“What if he hates me?” He fidgets with his clothes, still walking around the house with no specific direction.
“He won’t. He’s a kid. He probably likes everyone. Plus, it’s impossible to hate you.”
I mentally laugh. I might not be able to hate him, but it’s very possible for other people to despise him. Ask the East side and they’ll write you a book about it. My heart sinks when my cousin and the boys creep inside my head. The way things ended was far from perfect. I haven’t contacted them once. Am I a terrible person for not wanting to deal with their judgment?
I know what Kendrick would do. I know what he would say. He’d call Haze every name in the book and try to convince me to leave him. My cousin has to know, somewhere deep down, that Haze would do anything to keep me safe. He can say what he wants, but Haze has proved that he cares about me many times in the past. He had to trust that wherever he took me, I’d be okay.
I find myself wondering if the guys found a new fighter to replace Blake, if Kendrick and Nicole are still dating, and I even wonder if Will is still a tactless jerk. Probably. No matter how afraid of their judgment I am, I have to admit: I miss the East side.
“He’d have every right to hate me. I abandoned him.” He sighs.
“Didn’t know of him—big difference,” I correct him.
“What do you think he looks like?”
“I’m sure he’s gorgeous. I mean, kid’s got good genes.” I picture the beauty that is Riley in my head. She couldn’t just be normal. She had to look heaven-sent.
“You’re right. It’ll be fine. So what if he doesn’t like me? We have forever to work on this relationship.”
His words echo in my brain.
This is forever.
Jacob will be here forever. So will Riley.
I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to wrap my head around that. He has a kid.
A kid!
A kid who’s coming to the house right now.
My thoughts are interrupted by the doorbell. This is it. Haze’s going to meet his son. I try my best to ignore the painful pit forming in my throat. I can’t be selfish. I won’t. Haze gets up and lays a shaky hand on the handle. He glances back at me one last time before opening the door. My jaw drops at the sight of the person standing on the other side.
“Missed me?” He smirks.
I can’t believe it.
“Kendrick?”
16
Steal My Man
“No!” Haze drags Kendrick inside by his collar and shuts the door. “No way. You could’ve picked any fucking day to find us and you chose today?”
“Let go of him.” I tear them apart before Haze breaks my cousin’s nose, which I don’t doubt for a second he can and will do. He tries to come at him again. “Haze, don’t.” I push on his chest with my palms and stagger at his strength. “Look at me. Haze!”
He glares at Kendrick with tight fists, his chest rising and falling along to his heavy breathing.
“Haze,” I plea, and he finally answers my calls, gaping down at me as the rage in his gaze dissipates. Our eyes send each other signals only we understand. He inhales to calm himself down.
“Let me guess, you two are dating,” my cousin says just loud enough for us to hear. Still operating as a wall between the two experienced fighters, I turn around to look at our unexpected guest and nod. “Ugh, vomit,” he adds.
Part of me wants to yell at Kendrick for ruining what could turn out to be one of the most important moments of Haze’s life, but then there’s also this tiny, annoying, and persistent voice telling me to give him a hug.
The biggest, embarrassing I haven’t seen you in forever hug.
I don’t bother asking him how he found us because, frankly, I don’t care. The important question is what he plans to do now that he did.