Haven Bound

22. Austin

22

Austin

Leaving Chelsea last night was the last thing I wanted to do. But as soon as we all piled onto the hotel bed with Ethan sprawled across the foot of it and put on Friends , her comfort TV show, she was asleep after only two episodes. I could’ve stayed like that all night, sitting up against the plush headboard with Chelsea’s head in my lap while I ran my fingers through her long hair.

After she was asleep, I carefully slid out from underneath her and made sure she was lying in a comfortable position.

Ethan and I said our goodbyes to Hailey, who gave me a concerned look as I was leaving, no doubt wondering where my head was when it came to her best friend. I told her that I’d be back at some point today. I have no intention of letting Chelsea return to Hailey’s after all the shit that’s gone down recently. I’d prefer that Hailey stay at the Elysian as well, but at least I know that she’s fully capable of protecting herself if the situation calls for it.

Chelsea is a lot stronger than she thinks she is, but I doubt she’s ever had any kind of self-defense training. I’m mentally adding that to my to-do list, right up there with making sure she understands how critical her current situation is and that she won’t be going anywhere alone anytime soon .

Zack’s been monitoring the cameras surrounding Buttersweet since yesterday’s incident, and it appears that the same vehicle has been driving past the building occasionally as if to check whether or not Chelsea is there. As if that wasn’t already enough to have me on edge, the facial recognition scans came back confirming that the driver is none other than Jason fucking Reed.

Chelsea’s ex-boyfriend.

The same guy I saw talking to her step-father in Rivercrest. The same guy who threatened her at the club and left her crimson roses. Assholes like him don’t deserve to continue breathing.

This whole fucking thing is one huge mess. I don’t even know how to begin having this conversation with her. What I do know is that I can’t keep her in the dark any longer.

The only solace I have at the moment is knowing that Chelsea is currently at the Elysian, where Zack has surveillance running twenty-four hours a day. There’s never a time when security guards aren’t present. It’s the safest place for her to be right now. I just need to convince her of that.

Which is why I found myself back at the hotel first thing this morning. My fist bangs against the office door a little harder than I’d intended, and seconds later, it swings open to reveal an expectant Zack.

“Was wondering when you’d be back,” he says. He nods for me to close the door and turns to walk back towards his desk where various documents and photographs are displayed across several connected computer screens. I step over to the wall of security feeds and examine them all for a moment, checking to make sure that nothing seems out of order. I notice that he has already pulled up a view of the hallway where Hailey’s suite is located.

“Hailey just left the suite a little bit ago, but Chelsea is still in there,” he says, noticing where my focus has snagged. I nod and turn my attention back to him, walking over to stand behind where he sits at his desk.

“What have you found?” I cross my arms over my chest and begin to scan over the various documents he has pulled up on the screen.

“Jason Reed, twenty-six years old, was issued a dishonorable discharge for sexual assault charges. Looks like his father died recently and…” Zack continues to rattle off information about Chelsea’s ex, but my mind is stuck on the last name Reed.

“You said his father died recently?” I ask, knowing that it’s not an entirely uncommon last name. But for some reason, my mind is shouting at me that this situation is a lot more fucked than I thought it would be.

“Yup,” he says, popping the "p". His voice is laced with amusement as he adds, “I’ll give you one guess who his father was.” He spins his chair around to face me.

“Officer Sean Reed,” I guess, not needing his verbal confirmation to know that I’m right.

Zack nods, and my stomach sinks.

Motherfucker.

My vision clouded in a red haze the moment Zack confirmed Jason’s connection to Dan. I knew that I couldn’t wait any longer to confess everything to Chelsea because the longer she remains in the dark, the bigger of a threat she faces. She thinks that she has brought this danger upon us. Little does she know that my return to Haven Beach was for this exact reason.

Never would I have imagined that I’d be helplessly falling right back into love with her or that removing her piece-of-shit ex would somehow become part of this mission.

Storming through the hotel, I find myself hesitating at the suite door, preparing myself to completely shake the foundation of her life. Raising my hand, I knock the knuckle of my index finger firmly against the door a couple of times and wait for her to answer. When she doesn’t, I knock a little harder with my fist this time.

There’s still no answer.

“Chelsea, it’s Austin,” I call out, thinking she may be hesitant to open the door when she doesn’t know who is on the other side. After waiting a few minutes, worry starts to build in the pit of my stomach and I have this sinking feeling that something isn’t right.

“Chels!” I say her name a little louder, not caring that other hotel guests can likely hear me shouting. I have a key card in my wallet that grants access to all of the rooms at the Elysian. Something only my family and our security team have, but I don’t want to enter her room without consent. I’m about to give up and walk away when a loud crash comes from her side of the door.

“Chelsea! I’m coming in!” I shout, doing my best to give her a fair warning before I frantically pull the key card from my wallet and press it against the door’s sensor. The light can’t possibly flash green fast enough. When it does, I waste no time shoving through the door .

I’m greeted by an empty room, and my brows furrow in confusion. The curtains have been pulled open just enough for soft light to shine through. The bed is unmade, and the duffle bag that I brought over last night for Chelsea is sitting on the floor beside it, so I know that she’s still here.

“Chels, are you okay?” I call, willing her to answer me and let me know that she’s alright. Pausing for a second, I realize that I can hear the sound of running water. I make my way cautiously towards the large bathroom. The door is cracked open, steam billowing out through the open space from the heat of the water.

I’m giving her one last chance to answer me, and if she doesn’t, I’m going in. “Sunflower,” I call, doing my best to keep the worry out of my voice. A soft whimper carries through the open door. I immediately shove it open to find Chelsea naked and sitting on the floor of the shower. Her back is pressed against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest and her head buried in her hands as the hot water pours over her body, turning her skin a bright red.

I quickly grab a large bath towel and lean into the shower to turn the water off before kneeling to wrap the towel around her. “It’s okay, Sunflower. I’m here now. I’ve got you,” I say softly, rubbing her back and brushing her wet hair away from her face. It takes a few quiet moments with the water off and my hand rubbing along her back before she lifts her head, her green eyes meeting mine but not quite focusing as though she can’t tell whether or not I’m really here.

“Austin?” Her voice shudders, and my heart cracks in my chest.

“Yeah, baby. It’s me. Can I please get you off the floor and into something comfortable?” She gives me a gentle nod as she pulls the towel around her naked body to cover up, holding it in place with one hand while reaching for me with the other. I take her hand and help her stand up, leading her back into the bedroom. Grabbing the duffle bag I’d thrown together for her the night before, I quickly pull out a clean set of clothes for her.

Last night, I didn’t want to be away from Chelsea any longer than I had to after chasing away who I now know was her ex. But I knew that at some point she’d need something clean and comfortable to change into. I’d stopped by Hailey’s house and quickly thrown a few things from her dresser into a duffle bag, along with one of my t-shirts. I always have a few changes of clean clothes in a bag in any vehicle I’m driving. With my line of work , I never know when I’m going to need to discard my clothing and quickly change into something that isn’t covered in blood.

She keeps the towel held around her body while I help her get dressed, doing my best to keep my eyes from wandering over her mouthwatering curves. Now is not the time to let my mind fill with lascivious thoughts.

Encouraging her to sit down on the side of the bed, I head back into the bathroom to grab her hairbrush and a clean hand towel to dry her hair. When I return, I find Chelsea with her gaze locked on the ground.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen her succumb to a panic attack, but I’d forgotten what a toll they take on her body and mind. Something I didn’t truly understand until I’d experienced it for myself. She seems to be coming out of it now, but I know that it may still be a little while before she’s coherent enough to have a conversation with me. I approach her slowly and crouch down in front of her, placing one hand on her knee. I use the other to cup her jaw in my palm in hopes that it’ll bring her gaze to mine .

“Can I brush your hair for you, Sunflower?” She once again nods instead of using her words, but it’s enough of a sign that she’s aware of her surroundings. Moving onto the bed behind her, I spread my legs out so that she’s sitting between them as I slowly start to brush out the long strands of her hair.

Minutes pass, and the only sound that fills the space between us is our breathing and the quiet noise from the brush gliding through her damp hair. It’s no longer tangled, but I know how much the sensation calms her. I would sit here for hours brushing her hair if it eased her mind and brought her a sense of peace.

Chelsea’s sweet voice breaks the silence when she whispers, “Why did you leave?” My hand pauses in midair for a second before I set the hairbrush down on the bed beside me. I came in here with the intention of finally telling her everything and yet her question still catches me off guard.

“Last night? You fell asleep, and I figured you needed the rest. I didn’t want to stay with my sister in the room.”

“No, Austin. Why did you leave me? I was in love with you, and you left me . I thought…” Her voice lowers as she trails off. Even though she’s sitting with her back to me, I know tears are welling in her eyes. I want to say something, to stop whatever train of thought she’s currently spiraling through, but I know that I need to let her get this off her chest. She’s had a rough few days, a rough few years… a rough life , and holding in these thoughts and emotions is only going to increase her pain, not improve it.

She sucks in a breath and releases it, shaking her head as she continues, “I allowed myself to think, to hope , that you loved me too. I can still see it so clearly, you know? The day before… we spent the entire day planning all of the things we were going to do together that summer. I thought that after graduation we were finally going to tell everyone we were together. I thought we—” She hunches over, bracing her elbows on her legs, and buries her face in her hands.

I can feel my heart cracking and splintering in my chest with each word that falls from her lips, knowing that my actions led her to feeling like this now. She’s quietly crying now, all of the emotion she’s likely been holding back flooding to the surface. I slip off the bed and place my hand on her shoulder as I kneel to the ground in front of her.

“Chelsea,” I mutter. My right hand finds the back of her neck and rubs gently while my left hand rests on her shoulder, encouraging her to look at me. She slowly shakes her head, soft sobs shuddering from her body.

I can’t fucking take this.

She has no idea how hard I fell for her. Or how leaving her was the equivalent of ripping out my own heart. She has no idea that I had no fucking say in the matter.

It’s the life that I was born into. It’s what I was expected to do. I didn’t know back then about all of the things she had been through. I didn’t know how incredibly strong she was and I didn’t think she could handle walking this journey alongside me.

“Sunflower, please look at me,” I rasp, fighting back tears of my own as this gorgeous woman who owns my heart, body, and soul, this woman who is so kind and brave and strong completely crumbles before me. I move my hands to her wrists now and gently start to pull them from her face. She finally concedes and lowers her hands so that her tear-filled eyes meet mine.

Kneeling on the ground at her feet, I hold her hands in mine and prepare to confess everything.