17
Iwatched as Hayley nervously stepped out of my room, her arms crossed over her midsection as if she were trying to protect herself. Her hair was in slight disarray from her nap, but she looked a bit better even though she really hadn’t slept that long.
She was still so fucking beautiful, though.
“Where’s William?” she asked me.
I jerked my chin towards the pallet I had made on the living room floor where the toddler was quietly playing with a spatula and some wooden spoons. I didn’t have any toys, and the kid was getting restless. I could tell he wanted to play, so I found the safest thing I could find and handed it to him.
He had been happily playing with them ever since, clanging them together and on the blanket—occasionally getting up to bang them on my leather couches.
At the sound of his mother’s voice, William got up and tottered over to her on his chubby legs, a happy squeal leaving his mouth as he grinned up at her. I managed to catch him before he face-planted when he lost his balance, and he squealed happily, clapping his hands together as he grinned up at me.
Holy fuck, this kid looked so much like his fucking dad that it was almost scary.
“Has he eaten yet?” Hayley asked me as she came further into the living room and took a seat on the love seat, opening her arms to William as I released him, allowing him to rush over to her.
I nodded at her. “I found some ravioli in the pantry and warmed it up for him.” I grinned at William as he plopped on his butt on the floor, grabbing two of the wooden spoons and banging them together. “Kid is a messy eater,” I remarked.
Hayley laughed softly, and my heart squeezed in my chest at the sound of her laughter. Fuck, I had missed that sound. “Ravioli is actually one of his favorite foods, even if he does make a mess of it every time.”
I let my eyes meet hers. She bit her lip and looked away from me, making me hard as fuck. With a muttered curse, I got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, clenching my jaw. I had a run to complete this fucking evening, and I couldn’t do that if I couldn’t get her out of my damn head.
Shaking my head, I ran my hand through my hair and then down my face, rubbing a hand across my beard. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, calling Quinn.
“Yo,” he greeted when he answered.
“She’s fucking back,” I grumbled.
Hayley
I jerkedawake to the feeling of William being taken out of my arms. I instantly flew up into a sitting position, my eyes flashing open in panic. “Hey, hey,” Miles whispered soothingly as he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “It’s just me,” he assured me.
I locked my eyes on his, and his jaw clenched when he took note of the panic in mine. He gently gripped my chin and rubbed the pad of his thumb over my jawline. “You’re safe here, Hayley,” he softly reminded me. “Both you and William are safe here. Quinn just helped me get a crib in the spare room for him, and I was going to put him to bed.”
I looked around me, realizing I had fallen asleep on the couch while I had been holding him to get him to go to sleep. Tears suddenly filled my eyes as I realized how dumb I had been to fall asleep holding him, that I could have lost my grip on him and dropped him.
I was such a shitty fucking mom.
“Fuck,” Miles growled. He rushed off down the hallway, reappearing a moment later without William. Miles took a seat beside me on the couch and drew me into his arms, holding me tightly. “Don’t cry, Hayley,” Miles grumbled against my hair.
“I can’t do anything right for him,” I sobbed. “I can’t even hold down a job well enough to keep a roof over our heads.”
“You’re a great mom, Hayley,” Miles told me. “Even an idiot can see how great you are. That little boy is happy and well taken care of.”
I shook my head. “I never wanted to have to come back here,” I choked out. “I didn’t want this again. I lost Damien to this life, and I don’t want to eventually lose William to it, too.”
Miles ran his hand over my hair, twisting the ends around his fingers before releasing it. “How many months were you behind on rent?” Miles asked me. “If you really don’t want to be here—if it bothers you this much—I can provide for you and William until you’re stable enough to get back on your feet.”
I pulled away from him, my hands shaking. I hadn’t ever wanted to tell Miles about what had really happened. I knew he was just as dangerous as Damien, if not more. He wouldn’t take the news of my life being threatened all that well. “You can’t fix this, Miles,” I told him hoarsely.
“Try me,” Miles retorted, making me turn my eyes to him.
“I lied, Miles,” I whispered, cringing when his eyes flashed with slight anger. If there was one thing I remembered about Miles, it was that he really fucking hated liars. “I couldn’t keep myself afloat, so I started stripping.” Miles’s face twisted with rage, but he kept his temper reigned in. “The owner ran a—" I swallowed hard, “he’s involved in sex trafficking.” I quietly told him.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Miles grumbled. He pulled at his beard. “What’s that got to do with you running here?” he asked me, wanting to get straight to the point. Miles preferred all facts. He hated someone beating around the bush.
“I didn’t know it, but he’s sold me, Miles,” I whispered. His eyes glinted dangerously. “I overheard him talking to one of the guys that comes into the club a lot—he sold me for three million fucking dollars. They were discussing what they were going to do with William and how they would make it look like I had disappeared—up and left my son and my responsibilities.”