He’s right. In time, the wounds will scab over. Then they’ll scar. And eventually, the scars will fade until they’re faint reminders of what happened. Until Hazel can go days, weeks, even months without thinking about them.
Does that mean I’ll stop trying to help? Of course not. Because each smile, each laugh, each sparkle in her eye is another victory. It’s another sign that those pieces of shit—Jason, Kyle, Owen, and Wyatt—didn’t win.
“No?” Hazel asks, pulling me away from my thoughts. Amusement brightens her gaze. “I was sure you’d be interested.” She walks into the room. “Aliens in ice cream? I thought that was right up your alley.”
“It is.” Pushing away from my desk, I cross the room to meet her. Then I take her into my arms, relishing the feel of her body tucked against mine. I kiss her softly before adding, “Aliens and ice cream sound perfect.”
Hazel’s smile gets bigger. “I was thinking, once you’re done with your work, we could order the pizza. And we have ice cream in the freezer if you want to really get into the theme of the movie.”
I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers trail down her neck before pulling them away. She shivers slightly and her pupils dilate sothere’s just a thin ring of deep blue around them. Her pulse flutters at the base of her jaw. “Maybe we could do some sexy things after,” she adds, “if you’re interested.”
“Haze.” My voice goes husky. “I’malwaysinterested.”
When I first brought Hazel to my house to stay, I was ready to give her as much space as she needed. If she would rather sleep in the guest bedroom than in mine, that was fine. If she wanted to dial back the physical part of our relationship, I understood. If she didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t push. I would just be there for her in any way I could.
But to my relief, she didn’t want distance. She wanted to sleep in the same bed as me. She wanted to cuddle on the couch after dinner. And while there were times she went quiet, lost in her thoughts, she shared them with me after.
Was she still sad? Upset? Caught up in her feelings of guilt? Yes. But she didn’t shut me out. And for that, I’m grateful.
Well, I’m grateful for a lot of things, really.
I’m grateful Hazel moved to Bliss. I’m grateful she let me into her life. I’m grateful I was there that night when her car went into the water. That she called me from the police station. That she trusted me even when she had no reason to.
I’m grateful she’s safe. That she’s here with me.
Unexpectedly, my throat goes thick. My heart squeezes.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I say. “Have I mentioned that lately?”
Hazel stretches up to kiss me. Her expression softens with affection as she looks at me. “I’m glad I’m here, too.”
A wave of emotion sweeps through me. And with it, a certainty.
I love her.
Before Hazel, love was an abstract concept. I knew it existed. I saw the proof of it in the way my parents still looked at each other after forty-five years. I saw it with Enzo and Winter. Knox and Lark. Gage and Rory. But how it actuallyfelt? I had no idea.
Now I do.
I wasn’t looking for it. Honestly, I didn’t think I wanted it. Love meant leaving myself open to betrayal. It meant trusting someone when that was the last thing I wanted to do.
But I’ve learned that when you really love someone, trust comes easy. And when you really love someone, betraying them is unthinkable.
“Alec?” Hazel nuzzles my neck. “Are you almost done with work?”
“Oh.” I give myself a quick mental shaking. “Yeah.” With a backwards glance at my desk, I add, “I was just reviewing some orders. Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”
Worry flickers in her eyes. “Are you sure? If youneed to get back to it, I understand. Just because I’m not working?—”
“I’m sure.” Since Hazel moved in, I’ve been working from home, save for a few quick visits to the Stowe office while one of my teammates is here to keep an eye on Hazel. Not that I think anything will happen to her exactly—not with the three pieces of shit, as I’ve taken to calling them, safely in jail.
The evidence against them is solid enough to ensure a conviction—me, Matt, Leo, and Swede made sure of that. And we spent several days doing a deep dive into the workings of their trafficking plot to make sure there wasn’t anyone else involved. That there wasn’t some mysterious fourth accomplice out there, waiting to go after Hazel once her defenses were down.
But everyone involved in the investigation is in agreement. Aside from the man they hired in Boston, who had no knowledge of the trafficking organization, Owen Renning, Kyle Michaels, and Wyatt Peterson weren’t working with anyone else.
So that’s some good news amid the bad.
Good for Hazel, because it means she can get back to her normal life once she’s ready.
