Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
WEST
M y mood is shit when I wake up alone. How the hell did I sleep through her getting out of bed? I throw the blankets back, grabbing my phone off the nightstand. I check her location and see that she is at school. Of course she is, but I had to see for myself.
I run my hand down my face, feeling rested even if I am annoyed. I force myself to get up. I can’t stare at her location all day. I head for the shower. I don’t want to wash off the smell of Teddy, but I have dry cum all over me.
Fuck, I can still taste her on my lips. Now that I’ve had a taste, I can’t help but want more. How the hell will I manage to keep my hands off her? To stay away when I know that she is so close. I’m not sure I’m capable of it.
When I enter my office, Jack is already there, coffee sitting on my desk. “Don’t start,” I tell him, dropping down into my chair and turning my laptop on. I place my phone on my desk, face up, with Teddy's location displayed on the screen.
“I didn’t say anything.” Jack is quiet for about three seconds. “But I thought you’d be in a better mood this morning.” He sits down at his own desk. I can hear him clicking away.
I should be in a good mood. To try and distract myself, I go through my emails. I inadvertently find myself scrolling through wedding rings on a jewelry website. What kind of ring would Teddy want? Would she want to stay on the island? Could I stay on the island?
“What does it mean if a woman sneaks out of your bedroom?” I find myself asking.
“Oh, you’re talking to me?” I glare over at Jack, who is only smirking. “It might not have been sneaking. She simply went to school.”
“She could have woken me up before she left.”
“Oh shit.” Jack bursts into laughter.
“What the fuck is so damn funny?”
“You’re pouting.” He laughs even harder. “I’m sorry,” he gets out through his laughter somehow.
“You sound like it,” I say dryly.
“It’s just cute.” He sighs, catching his breath. “And really nice. She’s going to be good for you.”
“But am I good for her?” Teddy is so full of life and sweetness. She still has so many things in life to experience. Would I be robbing her of those because I want to have her all to myself? I don’t want to hold her back, but I also know that I’ll never be able to let her go.
“Yeah, I think you’re good for her.” Jack leans back in his chair. “The girl takes a lot on. Always watching over everyone. You’ll watch over her.”
“But what if I want her all to myself?”
"I don't think stealing her away every now and then will be a bad thing. In fact, I think it might be good for her.”
“You’re encouraging a beast inside of me that I am fighting to control.” The irrational part of me isn’t talking about stealing her away every now and then, but forever.
“I can only tell you what I believe. You do what you will with that information.” He shrugs.
An email from Zero pops up with more information on the Derrick kid from her school. I’d requested additional information, and I knew Zero could get everything and more. He doesn’t let me down.
His note on the email, stating that I should take a look at this, raises my hackles. I click on the kid’s phone data he sent over. I see a series of pictures of Teddy that were taken from his phone. I can tell from all of them that she has no clue that it’s even happening.
They aren’t only at school but at the diner and even the store, along with a few in other places. I can tell he was trying to get one up her skirt but failed. My blood starts to boil. I keep clicking, wanting to see it all.
It shows how often he goes to her social media. There are days when he visits her social media pages more than fifty times, which is absurd considering that Teddy's social media posts appear to be made only four times a year.
His porn searches have my blood going from boiling to ice cold. This kid seems to have a dark side, and from his other searches, he may be plotting something. I’m out of my chair, grabbing my phone. I can’t sit here.
She’s with that sick bastard at school. I know there are people everywhere there, but that doesn’t mean shit. My Teddy is sweet and trusting. He could lure her somewhere under the guise that he needs help. Endless possibilities flood my mind. None of them are doing anything to calm me down.
“You okay?” Jack asks as I head towards the office door.
“No,” I tell him, not stopping. In fact, I don’t stop until I’m pulling into the school's parking lot. I get out and glance around. Not much has changed.
I stand there not sure what the fuck I’m going to do now. To get into the school you have to go through the main office; once school hours start, the doors lock. You can only exit.
“Oh my gosh, West Haven, is that you?” Up pops a girl with dark-reddish hair from behind the front desk. She appears to be around my age. Her face softens. “I was sorry to hear about your brother.”
“That makes one of us.” Her brows rise. This town isn’t na?ve to the fact that Karl was an asshole who threw money around to get what he wanted. I’m sure everyone has also heard rumors of why I moved away and never came back until now too.
“Well, ah—” she stumbles, trying to find her words after my insensitive comment. “You were always the nicer Haven.”
That may be true, but it doesn't imply that I was kind. I kept to myself. I can’t place this girl's name, but we must have gone to school together.
“Thanks,” I tell her. “I wanted to swing by since I’m Willa and Rich’s guardian now.”
“I can see if Principal Roberts has a few minutes to meet with you. He’s got a pretty packed schedule today, but I’m sure if I tell him it’s you that he’ll make time.”
“Tell him I won’t take up too much of his time.” The last thing I want to do is meet with the principal, but I know it’s a necessity if I want to check on Teddy today.
Shelly's nameplate on her desk catches my eye as she steps away, but she still doesn't resonate with me. A few seconds later, Principal Roberts is coming out of his office with Shelly trailing behind him.
“Mr. Haven.” He holds his hand out to me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Call me West,” I tell him.
“Dan Roberts.” He introduces himself too. “I don’t think you’ve been on the island since I moved here.”
“I haven’t been back for a long time,” I admit.
“I have followed some of your work.”
“Really?” That surprises me.
“I was in the military for a few years.”
“Yes, they have picked up a few of my toys.”
“Toys?” He laughs. “I’d call them a lot more than that.” I never know what to call them. I play in whatever interests me. Since I came to the island, I haven’t been doing much work at all, no matter how hard I try.
“I wanted to swing by and make sure everything was updated with the twins, Willa and Rich.”
“Yes, I understand that. We offered them grief counseling, but both turned it down.”
“I appreciate that. I’m leaving it to them to decide how they want to handle things. To be honest, I didn’t know of their existence until after Karl’s death.”
Dan nods. “I’m sure you know how this island works. Your estrangement from your brother is nothing new to me.”
“Some things never change, I suppose.” How fast will word spread when people find out about Teddy and me? I don't care about the potential consequences for myself, but I do care about how the news would affect her.
“Can I show you around?” he asks.
“I’d actually really like that.”
Dan guides me around the school. There have been some, but not significant, changes. I do notice there are updates that could be made. Dan is keen to let me know this in the slyest way he can. I’m sure my brother never gave the school a penny. The island isn’t filled with wealthy people.
“I’m sure I could help out with a few things.”
“Really?” Dan is almost salivating. I don’t fault him. I can tell he cares about the school.
“Of course, it appears Lighthouse Landing is going to be my home for a while. I’ll have my right hand, Jack, see to getting you a check or wire transfer. Do you have a card I can give him?” As his phone starts to ring, Dan quickly pulls one out.
“Let me tell Shelly to reschedule a conference call I have. Sure that’s why she’s calling.”
“No, please go. I should head out too,” I tell him. This is fucking perfect. “But I could use a bathroom first.”
"Go straight down this hallway to the left."
“Thank you.” I shake his hand. “Jack will be in contact.”
“No, thank you, West,” he says before he’s heading back toward the office, leaving me alone in the hallway. I pull out my phone to find Teddy's schedule right as the bell rings.
Fuck.