Page 25 of Haven Bound
Somehow, I stumbled my way into Hailey’s office, where I’m currently sitting on a small loveseat that’s pushed up against the wall. She’s sitting beside me, holding out a bottle of water for me, her focus bouncing between me and her phone, which keeps vibrating in her lap.
“I’ve got you, Chels. You’re safe now. Austin’s taking care of it,” she says softly but my brain can’t even fully comprehend what she’s saying. He disappeared from my life seven years ago as though I meant nothing to him, and yet he didn’t hesitate to come to my rescue the second that I was in trouble.
I heard the anger radiating through his voice despite his effort to shove it down, but I know that it wasn’t directed at me. It was directed at whoever was following me, which I’m almost certain was Jason.
My life seems to be completely unraveling around me, and I can’t stop it. I thought I was free. I’d moved out of my mom’s house and put some much needed distance between us for the sake of my own mental health. I was the owner of a successful bakery business, and I had an amazing best friend who was always there for me with no questions asked.
Regardless of the disastrous relationship I had had with Jason, I truly believed it was in my past. He was angry when I left but I thought that his anger would diminish over time. That he would accept that I was no longer his to control.
Apparently, I was wrong. He hasn’t accepted it at all, his recent actions proving exactly that.
I grab the bottle of water that Hailey’s offering and take a few long pulls of the cold liquid before leaning back to rest my head against the back of the couch. Closing my eyes, I silently beg the adrenaline-fueled dizziness and nausea I'm battling to subside.
I swallow hard a few times to force back the bile that’s threatening to come up. Then I take a deep breath.
I’m alright. I got away.
I’m safe. He can’t get to me here.
Butmysafety is only a small portion of what’s causing the anxiety that’s coursing through my blood. While I’m here, safe in the hotel, Austin is still out there.
He’s cleaning up my mess while I’m sitting here in Hailey’s lavish office space, relaxing on the couch as though my life isn’t falling apart around me.
I take another deep breath to calm my nerves as I sit up and look at her. “Hails, this is insane. I can’t just sit in here while Austin’s out theretaking care of this! What if he gets hurt?”
Her lips press together into a thin line as her gaze quickly darts down to the cell phone in her lap before she looks back at me. “Austin will be fine,” she says as she grabs my hand and tugs me to stand with her.
“C’mon, let’s go grab those massages. It’ll help you relax.” I’d be lying if I said that a massage didn’t sound even better now than it did before. I nod in silent agreement and let Hailey pull me along.
Every Elysian Suites location offers a variety of luxury services for its guests. One of them being a full-service day spa where you can get manicures, pedicures, and massages during your stay. As long as Hailey and I have been friends, I’ve never taken advantage of the access she has to these kinds of services. I love a good pedicure or massage as much as the next girl, but I don’t come from wealth, and even with running a bakery that does pretty well, I still have to be conscious of where and how I spend the money I earn.
The scent of lavender and eucalyptus surrounds me as we step into the spa suite, soft instrumental music filling the space. “Hello, Miss Anders! To what do we owe this pleasure?” The woman at the reception desk says as she stands, a welcoming smile spread across her face.
Hailey returns the smile and says, “Hi, Amanda. I have two full-body massage appointments scheduled with Savvy and Isla."
“Great! You can head on back if you’re ready.” She smiles and waves a hand in gesture for us to head towards the spa’s locker room. If Hailey was anybody else, they’d be escorting us back instead of allowing us to wander on in ourselves.
When we get into the locker room and connected lounge, I take a second to pull out my phone. Notifications alerting me to several missed calls from an unknown number are displayed across the screen. But that’s not what has my breath catching in my throat and tears threatening to spill down my cheeks.
3 unread text messages from Austin.
AUSTIN
Whoever it was took off as soon as I cut them off.
You’re not going back to the house tonight. Let me know if you need anything specific and I’ll get it for you.
I know you’re probably over there worrying about me, but I’m fine. I promise, Sunflower.
Relief floods my system as I read his last text message. Somehow, after all this time, he still knows me. He knew that I’d be worrying myself sick over his safety until I heard from him. Amidst all of the crazy, I completely forgot that I don’t even have an overnight bag packed. It wassomething I’d planned on doing after work before coming to the hotel, but then shit hit the fan and I didn’t get the chance.
CHELSEA
All I really want right now is something comfortable to change into.
I don’t even know what to say other than… thank you, Austin.
Warmth spreads through my chest with the confirmation that he’s okay, allowing my nerves to settle as I strip down to nothing but underwear and slide on the softest white robe I’ve ever worn. As much as I want to keep my phone on me, just in case Austin texts me again, I’m suddenly really looking forward to getting this massage.
