“I visited her in Albany Hills. I was the only visitor she would allow.”
“Albany Hills?”
Guilt washed over her, and she murmured, “She didn’t tell you…”
“We have a lot to talk about,” I admitted. “What is it? Some kind of rehab center?”
“An inpatient facility on the outskirts of Albany.”
“That’s where she was?”
She nodded. “The first month she lived with us, Harleigh was completely checked out. She wouldn’t eat, barely drank. She didn’t leave her bedroom unless my parents forced her to. The family doctor said she was severely depressed and started her on medication but it only seemed to make her worse. She was like a ghost, Nix. It was horrible. After she tried to…” Agony etched into her features. “My parents sent her to Albany Hills. She was there for six months.”
Six months.
My stomach dropped into my toes.
“When she got out, she was… different. I can’t really explain it. It’s like she had this calmness about her, but it felt forced. I’ve tried really hard to break through her defenses, Nix. To be someone she can trust and lean on. But she hates life here. It clings to her like a second skin; you can literally see her writhing around in it. Repelling it. But she won’t talk about it. She won’t—”
“C-Celeste?” Harleigh’s eyes fluttered open, and she gazed up at me, her brows drawn together. “Nix?”
“Yeah, B. I’m here.”
“I thought… It wasn’t a dream?”
“No, it wasn’t a dream.” I smoothed my thumb over her cheek.
“I’m sorry you had to see me like that.” Her eyes darted away, but I gently gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me.
“Listen to me, and listen good, Birdie. Never shy away from me. Ever. I see you, B. I’ve always fucking seen you. And nothing about you scares me. Not a damn thing.”
Tears clung to her lashes as she swallowed hard. “You came,” she whispered.
“I meant what I said, B. I’ll always come for you. No matter where you are, or where I am, I’ll always come for you.”
Because she was mine.
And nothing or no one was ever going to come between us again.
Harleigh
My mind was reeling.
Nix was here.
He had come for me. Today. And last year when I’d been ripped from my home by my father.
I’d spent all this time believing the boy I loved more than anything had abandoned me. Betrayed me. But it was my father who’d betrayed me. The man who had discarded my mother so cruelly, had screwed me over in ways I couldn’t comprehend.
I’d almost…
God, I couldn’t even think the words, let alone say them.
“How are you feeling?” Celeste asked me, sympathy shining in her eyes.
“I’m okay.”
I wasn’t really, not deep down, but being here wrapped in Nix’s arms, eased some of the nervous energy bouncing around in my stomach.
Pushing myself into a sitting position, I buried myself into his side. “Where is everyone?” I asked.
“In the kitchen. Poor Nate is trying to keep the peace,” Celeste said.
Nix went rigid at the mention of Nate, and I peeked up at him. “He’s just a friend.”
“We’ll see.”
A faint smile traced my lips. It was silly. I wasn’t supposed to like the possessive edge to his words. But I did. It had been so long since I’d been the center of his world, I wanted to bask in it.
“I think they were going to order pizza. Are you hungry?”
“I don’t think I can eat,” I said. “But maybe we should go and see them. I feel like I owe Nate an apology.”
“You don’t owe Miller a damn thing.”
“Nix.” I laid my hand on his chest and brought my face level to his. “It’s okay.”
A bitter laugh rumbled in his throat. “Nothing about this is okay, B.”
“I’m going to give the two of you some space,” Celeste said. “But I’m sure everyone would like to see you with their own eyes, Harleigh.”
“We’ll be right there.” I flashed her an appreciative smile, and she left. The click of the door echoing through the silence.
“Nix,” I said, sliding my fingers along his jaw. “Look at me.” His eyes slowly lifted to mine, simmering with pure agony. “I’m okay.”
“Fuck that, Birdie. You’re not—”
“Shh.” Pressing my finger to his lips, I silenced him. “I know we need to talk. I know there’s so much we need to figure out. But right now, I want us to go and see our friends and apologize. Can we do that?”
His body trembled beneath my touch as if it was taking everything inside of him not to break. His hand flexed against the side of my neck, his deft fingers threading into my hair and holding me there. “Ten fucking months, B.” Nix exhaled a long, pained breath and I felt it all the way down to my soul.
So much hurt.
So many lies.
So much deception.
But we’d found our way back together. Despite the odds, we were here.
I moved my hand to his cheek, leaning in to touch my head to his.
“Never again.” It was a whispered promise. “You’re mine, B. No matter what anyone says.”
“Nix?” I pulled back slightly to look at him, to make sure I understood.
The corner of his mouth tipped up, sending my heart into overdrive. “There she is,” he said. “My girl.”
Yours? I wanted to scream. But I didn’t need to.
He pulled my face down to his, fitting his mouth to mine. Slow, hesitant. Testing the waters. I slipped my hand around his neck, anchoring us together.
Nix paused the kiss to breathe against my lips, “We do this, and there’s no going back. I’ll never let anything come in between us again. Not even your father.” Fierce determination shone in his eyes, echoing the resilience of my heart.
“No going back,” I whispered.
Then I kissed him.
The second our lips touched, a heavy weight lifted from my shoulders. Tears spilled down my cheeks as our tongues tangled together, soft uncertain licks. But it barely took the edge off the tension radiating through me. I pressed closer, deepening the kiss. Tracing the seam of his lips, tasting him. Savoring him.
My hand found Nix’s and lifted it to the hem of my t-shirt. But his body went taut.
“B…”
“Please, I need this… I need you.”
I’d never needed anything more.
He pulled away, gazing at me with pure lust. “That’s not how this is going to go, not after everything that’s happened.”
“Nix, I—”
“No, B. If we’re doing this… and we are doing it; we’re going to do it right. Starting by going out there and reassuring our friends that you’re okay.”
Dejection clung to every inch of me, twisting my insides. I dropped my gaze, trying to get a handle on the tumultuous emotions coursing through me.
“What’s wrong?” Nix gripped my chin gently and forced me to look at him. I pressed my lips together, refusing to answer him. “Let me make one thing clear, Birdie. I want you. I have wanted you for as long as I can remember. But things between us have always been complicated…” He let out a small sigh. “It’s important to me we get them right this time, because I have no intention of giving you up.”