Page 9 of Forever my Love

Seeing her sister’s red eyes, Hailey walked over and wrapped her arms around her. She knew when her sister needed a hug, and this was obviously one of those times.

“This looks great,” she whispered into Harper’s ear. Then she glanced over at Nick. “Thank you. I had no idea it could look like this,” she said before letting Harper go to walk through the new shower area.

“We’re going to start tiling tomorrow,” Harper added. “Here are the tiles we picked out.” She held up the tiles and Hailey could imagine how wonderful they’d look in the new shower area.

She knew that Harper was desperately trying to make it feel like a real home.

For the next half hour, Hailey let Harper rattle on about everything she had planned for the space.

Hailey changed into a worn pair of jeans and a T-shirt and helped them for a while.

While Nick worked on the plumbing, she and Harper started painting the new walls they had built with a soft cream color that Harper had picked out.

“This is the last thing I can do tonight,” Nick said. “I’m going to head out. I’ll be back in the morning and we can start on the tile.”

“How long will that take?” Hailey asked. “I’m dying for a shower in this.” She tapped the new shower wall.

“About two more days. You can shower on the third day.”

Hailey surprised him and herself by walking over and giving the man a hug. Just knowing that Nick was there for Harper in a way that she couldn’t be warmed her. Not once in the time they’d been in Pride had she feared the man. He hadn’t even tried to flirt with her once. He was a cop and they had been raised to fear the police, but Nick was different. Nick was… good. “Thanks,” she told him and then, pulling away, added, “Really.”

Nick nodded and then Harper walked him and his dog out.

“Are you okay?” she asked Harper when she returned.

Harper nodded. “I think he knows.”

Hailey’s eyebrows shot up. “Knows what?”

Harper shook her head. “I don’t know, but I think he knows… everything.”

“What exactly did you say?” Hailey held her breath. If it was true, then Harper would likely force them to bug out. Each of them had bags already packed with cash and clothing, just in case they had to leave. They had agreed to meet at a spot an hour away, on the beach, if they ever got separated. If they had to run.

Just the thought of leaving Pride, of leaving Reece, had her heart breaking into sharp pieces that stung her entire body.

Harper shook her head. “I don’t know. I mean, he mentioned something about how he’d be willing to kill to protect his family.” Her eyes moved up to Hailey’s, and she felt her eyes burn at the memory. “And I said I would kill to protect you.”

Hailey took a deep breath. “Okay, then it’s not so bad.”

“No, it’s… I think he understood. The way he looked at me. I know that he understood what I was saying.” Harper wrapped her arms around herself.

“Do we have to go?” Hailey asked between clenched teeth.

Harper shrugged, and Hailey knew that if it was up to her sister, they’d leave. Leave all of her new friends, her job, Reece.

“No, I won’t go,” Hailey said suddenly. “I’m done running.”

Harper glanced down at her shoes. “Even if there’s a chance we could be separated?”

Hailey rushed to wrap her arms around her sister. “They can never separate us,” she said as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Never.”

Harper cried on her shoulder. “I won’t let them take you away from me.”

The sound of her sister crying for the first time she could remember shocked her.

“I’m not going anywhere.” She repeated the words she’d heard Nick say when she’d come upon them and suddenly understood what he was telling her sister. “And neither is Nick.” She leaned back. “He trusts you. I don’t think… I don’t think he’s going to turn you in.” She cupped her sister’s face. “I think we can trust him.”

“What if we can’t? What if—” Harper started.