“Christopher . . . ,” Harvey says as he stares at me.
“Yes.”
“Now . . . if you know Hayden like I think you do, you understand that she’s special.”
I nod. “I do.”
“Hayden isn’t like other people. She’s different. She’s kind and trusting and hates drama. You’ll never hear her complain.”
“It’s those qualities in her that I love, Mr. Whitmore.”
“Her empathy for those around her is her biggest strength and yet her greatest weakness,” he continues. “We had hoped that she would toughen up on that trip around the world, but she’s come back so madly in love with you that she can’t even see straight.”
My eyes search his.
“What I’m trying to say is that it is up to you to make sure that she’s happy.”
I frown.
“She will put your needs and your happiness before her own because when Hayden loves, it’s forever.”
I get a lump in my throat.
“Hayden doesn’t say much, but I’m trusting you to read between the lines and guarantee me that you will protect her at all costs . . . even if that means hurting yourself.”
I imagine if Hayden ever left me . . . and the devastation it would cause.
I would never recover.
His silhouette blurs as my eyes fill with tears. “You have my word.” I shake his hand, and his eyes fill with tears too.
Fuck me dead.
I wipe my eyes, embarrassed. “Stop.” I laugh.
He pulls me into a hug. “I’m trusting you with the most important thing in the world. Promise me to keep her safe.”
“I promise.” He slaps me on the back, and I know that this is it.
From here on in, I have to adult. There is no room for mistakes in my life anymore. If I want to love someone like Hayden, I need to step up and be the man that she deserves.
“I don’t believe it,” Hayden’s voice says from beside us. “You two hugging it out now?”
We step back from each other in a rush. “I was just telling him how much I hate him,” Harvey says in his stern voice.
I chuckle, because now I know. This man is a big softy. “Sure, you were.”
“Where’s Mom?” Hayden looks around.
“Crying in the bathroom, I suspect,” Harvey replies.
“Oh.” Her face falls. “I’m going to check on her.” She hands me a paper and raises her eyebrow. “Got you some interesting reading material.”
I frown at her undertone and glance down at the Ferrara News and see the headline.
Fuck.
Harvey and I sit back down, and as he continues talking, I casually flick through the paper until I get to the story.
Christopher Miles has returned from a sabbatical with Miss Average.
I inhale sharply as the sky turns red.
How dare they.
How. Fucking. Dare. They.
Do not mess with Hayden.
Screw me over all you like, but mention one hair on her head, and it’s fucking war.
I stand, too angry to stay seated. “You want a cup of coffee?” I ask Harvey.
“No, thanks.”
I march in the direction of the cafeteria and scroll through my phone. I turn the corner and call the Miles Media head lawyer.