My Promise, My Love (Book 3)

Sorry

*Bree*
I fidgeted in my seat a little. I felt all eyes on me. I closed my own, and flashes back to this morning.

"So Bree, why do you want to turn yourself in?"

"Because I am responsible. If not for Toby's death, then for running. I should have stayed to make sure they were ok. I just thought I was going to get hurt or die, and I'm too strong for that. So I ran. I deserve to be punished."

"What about your friends? Family?" Michelle looked concerned.

"I have no friends or family. Except Hayes. And he hates me. I think I have ruined his life enough, I don't need to burden him with this too." She nodded but looked hesitant.

"You know you could spend the rest of your life in prison."

"Who cares? I'm already in hell. It's just a new place." She shrugged.

I opened my eyes again. To see the same courtroom. There was a lot of commotion and then the door opened. I turned to look and saw Hayes walking out just as the door slammed shut. When it did, I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding.

*Taylor*
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding when Hayes walked out. Poor kid. I didn't know what was happening between him and Bree, but this must be hard for him.

"Come with me?" I told Sam and he nodded. We walked out the room and Hayes was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. I walked over to him and sat down, with Sam on the other side. It reminded me when the first Magcon was and I saw Shawn and freaked out. The Jacks and Sam was in the same position as Sam and I were in now. It made me smile at the memory but then I remembered what happened and turned to Hayes.

"Hey buddy, you ok?" I asked.

"Do I look ok?" He mumbled.

"I guess you're right. Why don't you tell us what's going on?"

"You were in the room. Somehow, I'm the only one affected by this. Why is that?"

"You and Bree had a special bond didn't you?" Sam asked.

"She's YOUR sister." Hayes whipped his head up to look at me. His eyes were red and filled with tears.

"You think I'm not affected?" I asked gently.

"If you are, why don't you show it?"

"Bree never let me back in. I have to be strong for her, I just don't know what she needs." I admitted.

"She needs someone to be there for her! She hasn't had that person for years!"

"Until you."

"Me? Wow what a great job I have done. I asked her to be my girlfriend and now she's in court. Yeah. So proud of myself." Hayes stood up and as he was about to walk back into the room, the door opened again and police officers walked out, escorting Bree. She and Hayes connected eyes and Hayes tried to run to her, but a police officer held him back.

"Sorry son, only family right now." Hayes looked back at Sam and I and said,

"I'm the only family that even remotely cares about her." I could hear the venom in his words, it hurt. The police officer let him follow and I watched as he embraces Bree and said something that made her cry. He kissed her softly and I leaned back against Sammy.

"What have I done?" I asked him. He stroked my hair and I hid my face in his chest and cried.

*Later that day*
I sat on the couch and Sammy had my feet in his lap. We were sitting in silence before he turned to me.

"I have some things to tell you but I don't think know is a good time." He said.

"Now you have to tell me."

"You might hate me."

"That's impossible. I love you. You have my whole heart. I could never hate you."

"Ok. The first thing is, I cancelled the rest of the tour for me. I'm not doing that anymore. It might have been a bad idea."

"What?"

"Somehow, going on tour with Andrea wasn't my brightest idea."

"Could have been worse. What else?"

"I haven't been completely honest with you." Uh oh.

"After you and I broke up in college, I kind of went on the bad end. I started smoking and shitty stuff like that. Getting high and what not. It never really hit me, until I became a dark person. Nate and I didn't stop making music cause of becoming too successful. Well, that was part of it. It was also cause of me. I couldn't be around any of my friends. Not the Jacks, Kenny, Mallory, Leigh, Nate. No one that reminded me of the past. But I'm not like that. I made a change in my life when I realized the impact it had on people." I let that sink in. He looked at me. I leaned over and kissed him. He was obviously surprised but kissed me back. I put my hand on his chest.

"I'd never ever see you like that because that's not who you are as a person. This is. Got it?" He nodded. He kissed me again but pulled back slightly before our lips touched.

"Marry me?" My heart jumped to my throat. I leaned and kissed him with all the passion I had.