn’t she fighting for you? And if she doesn’t feel that way, then why is she pulling away? Why isn’t she calling you to find out the details? Sharing in your joy? I don’t get it. Mind you, I’ve never shared a bond as close as yours was. Maybe the rules are different. I’ve always had friends, but apart from Amelia, it was always surface level. We never shared secrets, nor were they lasting friendships, for that matter. Because of that, my diplomatic response is that no, I don’t hate her.” She pauses and I subtly close my mouth before she notices it dropped open, laughing when she adds, “Not yet, anyway.” And there’s my protective girl again.
“I’m not sure I know how to respond to that. But thank you. I think.”
Hayley smiles, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ears. “Thank you works.” She shrugs. “Now back to your brother, who Idohate.”
“I’d much rather talk about Bria.” The current situation with Bria may be complicated, but compared to my relationship with my brother, it’s much easier to explain.
Hayley snorts in amusement. “I bet you would.” She shakes her head and I frown until I realize what I said.I’d rather talk about Bria.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” I smile, leaving out the fact that it would be awkward to talk about my old feelings for Bria with the girl I’m developingnewfeelings for. But… “It’s an easierdiscussion. The stuff with my brother is a whole lot more fucked up.”
“Honestly, I didn’t think that was possible.” She smirks. “Your issues with Bria are pretty f—”
“Thanks.” I cut her off with a chuckle. “You should get out now, before you're trapped here in my messed-up world.”
“I like your world, Reed. You’re one of the best guys I know. If not the best. So hit me with it. Take me down with you. I’m ready to fall.”
My pulse spikes, taking her words to mean more than they do, and I curse myself for once again getting caught up in my feelings. She’s being a friend. Just like Bria once was.
Letting out a long sigh, I lie back against the cushions and close my eyes. “Where do I even start?”
“The beginning? Or the end. Or somewhere in the middle. Whatever feels right.”
I open my eyes to find her silently laughing to herself. “Thanks, Hayls. You’re so helpful.”
“I know.” She winks while I playfully roll my eyes, feeling a little more at ease. And that’s what Hayley does for me. All the time. She eases my mind. I’m at peace around her. Even with these insane feelings rolling around in my head, she calms me. And I’m only now realizing how different this friendship is from my friendship with Bria. Bria was always there when I needed her, but her presence often brought about a certain level of stress. I was always worrying about the future, about losing our friendship the moment she figured me out. But with Hayley…I can’t even explain it. But I like it. And something tells me that even if I told her about my feelings and she didn’t reciprocate, she’d find a way to make it all okay.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asks, when it takes me a moment to answer. “Are you trying to hold me in suspense?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. This is all aboutyou.”
“Good. It should be. And I’m ready.” She straightens before crossing her legs underneath her and twisting her body to face me. “Let’s go.”
I smile to myself, ready to tease her again, but as always, she’s helping. So instead, I launch right into it. “My brother is a narcissist. He wasn’t always that way, and I have no idea what happened to trigger it. But it’s been a long time since he cared about anyone other than himself. And Megan.”
Hayley’s eyes widen but she keeps quiet, nodding subtly, encouraging me to continue.
“I wouldn’t say we ever had a close bond. He was eight when I was born and didn’t love the loss of attention. But he was never awful to me. At least, I don’t remember it if he was. But when he was around sixteen, he changed, more than I imagine the average sixteen-year-old changes. He became angry all the time, and he’d stay out all night, knowing my mom was staying up waiting. He’d scream at her for no reason and make her feel guilty if she cried. Tell her she was weak and worthless. My father worked a lot. He was…isa horse trainer. His hours were longer back then. Now he’s a supervisor and has more time with Mom. But in those days, he’d get home late and my mom wouldn’t say anything. She’d smile and tell him about her wonderful day, despite spending most of it sitting on the couch, staring at the wall.
“At first I tried to fight him. When he’d yell, I’d yell back to defend her. But I soon realized that made things worse. So instead of making her life harder, I did the opposite. I did anything I could to make things easier on her. I became the golden boy you see today. And I kept her secret because she asked me to. At least until I was old enough to see her sadness for what it was and I couldn’t take it anymore.”
