25. Haelyn
TWENTY-FIVE
HAELYN
I was mad. No, I was fuming like a goddamn dragon who just burned an entire city. I had no idea how I kept my calm when he told me the truth when all I wanted was to cut his head off his shoulders.
Who did he think he was to fool me like that?
Mr. Graves was my boss and nothing else. I only reported to him regarding work-related matters, and he was supposed to do the same, not crossing that well-defined zone. Yet only because he happened to be there when the clinic called, he took it as his responsibility to take care of me and take me to another city when he didn’t have my permission.
I wasn’t sure what led him to believe he had any right to intervene in my personal life when I never suggested our relationship was anything other than professional.
If he wanted to help, he could’ve given me the day off and I would’ve been way happier. But to trick me into coming to the Mountains because I thought he had a business meeting and therefore it was my job to assist him? That didn’t help.
He was so infuriating with those big dark lashes of his and a deep set of green eyes that I didn’t know what to do with or where to direct my anger.
I burst into the house, the wooden door creaking as I opened it. I stopped short, taking a second to level my breath when my eyes landed on a couple. The man—who I assumed was Sebastian—was crouched in front of the fireplace on my left, feeding wood into the fire. His head snapped to me and when his eyes danced between myself and something behind me, I knew Mr. Graves had caught up.
A woman was laying on the sofa in a ski suit with a scarf around her neck. She offered me a smile, then got to her feet as Mr. Graves closed the door behind us.
God, she was beautiful.
Long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and skin to envy. She approached me. “Nadia.” The woman extended her hand, and I took it, returning the smile.
I wasn’t going to disrespect them just because their friend was an asshole.
“Haelyn,” I presented myself, then did the same with Sebastian.
Nadia invited me to the couch and I joined her, even though I would’ve loved nothing more than to lock myself in a room until it was time to leave.
I had no business being there.
She smiled with her eyes, getting comfortable in her seat as she snuck a foot underneath herself, then supported her head in her hand. Nadia surveyed me for a moment. “I didn’t know Tristan was bringing someone.” While the observation could pass as rude, I could see she was simply curious.
I glanced at him and bit my cheek as it turned a brighter shade of pink at the embarrassment.
Not only did I not want to be here, but not even his friends were expecting me. All I wanted to do was shout at the man who refused to take his eyes off me since we had entered the house.
He was taking his coat off, his muscles flexing under his shirt.
“Well, I didn’t know I’d be here either.”
“I didn’t hear you scream, so I guess it went well?” Sebastian asked. Mr. Graves shot him a look meant to quiet him. Sebastian nodded, while trying to hide an obvious outburst of laughter under a fake cough. He slapped his hands against his sides. “We should get more wood, shouldn’t we?” He bumped his shoulder into Tristan’s as they went out without another word.
They made a silent, yet not subtle agreement.
“Interesting,” Nadia mumbled under her breath as soon as the guys closed the door after themselves. “I take it you don’t want to be here? But oh god, tell me he didn’t kidnap you.” My eyes shot up when I looked at her. She smiled, gesturing with her hand. “No need to lie, I’m not on speaking terms with Tristan, so you don’t have to speak with a filter.”
What did she mean she wasn’t on speaking terms with him? I thought they were friends and they came here to relax. Did I misunderstand something?
I took a strand of curly hair and flicked it behind my ear, looking at the fire dimming in front of us. The location was beautiful—it had a rustic aura to it—with a brick chimney corner, old paintings on the wooden walls, and an animal skin carpet under our feet. I actually would’ve enjoyed this trip if it wasn’t for the way he got me here.
“May I ask why are the two of you not talking?” I questioned, avoiding what she asked me.
Nadia took a deep breath, laughing. “Oh, he’s talking to me, but I’m not talking to him,” she explained. “Sebastian and I got married this autumn, but he didn’t come. We understood that—his father had just died three months before, how could we not?—but he distanced himself from us. Never answering our calls, never visiting…”
His father died? I didn’t know. Knowing might not have changed anything, but maybe it would have explained why he was the way he was. Cold and unbothered. Losing someone was something I could understand, the same with the changes it brought upon a person.
Death changed people and without a doubt, it had affected Mr. Graves.
She went on and her eyes squinted. I could see she cared about him and that whatever the three of them had, it was special. “Sebastian tried to get a hold of him to tell him the news, but he gave us the cold shoulder.”
I turned to her. I didn’t know what news she was talking about and I didn’t dare to intrude, since I barely met her. “I don’t know Mr. Graves that well, but I don’t think he meant to hurt you.”
The corner of Nadia’s mouth turned upward. “Why are you calling him Mr. Graves? Did the idiot make you do it? Or is that some kind of new kink?”
I shook my head, smiling. “No, he’s my boss.”
“Oh,” she whispered, nodding her head. Then, after a few moments of silence, she let out a sigh. “I know he wasn’t doing it on purpose, but I just wished he had let us be there for him.”
Something about that struck me. Was I in his place in this story where he was trying to help and I acted like an ungrateful brat? But how could I let him help when I was struggling to understand the reason he was doing it in the first place? He was my boss, and as far as I knew, a boss didn’t take his employees on a vacation when they needed a break.
“Anyway, I give him one hour with me in the same room before he apologizes.” She chuckled, and as if on cue, the door flew open with Mr. Graves being the first one to enter.
“You’re pregnant?” he questioned, his eyes shining with something I’d never seen in him.
My eyes lowered to Nadia’s stomach where she just placed a hand. “Yes, three months pregnant,” she said, looking at him over her chin, then she glanced at her husband. “I told you to wait for him to apologize before sharing the news.”
Sebastian laughed, coming behind her and leaning down to kiss her forehead. I pointed my gaze at the fireplace at the intimate contact. “Just tell him he was an idiot and then give him a hug,” he told his wife.
“I’m pretty sure he still is,” she stressed, then I saw her looking at me from the corner of her eyes.
Mr. Graves’ eyes couldn’t leave Nadia’s stomach as he walked closer, taking a seat on the couch next to her.
“What is it?” my boss asked.
I got up, a shiver running down my spine. The conversation was too intimate for me to participate in and I wanted that when they remembered this moment, they wouldn’t think about the random woman that was with them.
“A boy,” Nadia replied sharply. I opened a random door and walked in. “We want to name him Callum.”
“Are you telling her or should I?” Sebastian hit Mr. Graves with his elbow while taking the last bite of his pasta.
I finished a small part of my portion one minute ago and I was wondering what excuse to come up with so I could leave. The vomit was rising in my throat and I could barely hold my gag in. I could feel tears forming in the back of my eyes from the restraint, but I had to keep it in for a few moments. Just until I could find an opening and slide out of my seat.
Gosh, it was more food than I digested in a few days.
“Knock it off,” he murmured.
“Haelyn.” Nadia looked over at me with a smile on her face.
“Mhm?” I said, because I was certain that if I tried to get a word out, it wouldn’t exit my lips alone.
“I’m not sure if this is going to be a problem, but you and Tristan will have to share a room for the next two nights,” she announced. “He didn’t let us know you were coming so we booked a cabin with only two bedrooms.”
I choked on my saliva, completely forgetting about the war happening in my stomach. My eyes bulged out of their sockets as I gaped at Nadia.
What was she talking about?
I was sure it was an innocent misunderstanding, so instead of freaking out, I let out a small laugh. “That’s a joke, right?” I flicked my head to the side, but then I froze when I heard his voice.
“Haelyn,” Mr. Graves started. “When I realized, it was already too late to make changes.”
Was he joking? It took me long enough to convince myself to have dinner with them so they won’t feel disrespected, even though I was still upset about what he did, and now he’s telling me this? Couldn’t he have dropped the bomb earlier? Like the moment we got here?
Maybe I could’ve gone into town, grabbed a cab or god knows what. Damn, I would’ve even walked home. Or the rumors about him were real and he messed it up on purpose to have an excuse to get in my bed.
I pushed the chair back as I got up to my feet, wiping my mouth with a napkin I then left on the table. “Excuse me,” I said before turning around.
“Haelyn,” he called after me.
But without whirling on my toes to look at him, I replied, “I hope the couch is comfortable because that’s where you’re sleeping tonight.”