Page 126 of The Hallows Queen

“Maybe we met before we were supposed to, maybe if we had met right now, you could see what I see – that we’re meant to be together. I’ve known since the day I met you in that fucking storage room five years ago, and then I fucked you up when I promised I wouldn’t, because I had a drug problem and daddy issues that I put before you. But I will never do that again. I will never putanythingbefore you again.”

Tears are streaming down my cheeks, and by the time he takes a deep breath and looks at me, I feel like I may drown in his gaze. “I fucking love you, Penelope, and I cannot leave here without you.”

I sniffle, running my hands over my face. “Hayden.”

He grabs my hand, squeezing my fingers tight before he places my palm on his chest. “My heart fucking beats for you; my soul fuckingachesfor you. No one else. I am yours.”

I cry, feeling sobs bubbling in my lungs that make it hard to breathe, but I know one thing to be true… I love him too, and he still owns me.

Chapter44

Hayden

My heart is pounding sohard that I can feel it in my throat, and when I swallow, it feels like there’s a lump trying to close off my airway.

Penelope cries, putting her hands over her face for a moment before she brushes them across her cheeks and turns to me. Her green eyes are bloodshot and wild, mascara smudged and messy on her cheeks, and she gasps for air one last time before her sobs slow.

“I can’t,” she whispers, splitting my heart in two. “It hurts too much.”

“P…” I start, but then slam my mouth shut. What else can I say? How else can I prove to her that she’s all I want?

“I’m sorry.”

I shake my head and look out at the dark water. “You don’t need to be sorry.”

Her hand finds mine. “You meant so much to me, H.You still do.There are parts of me that will always belong to you, but being the person who loves you hurts so fucking much, and I can’t put myself through it again.”

“You’re acting as if I’m still some eighteen-year-old kid –I’m not,Penelope. I’m an adult. A sober one, one who has his shit together, one who knows how to handle his mental illness. You can’t hold me to a standard that’s based on my past actions when you don’t know themethat grew up,” I say calmly, trying not to let tears fill my burning eyes.

“But I don’t knowthisversion of you, Hayden! I only know the one that destroyed me!” she shouts, her hands raising in exclamation.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying to you.” I sigh from my nose, pressing my lips together. “It isn’t fair that you’re just shutting me down based on what happened almost five fucking years ago.”

She scoffs. “Fair?You want to talk aboutfair,Hayden?”

“No,” I say, rubbing my hand down my face as I sigh again in frustration.

She sucks her teeth. “One day and we’re already at each other’s throats.”

“Because that’s what we do!” I yell, then take a breath, squeezing my hands into fists in the sand. “We fucking fight, because we’re so similar, it’s impossible not to, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t good for each other. You act as if there were no good moments, that all I gave you was headaches, when really, it was a fucking healthy amount of fighting for two people who are stubborn and possessive.”

“That’s what you want? You want to be with someone who you think is stubborn and possessive?” She rolls her eyes. “She sounds like a damn treat.”

“Yes, I do. Because I love those things about you, along with everything else. You–” My phone rings, cutting me off, and I pull it from my pocket to check who it is.

I swallow, looking at Penelope through the darkness. “It’s the hospital. I’m sorry, I have to answer this.”

She nods. “Yeah, of course.”

I slide the button on my phone, answering the call. “Hello?”

“Mr. Monroe, it’s Dr. Michaela, I think you should come. It’s time.”

My face burns, and my heart starts to race for a whole other reason. Swallowing over the sudden dryness of my throat, I nod. “Okay, I’m on my way.”

Hanging up the phone, I take a breath. “I need to go, it’s my dad.”

“Go, it’s okay,” she says, standing up when I do.

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