Her forehead furrows. “Did you forget something, Haley?”

I force out the words before I lose my courage. “My ex-boyfriend hit me.”

I said it... I said the words. My vision becomes fuzzy as I wait for the world to implode...as I wait for her hate and judgment and then I realize I crave her belief.

“He hit me.” Suddenly the words aren’t as painful. “He hit me and it wasn’t okay.”

Mrs. Collins sets her files and keys on the side of her desk. “No, it wasn’t okay. Why don’t you shut the door behind you and take a seat?”

Before I can do either of those things, I desperately search her eyes to see if she’ll tell me the truth. “Am I going to be okay?”

“What do you think?” she asks in a kind, thoughtful way. In a way that makes me think that I may already know the answer.

My mouth pops open and Mrs. Collins moves around me and gently shuts the door. She’s quiet as she slides around me again and sits behind her desk. “You look okay. You sound okay. And you’re here talking to me. How do you feel?”

I sink into the chair across from her and drop my book bag to the floor. “I’m tired of handling this on my own because—” I wave my hand in front of my heart “—keeping it inside isn’t working out for me.”

She nods like she understands...like really understands. And the sincerity in her eyes gives me a flash of hope. “How about we start at the beginning? When did you first meet him?”

Chapter 84

West

Holding on to her elbows, Haley toes a rotted piece of floorboard in the corner of the living room. Isaiah gave Kaden and me a lead on the place. It turns out he lived here for a couple of months.

“What do you think Jax will do?” she asks. I glance away, unable to endure the worry lines on her forehead. Next week, Kaden, Haley and I are graduating. Haley’s determined to stay in the camper and save her money for college and Jax...Jax is considering heading home.

“I don’t know. He’s worried about his mom and brothers.”

Haley bites her bottom lip and assesses the walls.

“It’ll look better once we get furniture,” I say.

“The floor will fall through when you get furniture.”

“Not true.” I grab Haley’s hand and guide her into the only bedroom. “See.” I motion to the mattress and box springs I bought today. “Floorboards are still intact.”

Haley claps her hands together and the pride radiating from her eyes causes me to grin. “You bought furniture!”

“Yep.” And in one solid motion, I bend over, connect with Haley at her knees and flip her onto the mattress. “And I’m bent on trying it out.”

She giggles and I love the sight of her light brown hair sprawled all around her. The strap of Haley’s pink tank top slips off her shoulder and my heart freezes at the sight. “You’re beautiful.”

Haley becomes serious as she raises her fingers to my face and traces an outline of where my eye had been swollen weeks before. “You fought for me.”

“Yes.” And I’ll be fighting again. Not for her so much as for me. I’m staying amateur and will be in the cage again in the fall. Haley’s deferred the training to John, but what I like is that she’s training along with me, though Haley has yet to decide if she’s returning to the tournament ring.

I yank my shirt off and lower my head to taste Haley’s lips. Shock registers through my body when she presses a hand against my chest. “I have something to show you.”

“What?”

A sexy smile tilts her lips. “Are you impatient or something?”

I prop my hands on either side of her head and kiss a trail from her renegade tank top strap to her neck, keeping my body from touching hers. “We haven’t been alone in weeks, Haley, and I’ll be living with your brother. How much alone time do you think he’ll be giving us?”

We barely find enough alone time to kiss now and I don’t foresee our opportunities improving with her brother sharing a room with me. But it’s all worked out for the best. Haley’s been talking with Mrs. Collins regularly, which means Haley’s been dealing with some heavy shit. Because of that, we’ve been taking it slow. Doesn’t matter. I’ve waited this long for the perfect girl. I don’t mind waiting a little while longer for her to be ready.

A contented sigh escapes Haley’s mouth when I part my lips and kiss her neck deeper and longer. Her hands wander to my biceps and begin a gentle massage that causes my head to spin.

“You don’t fight fair,” she breathes.

I chuckle against her sweet skin. “You’re the one that taught me all about offensive attacks.”

Before I can react, Haley twists her legs with mine and we roll without my consent, but how can I complain when I have such a beautiful creature lying on top?

She waggles her eyebrows. “Amateur.”

“Give me a couple years and I’ll be a pro.”

Haley doesn’t scoff at me like some of my old friends do when I tell them what I’m doing with my life. Instead, a twinkle in her eye says she believes in my dreams. It’s a step-by-step process that will take years.

I’m allowing Dad to pay for my education at the University of Louisville. In return, I will work for him thirty hours a week during the summer and twenty during the school year. I work another five to ten for Denny at the bar and the two of us continue our f**ked-up relationship of never mentioning he’s my father.