Page 10 of Deception
“Or,” Brian says, “I continue to keep her happy, and she keeps her ear to the ground for us.”
“I’m gonna go,” Alex says. “But I am on your side, Colt. At least with this.”
She leaves, and Colt decides not to say anything about the rat. No one else needs to know that someone’s talking. Not yet. Not until he can get a better handle on figuring out who it is.
Chapter Four
Griffin’s Beach
Hailey
Hailey Nichols lays in her room at Colt and Lex’s house. Life hasn’t been the same since she kidnapped and nearly trafficked by her college roommate’s creepy boyfriend.
For starters, she’s adopted now. And she finally admitted her love for Gavin Short, a prospect with the club. A legacy like his father is. Likeherfather is now that she’s officially embraced being a Nichols.
And no sooner did she decide to put the jaded side of her to bed did life prove to be the same bitch it always has been. Gavin told her he knocked up the waitress he was screwing while they were apart, and he now has a daughter named Nancy with her.
“What are you doing home?” Lex asks and walks into the room. “Did you and Gavin have a fight?”
Even a year ago, this type of comment would have elicited a snotty comeback such asI thought this was my home. I guess I can’t come home anymore, huh?She’s pushing that urge down and slowly finding it easier to be as normal as she possibly can.
While she hasn’t officially changed her address to Gavin’s apartment, she does spend most of her time there. And most of her stuff is there. She basically lives with her boyfriend, so it’s a logical question for Lex to ask.
“He has Nancy this weekend.”
“And he doesn’t want you to bond with his daughter?” she asks. “That doesn’t sound like Gavin.”
Because it’s not.“Is it wrong thatIdon’t want to bond with her?”
“I don’t know if I’d say it’s wrong, but it’s probably going to create problems between you two, It’s kind of inevitable. Women who don’t like their man’s children aren’t usually around for too long. Not with good men, anyway.”
Staring at Lex’s pretty blue eyes and curly blonde hair, the jealousy creeps in. The waitress is blonde. And a nymphomaniac. One night when Gavin was drunk, he told Hailey that the waitress wanted sex like a dude. Which meant she wanted it all the time. He had a hard time keeping up.
“I’m scared he’s going to decide he wants to be with the mother of his child,” Hailey admits. Something she hasn’t admitted to Gavin and probably never will.
Lex moves to sit on the bed and gives her a small smile. “I don’t think you have anything to be scared about.”
“Why do you say that?”
Please, give me a reason to stop feeling this way. Please, Lex.
“Because that boy loves you something fierce. I think he’s still scared you’re going to leave because this is a big ask of anyone.‘Hey, I love you, and I want to be together. Oh, by the way, I’m having a kid with another chick who I banged while we were broken up but still hooking up when you’d let me.’ I mean… come on.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Maybe I should dye my hair.”
“Why?”
“The waitress is blonde. You’re blonde. You look great blonde.”
“And I’d kill for dark hair. I do not have the complexion for it. You’re beautiful as you are, Hailey. You don’t have to be anything but you for him.”
Reaching out, she plays with one of Lex’s curls. “I love your hair.”
“It’s a pain in the ass, but it’s become my signature. When I straighten it, it almost scares people. You know, I should maybe do that soon…” She trails off as an evil smirk appears.
“I bet Dad feels like he’s cheating on you when you do.”
After Colt saved her, Hailey had to admit how wrong she was for resisting the only two people who have cared about her and Lucas since her parents died. She asked to be adopted because she wanted a permanent home with people who refused to give up on her, even when she was being difficult.
