“I bet Leo would go, if you asked him.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
I blew out a frustrated puff of air. “Seriously, Hayle. Why won’t you just ask him?”
“He has better things to do than have dinner at my mom’s cottage.”
“So? It’s important to you, which means it would be important to him.”
Hayle moved his arms from the back of the sofa to his knees. “I think you might be overstating my importance to him.”
I slammed my textbook shut. “What the hell is wrong with you Sharpes? It’s like none of you can see what’s right in front of your face.”
Hayle quirked an eyebrow. “What do you think is right in front of my face?”
I opened and closed my mouth several times. How could I encompass all that he and his brothers were missing out on by constantly pushing each other away?
“Yeah, I see your point,” he said dryly.
“No.” I pointed a finger at him. “You’re going to give me a minute, because you need to hear this.”
“When did you get so bossy?”
“I don’t know. Around the time I discovered that every single one of the males in this family has his head stuck up his ass.”
Hayle’s mouth twitched. “Can’t argue with that.”
“Guess you are the smart one.”
“Obviously.” He waved a hand. “Go on. Tell me what I’m missing.”
I inhaled a deep breath and slowly released it, giving myself time to gather my thoughts. I had a lot of them on this subject. My only problem was voicing them.
“You’re missing what could be.” I leaned forward, mirroring Hayle’s stance. “I get that things haven’t been easy between you, Leo, and Tristin over the last couple of years.” Maybe ever, I thought, remembering the drawing I’d found from when we were kids. Hayle had set himself apart from his brothers physically, and I was now realizing he’d probably always done that emotionally as well. “But things can change. You can change. All three of you.”
“That assumes we want to change. Maybe we’re fine co-existing and nothing more.”
“I don’t believe you. Everyone needs someone to count on, and who in this world can you count on more than your brothers? Certainly not your father.”
I said that last sentence with added significance, daring him to contradict me. If anyone would, it would be Hayle. But his perception of his father had changed when Vincent had admitted to paying off the judge in Tristin’s juvenile case to ensure the punishment would be seen as fair by the public. I knew that was the reason he’d been in “a mood” the last couple of weeks, whether he would admit to it or not.
“And who do you have to count on?” he asked, turning the question back on me.
“No one. Which is why I know how important it is to have that person. Those people.”
Except, that wasn’t true anymore, was it? I had Petra. I had Leo. And I hoped I had Hayle. It was hard to tell with him.
He stood and dropped onto the sofa next to me. “I’m not the only one who can’t see what’s right in front of me, it seems.”
I swallowed past the growing lump in my throat. Guess that answered my question.
He twisted a lock of my hair around his finger. “You can count on me, Thea.”
Even if it meant going against his father? The question was on the tip of my tongue, but it evaporated when Hayle lowered his head, whispering “always” against my lips as his mouth met mine.
It was the softest of caresses, and there was so much tenderness in the touch, tears burned my eyes. With this kiss, he was telling me something he hadn’t been able to say aloud. He was telling me—showing me—he cared.
My pulse erupted as a hundred different emotions rose to the surface. I wanted so badly to return the favor. To prove that I was here for him too. But this wasn’t the way to do it.
Not when I’d already started something meaningful with his brother.
Digging deep for strength, I tore my lips away. “Hayle, I—I can’t.” My mouth might as well have been full of sawdust. That’s how hard it was to get the words out. “I’m sorry.”
He dipped his chin and exhaled a ragged breath. “So, the rumors are true? You and Leo are official?”
“You knew?”
“Not exactly.” Slowly lifting his head, he replied, “But Kelsey was kind enough to text me about your, now infamous, sweatshirt on Saturday night.”
“Oh, god. Does everyone know the fight was because of me?”
“I think it’s more speculation than anything.”
Awesome. It was probably a miracle no one had doused me with a slushy on campus today, Glee-style.
Hayle sat back, putting several feet of distance between us. “So, you are official?”
I rubbed my hands against my jeans. “I guess you could say that. We’re taking things slow.”
He laughed under his breath. “Leo doesn’t do slow. In fact, he doesn’t do much beyond hooking up.”
“He says he wants to do things differently with me.” I knew how naïve that sounded, but the thing was, I believed him.
“I want to be able to say I’m happy for the two of you, but I don’t know if I can.”
My chest tightened painfully. I hated this feeling of disappointing someone I cared about. “Hayle—”
He shook his head. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted a chance to kiss you once before I knew, for sure, you were off-limits.”
I didn’t respond, because I didn’t know what else to say. This sucked. For years, I’d had no interest in being emotionally tied to any guy. And, now, my emotions were all twisted up in three.
Part of me wondered if I should stay away from all of them. If it wouldn’t be better for everyone that way.
But I wasn’t that selfless. For as long as I was in Moss Harbor, I was going to let myself feel. Especially since my days were numbered.
Hayle stood and took a few steps before stopping again. “Will you tell me one thing, though?”
“Of course.”
“If I’d stepped up and thrown my hat in the ring before my brothers got around to it, would I have stood a chance with you?”
With the taste of him still on my lips, I didn’t hesitate. Hell, I didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes.”
His answering smile was small but warm. “Guess I’ll hold out hope that my big brother screws up, then. He’s been known to do that.”
I watched him walk away, thinking that, once again, pieces of my heart were strewn across the ground.
Chapter Thirteen
Thea
“Hey, you.”
Halfway out of the bathroom an hour later, I slammed into the doorjamb. “Holy shit, Leo. You scared me.”
He’d been leaning against the wall across from me but pulled me into a hug as soon as he saw my reaction. “Damn, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” He kissed my arm, where I’d hit it against the wood trim. “All better?”
I pursed my lips. “I don’t know. Maybe try again?”