One More Round

by Shelli Stevens

  “Hailey,” Sarah began, discomfort clear in her voice. “We don’t really need to do this. Ian and I are trying to forgive and forget what happened that night—”

  “That’s just it. You don’t know what happened that night.” Hailey drew in a shuddering breath, and glanced at Ian. “Neither of you do.”

  Sarah shook her head.

  “You mean I was just too drunk to remember?” Ian said flatly. “I have a good guess. There’s no need to go into details—”

  “There is, actually.” Hailey closed her eyes briefly. “I should’ve done this years ago.”

  “Done what?” Sarah’s tone shifted into unease.

  No turning back now. They already despised her. While what she was about to tell them may not make things easier, it would shift the hurt. Shift the betrayal. And they deserved to know the truth.

  Hailey took a deep breath and forced herself to continue. “Back in high school, I was in a really bad place. You probably heard the rumors. My parents were crackheads and dirt poor. More than once CPS got involved, and there was a real danger of my younger brother and I being taken away. Separated.”

  It was hard to talk about it, because it seemed a lifetime ago. There was so much shame associated with those years.

  “I heard the rumors,” Sarah admitted. “Though I wasn’t sure if they were true. You kept that part of your life pretty private.”

  She’d had to.

  “Things got even worse my senior year,” she went on. “Mom was late on bills and really hurting for money, and the ways she was talking about earning it…weren’t good.” Hailey drew in a ragged breath, hesitated, and then lifted her gaze to meet Sarah’s dead on. “So when your dad approached me and offered me five hundred dollars to make it look like I slept with Ian, I said yes.”

  No one said anything for a moment, but the small, choked gasp came from Sarah. Ian caught her as her knees seemed to give out.

  “My dad?” Sarah repeated, shaking her head. “He would never…”

  Her words drifted off, and Hailey could see the moment Sarah gave up on that argument. The moment she decided her dad would have done that.

  Ian seemed a bit less convinced.

  “I may not remember much about that night, but I remember you climbing into bed with me. Why would I remember that if we didn’t have sex?”

  “I kept plowing you with drinks, Ian. To make it look like you were just wasted.” Oh crap it was so hard to admit this. “But I slipped something like a roofie into your drink. Your dad suggested it, Sarah, and with my parents being who they were, it wasn’t hard to get one.”

  “The fuck you did.”

  Despite his roar of protest, there was realization in Ian’s eyes now. She could see the belief take over the shock, even as he denied it.

  “It’s why you don’t remember what happened that night. Why it was so easy to convince everyone—including you—that we’d slept together.” She was going to be sick. Saying all this, confessing to the horrible sin she’d committed against them.

  She was a nurse; she saved lives now. But what she’d done that night…

  “Fuck.” Ian pulled Sarah closer to him. “I know your dad hated me, but I never could’ve imagined him doing this.”

  “Neither could I.” Her voice broke and she stared up at Ian. “I’m surprised, and yet I’m not. Lately I’m learning my dad wasn’t the man I thought he was.”

  “Ah, Sarah.” Ian pulled her into his arms and held her.

  “Again, I should’ve never been so quick to assume,” Sarah whispered. “That morning when I found you, my gut screamed you’d never do that to me, but logically…”

  “Hell, I was convinced I’d slept with her.”

  “You didn’t. Oh my God, you didn’t.” There was joy in Sarah’s teary laugh now.

  Ian joined in, his laughter filled with amazement. “I loved you too much. It never made sense. I still love you so much.”

  Uncomfortable now and feeling intrusive on their moment, especially when they kissed, Hailey wanted to just back away, and leave them to wade through the discovery.

  But Sarah pulled away from Ian suddenly to look at her, blushing as she seemed to remember where they were.

  “Thank you, Hailey. I know you didn’t have to tell us.”

  “Of course I did.” Her mouth curled into a bitter smile. “I’ve regretted my choice every day since. I’m not proud of what I did. I’m not going to make this about me and say I mourned our loss of friendship, Sarah. That’s a given.” Tears burned at the back of her eyes, but she struggled to keep them back. “I regretted ruining your relationship most of all. And when I heard you were back and that you and Ian had a child, I knew I had to come clean.”

  “Thank you.” Ian gave a slight nod, even as he still wouldn’t look her in the eye.

  She understood. It was a break in trust. A lot to take in. There was so much emotion flowing between them at that moment.

  Hailey nodded and pulled her keys from her shoulder bag. “I’ll leave now. Good luck in life.”

  She turned and walked away, climbing into her car a moment later. But with her hands shaking so hard she knew it would be another couple of minutes before she should drive.

  Ian and Sarah walked back to the pub, arms around each other and talking with heads together before they disappeared inside.

  She’d done the right thing. She knew she had. Maybe Sarah had heard some things about her dad that were upsetting, but she now knew Ian was innocent. And that had been Hailey’s goal.

  Fumbling to put the keys in the ignition, she paused when the door to the pub again swung open.

  Her chest went tight at the sight of Colin McLaughlin, large and intimidating with his glower, striding toward her.

  Her windows were already open due to the heat, and he curled large hands around the frame and dipped his head down to look at her.

  “Let me give you some advice, Hailey.” His voice was ice and it worked in chilling her to the bone.

  “Stay away from them,” he continued. “You’re nothing but trouble and you’ve got no place in their lives. Not Sarah’s, Emily’s, or any of the McLaughlins’.”

  Her stomach clenched at the verbal kick. He fit well into his law enforcement image. Writing her off as trouble, no doubt because of who her family had been. Even if she hadn’t seen them in years.

  “Well aren’t you the protective guy in the family,” she couldn’t help but reply tightly past the hurt.

  “Aye. I sure as hell am. But you don’t really want to find out through trial and error.”

  She gave a laugh of disbelief, and knew she should’ve bitten her tongue as she muttered a snarky, “You sure you’re not overcompensating for something by wearing that badge, Sheriff?”

  His nostrils flared. “Excuse me?”

  She turned her gaze away from his unsettling stare. “I’ll stay away, Colin. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  No one had in years anyway. She did fine on her own, and would continue to do so.

  Still, as she backed out of the parking lot, she couldn’t help but lift her gaze to the rearview.

  Colin hadn’t moved, but watched after her with an even deeper scowl still.

  Maybe Mother Nature had to be somewhat kind and make him sexy, because clearly the man was a judgmental asshole. And actually kind of mean.

  And he called her trouble?

  She grunted and turned her gaze back to the road.

  Stay away from the McLaughlins? No problem.

  The End

  The McLaughlins

  Book 1: One More Round

  Ian McLaughlin’s story

  View the series here!

  Book 2: Straight, No Chaser

  Colin McLaughlin’s story

  Buy now!

  Book 3: Top Shelf

  Kenzie McLaughlin’s story

  Buy now!

  Book 4: Last Call

  Aleck McLaughlin’s story

  Coming soo
n!

  Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from

  Straight, No Chaser

  Shelli Stevens

  Book 2 in The McLaughlin Series

  Start reading below or Buy now!

  Besides dealing with a drunken farmer firing shotgun rounds into the air, things were pretty quiet on his shift.

  Colin yawned, more than ready to call it a day at his job as a sheriff’s deputy.

  Right now a pint at his family’s pub sounded pretty fantastic, actually. He was contemplating heading back to the precinct when he spotted a familiar black Porsche racing by, going northbound on the island.

  “Well, hello, you stupid wanker.”

  He pulled a U-turn and flipped on the lights and siren. Being the end of the day, he might’ve let that go, but not with this bloke.

  “I know you see me, arsehole,” he muttered when the driver seemed in no hurry to pull over, but made no attempt to speed up either.

  He was about ready to turn on the loudspeaker, when the vehicle finally pulled to the side of the road.

  Walking up to the car a moment later, Colin barely restrained a bitter scowl.

  “License and registration, please.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me. Seriously?” The driver looked as yuppie as ever in a navy polo shirt and aviator shades.

  “You were speeding, and you’d better watch your mouth.” Colin didn’t bother to hide a hard smile this time. “License and registration.”

  “This is the third time you’ve pulled me over in a year, McLaughlin.”

  “Aye, well this is the third time you’ve been caught speeding in a year. Might want to slow down a bit.”

  Charles Richland scowled as he handed over the required documents. “I think it’s more personal than you keeping the island safe.”

  “I don’t much care to hear your thoughts, Mr. Richland. I’ll be back in a moment.”

  When he returned several minutes later, he handed Charles the ticket and then returned his license and registration.

  “You know what your options are by now for the ticket, I’m certain?”

  Charles just smirked and tossed it on the passenger seat. “I’ll fight the ticket because we both know it’s bullshit. I doubt you clocked me at more than seven over. So forgive me if I don’t take you or your authority seriously.”

  “And one thing to remember, Mr. Richland, is I actually don’t forgive easily.” Colin straightened to his full height and narrowed his eyes. “Have yourself a good evening.”

  Charles’s laugh was loaded with irritation, but he called out, “You be sure to say hi to that sexy sister of yours.”

  Colin’s crisp, unflappable control nearly snapped. Fury spread hot and volatile through every inch of him. The instinct to turn and beat the living shite out of the other man rode him hard.

  Walk away.

  Just barely did he make himself ignore Charles’s parting line and keep walking back to his cruiser. It was bloody unbelievable that the man was even roaming the island free. The fuckin’ bastard had nearly raped Kenzie and gotten away with it.

  Literally. She’d pressed charges, gone to trial, and still he’d walked. All because his daddy was a well-known and respected judge on the island, and had a ridiculous amount of influence and money.

  Maybe a few speeding tickets were petty, but until the day they could nail Charles Richland on something else, it was the best he could do.

  Ah, fuck it all.

  Now that his day had officially gone to crap, that drink at the pub was sounding better by the minute.

  *

  It was Friday. Okay, it was Tuesday, but it was her Friday. And thank God for it.

  Hailey finished adding notes to one of her patients’ charts, hit Save and then took a quick sip from her water bottle. Fifteen minutes ’til her shift ended.

  What sounded amazing was going home, drawing a bubble bath and listening to Mumford and Sons until her mind was empty.

  Her gaze flitted around the floor of the MPC, landing on Doctor Altwood as he stepped into one of her patients’ rooms.

  The temptation to follow him in was strong. The patient, a four-year-old with third-degree burns to his chest, was terribly shy and intimidated by being in the hospital and the constant appearances of staff.

  But the boy had grown to trust Hailey. To the point she was often the only one he would acknowledge or talk to. Even after three days in pediatric care.

  Biting her lip, she made herself go on to her next patient to do a pre-meal blood-sugar check. But she kept her ears open for any distress from the child a few rooms down.

  She was protective of kids by nature—always had been after essentially having to raise her younger brother.

  A sharp wail of fear stopped her in her tracks. Her heart constricted, making her glance back at the door. Two seconds passed before Doctor Altwood’s head popped out of the room. He looked left, then right, and his pinched gaze landed on her.

  “Hailey.” He waved her over. “I’m going to need you in here.”

  With a small nod, she strode briskly to join him in the room. The sight of the small body, partially bandaged, with bright, anxious blue eyes watching the doorway, had her heart twisting.

  “Hey there, Randy.” She kept her tone gentle as she approached the bed. “What’s all the commotion?”

  The little boy’s gaze never left her, but he didn’t reply.

  “Randy knows that we’ll need to examine his wounds and change the dressings, but he’s being a little difficult,” the doctor replied bluntly.

  Asshole. Hailey kept the insult in her head, but her mouth tightened despite her best efforts.

  Doctor Altwood seriously needed to brush up on his bedside manner. Or at the very least not work in the pediatric unit.

  Hailey moved to the boy’s bedside and gently touched his hand—one of the areas of the body that wasn’t bruised. She crouched down a bit, to be closer to his level, and gave him a small smile.

  “I know it’s super scary, but it’s something that we really need to do. We need to make sure you’re healing nicely and there’s no infection.”

  His only reply was a slight whimper of fear. There were no tears. No plea for his mother—then again his mother had never been a source of comfort, it seemed. As for a father, there was none on record.

  Maybe that’s why this boy tugged at her heart so much. He reminded her of herself when she was his age. At least a little bit.

  “Would you like me to stay with you?” she offered.

  “You’re off your shift in a few minutes,” the doctor cut in, the warning in his voice clear.

  This time she couldn’t help casting him a look of disbelief. “I’m staying.”

  And if you don’t like it, you can fire me. She knew her silent words were conveyed, because the doctor nodded and heaved a sigh.

  “All right, then,” he said as he approached the bed. “Let’s get a look at that wound, Randy.”

  *

  Hailey set her name badge with everything else in her locker and closed the door.

  She pressed her forehead against the cool metal and let out a heavy sigh.

  “Hey, girl. Did you want to catch a ride with me tonight?”

  Lifting her head, she frowned at Tanesha, another nurse and friend who’d apparently hung around after her shift.

  “Tonight?” What was she forgetting? Shit. Apparently something, by the way Tanesha looked.

  Her normally black, curly hair was flat-ironed into a sleek style, while she was dressed up in skinny jeans, a low-cut top and sparkly heels.

  “What’s tonight?”

  “Your day was that crazy, huh?” Tanesha adjusted her purse over her shoulder and arched a brow. “Wendy’s fortieth? Girl, it’s your Friday. There’s no reason why you can’t go and drink a few.”

  “Oh right. Wendy’s fortieth.” Ugh. She’d forgotten the day after getting and accepting the invite to her supervisor’s birthday. “I…”

  “
…have skipped out on nearly every social gathering your coworkers and friends have planned,” Tanesha finished for her. “You’re not really going to do it again, are you?”

  “No.” Not with the guilt ripping through her after that last comment. She wasn’t big on social situations and tended to prefer being alone. “I’ll go. I just… Can you give me five minutes to stop by my house and change?”

  Tanesha shrugged. “Sure. We’re already running late, what’s another five?”

  “Thanks.” So much for the bubble bath and Mumford and Sons.

  *

  Thirty minutes later Hailey was dressed and riding in the passenger seat as they were on their way to the party.

  “I don’t see you out of your scrubs much, Hailey, but you clean up well.” Tanesha flashed her a big grin. “You just might pick yourself up a man tonight.”

  Hailey shifted in her seat, a little self-conscious in her outfit. The jeans were normal, but she’d had a moment of spontaneity and pulled on a purple tank top that had some lace and sheer spots.

  In other words, she was showing a lot more flesh than usual. But she’d figured, hey, if she was going out for a legit girls’ night out, maybe she ought to try and make an effort. Try to not be the only one looking tired and washed out from a long shift. So she’d even swiped on some lip-gloss and mascara—which was a complete rarity—and let her hair down.

  But she hadn’t gotten a little fancied up to attract the opposite sex, by any means.

  “I’m not looking for a man,” she drawled.

  “I don’t see why the hell not. You’re, what, not even thirty? Single. Pretty as all get-out. And you want nothing to do with men.” Tanesha gave her another quick look. “Unless men just aren’t your thing?”

  Her lips quirked. “Yes, they’re my thing. When I want them to be. Right now, single is easier.”

  “Hmmph.”

  Right now single was most definitely the better option. Especially after the awful relationship she’d just dealt with in the last year.

  And before him, the amount of dates she’d gone on could be counted on one hand. Well, maybe two hands if she counted the twenty minutes of in-depth conversation and mental undressing while she’d been stuck in an elevator with a guy at the mall.