27. Kaitlyn
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Kaitlyn
NOW
Mirabelle doesn’t do well with awkward silences, and after Bailey stepped out, she started asking Henry questions about what he thinks they need to put on their registry.
If I weren’t so damn sad right now, I’d probably be laughing because he has no idea what should be on the registry.
I do appreciate the distraction after the way everyone stared at me when I stepped into the room.
I still have no idea what to say, and it’s only a matter of time before they ask what happened with Hunter.
As much as I love Sebastian and Thalia, I was a little relieved when they stepped out to get coffee.
I nearly burst into tears when Bailey looked at me when I first arrived, and I’ve been avoiding eye contact since.
The last thing I want is for them to hate me when they find out how I came between the twins.
I don’t know where Hunter and I stand. I want to hate him for what he did, but at the same time, I love him, and I can understand why he did it, even if I think he was wrong .
“Kait, have you heard from your parents?” Mira asks, pulling me back into reality.
I blink, remembering they left for the airport this morning.
“Oh, um, I’m not sure. I turned off my notifications,” I admit, pulling my phone out of my back pocket to check.
I scroll past all the notifications about Hunter’s transfer, feeling a little sick at the reminder, before I see the messages from my parents.
Dad
At the airport.
Mom
We love you!
Dad
Just saw the transfer.
Are you okay?
Mom
You don’t have to stay at the beach house if you don’t want to while we’re gone.
Do you want us to come back?
Fuck, I didn’t even think about how this might impact me staying with the Walkers while my parents are in France. I mean, when the dates lined up with Javi’s surgery, I thought it would be fine because I’d be able to help out with his recovery, but am I still welcome if Hunter and I don’t make it?
My screen blurs from the tears pooling in my eyes, and I bite hard on my lower lip to keep them from falling.
I appreciate their offer to come back, but I know how excited Mom has been for this trip.
She only gets to see her siblings a couple of times a year, so she really looks forward to the long trip she and Dad take every summer.
Kaitlyn
I’m okay.
You guys should go! Don’t skip your trip for me please.
“Um, they’re at the airport,” I say, hearing the crack in my voice that gives away how not okay I am.
Mirabelle reaches over, squeezing my hand. “It’ll be okay, Kaitlyn,” she says, and I honestly don’t know if it will be.
I look up at Javi again, fast asleep with the monkey Henry and Mirabelle gave him tucked under his arm.
I tried so hard to pull myself together when I got here so he wouldn’t see how upset I was after crying the whole drive, but even if Javi didn’t notice how red my eyes were, everyone else definitely did.
Despite all the secrets the twins seem to keep, I can’t seem to keep any of my own.
“I’m fine,” I lie, wiping my cheek as I force a smile, glancing around the room. I don’t think anyone’s buying it, though. If I were them, I wouldn’t.
At least Bailey stepped out, so I’m not under his scrutiny anymore. It’s not my place, but I’m curious who would’ve been calling him. The only people I thought would have his number are in this room. I guess it could be Hunter, but that doesn’t make sense either.
This is such a mess.
I told Hunter I needed some space to clear my head.
I love him, but he’s not my everything.
I feel like pieces of my heart are attached to strings, being pulled in each direction by the Walker twins, but after all the secrets and half-truths, they’re so entangled, I’m not sure what I’m going to do.
Right now, I think I need to put myself first and be my own everything.
Bailey steps back into the room, and his green eyes land on me in an instant, the hospital lighting washing out the freckles on his cheeks while darkening the circles under his eyes.
I can’t help staring at the scar on his forehead, and I want to know how he got it.
I think I want to know every single secret he’s keeping, but I’m fucking terrified of what will happen once I do.
Worry is written all over him, and he glances at Javi for a moment, before refocusing on me.
It feels like I’m in heaven and hell at the same time—finally knowing the truth about why he shoved me away that night, but regret smothers the relief, knowing I’ll never be able to change the past.
Henry clears his throat, thankfully pulling his attention away before I can burst into tears. He’s not normally so attuned to feelings, but I appreciate the effort he’s making. “Was that JJ?” he asks, and Bailey shakes his head.
“No, it was just a friend. Are you guys all staying a while?” he asks, shoving his phone into his pocket.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Mirabelle answers, but her brow furrows as she pulls herself out of the chair, her hand quickly covering her mouth as she pushes through everyone to get to the bathroom.
Henry sighs, rubbing his jaw. “Sorry,” he apologizes, lifting Mirabelle’s bag off the floor to pull out a travel size bottle of mouthwash from inside.
She’s had one hell of a pregnancy. I thought morning sickness was supposed to be over after the first trimester, but Mirabelle’s nearing the end of her second. It has yet to get better for her.
A nurse knocks, opening the door. “Sorry to interrupt, I just need to take Javi’s vitals and give him the next round of meds to keep him comfortable,” she explains, but the sound of Mirabelle throwing up in the background causes her eyebrows to raise .
“My wife is pregnant, and apparently morning sickness doesn’t just happen in the morning,” Henry says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Please let us know if she needs anything,” she says, and Bailey steps out of the way to let her get to the other side of Javi’s bed.
“I hate to say this, but there’s really only supposed to be two visitors in the room.
Javi’s resting, so why don’t some of you take a break, and come back later when he’s awake?
” she suggests, and I’m glad she didn’t stop by when Sebastian and Thalia were also in the room.
It’s not huge, but I think we’re in a bigger room than normal to help give the Walkers some form of privacy.
I promised Javi I wouldn’t leave, and I think Henry will understand if I ask to stay. Based on what I’ve heard, I highly doubt Mirabelle is going to want to leave the room.
“Of course, I wouldn’t want to get anyone in trouble,” Henry says, giving her a brief smile. “I’ll be happy to step out to the waiting room after she’s done in there, if that’s okay?”
“I was just getting ready to run home to freshen up,” Bailey adds, and I bite my tongue so I don’t demand to know why he kept what Hunter did a secret.
“Thanks for understanding,” she says, putting her stethoscope on to listen to Javi’s chest.
“I’ll be back in a little bit. Text me if you need anything, I’ll have my phone on me,” Bailey says, while Henry knocks quietly on the bathroom door.
I don’t trust myself to say anything, so I nod, feeling the strings of my heart pull as I watch him walk away.
As promised, I stayed at the hospital until Javi woke up, which ended up being around the time Bailey came back.
I still hadn’t figured out what I wanted to say to him, so I made some excuse about leaving to get everyone dinner, when really I felt like I was struggling to keep my head above water after an emotionally exhausting day.
I didn’t want to go home to an empty house and be alone, so I still stayed at the beach house, but I slept in the guest room instead of Hunter’s. His truck wasn’t here when I got back last night, and I never ran into him. I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.
No matter how many times I closed my eyes, I never slept more than a half hour before waking up. It was a long night, tossing and turning until I saw the first break of morning light through the window.
I just need to think, and the best place is on the water.
Visiting hours don’t start until nine, and Thalia told me last night she was going to close the gallery for the day.
The ocean is alive and roaring this morning. There must have been a storm over the water for us to be getting getting this kind of groundswell.
I kick my flip flops off outside of the shed, my heart racing as I approach the light shining through the open door.
It’s probably Hunter since Bailey stayed at the hospital again last night, but I’m not ready for us to have a serious conversation yet about next steps.
I just want to surf, and hopefully find some clarity.
I step into the doorway, and I’m greeted by the sight of Bailey— not Hunter —leaning over his board, working in large circular motions to spread the Sex Wax on his orange shortboard. His navy board shorts hang low on his hips, and my gaze lingers on the way his muscles flex as he works.
He turns, straightening in surprise, and I jump backward, smacking my head on the doorframe behind me. “Ow, fuck,” I mumble, grabbing the back of my head as I close my eyes.
“Kait, you scared the shit out of me. Are you okay?” he asks, sounding much closer now .
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m fine, just forgot there was a wall behind me,” I say, opening my eyes to see Bailey right in front of me. Maybe he didn’t see me looking at him.
“Here, let me.” Bailey’s hand pushes mine out of the way to feel for the knot on the back of my head. His touch is gentle as he rubs the tender spot, and I’m frozen into place. “You’re definitely going to have a bump, but I think you’ll be okay.”