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“COREY?” HAYLEY STEPPEDinto the room, wrapped in a blanket.
“Yes, Hayley?”
“Who were you talking to?”
“Ohio police. It was about my parents.”
“Oh.” She walked over to me and sat in my lap. “You still talk to them?”
“Only when necessary,” I said dryly. “Birthdays, holidays, and whenever they ask me to bail them out of jail. But after today, it’ll just be birthdays and holidays.”
“Do you think you’ll ever forgive them for how they treated you?”
“I have forgiven them for that.” I held her close. “It’s how they’re treating themselves that I have yet to get over.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that hurt people are in so much denial about their own pain, that they can never see how they’ve fucked up everyone else around them.” He looked at me. “You don’t have to forgive your mom until you’re ready. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “I know.”
“And you don’t have to cut up the flowers every time she sends them to you, either.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “It hurts you to do that, and you know it.”
“It does.” She let out a breath. “I’ll stop, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving her a chance.”
“Take as long as you need.”
She clasped my hand and looked at me. “Can you do me a favor since today will be our last official day here?”
“Depends on what it is.”
She smiled. “Can you look at the past business plans for my café, and compare them to the shops here to help me see where I went wrong?”
“Only if you agree that you won’t distract me with your addictive sex until I’m finished looking at everything.”
She blushed. “I can’t promise that.”
“Then how about we fuck now and do the work later?”
She practically jumped out of my lap and led me back to the bedroom.
