Page 36 of Haven Bound
Thankfully, he’s not exactly demanding that I don’t go home, but I can see the concern etched across his face. “I can’t stay at Ethan’s. I know he’d let me in a heartbeat, but I don’t want to impose on his space,” I say, reaching a hand out for the bag.
He just shakes his head at me and swings the bag over his shoulder. “Okay, I get that. So then we’ll stay here. I’ll get us set up in the penthouse suite. At least if you’re here at the Elysian, I know you’ll be safe. Ineedto know that you’re safe, Sunflower.” His voice almost sounds broken and it makes my heart clench in my chest.
“Okay, I’ll stay—” I stop as my brain catches on to something he said. “Wait. What do you mean that you’ll getusset up in the suite?”I must have heard him wrong. He can’t seriously mean that he’s going to stay with me.
That’s crazy. Isn’t it?
“If you’re staying here, then so am I. I refuse to spend another moment without you unless I absolutely have to. Ineedto know that you’re safe.” His voice is firm and unwavering, his deep blue eyes set on mine. Austin has always been protective, but this feels like a bit much.
“I don’t want to distract you from your job and the reason you’re here. I’m not worth the trouble,” I murmur. The words “stupid worthless girl”flicker through my mind, memories of my stepfather’s booming voice rattling in my ears. The last thing I want to do is be a burden to someone, especially to Austin.
“I told you before, and I’ll continue to tell you for however long it takes for you to believe me, that you’re worth everything, Sunflower.” The soft smile that spreads across his face is genuine and filled with what almost looks like… Nope. Not going there.
“I still need to go home first,” I say, keeping my gaze locked on his as I wait for him to tell me no.
Instead, he walks towards the door, swings it open, and says, “Let’s go.”
27
Chelsea
The drive back toHailey’s place takes a solid thirty minutes with early evening traffic, but Austin stayed right behind me the entire time. His dark green Wrangler never left my rearview mirror. I’m not surprised to find that Hailey is home when we get there. As much as she likes to let loose, she’s always followed a pretty consistent schedule when it comes to the various workout classes that she does. I’m pretty sure that tonight is spin night.
Austin follows me into the house, but when Hailey comes walking around the corner dressed for tonight’s spin class, I turn to face him. Just as I’m about to speak, he says, “I’ll be outside waiting when you’re ready. I need to touch base with Zack, anyways.” I give him a slight smile and wait until the front door closes behind him to say anything to my best friend.
“Hails, I’m so sorry about how I reacted when you told me that Austin didn’t have a choice in leaving.” I can’t help the way my voice quivers, but I quickly clear my throat and continue. “I talked to Austin…” Her familiar blue eyes find mine as she tosses her gym bag down onto the couch. She seems hesitant to say anything. “About everything. He told me about The Phoenix Legion and why he left, why he’s back, and who, um…” I need to figure out the proper way to phrase thisso I don’t keep tripping over my own damn words. “He told me what his assignment is,” I mumble, my gaze shifting to the floor.
Hailey’s arms wrap around me, and we stand there hugging for a moment before we both pull back and sink down onto the sectional. “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t tell you, Chels. But it really wasn’t my place. The secret wasn’t only mine to share. It involves a lot of people,” she says.
I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for her, for Austin, for their whole damn family. “I get it. Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten so upset, but it felt like everything was falling down around me. The idea that you were keeping something from me was the breaking point, you know?”
She pulls her legs up onto the couch and tucks them underneath her, sitting cross-legged as I pull the blanket down off the back of the couch and into my lap. The weight of the blanket isn’t much, just enough to help me feel grounded. It gives my hands something to toy with as we venture into a slightly awkward conversation.
“Sooooo,” she starts, biting at her bottom lip as she eyes me.
“Just spit it out,” I tease.
She laughs as she asks, “Things with Austin?” Her question is simple, but the answer feels so freaking complicated.
“I’ve always loved him, Hails. I think right now, that’s all I can tell you.” She smiles softly at my answer, nodding as if in agreement with me. Then she reaches across the couch to take my hand.
“He’s my brother, but you’re my best friend. If he hurts you, I’ll totally fuck him up.”
We both break out into laughter, and with that, any tension that might have still existed between us evaporates.
“What about you?” I ask, giving her a knowing look. “What’s up with you and Ethan? We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it since that night at Club Obsidian. Austin said you two hung out for a while after we left.” Hailey freezes for a moment, her eyes widening briefly. She was probably hoping I wouldn’t ask about it, but I know she’s been pining after him for years.
Likely just as long as I have been over Austin. Ethan has never said anything directly involving Hailey, but I’ve seen how he looks at her when she isn’t paying attention. I get the feeling that there’s somethingmorebetween them. They’re both just too damn stubborn to do or say anything about it.
“You know Ethan,” she says, tilting her head slightly back and forth, considering what to say. “He’s always been flirtatious but nothing more than that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a girlfriend. Maybe he just doesn’t do relationships.” She shrugs her shoulders like it’s no big deal.
“And you don’t think you could be casual with him?” I ask. Hailey is the more adventurous of the two of us and has never shied away from casual sex.
“I don’t think I could handle it. Not with him,” she sighs.
“I get that, but you won’t really know where he stands unless you talk to him. Does he know about the whole Phoenix Legion thing?” I ask, unsure whether or not I want to hear the answer. I hate the idea that I’ve been the only person kept in the dark about this, but I also don’t know that I could keep the secret all to myself. Having other people who know, even if it’s just Ethan, would make things a lot easier.
She runs her teeth over her bottom lip a few times, staring down at her lap. “I think he knows, but we’ve never talked about it. If he knows, I’m not the one who told him,” she murmurs. If she didn’t tell him, then Austin did. Which means it was justmethat he felt like he needed to hide this from. I have to ask.
