Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 313

+25 BONUS

Hayden and I stood by the river, listening to the water while the wind whipped through the trees.

After a while, my legs started giving out. I was exhausted.

"What's wrong?" Hayden asked.

"I need to sit. My legs are sore," I admitted.

Without missing a beat, he scooped me up by the waist, carrying me over to a big rock like I weighed nothing. Even though he did stuff like this all the time, I still acted shy. "I can walk, you know."

He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say your legs were sore? How're you gonna walk?"

I stuck out my tongue and let him win that one.

He set me down, then sat beside me, but b I could scoot closer, his arm hooked around my waist and pulled me right into his lap. What was he up to now?

could ask, he whispered in

a more

giving him a quick kiss. But the second my lips touched his, something felt off. There was this faint trace of tobacco. 1 froze. Had

he came to the river by himself to

pulled back, Hayden sighed, "I won't smoke anymore.

"You don't have

at me, his eyes

It's bad for you." As I said it, a weird sadness crept in. My chest tightened, and I felt that familiar sting of tears. "Hayden, you're the closest person I have now. Please... take care of yourself. I need you around for a long

forever used to feel so distant, but

throat bobbing as he

the accident report I still hadn't finished. I'd stopped reading halfway through, unable to bring

you read the report about my parents' accident?" I asked, resting my head against his

closer before answering in a low voice, "It's over now. Let's not

I'd break down again.

I said that, the thought of those pictures made me shudder. So

Chapter 313

+25 BONUS

what?" he asked