The bedroom door opened slowly, and Noah poked his head in. Harper rushed through the crack. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I glared at him, then softened. “Yes. I’m okay. Just got carried away. Sorry. I’ll be out. Just let me finish with Kayla, okay?”
Noah gave me an apologetic smile, which made me feel even more like an ass. He tapped on the doorframe. “Come here, girl.”
Harper headed toward him but paused, peering back at me.
“It’s okay. She can stay.”
He shut the door without another word.
I sank to the floor and Harper rushed over to crawl into my lap. “Sorry, Kayla.”
“It’s okay, love.” Her voice regained some of her spunk. “You’d better believe I’d be yelling and biting off heads too if this were happening to me.” She laughed again. “Although you should have heard me with Dustin. I swear the windows were rattling.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I already said it’s okay, that—”
“No,” I cut her off. “Not about that. That this is all happening to you too. To you and Bailey. If I’d just—”
“None of that, Randall Morgan. We’re family, and we’re going to get through this.”
We were family.
How strange that the one person who truly was my family was the one who shared no actual Morgan blood.
“So you really think we can figure this out? That we will get to see each other?” I knew I should be worried about the bigger picture. About having my picture spread across the Internet with all the horrid labels and accusations, but all I wanted right then was my best friend’s assurance.
Kayla didn’t disappoint. Her voice held no doubt. “Yes. We will. I can’t promise it will be tomorrow. But it will happen sooner rather than later. I know Dustin. I can tell he’ll cave on this.”
God, that was good to hear. Like slipping into a soothing bath. “And Bailey?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know about that. I mean, at some point, I’m sure, but I don’t know how to play those cards. Not with your dad and with Dustin’s plan to announce his candidacy in two months. I mean, I’m sure some time, yes. Of course. I don’t know that path right now. But I’m sure it will show up as things unfold.”
Though it hurt, the thought that Kayla believed I would see Bailey again helped. I supposed it was ludicrous to believe I’d never see her again, but with my father, you never knew.
Of course, he couldn’t live forever.
The thought startled me, and I waited for guilt.
It didn’t come.
“Kayla?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I don’t want to get you in trouble, but will you please tell Bailey that I love her. That—” My throat closed up again, and I choked out a sob. “—that I’m not abandoning her.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Kayla sounded more like a mother than my best friend in that moment. “Don’t be stupid. I’ve already told her that.”
THE PHONEcall lasted a few more minutes. And though the world had fallen apart, as I sat there on the floor with Harper, I felt like things were going to be okay. At some point. They would.
Bailey knew I loved her. That I wanted to see her.
I had Kayla.
My brother believed I was innocent. And that he even said that, I think the world shattered on that revelation alone.
