12

Hailey

My head pounded the next morning. I'd hardly slept last night as I tossed and turned while thoughts raced through my head. On the one hand, there was Trey, and my mind grappled to understand the scheming behind our relationship. On the other hand, there was Christian, and I couldn't decide if his kiss was only meant to make me feel better or if there was something more between us. My body wanted more, but was it only reacting to his concern for me after having been so publicly rejected? I wasn't sure.

I reluctantly climbed out of bed and splashed cold water on my face. Staring back at me in the mirror were tired, red eyes and a sad mouth. My family would be here in a few hours. I needed to get my shit together before then.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and went in search of Christian. I would look for some sign that there was more to his kiss than just reassurance.

Puttering down the hallway in my bare feet, I turned the corner and found him sitting at the kitchen table. He sat with his head in his hands. His face snapped up when I cleared my throat.

"Good morning," I smiled.

His hair was a mess at the top. Strands jutted out in all directions. I'd never seen it out of place. It was always perfectly combed by the time I came down for breakfast. But I liked this look on him. It was less bodyguard and more boyfriend material.

"Morning," he muttered and stood up. "I haven't started on breakfast yet. I didn't get much sleep last night."

That made me smile again. If he didn't sleep well last night, that was a good sign, no? He was wrestling with something, too. "Really?" I asked casually. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yeah," he said. "I do."

Great. I loved that we were on the same page and we needed to talk about this.

Ding, Dong!

I raised my index finger. "Hold that thought while I answer the door."

"Hailey, wait!" he called. "It's Sunday morning. Who can be at the door? Let me get it."

"All right."

Christian strode past me wearing jeans and a black T-shirt. He checked the cameras on his phone. "It's Sam," he said right before he opened the door.

"Sam? Hey, what are you doing here on a Sunday?"

"Hailey, we have a PR disaster, girl." She walked into my house and grabbed me by the arms. She wore a black and white suit and her hair and makeup were flawlessly done.

"I thought we handled the lip-sync scandal. Is this about Kendra again?"

Sam shook her head. "No, no. This isn't about her. This is about you and Trey. It's all over the net, and people are pissed."

I waved off her concern. "Oh, I'll be fine. People don't have to be upset on my behalf. I'm slowly coming to terms with it."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Hailey, what are you talking about? People are pissed at you!"

"For what?"

"For cheating on Trey," she pointed at Christian, "with your bodyguard."

"What?!"

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

I shook my head. "That's not what happened."

Pulling out her phone, she opened an app and passed the phone to me.

There was a photo of Christian and me kissing. My cheeks heated when I looked at Christian's face. But then I noticed that right next to the photo of us kissing was another photo. This one showed Trey and me fighting. "Does this imply that we fought after the kiss? That's not what happened at all. Trey was the one who kissed another woman first."

Sam rolled her eyes. "The sequence of events doesn't matter. What matters is the perception and the receipts. This story, and every other one I've seen online, says you broke Trey's heart by cheating on him with your bodyguard. The comments are brutal towards you. This is a disaster, Hailey."

I scrolled to the bottom of the story and read the comments: That two-timing bitch doesn't deserve him. Poor Trey.

Who does she think she is?

I never liked her music, anyway.

I exhaled and pulled my hair away from my face. I didn't fucking believe this. He was the one who kissed someone else first. He was the one who came into this relationship with no strings attached and no feelings on the line. And now he was the one everyone felt sorry for?

I turned to Sam. "What's the plan?"

She exhaled loudly and sat next to me on the couch. "I don't know, honestly. I have to sit down and think about it. But you need to stay low for a bit and," pointing to Christian, she added, "for heaven's sake, keep your lips away from that man." She narrowed her eyes at him. "As hard as that may be."

As well intended as it was, Sam's advice bothered me more than it should have. I nodded and avoided Christian's gaze.

Sam pushed off the couch and patted Christian's shoulder. "Stick to guarding, big guy. It's less dangerous than love."

He followed her to the door and after she left, he came to sit next to me on the couch. With his head in his hands again, he whispered. "I'm sorry, Hailey. I didn't mean—"

I silenced his mouth with my index finger. "Shh—don't apologize. It will only make me feel worse. I don't regret our kiss. Not for one second."

His chest rose in a sharp breath. "I don't regret it, either." He caressed my cheek. His thumb left a warm trail wherever it touched.

"I'm just overwhelmed right now. Since the stupid Kendra feud, my life has been thrown upside down, and I don't know if I can handle anything else." I wanted to run back to bed, throw a pillow over my head, and stay there until the world just forgot about me.

"I understand," he said and pulled his arm back. My cheek went cold.

"Your family will be here soon. I'll pick up the food. You stay here and don't go outside without me. Do you understand?"

I nodded. "Thank you."

I watched as he grabbed the keys from their usual spot in the foyer. He turned around just before heading outside. He opened his mouth but shut it. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye." I waved weakly at him.

After the door closed, I forced myself off the couch. My legs felt like lead as I walked back to my room. I contemplated the shower for a second, but then dropped onto my bed and threw the covers over my head.

***

My mother's voice stirred me awake. She spoke harshly to someone, and the tone triggered some childhood memories. She never raised her hand at me, but she raised her voice plenty.

Pushing the covers off of me, I stumbled to the door and listened.

"I think it's best that you leave, Christian. You have crossed a line with my daughter, and frankly, I'm disappointed in you."

"I've already apologized to Hailey, and I'll apologize to you as well. I'm sorry I put her in a compromising position, but I don't regret kissing her."

"Well, that isn't much of an apology, is it? I think you should leave."

My heart leaped out of my chest. "What is going on here?"

My mother nearly jumped out of her skin, and Christian closed his eyes.

"Hailey. I thought you were sleeping."

"I'm not."

"Well," she began and pulled a strand of hair away from her face. "I was just telling Christian that we no longer need his services."

Christian's jaw clenched.

She turned to him. "Is that true, Christian?"

He shook his head. "No, ma'am. Hailey very much needs protection. Now more than ever. If you no longer feel I'm the right person for the job, that's fine. But don't fire the whole company. I'll send one of my brothers in my place."

He clenched his jaw again, and I was sure one of his back molars would crack from the pressure. He was angry. Did he think he messed up this assignment as well? No. I wouldn't let him feel that way.

"I thank you for your concern, Mother. But Christian isn't going anywhere. He has been the best bodyguard I've ever had, and one kiss is not going to change that."

My mother rushed to my side. "Hailey, be reasonable. People are already saying you've cheated on Trey with him. If you continue this behavior, it will only fuel the fire."

My body flushed from head to toe at her response. "Are you saying you care more about what people think than my safety?"

She blinked. "No. That's not what I'm saying at all."

I shook my head at her trying to tell me otherwise, when her words so plainly stated the truth.

"Hailey. I hired this man so I can fire him. We'll find you someone else."

"He's standing right here, Mother. And no, you will not fire him because he's my bodyguard."

We stood staring at each other for several seconds before my mother cleared her throat. "Fine. He can stay." Then she turned to Christian and poked his chest. "But you keep your hands off of my daughter."

He stared at her finger, but didn't remove it from his body.

With a huff, she turned on her heels and left.

I exhaled, releasing some of the tension from my shoulders.

"Thank you," he said.

I nodded. "Let's eat."

When I entered the dining room, my dad, Uncle Joe, Aunt Betty, and Cousin Anya were all seated at the table. Everyone stopped talking when they saw me. I sat down at the end of the table in my usual spot.

I looked around the room but didn't see him. "Christian?"

He walked into the room. "Yes?"

"Aren't you going to join us?"

"Hailey," my mother began, but I glared at her.

"We always eat together. Today is no different. Come, sit down. What are you going to do? Eat alone in the kitchen? Absolutely not."

My mother growled and stared at me. Everyone watched the stand-off between me and my mother, but no one commented.

"All right," he said and sat down in front of me.

"Thank you." Then, turning to my father, I said, "Can you pass the pasta, please?"

My father looked at my mother, shrugged, then picked up the bowl and passed it to me.

"Thank you," I said. After serving myself, I passed it along to Christian.

"Is this from the place you were telling me about?" I asked him.

"It is."

"You picked the restaurant for today's family dinner?" my mother asked, raising her eyebrow.

"He did," I said and took a bite of the penne carbonara. "Mmm, this is delicious."

My mother tried a forkful herself and shrugged. "I guess it's all right."

I smiled and considered it a win.

Turning to my cousin, I smiled at her. "How's school going, Anya?"

"It's great," she said, cutting into her veal parmesan.

Anya was a year younger than me, but since I'd been in the business since I turned sixteen, I'd never had a chance to go to college. When Uncle Joe asked me to help pay for her tuition, I didn't hesitate. I wanted my cousin to have experiences I never had.

Aunt Betty rubbed Anya's back. "Anya's doing really well, too. She presented a paper on environmental changes."

Anya groaned. "Mom, everyone had to present. It was no big deal."

"Of course, it's a big deal, honey. Not everyone gets to stand in front of all those people and not be nervous."

Aunt Betty's eyes met mine, and she cringed. "Sorry, Hailey. I didn't mean it that way."

I waved her off. "Don't worry about it. I do get nervous in front of a crowd. I swear, some days, I just want to quit while I'm ahead."

"No!" shouted the entire table, and I blinked at them. Christian closed his eyes and turned his head away.

I laughed uncomfortably. "I was only kidding, but good to know y'all feel so strongly about my career."

"Of course we do, sweetheart," said my mother, and with a side glance at Christian, she added, "We wouldn't want you to lose what you've worked so hard to earn."

Those words could easily be applied to herself. My mother paid for my guitar and piano lessons. She took me to every audition, and even pulled me out of bed in the middle of the night to perform at some club if the owner allowed it. We would enter through the back way and leave right after my set. She protected me and I wouldn't begrudge her our success. I just wished it felt a little more personal.

"So, Hailey. I hear you're single now. I can hook you up with some guys I know on campus. Jared is real cute."

Christian dropped his fork, and I smiled. It probably had nothing to do with Anya's suggestion, but a small part of me would be thrilled if it bothered him even a little.

"Thanks, Anya. But I've been told twice today to keep my lips to myself. I think I'm just going to focus on my music."

"How's the new album coming along?" my father asked.

"Really good. Tessa and I have three songs recorded already. I love—"

"Don't dilly dawdle with this one, Hailey," my mother said, putting her fork down. "You need to strike while you're hot. You know how quickly the court of public opinion can turn on you."

"I certainly do. But that has nothing to do with my music. At least it shouldn't."

"Of course it does. It all goes hand in hand." She blew out a frustrated breath. "You understand that good music is only half of a successful career. You need to play the part, be seen with the right people, date the right men."

Date the right men.

My heart stopped, and I looked up at my mother. She pushed the green beans around on her plate before finally sticking a fork in one.

"What did you say?" I asked. My body felt cold.

"I said you need to pay attention to more than just the music." She chewed slowly and looked around the table, oblivious to the growing tension in the room.

"You said ‘date the right people'."

She nodded. "Yes, I did. Among other important things."

"Did you tell Frankie to set me up with Trey? Was that your idea?"

"Ye—'' she was about to admit it when she finally caught the stares directed at her.

"Did you know that Trey never liked me? Were you the one to orchestrate that with Frankie?"

"Orchestrate? You make it sound so salacious."

"Wasn't that the point? To sensationalize my relationship?"

"Yes, but it was for your own good. You were always so focused on your music that you never stopped to think about the other factors of fame. Honey, I did it for you."

I laughed disdainfully. "You had the nerve to blame Christian for the bad press when you were the one who is to blame."

"Me? How are you going to pin this on me?"

"If you kept your nose out of my love life, then I wouldn't have had the crazy idea that maybe my boyfriend loved me."

Christian ran a hand through his hair, his frustration visible in the lines around his mouth.

"If that bodyguard of yours would have kept his hands and lips to himself, then people would have blamed Trey and you would be the victim here. They would rally for you."

"You wanted me to be the victim?" I pushed away from the table. "I can't believe you. You knew he would do something like this and you still did it anyway."

"I didn't know or plan this. Don't be ridiculous. And stop trying to blame me when I wasn't the one who kissed you."

"I kissed Christian. And you know what? I would do it again."

My father cleared his throat, and Anya smiled from ear to ear. Christian rubbed his face and lips, hiding his smile.

Oh, he was enjoying this, was he?

Turning to my mother, I said, "I can kiss whoever the hell I want to kiss. Do you get that? Not you, not Trey, not even the court of public opinion can stop me." I grabbed Christian by his T-shirt and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was meant to be brief, but adrenaline rushed through my veins and when he ran his fingers through my hair, I moaned.

"Oh, god, Hailey. Not at the dinner table," my mother moaned, and I pulled away from Christian's lips. "Fine. You've proven your point." She waved at us dismissively. "You can do whatever you want. Just please, think about it. Do you want to lose everything for him?"

Christian stiffened, and I let go of his shirt. Turning to my mother, he stared at her. "Mrs. Jones, you don't have to worry about that. Hailey will never have to choose. Her career comes first. I understand that. But I care about your daughter. I won't deny it. And I will protect her, no matter what."

My father picked up his fork. "There. Now will you eat your dinner, Anne?"

Narrowing her eyes at Christian, my mother tossed back her hair but never resumed eating.

He said he cared about me. He hadn't said love, but it felt like so much more than just friendship. I wasn't sure what was happening between us, but I knew I wanted to kiss him again.