Sitting in my car, I stare at the ocean. It’s calm. Only tiny waves reach the beach, as if in slow motion. It has a soothing effect on me, and I’m beyond grateful for that. The state I’m in is close to hysteria. I’m anxious, and my heart is ready to jump out of my chest. The talk I’m about to have is scaring me to death. I don’t want to lose Hayden. His friendship means the world to me.
I jump outside and shiver, the brisk wind enveloping my body. I put up my hood and pad to the ocean. Hayden is already there, sitting on the sand and staring out at the water. I lower myself beside him, focusing on the ocean too.
“Where is Story?” he asks in a low voice.
“With her dad. He got home forty minutes ago, and I told him I had something I needed to do.”
Hunter looked exhausted when he came in, but I was too busy worrying about my talk with Hade to care what caused it. He didn’t ask a single question when I said I was leaving, just nodded in agreement and told me he’d take care of Story himself.
Hayden squints at me, and I meet his gaze. “Don’t you have anything to say?”
“Your brother and I sleep together. That’s all.”
Hade blinks, his gaze darting to the ocean and then back to me. “Are you together? Or is it some kind of sick friends with benefits situation?”
“There’s nothing sick about it.” I fold my arms over my chest. “I like Hunter, and he likes me. Our agreement works perfectly for us.”
“And how long have you been sleeping with him?”
“Two months.” I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry I kept it to myself, but I truly don’t think it concerns anyone else.”
My best friend is silently seething. His nostrils flare as he clenches and unclenches his fists. His chest rises and falls, his eyes never leaving my face. He takes a long breath, and then he exhales loudly.
“Didn’t I tell you my brother is bad news?”
“You did. I don’t agree.”
“You don’t know him—”
“I believe you don’t know him. Hunter isn’t who you think he is. If you spent as much time with him as I do, you’d see that,” I counter. “He’s kind and caring. And he’s very intuitive when it comes to people. Your brother’s been through a lot, but I highly doubt you know anything about it. It’s not your fault, because he’s obviously very reserved when it comes to others, but you don’t have the right to judge him without knowing his side of the story.”
Closing my mouth, I just look at Hayden. He stares at me without saying a word. My heart beats violently in my chest. My best friend drops his gaze, his shoulders slumping. He threads his long fingers through his hair, looking anywhere but at me. Then he clears his throat.
“The way you talk about him proves it. You fell in love with him. You fucking love my brother, and I’m sure you want to be with him.” Hade licks his lips and swallows hard. “You’re not wrong when you say I don’t know a lot about him. But I know he’ll never be with you. Sex, yes. But a relationship? No.”
That’s what Hunter told me too. I didn’t have any illusions when our situationship started, because I didn’t need more from him. I didn’t want more. But that’s changed. And I think it’s changed for him too.
“For now, we’re just enjoying our time together. Nothing—”
“Look me in the eye, Piper, and tell me you don’t want to be with my brother. Tell me you don’t love him. Tell me I’m wrong,” Hayden demands, holding my gaze.
I purse my lips tightly, setting my jaw so hard my teeth hurt. “I can’t.”
Hade turns away, locking his hands behind his head. Then he watches me in silence, his eyes slowly narrowing to slits. He’s lost in thought, and I’m scared to interrupt him.
“It needs to stop,” he states, and I grimace.
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“It’s for your own good,” Hade says matter-of-factly. “He’ll break your heart.”
Leaving him will break my heart. When the thought crosses my mind, my eyes fill with tears.
“Everything is fine, Hayden. You haven’t seen us together. You don’t know—”
“Tell him you love him. Tell him you love him, and you’ll see how quickly he kicks you out of his house.”
“He won’t. It would hurt Story.”
“As if either of you thought about her when you started fucking. She’ll be heartbroken anyway, because if you don’t leave now, you’ll leave once your contract is over. He’ll never love you back, Piper. There’s no room in his heart for anything except Story and soccer. The man doesn’t even love his parents.”
“He loves his mom!” I snap. The first tear slips out of my eye and slides down my cheek. “And he loves you, but you’re too fucking self-centered to notice it.”
“He couldn’t care—”
“He cares, Hade.” I wipe away another tear with the heel of my palm. “He’s not the heartless jerk you try to portray him as.”
Hayden runs a hand over his face, his green eyes stormy. “If he’s not who I think he is, then tell him you love him. If you’re right about him, you have nothing to lose.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I said so,” he hisses. “Tell him, or I’ll do it myself.”
My mouth hangs open as I gawk at him in disbelief. Is this really my best friend? The person who swore to help me? To always be by my side? This is not how friendship works. This is manipulation.
Standing up, I shake the sand off my jeans. I look down and hover over Hayden. He’s my best friend…and my worst enemy at the same time.
“I’ll let you know how it goes,” I say and stroll toward my car. When I’m about to open the door, Hayden catches up to me.
He grabs my elbow and twirls me around. “Pip, I’m sorry if I’m too pushy…and too aggressive. I just really believe it’s for the best. You’ll thank me later.”
Thank him later? Our friendship is done, at least until he knows how wrong he is.
I nod, pulling my elbow out of his grip. “Bye, Hayden.”
“Bye, Piper.” He frowns and steps back. “Call me later?”
I get in my car, start the engine, and only then look at Hade. My heart aches, because I know this is the end of our friendship. Whether it’s just for now or for good will depend solely on him. He’s the one ruining it right now.
“Good-bye, Hade,” I whisper and drive away. Once I’m far enough from the beach, I let my tears flow.
Walking into Hunter’s house, I quietly close the door. I’m a mess, afraid to even look at myself in the mirror. At some point I couldn’t even drive, so I pulled over in the parking lot of some restaurant and cried. I could’ve never imagined Hayden would act like that with me. He was always overprotective, and kinda nosy, but never like he was today.
“Hey.” Hunter frowns once he sees me. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” I nod, and then instantly jerk my head no. “No.”
“Come here,” he murmurs, and I drag my feet over to him. He wraps his strong arms around me, and I close my eyes, hiding my face in his chest. “Will you tell me what happened?”
“Yeah.” I sniff. “Is Story already asleep?”
“I put her to bed an hour ago,” he tells me, pulling away and taking my hand in his. “Let’s go to the kitchen? I can make us some tea or coffee.”
“Tea would be perfect.”
“Anything you want,” he says and kisses my forehead.
“Where did you go today? You looked pissed after you read that text.” I take a sip of chamomile tea.
“Autumn Dunn sent me a message. God knows how, but she got her hands on pictures of you and me kissing. She tried to blackmail me.” I straighten my spine and look at him, forgetting how to breathe. “She got fired. Her boss didn’t like what I showed him, and I made him listen to the recording of my conversation with her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one who knew about the pictures. They were live for a few hours, but they should’ve been deleted by now. At least from all major platforms. My lawyers are good at their job.”
“Oh. You definitely know how to deal with all this stuff.”
“It’s called damage control.” Hunter offers me a smile. “The last thing I want is paparazzi following our every step, trying to take pictures of us together, making up crazy stories. You don’t need that stress in your life.”
I know he means well, but after my conversation with Hayden, his words are too deep under my skin. They poison the blood in my veins, and I suddenly don’t hear a thing. He doesn’t want people to see us together because he doesn’t want them to assume we’re a couple. I’m a good fuck, but I’m not enough to be anything more than that.
“Hayden knows,” I blurt, plunging my gaze into Hunter’s. “He saw the pictures.”
He pushes away from the table; his darkened gaze roams my face. “Did you see him?”
“Yes. He wanted to talk to me.”
“And?” Hunter cocks an eyebrow at me, and I feel as if someone has their hands around my throat, strangling me. I’m struggling for air.
“He thinks we should stop.”
Hunter’s eyebrows pinch together. “He thinks he has the right to tell you what to do. Why?”
“He says it’s for the best,” I mutter under my breath. “He thinks you’ll break my heart.” I watch him intently, noticing as his face pales. “Because I’m in love with you.”
“Piper…”
“I’m in love with you, Hunter. I know it’s not what we agreed on, and trust me, I didn’t expect it to happen. But I love you. I want us to try…I want you to want us to try.”
My words drown in silence. He just keeps staring at me, not moving, not even blinking.
“Piper, I’m sorry.” A sob bolts from my chest when he says it. “I think Hayden is right. We should stop.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and set my mug on the table. “Okay.”
“That’s why I asked you in Spain if this was more than just sex for you. I didn’t want you to get hurt…because that’s what I always do to women. I hurt them.” His words sound muffled, as if there’s a wall separating us. “I was honest with you. It was always just sex. I don’t want more.”
I stand up in a daze, and he stands too. Our eyes lock as I take a step away from the table.
“Then it’s the end,” I say. “The end of us.”
It’s the only solution. The only one…even if it will break me into a billion pieces.
I look over my shoulder, raking my gaze over his face. His lips are pressed tightly together, and his eyes are narrowed. Hunter stands still, his hands hidden in his pockets.
“You’ll need to find Story a new nanny. I can’t work for you anymore,” I whisper. “I’ll take her to school tomorrow and bring her home later…and I’d like to talk to her. I want to tell her myself that I’m leaving. Please, can I tell her myself?”
“Piper, this is—”
“Can I tell her myself?” I ask, raising my voice. “I’ll figure out what to say. Don’t worry. She’ll never know about us.”
“You can talk to her.”
Tears are stinging my eyes again. “Thanks. Good night, Hunter.”
Without waiting for him to respond, I storm out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and straight to my room, tearing my clothes off once the door is closed. I amble into the bathroom, step into the shower, and stand under the pouring water. My tears are flowing, but I don’t pay them any attention. My broken heart hurts so much it’s blinding. I want it to stop.
