A few minutes later, both Sam and Winter reappear, but no Ryder. He must have left. I just hope that his sorry ass realizes what he is doing to Skye. I’ve never seen anyone be sick as much as that woman. Not only that, the weight she has lost since they’ve been back from Vegas is awful. I think you can actually see her ribs now.
Scott and Hailey are another story altogether. Morgan reckons they’ll be together soon. She told me that they love each other. The only problem I see with that is the fact that Scott is currently trying to chat up a woman who’s a guest at this hotel. This is a disaster, he actually brings the woman into the wedding reception.
Morgan sees him and walks over to Hailey, who hasn’t noticed, what Scott’s been up to. The look on her face when she realizes that Scott has picked up a woman. This is the second time I have seen someone’s heart break in front of me, and it’s a fucking horror to watch. Nothing will be as painful as watching Morgan’s break though.
“It’s time for the first dance. Please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Slade.” The DJ announces, and everyone claps.
Nathan and Sophia are oblivious to all the drama around them and step onto the dance floor. Mirrors by Justin Timberlake plays through the speakers and I smile, they went with Morgan and Sabine’s recommendation.
The night they were over at Dad’s for dinner, Sophia asked if anyone knew any good songs for a first dance. Morgan said Mirrors and Sabine agreed. Hailey suggested I’m Yours by Jason Maraz. We didn’t know what they picked until now.
***
It’s almost two in the morning, and Nathan and Sophia have just left. They’re only staying in this hotel for two nights. That is their honeymoon. But they will be going to Aruba with the boys in a few weeks.
I look to my lap and look at Morgan’s feet laying across me. She’s spent the whole night dancing with Sabine and Hailey. Winter and Sophia joined them for a few, but those three girls put everyone to shame. That was up until thirty minutes ago when Morgan came over and took her shoes off and collapsed into the chair.
“You okay baby?” I ask her, and she just smiles at me. I move her feet off my lap and lift her from her chair to sit on my lap.
“I’m good. I had such a good time, it was just what I needed. Thank you for inviting me.” She tells me and places kisses on my lips. I kiss her back, but before it gets heavier, we’re interrupted by shouting.
“You’re an asshole Scott! I can’t believe you.” Hailey screams at him, tears streaming down her face. Morgan jumps off my lap and rushes to her side.
“What have I done? I’m just having fun. It’s none of your business. You have a boyfriend.” He sneers at her, and I walk over to him and put my hand on his shoulder, he turns to me.
“I’ve not done anything wrong. I’m having fun.” He tells me, and he looks completely baffled.
“Leg it, babe, the nights over for you,” Morgan tells the woman that Scott was just about to leave with.
The woman does as Morgan tells her, I can’t help but smile at the look on Morgan’s face, she looks ready to do battle.
“What the hell Morgan? What the fuck did you do that for?” Scott shouts at her. My hand’s still on his shoulder, so I squeeze hard, and he winces in pain.
“What the fuck? Luke get the hell off me!”
“Don’t talk to Morgan like that. She just saved you from making the biggest mistake of your life.” I tell him, and I'm actually reasonably calm, especially since he shouted at Morgan. He’s lucky I don’t knock him out, but he’s going to realize just how stupid he’s being.
“Oh yeah and why is that?” He asks me still looking confused.
Hailey has had enough, “I can’t believe I thought that we could actually work! You’re a dog, and you always will be. I hate you so much, Scott!” She runs off.
“You are the biggest idiot I know,” Morgan tells him, shaking her head as she starts to follow Hailey, but what Scott says next stops her in her tracks.
“Wait, what was she talking about?” Again, Scott is clueless, and I’m starting to wonder if he has something wrong with him. No-one can be that clueless.
“She was going to end things with Eric so she could be with you. The only reason she hasn’t done it yet is because the fucker is away on business. But you’ve fucking ruined your chance now.” She tells him, and this time she walks off completely.
“Fuck! Damn it, Luke, what am I going to do?” He looks close to tears.
He has no-one to blame but himself.
“What the hell is wrong with you? I told you the other day to get your act together. It’s time for you to grow the hell up, damn it. Scott. I thought you love Hailey?”
I’m actually so pissed with him right now that I don’t even want to look at him. He knows that Hailey loves him and he loves her, why the hell did he go out of his way to bring a woman here, especially since Hailey was flying solo. Tonight would have been his best chance to show her that he can be who she needs.
“I do. What am I going to do?” He’s begging me, which I have never seen him do.
“Please Luke, what can I do. I need her.”
I can’t help but laugh. “You need her? Hell Scott, you basically shoved that woman down her throat. Did you see the heartbreak on Hailey’s face? I don’t know what you can do to fix this. Go to bed, sleep on it and hopefully you can come up with something that will make this better.” I tell him, and I pat him on his back, before I even take a step out of the room, Sabine pipes up, and I completely forgot she was here.
I turn and see that she is standing beside Dwayne and she has the same disgusted look on her face that Morgan did.
“What is it with you Dallas’ hmm? I have watched the heartbreak you have both given my friends. Before I met you two, I honestly thought nobody could hurt someone the way you two do. The difference? Luke didn’t lead Morgan on and break her heart. Whereas you have. You don’t deserve her Scott! I thought you did. I felt that she was finally ready to leave that jackass, but now? Now I don’t see that happening. In fact, I see her retreating into herself even more, and that is your fault.” She doesn’t even shout at him, and I think her disappointed tone packs more of a punch than anything.
Scott doesn’t say anything, just walks away. I don’t blame him, Sabine gave him the full truth, and he really does need to decide what he wants and how he’s going to make things right with Hailey.
I say goodnight to Sabine, and I have a feeling that I may be sleeping alone tonight. I make it to our hotel room and am not surprised to see that Morgan isn’t here. I have a shower and get into bed, thinking thank god Soph wasn’t around when the drama went down otherwise she would have kicked both Ryder and Scott’s asses.
I’m lying in bed reading the news on my phone when I hear the door open, Morgan’s here.
“How is Hailey?” I ask her as she closes the door behind her.
“Distraught as you would expect. She cried herself to sleep. Sabine and Dwayne are with her tonight.” She tells me as she strips down to her underwear and climbs into bed beside me.
“I’ve never seen someone look so broken before. It hurts to look at her. I don’t know what to do to help. I feel responsible as I was the one who pushed her to take the step and be with Scott.” She sounds as though she wants to find Scott and kill him.
“It’s not your fault. Those two have been dancing around each other for way too long. Tonight it finally came to a head, and it didn’t end as any of us thought. It’s now up to Scott to see what he’s going to do to fix it.” I put my phone on charge and turn to face Morgan.
“Something Sabine said has been playing on my mind. She said that Hailey might not end things with Eric. Why would she think that? It can’t be true?” I’m fucking praying that Sabine is wrong and Hailey will actually end it.
Morgan sighs and I already don’t like where this is leading.
“It’s not that easy. You have to realize that Hailey is only a shell of herself. I’ve seen glimpses of the real Hailey since she
decided that it was Scott who she wanted to be with. You see, Scott gave her confidence when he kissed her, he made her feel desirable if that’s even the right word. Anyway, all that confidence she got, was knocked when he decided to bring that woman to the wedding reception. Now she has withdrawn into herself even more. So, I honestly don’t know if she will end things with him.”
“Scott’s a jackass!” Is all I can manage to say.
“I know, but Sabine and I, we’re going to try and get her to see that she doesn’t need anyone to be happy. That she definitely doesn’t need Eric. The only worry I have is that he might not let her go.”
“Oh, for fuck sake, we don’t need another Alex running around,” I say, and Morgan laughs but quickly covers her mouth.
“It’s not funny. I swear to god there are way too many wackos out there.”
“I know, and all we can do is make sure that when Hailey does decide to end things that she doesn’t do it alone. That way he can’t get to her.” She tells me, and it’s pure Morgan, she has to make sure that everything is planned out.
She’s silent for a bit, and I think that she might have fallen asleep, but I hear her sigh. I decide that now is the right time to tell her that I want her to live with me.
“So, I found a house that I wanted to buy, and I put a bid in which was accepted. I’m just waiting for it all to be finalized. I want you to move in with me when we get it.”
I hear her choking, and I look at her, she looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon?”
“No. I don’t think it’s a bit too soon, we’re practically living together already. This will just be our own house.” I tell her that it’s just that simple.
Thankfully she’s stopped coughing. “I know, but buying our own house is a big step, Luke.” She sounds horrified.
“Look, I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. We love each other so what’s the point in you renting when we both could just live in a house that’s our own.” What I’m saying makes perfect sense. There’s no need for her to have a rental when we could be in a house we both own.
“I don’t have enough money to pay for a house, Luke. Let’s leave the house buying talk for another time okay? I’m tired and just want to sleep.” She leans across and kisses me on the lips.
“Goodnight Luke.”
“Night baby.” I feel like shit, I should have realized that it would be down to money. I’m just waiting for everything to be finalized now. Hopefully, she can move in with me without thinking she has to pay for anything.
Chapter Eighteen
Morgan
I closed the door behind me, and I hear Luke drive off. I’m so tired; all I want to do is fall into bed and crash. Thankfully, Luke is going to see Scott so I can get some rest before he gets back. I walk into the kitchen and throw my keys onto the counter. I go to the fridge and grab a bottle of water; I have to have a drink near me while I’m sleeping, just in case I get thirsty. I take a sip from the bottle and walk towards my bedroom; I strip down and put on my tank top and a pair of cotton shorts.
My bed looks so inviting. There are clean sheets on the bed, and there’s nothing better than sleeping on fresh sheets.
I climb into bed and in no time, I’m fast asleep, but I can’t be sleeping for more than thirty minutes when something wakes me. I’m alert and upright, the gun that was on my bedside table is in my hand, cocked and ready to go. I listen and everything is silent, but something doesn’t feel right.
I get out of bed and do a walkthrough of my house. Everything is as it should be. There’s no way I can go back to sleep now. I go to the bathroom and jump into the shower, hoping that will give me a new lease of life. Once I’m finished, I decide that sweats will do today, I’m not going anywhere, and Luke is the only person I’m expecting.
I put my gun back on the table in my bedroom; I must have dreamt that I heard a noise as everything is still really quiet. I check my phone and see that I’ve been home just over an hour, I must have been asleep for just over thirty minutes. Sometimes those naps are the best. Not on this occasion, I still feel as though I can sleep for a week.
I get coffee and put the TV on, great I can catch up on NCIS, I love this show. I love Ellie, although I do miss Siva and Tony.
I’m so engrossed in the TV that I didn’t hear the car pull up outside. Only when I hear the front door open do I realize that Luke’s home.
“I thought you were going to call me when you were on your way?” I shout out to him, not really paying any attention. My cell starts ringing, and I look at the screen and see LUKE CALLING.
“Very funny, calling me now. It’s a bit late don’t you think?” Still no answer, I don’t know why, but I get a funny feeling come over me, so I pick up my cell and answer it.
“Hello?”
“Hey baby, I’m going to be a bit later than I thought. Scott’s a fucking mess.” He tells me.
Chills run up my spine, and I shiver. “Luke, if you’re at your house, then someone is in mine.”
“Morgan! Get the fuck out of there now!” He shouts down the phone at me.
“I warned you to leave him alone.” I hear from behind me and wonder how the hell she managed to sneak up behind me.
“Alex, what the hell are you doing here?” I spin around and come face to face with her, she looks deranged. Her hair is a mess and looks as though she hasn’t brushed it since the last time I saw her. Her makeup is smudged all over her face, and there are orange lines where she hasn’t blended her foundation.
“I warned you bitch! You stole Luke from me. You’ve kept him away from me and poisoned his mind. I told you that you wouldn’t be his for much longer.” She says and again chills just creep up my spine, this time it has to do with the gun she has pointing at me.
“I hate you! You’ve ruined my life.” She’s actually delusional.
“Alex put the gun down,” I tell her and I am proud that I managed to keep my voice calm.
“How did you get in here?”
“You didn’t listen to any of the warnings I gave you. Instead, you just kept pulling him further away from me! What did I do to you for you to hate me?” She’s screaming at me, she’s actually lost it completely.
“Alex, I don’t hate you. I just don’t understand why you are doing this to me? How did you get in here?” I’m talking to her calmly. Hopefully, I can get through to her.
“You stole Luke from me!” She starts to wave the gun around the room.
“Please just put the gun down. I didn’t steal Luke from you. You were broken up.” I honestly don’t know how the hell I’m so calm.
“I know that, but a few months ago, Luke agreed to give things another shot. That was until you came along.” She tells me calmly, and I’m hoping that she’s now calm enough to put the gun down.
“You just couldn’t leave him alone, could you?”
“Look, Alex, I don’t believe that’s true. You cheated on him with his brother, and you tried to hurt his sister.” She really does need help.
“Stop it! Stop twisting things. It wasn’t like that. Yes, I made a mistake, and I slept with Scott. But I didn’t want to hurt Sophia, she’s my sister too.” She’s screaming at me again.
“Okay, I’m sorry. Did you tell Luke this?” I know that Luke’s on his way, he knows that there is someone in the house. I just have to keep stalling until someone comes. My gun is in the bedroom.
“Of course, I did. He told me he forgives me. I was so happy. We were going to be together again. We were so perfect together you know?” She keeps going from being really calm to being extremely agitated.
“I’ve no doubt that you were. How did you get in here?” I’m placating her. I need her to stay calm, if she’s calm, hopefully, no-one will get injured. I also need to find out how the hell she managed to get into my house, without me knowing.
“Oh, that was easy, I made myself a key, your friend didn’t even realize that she los
t her keys, I thought I had gotten away with breaking in, but I heard you in your room, so I hid in the pantry. Thankfully, you didn’t look in there.”
“How the hell did I not check in there? I should have checked it,” I muse to myself outloud.
“I know what you’re doing, and it isn’t going to work. You hate me! I know you do, that’s why you’ve kept Luke away from me.” She is really delusional, no matter what I say, she’s just going to come out with something else.
“You have, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t. Luke told me that you two were broken up years ago.” I’m telling her the truth. Hopefully, this doesn’t cause her to lose it altogether.
“You’re lying. Luke wouldn’t say that!” She’s shouting at me again.
I’m getting pissed off, I’m not going to lose it though because that will just get her even more agitated than she already is.
“Okay, my mistake.”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child!” She’s calming down again. She’s actually giving me a headache. I can’t handle all this back and forth.
“Now, are you going to leave Luke alone?”
Fuck it, to get her to put the goddamn gun down I tell her what she wants to hear.
“Yes, I’ll leave Luke alone.”
“No! You’re lying, I know you are. You’re just saying that to make me go away. Aren’t you?” She shouts and starts to wave the gun around again.
“No, I’m not! I can’t deal with this shit anymore.” I tell her, and it’s not really a lie. I have had enough of her and the crap she is pulling.
“I still don’t believe you. You said that you love him and that he loves you. Is that true?” She’s really calm again. She needs psychiatric help.
“Yes, I do love him, and he tells me that he loves me,” I tell her and I see it coming, she fires the gun. I jump out of the way, but it’s not enough.
The searing pain that bursts through my shoulder is excruciating. It feels like it’s on fire, I fall to the floor and land on the shoulder she shot, I cry out in pain. I can’t help it, the pain takes over, and I take a deep breath trying to push nausea aside. It doesn’t work, all I feel is the horrendous pain.
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