Chapter 65
Halley
Shawn’s place wwuft for pitafework from the bar.
His apartment was wall and cory, with a leather couch and it cowed with pertvaks. He used his keys on the counter and headed for the Yichen “Codice
bed wer the shorter
“Beer please” 1 card, sinking into the couch My dadder dared, www too sad to care
He returned with two cold came and did onto the couch bude hunding me one “but he and, leming back. “You gonna tell me what really happened with Tyler? Or is that clasate
I chuckled softly, cracking open my beer and taking long sweeten that exciting, He was being an asshole. 1 punched him. End of story”
Shawn raised an eyebrow “Damn, Conway. Didn’t sex you for the violent type
“You don’t know the half of it 1 muntered, seshing back into the touch
We continued to talk about everything and nothing. He was easy to talk to, and his voice was soothing
As time dragged on, the alcohol started to loosen something in the. The ache in my chest softened, and the edges of my thoughts blurred,
I kept glancing at him- bis kind eyes, the way his lips curved when he willed. He was handsome, in a guy–next–door kind of way, Nothing like Logan.
And maybe that was the problem.
Before I could think better of it, I leaned in. My lips brinted softly against his.
He froze for a second in surprise. But then he kissed me back. His hands cupped my face, gentle and cautious.
But it wasn’t right.
His lips were soft, his touch was careful, but it felt… wrong. He didn’t taste like whiskey and smoke. His hands weren’t rough.
He wasn’t Logan.
I pulled back, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. My chest went tight, and suddenly I couldn’t breathe. The sobs came out of nowhere, shaking my whole body.
Shawn’s eyes went wide in panic. “Hailey, I’m sorry. I didn’t meas to-”
“No” I choked out, shaking my head. “It’s not you. It’s it’s me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”
He reached out hesitantly, patting my hand. “It’s okay. You’re going through a lot.”
I wiped my tears, but they just kept coming. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just… I miss him.”
Shawn nodded. “Sometimes,” he said softly. “You just need someone to be there. Even if it’s not the person you really want.”
I nodded as the words hit me hard. “Yeah. 1 guess?
We sat there in silence for a few minutes, with the weight of everything hanging between us. Eventually. Shawn stood, grabbing a blanket from the back of the couch. “You should get some sleep. You look exhausted.”
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I didn’t argue. I was too tired to fight it. He draped the blanket over me, and I curled up on the couch.
“Goodnight, Hailey,” he murmured, turning off the lamp.
“Goodnight, Shawn. Thank you,” I whispered, my eyes already falling closed. I wasn’t sure if he heard me.
For how tired I was, it took me a while to actually fall asleep. I stared at the inside of my eyelids, replaying the kiss over and
over.
It wasn’t Shawn’s fault. He was sweet, kind, safe… everything Logan wasn’t.
But I didn’t want safe. I wanted Logan. His rough edges, his intensity, his chaos.
Even if it destroyed me.
I pulled out my phone and brought up Logan’s contact. My thumb hovered over the call button, and my resolve was growing weaker by the second.
No. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. He wouldn’t answer anyway.
I sighed, tossing my phone onto Shawn’s coffee table and rolling over to face the back of the couch. Somehow, I managed to fall asleep.
I woke up to the loud buzz of my phone.
The room was bathed in morning light, and I forgot where I was. My head throbbed, and my shoulder ached from the
awkward angle I’d slept in. I reached for my phone, squinting at the screen to see a text from my mom.
**
*Hailey where are you? You didn’t come home last night… Are you okay?**
I sighed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and typed out a quick reply:
**
*Sorry, Mom. I’m fine. Stayed with a friend. Be home soon.
**
I glanced around Shawn’s apartment. I could hear him snoring softly in his bedroom, and the door was open a crack. I didn’t want to wake him up, but I also didn’t want to just disappear without saying anything.
My eyes landed on a little whiteboard stuck to his fridge, and I quietly slipped off the couch, wincing as my boots creaked across the floor.
I grabbed the marker and scribbled a quick note:
*Thanks for last night. Sorry for the mess.
-Hailey.*
I hesitated, then added my phone number at the bottom. *In case you need anything.*
I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door, careful not to make too much noise.
The cold air hit me as I stepped outside, and I zipped up my jacket, shoving my hands into my pockets. The streets were quiet… the town was still waking up.
My boots echoed against the pavement as I made my way home My mind wandered back to Logan.
I didn’t know what I was doing with Shawn. He was kind, sure, but he wasn’t what I wanted. And no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, I wasn’t sure I’d ever stop wanting Logan.
Even if he was a mess.
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Even if he didn’t want me back.
By the time I reached the house, my fingers were numb from the cold. I let myself in quietly, hoping to avoid another round of questions.
But Mom was already in the kitchen, sipping coffee at the table. She looked up as I walked in, and her eyes were soft with
concern.
“Morning,” I mumbled, heading straight for the coffee pot.
“Morning,” she said softly. “You okay?”
I nodded, pouring myself a cup. “Yeah. Just… dealing.”
She studied me for a minute, then nodded. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
“I know,” I said, sinking into the chair across from her. “I’m just… figuring stuff out.”
She reached across the table, squeezing my hand. “Take your time, honey. Just don’t forget you’re not alone.”
I nodded, taking a sip of coffee. The warmth spread through me, but it didn’t chase away the ache in my chest. I wasn’t sure anything would.
I sighed. “Mom, I—”
The rumble of a motorcycle cut me off, the sound growing louder as it approached the house. My heart jumped into my throat.
I turned toward the front window just as-
-a stranger rode past on a Harley.
My heart dropped back into my chest with a dull thud. Of course it wasn’t Logan. Why would it be?
He was gone. He’d made that clear enough.
“Mom,” I said, meeting her eyes again. My voice cracked. “I don’t know what to do.”
She reached across the table, resting her hand on mine. “Tell me
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. “Logan… he’s not perfect. He’s reckless and stubborn and he carries so much anger.”
I paused, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. “But when I’m with him… I feel alive. Like I can breathe for the first time in years. For the first time… maybe ever.”
Mom nodded. Her eyes were welling up, too. “Do you love him?
“Yes,” I said, probably too quickly. I took a breath. “I really do. It hasn’t been that long, and I know I only have one real relationship to compare it too… But I know now that I never loved Matt. Not really.”
Mom smiled. Her eyes were distant, like she was remembering something.
“Your father… he was kind of like Logan,” she said quietly. “Wild, reckless, always chasing the next thrill. My mother told me he was too much. That I deserved better. But when I was with him… I felt alive. I just knew.”
I stared at her blankly, trying to picture my calm, safe father being reckless. “Dad? No. There’s no way.”
“Yep,” she said, still smiling. “He was quite the adrenaline junkie. He used to go base jumping. Skydiving. He raced cars..
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wrecked a few of them, too.”
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I remembered helping him work on engines when I was a little girl. He would always hold the flashlight and show met exactly what to tighten.
It gave me an unwelcome flashback to helping Logan with his gear box in his parents‘ garage. My stomach twisted into a
knot.
“He calmed right down when I got pregnant with you,” she continued. “Became a whole new man. A safe, responsible man. didn’t have to worry anymore that he wouldn’t come home.”
My throat went tight. “I don’t think that would ever happen with Logan. He has the club. The chaos is a huge part of that. He’d never walk away from it… and I would never want him to.”
I
“I understand,” she said, squeezing my hand again. “Hailey, no one is perfect. Not Logan, not your father, not even me. But if someone loves you enough to fight for you… that’s worth everything.”
I felt the tears welling up again. “He won’t fight for me,” I murmured. “He pushed me away. He’s scared.”
She smiled. “I wasn’t talking about Logan.”
I was quiet as her words sunk in.
Something inside me clicked. Maybe love wasn’t supposed to be safe.
I knew what I needed to do.
I pulled out my phone, fingers trembling as I typed out a message to Abby:
**Can you come over after work? I need your help with something.*
The reply came almost instantly:
**Of course… you okay?**
I smiled.
**I will be.**
**
Mom watched me with her same soft expression. “What are you going to do?”
I looked up at her, full of resolve. “I’m going back to Riverstone. I’m gonna fight for him.”
She nodded, and her eyes were shining with pride. “Good. And Hailey?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll tell you something I never got to hear from my mother,” she murmured. “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re making a mistake.”
I nodded, feeling a tiny piece of hope ignite in my chest. It wasnt much, but it was enough to keep me going.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
