Hailey deserves good things in her life, and maybe it’s guilt, or maybe it’s my Alpha instincts finally knowing what to do, but I want to give her everything she wants.
We pull up to her building and we all get out of the car. I hate that she lives here. It’s fucked-up that her mom lives lavishly, comfortably in a massive pack house while she lives in this outdated apartment complex. Even if she didn’t want Hailey to live with her anymore, she could afford to put her daughter up in a decent place. Instead, she tossed her away and made her figure it out on her own. There’s a guilt deep down that makes me think this is my fault. My reaction to her scent pushed Erin over the edge. But I know better. Erin was jealous and narcissistic. When she thought Hailey was a Beta, there was no competition, but a younger, kinder, sweeter smelling Omega in her own house? There was no way she would let that stand.
This apartment is a testament to Hailey’s resilience, though. I had a firehouse to lean back on, Hailey only had herself. She’s been so fucking strong and all I want to do is prove to her that she doesn’t have to be. That good people are out there, and she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.
We don’t even knock before she swings open her front door, almost like she was watching the front of the building waiting for us to get here. She’s wearing a tight emerald green top, and dark jeans that squeeze every perfect inch of her. Her long hair is down in waves, framing her pretty face.
“You look beautiful,” I say, watching in awe as pink floods her cheeks.
“Thank you. You all clean up pretty nicely, too.”
“Do you have a sweater?” Sterling asks as he grabs her bag and carries it under his arm.
“I do, your packing instructions were very thorough,” she says, and I can tell she’s trying to hold in a laugh over the list Sterling sent her the other night on what to pack.
“Shall we?” Hayes says. Hailey gives him a smile as she takes his hand and he leads the way to the vehicle.
“So, are you going to tell me what we’re doing?” she asks as she slips into the backseat, next to Hayes.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Hayes replies as we get in the car and make our way to our first destination. “But just to clarify, you’re not afraid of heights, right?”
“Oh,” Hailey says, her finger going to her mouth. Hayes’ eyes go wide and I can see his brain turning, trying to figure out how he’s going to salvage this date. Hailey laughs and shakes her head, completely fucking with him. “I slide down a twelve foot pole. No, I’m not afraid of heights.”
“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” Hayes says, clutching his chest.
Their banter is effortless, so fucking easy. Not that I’m surprised, Hayes could charm just about anyone, and the fact is I don’t really know Hailey. I know she’s beautiful, that she’s determined, and that I can’t stop thinking about her cherry scent. But outside of that, there’s so much more I need to know. Fuck, I need to make sure she even likes me too. What if me having previously dated her mother is something she can’t look past?
What if I’ve ruined everything for my pack?
Sterling reaches over and grips the back of my neck, a tight squeeze of reassurance.
“We’re here,” he says in his deep voice, dropping his hand from my neck as we pull up alongside the landing strip. An idle helicopter waits in the distance and Hailey leans between the two front seats, her cherry scent nearly choking me to death as she touches my shoulder.
“We’re going on a helicopter ride?” she says excitedly.
“Over the Grand Canyon,” Sterling adds and I turn to take in her face.
Her soft, plush lips part in surprise before a wide smile takes over her face. She looks back at Hayes.
“So you took the word grand pretty literally, huh?”
“What about me buying you a BMW screams that I’m a man of half measures?” he asks.
“It rides like a dream,” Hailey says.
“I bet it does,” Hayes says, and now I’m willing myself not to get an erection as we get out of the car and head to the helicopter.
Hailey and I sit next to one another, and Sterling and Hayes do the same so we can each see out a window. When the helicopter takes off, Hailey gasps and grips my thigh, her nails digging into my skin, and I place my hand on top of hers to let her know that I’ll keep her safe. Once the helicopter levels out and we’re in the sky, she doesn’t remove her hand and neither do I.
I’m not sure who’s more comforted by it, but there’s no way I’m going to be the one to break this connection first.
“Wow, it’s crazy seeing Vegas from this angle,” she says, glancing out the window.
“Just wait till you see it at night on the way back,” Hayes says, and I have to give him a look. He just shrugs back at me. He’s always been a showoff, but this is truly taking it to new heights.
It’s hard to talk over the headsets, but the views make up for it as we fly over the desert. It takes about an hour to get tothe Grand Canyon. Every second of wonder on her face eases something in my chest.
“It’s amazing,” she says into the mic.
