Haven Bound

44. Chelsea

44

Chelsea

As soon as Jason is out of sight, I spin around and brace my elbows against the counter, leaning down to rest my head in my hands as I focus on taking deep, calming breaths. I refuse to let him affect me the way that he used to. I will get my shit together, and I will go about the rest of my day without giving him a second thought.

The day continues like any other Sunday, and I find myself making friendly small talk with each customer that comes in. Hailey texted that she got caught up with something at work, but we made plans to meet for a late lunch. I’ve already put in a phone call to the customer whose order I need to deliver and confirmed the delivery time and location. I don’t typically make deliveries, but when one of my most loyal customers requested it, I couldn’t say no. They’ve sent so much business my way, the least I can do is make an exception and deliver this small order for them.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I shoot off a quick text message to Austin.

CHELSEA

Hey, Handsome! I’m running out to deliver that order I told you about & then grabbing lunch with Hailey !

Three little dots pop up, signaling that Austin is typing out a response, and I drag my teeth over my bottom lip as I wait for his message to come through. Butterflies swarm my stomach as warmth fills my body. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the way he makes me feel.

AUSTIN

Sounds good, baby. I’m just wrapping up a meeting.??

I can’t wait to see you later.??

Be safe driving. Don’t forget to turn your location on. ??

Please?

I smile and shake my head at the back-to-back text messages. We’d discussed sharing our locations when we moved into the penthouse. I’ll admit that I thought it was a bit much at first, but I can’t deny that I feel safer with him knowing where I am. I’m so terrible with directions. If my car were to break down, I’d likely have a hard time explaining to him where I was. It’s just easier this way.

CHELSEA

It’s on. Wanna check?? ?

AUSTIN

All good.??

Thank you, Sunflower.

I love you.

??The neighborhood where the directions take me is on the outskirts of Haven Beach, an area that's filled with small older homes. I have become so used to living at Hailey’s, and now at the hotel, that I’d forgotten how removed some of these older housing establishments can feel from the coastal vibe that comes with being close to the beach.

The home that I’m delivering to is a small paneled white house with a navy blue front door and shutters. Paint is peeling from the building in several areas, but the home seems to be in otherwise decent condition. The lawn is neatly trimmed, and several potted flowers decorate either side of the house. To be honest, it looks like the perfect cozy family home and I'm not here to judge. The customer that ordered has been a loyal customer since the first week I opened, and I am so incredibly grateful for their ongoing support.

After shooting off a text message to let them know I’m here, I step around to the back of my car and open up the trunk to gather the few boxes for this delivery that I’d kept in place with some non-slip shelf liner. It was such an easy trick to keep the boxes secure, ensuring nothing would slide around while I was driving. Balancing the few boxes in my arms, I use my elbow to close the trunk and carefully make my way to the front door. Thankfully, there aren’t any stairs to climb. That would’ve made this a little bit more challenging.

There’s a small table to the side of the front door, and I set the boxes down on it before turning to knock on the front door. Nothing but silence comes from the other end. I know that I triple-checked the delivery address before leaving Buttersweet, but I pull my phone out to check it again just in case.

Okay, right address. So where are they?

I knock one more time and wait another minute before leaving the boxes sitting on the side of the table and walking around to the side gate. Maybe they're setting up for a party and nobody's inside to hear me knock. But it's silent. It doesn't seem like anybody is here.

I tilt my head back, closing my eyes as I exhale a heavy breath. I just wasted a chunk of my day driving out here to deliver an order for someone who’s not even home. Just as I was coming to terms with having to take the boxes of treats back to the bakery and contacting the customer about the failed delivery attempt, the engine rumble of a car pulling up to the house shakes me from my thoughts.

Oh, thank god .

They must’ve just been caught up running last-minute errands for their party and lost track of time. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times Quinn and I have been left standing around, waiting for a customer to show up. Unfortunately, it happens far more often than you would think, and that’s part of why I don’t typically take delivery requests unless it’s for an event at a venue where I know staff will be present. I made an exception for this customer because of their loyalty to my bakery, but this is an exception I likely won’t be making again.

Heavy footsteps sound behind me, and I force a smile across my face, spinning around to greet the customer. The smile immediately falls, my brows pinching and face dropping into a frown as Jason stalks towards me. My breath catches in my throat, and I instinctively back up, reaching up to tap my Bluetooth earbud and giving the command to "call Austin".

The call rings a few times, and I quickly scan the area, looking for any possible way to get out of this. But with my car now trapped by Jason’s vehicle, I don’t know what to do. I could make a run for it, but he’s a damn fast runner and would catch me before I had a chance to reach the curb.

My chest begins to rise and fall with quick heaving breaths, the severity of the situation sinking in as he gets closer. My body feels frozen in place, weighed down by every moment he’s ever made me feel worthless. By every single hateful word or offhand comment that he’s thrown in my direction. Every single time he’s ever raised his voice or his fist at me, every time he’s ever taken my body without my permission, it somehow feels like everything has led to this moment.

The moment when I’ve finally found true happiness. When I finally know what it means to love and be loved. When I’ve finally started to pull myself out of the shadows and into the light. It’s all led to this moment. He’s here to take it all away and force me to be what he wants.

His.

“Hey there, beautiful.” Austin’s voice sounds in my ear, his tone light and happy and so filled with love as he answers the call. Tears sting my eyes and I blink them away, refusing to pull my attention away from Jason .

“I love you,” I whimper, my voice catching in my throat behind a sob as Jason reaches me. His hand wraps around my forearm as he yanks my body against his. My phone falls from my grip, and lands on the gravel at our feet.

“I love you, too, Sunflo—” Austin’s voice falters as Jason growls, “You’re fucking mine. ”

The sound of crashing and what I assume are things being thrown comes from Austin’s end of the phone, a loud angry "fuck" filtering through before he says, “I love you, Chelsea. I fucking got you, baby. I promise I’ll find you. Just stay calm for me and do what you can to stay safe. Trust us to find you. Trust me to find you, Sunflower.”

Jason’s nails dig into my arm, threatening to break the skin, and bringing forth memories of my stepfather’s bruising grip, as he drags me across the front yard to his car. Dark spots dance along the edges of my vision, my lungs fighting for air as panic settles over me. I dig my heels into the ground and do all I can to fight against him, to slow him down, but it’s no use. He’s stronger than me, and despite all of Austin’s requests, I didn’t carry any kind of weapon.

The call disconnects when we reach Jason’s car, and he opens the door to the passenger side backseat, shoving me inside. His hand brushes the side of my face, his fingers swiping my hair over my shoulder. He utters a sound of disapproval when he sees the earbud and wrenches it away, throwing it to the ground.