Page 47 of Haven

Hades

West smiled brightly when I got to the balcony at Betty’s. It was my favorite vintage fifties cafe with amazing coffee and baked goods. I felt like I time traveled every time we came here. There was already a frappe and a chocolate chip muffin waiting for me on the freshly cleaned glass table. His shaggy, blond hair was pulled up into a bun, and his skin was darker than the last time I saw him.

“Damn son,” I chimed, running up the three short stairs to get to him. “Who are you, and where the hell is my nerdy best friend?”

He rolled his eyes, pulling me into a tight bear hug. “Ha-ha. Florida changed me. I think I’m moving out there cause damn, was it nice.” I pushed back slightly, my arm on his shoulders. My eyes locked on his with a mischievous glare. His hands shot up. “It’s a joke.”

“It better be. Your work endeavors are already taking my bestie time. I miss you, damnit.”

“I’m trying to buy us that mansion in Beverly Hills,” he joked. When we met, I’d told him I was going to drop out of medical school and mooch off him for the rest of my life. He’d said once he could afford it, he would buy us a house in Los Angeles where I could be a stay-at-home cat mom to my fifty fostered cats.

“Work here so I can see you more. Be my secretary at the clinic.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Do I look like I could play secretary?”

I smirked. “I think you’d look cute in a pencil skirt and button-up.”

He twirled before turning his back to me and popping out his ass. “Do you think it’ll make my ass look good? I’ve been doing squats.”

“God, I missed your crazy ass.”

He laughed, pulling us towards our table. “I missed you, too. Now, we have overpriced coffee and muffins to devour while we play catch up.” He pushed the muffin and frappe to me. “So how’s life? How is Pops doing?”

I sighed, sipping the latte. A lot had happened since he’d been gone this time. “Well, Dad allowed the Predators to use our docks, which caused more shit to happen.”

“The Primal Pricks? Why would he do that?” We knew about the Predators for a while before my father made this deal with him. West said that they didn’t deserve a name like Predators, so he bestowed them with Primal Pricks since it fit them better. He said it rolled off his tongue better, too.

“Oh, you know, to protect me. He thinks Luke will hurt me if my father says no or if he declines him access to the port. He’s scared they’ll take me, so he thinks he’s saving me.” I rolled my eyes dramatically. “And while he does that, our town suffers.”

“I mean at least he’s being a dad.” His expression turned somber.

West never spoke about his family because of the memories it brought. His mother died when he was a baby and his father abandoned him, which put him in the foster system. He said the family who fostered him was amazing, but they died in a car accident when he was eighteen. He came to Crestview when he was twenty.

My dad thought we were dating, and I had to explain to him—yet again—that I was a raging homosexual. West and I instantly clicked, and we became inseparable when I was home. He came to my dorm a few times and helped with late-night study sessions.

“He tends to forget that his little girl is a black belt who knows how to kill someone and make it look like an accident.”

“Don’t piss off Dr. Morningstar,” West teased, the shimmer of light returning to his eyes.

I smirked, moving my locs from my neck to feel the breeze. “I can get away with it, too.”

West’s eyes narrowed on my neck. He grabbed his fork and pointed it at me. “What is that and why does it look like a hickey? Are you cheating on me?”

The cat was out of the bag. Although, I could lie. “Would you believe me if I told you it was a burn from a curling iron?”

“Do I look like I was born yesterday? You might be a doctor, but I know sex marks.”

I laughed when an older woman at the table next to us gave a disapproving look. “Okay fine. You win. I have a girlfriend, and she’s actually amazing.”

His attention piqued, and he leaned forward. “So I have to share you?”

“She’s cuter.”

He feigned insult, putting his hand on his chest. “The betrayal. And to think, I got my hair done just for you. Does my sister-wife have a name? I need to see what I'm up against.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the picture we took on the beach. West looked at it, back at me, and then at the picture again. “Okay, she wins, there is no competition. She’s hot, in a very respectful way. Please don’t castrate me for looking at your girl.”

“Her name is Rory. I want you to meet her the next time she’s in Crestview.”

“I can’t wait to meet the girl who has you wrapped around her finger.”