Page 51 of Going Home

Relaxing her hands, Hailey plants her feet on the ground to stop the shock. Lex didn't snap at her. She talked back to one of the adult figures in her life, and nothing bad happened. She didn't get a lecture about swearing or disrespecting before getting a beating like Iris or Harold would. It's unfamiliar and out of her comfort zone. It's easier to brace for something terrible than this.

"Gavin says he doesn't sleep with women unless there's a connection. Every woman he's been with has meant something to him."

"I can believe that. Are you on birth control?"

The question wasn't what she expected. "Yeah, I have been on it for a few years for my acne."

"Take it religiously when you decide to get naked with him. And double up. Not taking mine is how we ended up with Noah."

"You didn't plan him?"

Laughing, Lex tells Hailey about Noah's conception. How Colt had been with another woman at the time, but things with the two of them are nothing short of magnetic. It took years afterwards to have Calla, but Lex nearly knocks her off the swing with her next confession.

"Colt and I were separated when Calla was a year old, and I'd even filed for divorce. We had a slip up one night at my new place, and we got pregnant again. I lost the baby, though. I didn't even know I was pregnant until afterwards. We tend to have better luck when we're not together, I guess."

The thought of them almost getting divorced doesn't compute in her head. Out of everyone she's ever met, she's never seen anyone love each other like they do.

"You were separated?" she asks, trying to put the pieces together.

"I'm not going to lie to you. Being with a club member is difficult sometimes. There was a lot of learning and growing we both had to do."

"Both of you?"

She smiles. "I see a little of myself in you, Hailey, which is why I want to make sure you're not using sex as an escape. I'm a runner. When things get hard, I want to take off. Until I got pregnant, I had no reason not to. You seem like you have the same tendencies."

She's not wrong."Colt had to learn and grow, too?"

"Trust me, you'll understand, dating a club member. It took Colt almost losing his family to see things differently. Now, though, he's the man I've always known he was deep down, and even though it was the toughest route, I'll never regret anything because we got here. But enough about me. I have a few rules for you and Gavin dating."

Of course."Here we go."

"First, like I said, don't get knocked up. Second, no sex when you're watching the kids. If they catch you and start asking questions, I will make you give them the sex talk. Got it?"

Okay, that's totally fair."Got it."

"The most important one is that I want you to make sure you feel comfortable talking to Gavin about what you do and don't like. When I was a teenager, I didn't feel like I could or should tell a guy what I liked and didn't. And it was so bad, I never wanted to have sex again."

"I haven't had anything mind blowing when it comes to the actual deed, but the other things haven't been that bad. Mostly with Gavin."

Lex smirks. "I'm also here if you need to talk. I couldn't talk to my mom about sex at your age, but I'm also not your mom. It might be easier."

"I don't know if I would be able to talk to her or not. She was pretty cool, but she also gave birth to me, so I think it might've been weird."

"Speaking of giving birth... Happy birthday."

Her jaw dops. She honestly thought Lex would forget or was only pretending to care around Gavin. "Th-thanks."

The sliding door opens, and Colt steps outside wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a T-shirt. His muscles bulge in the sleeves, and Hailey knows he has a six-pack. No wonder Lex likes getting it on with him. He nods them. "Happy birthday, kid."

Eyes wide, she stares in shock. Lex told Colt? Or did Gavin? "Thanks."

"Did you show her the present yet?"

Lex shakes her head. "Nope. I was waiting for you like we talked about."

"You got me a present?"

"I told you we would. But remember our deal. You didn't want a party, so you have to accept whatever we give you," she says and stands.

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