He grabbed both sides of my face. "I'm doing it because I'm selfish. I'm worried that if I walk away I'll lose myself. I need you. I'm falling in love with you, Hailey. I can't let you go. I'm done living my life with regret. You're what I want. And I know that I'm asking the world from you. Because I know how it feels to put your life on hold..."
I shook my head. "This is different." I placed my palm on the left side of his chest. "I would never break your heart, Tyler. I promise."
He grabbed my waist and pulled me against him. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating as his lips crashed down onto mine. He kissed me hard. But it wasn't filled with urgency. For the first time, it didn't feel like the end. It felt like the beginning.
Missing Pieces - Chapter 42
Tyler
Thursday
No one deserved to be dealt the hand Hailey was given. My blood was still boiling at the thought of her mother treating her that way. A part of me wanted to drive back there right now and tell her just what kind of girl she had given up. I wanted to defend Hailey. I wanted Hailey to know how wonderful she was. And I wanted to throw it in her mother's face. No kid should grow up thinking that they're second best. Especially not Hailey. She deserved the best. She deserved the whole world.
And, somehow, despite everything, Hailey was the kindest person I knew. She had such a big heart. She was able to look past all my flaws and see the best in me. I wasn't sure I deserved it, but I wanted to deserve her.
Hailey was right. About all of it. This whole time I had been telling myself I was protecting her. But that wasn't entirely true. I was scared of getting hurt again. I was scared of putting myself out there because rejection hurt so fucking much.
But Hailey wasn't Penny. Hailey was choosing me. Despite everything, the amazing girl in front of me was choosing me. And I wanted to be better for her. I needed to be better for her.
I wasn't sure how long we stood there. I loved the feeling of her in my arms. If it was up to me, I'd stand in the middle of Venice Beach for the rest of my life. I'd stop time for her if I could. She sighed against my chest, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Hailey..."
She looked up at me. "Tyler."
I let myself get lost in her brown eyes. I let myself see a future. I let myself dive so deep that I would never break the surface again. My whole life I had been blind. Hailey Shaw was everything I had been missing.Everything.And I was done fighting it. I was done trying to protect myself from pain. Because what was the point? Bad things happened. And if you didn't embrace the good moments, the painful ones would swallow you whole. I was done drowning. I wanted anything she'd give me.
The ocean breeze made her hair dance across her face. I tucked the loose strands behind her ear as she smiled up at me. I wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't force the words out of my mouth. Because I knew how hard it was to lose my dad. I knew how much it hurt. And I wasn't going to lie to her. But I also wasn't going to just do nothing. She needed to get back home to her father. She needed money. I'd help her with both, whether she wanted me to or not.
"What now?" she said as she stared up at me.
"Now you go home. And I..."
She put her finger against my lips. "No, not yet. Just for this one moment, let's be us. Uncomplicated, easy. I need something to hold on to." She shook her head. "For some reason you're the only person that makes me feel strong enough to deal with everything."
I pressed my lips together. I was already holding on to every moment of this trip. Her face was imprinted in my mind. And she was giving me strength to face my fears tomorrow. As much as I wanted to spend one more day together, though, I couldn't ask her to stay. I couldn't let her live with as much regret as I did. "I'm going to take you to the airport. You have to go home."
She lowered her eyebrows slightly. "I'm not ready."
"Hailey, you can't put it off. You need to be there when..."
"He dies?" Her voice wavered slightly. "You think I don't know that? I'm just asking for one day. Just one more day." She glanced toward the ocean. "He has four months to live. And I'm not giving up hope yet. This is a setback, but I'll find another way. I always find another way. I'll do whatever it takes. He's not going to die. I just need...one more day." She looked back up at me. "And we haven't even touched the Pacific Ocean yet."
Despite all that she was going through, there was still a twinkle in her eye. That playfulness made me follow her down to the water. I loved her optimism. I loved everything about her. But most of all, I loved that she made me feel like I wasn't missing any pieces anymore.
Her laughter made me smile as we stepped into the water.
"Jesus, it's freezing!" she squealed. She tried to run back toward the hot sand, but I wrapped my arms around her, keeping her in place.
"Is it everything you hoped it would be?"
"No! It's so cold!"
I laughed and released her from my grip.
"And, actually, it smells kinda weird." She retreated to the sand.
I shook my head. "That's how the ocean smells. Like salt."
