Chapter Twenty-Four

Hailey

Six months later

It’s going to be a hot one today, I think to myself as I make my way out to the water. My feet sting from the burning sand as I walk closer to the water. It’s going to be a good day. I look at the sun, the heat hitting me right away.

I watch the water wash up the shore, sitting right where the sand gets dark. The beach is still empty because it’s just after eight a.m. I look at my tanned legs, thinking about how fast the summer is going to be over. We spend all our time outside. In the pool, in the ocean, my uniform this summer was bikini after bikini. Jensen would groan each time I would buy a new one. He actually bought me twenty one-piece swimsuits. They are sitting in the boxes next to the door with the rest of the boxes of my things. My share of the lease expires today, and in twenty minutes, Jensen will be here to load up my stuff to move me in with him.

We took our time. Well, I took my time. If it was up to Jensen, I would have moved in with him the day he told me he loved me. The day I told him I loved him. The day that turned out to be the best day of my life, but well, since then, there have been many best days, just not as special as that one. I was the one dragging my feet only because I didn’t want to just jump. I wanted to ease Mila into it also, but one day when I wasn’t there, and she set the table for the three of us, he called to let me know. I did what anyone would do; I hightailed it over there, and we ate dinner together.

“I set the table for us. Silly families always eat together” Mila said as soon as I walked through the door, half out of breath from running down the beach through the sand.

“Thank you for being so helpful,” I told her, leaning down to kiss her head. “Hi there.” I looked over at Jensen, who is taking something out of the oven. I walked into the kitchen; he placed the tray down and approached me.

“Glad you could make it.” He kissed me, so naturally, with my hands around his waist.

“I’m going to put some juice boxes on the table,” Mila said coming into the room, not even blinking at me hugging her father and us kissing. She didn’t bat an eye when she woke up in the middle of the night and climbed into bed with us before I snuck out in the morning.

So now, I sit on the sand, the letter in my back pocket crinkling once I sit. I lean forward and take the letter out of my pocket, looking at the folded white envelope.

I had forgotten about the letter, finding it only when I started packing my boxes. I look down at the envelope, still not sure I want to open it.

I look at the water, seeing the calmness in it, the waves crashing softly today, nothing like when I got here.

I turn the letter over in my hand, my finger sliding under the flap to open it. I pull out the folded white letter and open it up.

Eric’s writing gets me right away. Messy, always messy, and printed.

My dear, dear sweet Hailey,

If you are reading this, it means that I didn’t have the courage to do this while I was still alive.

I know what you’re thinking. Fuck, I don’t even know what I’m thinking half the time. But I would like to explain.

The first time I saw you, it was like my world stopped or got knocked around. You are the most beautiful person I have ever met, inside and out.

I know you are probably wondering why I did what I did, and I wish I had the answer, but I don’t. The only thing I know is that I couldn’t stay away from you.

I fell in love with two women, and I couldn’t walk away from either of you. I was that selfish bastard you used to always bitch about. Every single time I came home, I told myself I would tell you the truth, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t let you go. When I was with you, I felt alive so alive.

I’m sorry for lying to you. I’m sorry for not having the balls to be man enough and deal with whatever it is that would have happened. I’m sorry that in the end you won’t remember me with the love and respect you gave me, but with hurt and sadness.

I’m sorry I’m not there with the answers, and I’m even more sorry you have to find out with this letter. But I want you to know that I loved you. Fuck, I love you with everything I am.

Eric

I wipe the tear from my eye as I fold the letter and put it back in its envelope when I feel him behind me. My strength. “Hi,” I say softly as I feel his arms go around me. I lean back into him and move to the side. Laying my head on his shoulder, I feel him rest his chin on my shoulder.

“You read it?” he asks, looking down at the letter in my hand.

“I did,” I answer, looking at the water.

“You okay?” The way he asks makes me love him even more. For not asking what it contained, but instead, if I was okay. Me.

“More than okay.” Turning my head, I kiss his cheek. He turns his face, looking into my eyes, and leans forward to kiss my lips. “I love you,” I whisper, turning to look at the water for a couple of more minutes. I get up, putting my hand out to him. “Let’s get me moved out of here.” He takes my hand, getting up.

“I think we should have a special sleepover party tonight.” He holds my hand as we walk up to the house.

“Is that so, and what type of party is this?”

“Well, I think it should be whip cream, chocolate sauce, and definitely naked.” He pulls me to him while I throw my head back and laugh.

“I think we sort of had this party last month. Do you remember Mila asking why you had chocolate syrup in your room by the bed?”

He laughs now. “That was your fault. You wore me out, and I couldn’t walk.”

I push away from him. “I was sticky the whole day.”

We open the back door to the porch, walking into the house. “Happy get out of my house day,” Crystal yells from the kitchen. We both laugh, walking through my room, or what will be her room as soon as we walk out.

Crystal decided she isn’t leaving this house, so she renewed the lease. “Good morning.” I look into the kitchen, seeing her drinking coffee standing there. “Are you going to help us move?”

“Will that make you get out of the house faster?” she asks while I nod my yes with a smile. “Then let’s get this shit in the car.”

“What time is your roommate moving in?” I hide my smile as she turns and glares at me.

“I can’t believe you sold him your share of the lease.” Her eyes narrow.

“What did you expect me to do? His house just burned to the ground.”

“If Gabe pissed off someone enough that they torched his house, explain to me why it’s safe for him to live with me?” she asks, and I shrug my shoulders.

“I wanted to help a friend out.”

“Well, next time you get that feeling, call me, and I’ll talk you out of it.” She points at me. “He gets under my skin,” she tells me.

“He definitely is under something,” I murmur.

Walking to the stack of boxes, she picks one up and follows Jensen out. I think of her and Gabe, and I hope at the end of all this, they haven’t killed each other.

I look around the room, wandering to the fireplace when I notice Crystal put up new pictures. There is one of us two and another of the three of us.

I grab the matches on the mantel, taking a match out and strike it. Grabbing the letter out of my back pocket, I light it on fire. I see the red flames start to eat up the white envelope, the flames burning orange. I set it down in the fireplace and watch the letter turn to ash.

I turn around, walking to the pile of boxes. When I pick up a box and make my way out to my future, I have a spring in my step and a smile on my face.