I nod, working my jaw back and forth, hoping I can say the right thing without divulging too much.
“Want to tell me what happened?”
“Of course, sir.” I blow out a controlled breath. “Mr. Haskin said something unkind about Ms. Beckett. I couldn’t let it go and called him on it. I apologize.” I meet his eyes and nod, showing him how sincere I am.
Interestingly enough, I see a flash of anger in his eyes, but I don’t think it’s aimed at me. “Unkind, you said?”
“That’s putting it very mildly. The terms he used are not ones I’d choose to repeat if I don’t have to. Unfortunately, the situation escalated.”
“The argument became physical in nature?”
“It did. And, again, I apologize. I didn’t intend for that to happen.”
He nods and appears to be thinking things through. “Would you mind if I ask Ms. Beckett a few questions?”
“Not at all. She’s actually out in the office.”
He pushes a button on his desk phone and requests that the secretary send Hadleigh in. A few moments later, a light knock sounds on the door and Mr. Steele says, “Come in.”
The door opens and Hadleigh pokes her head in. “You wanted to see me?”
He beckons her inside with one hand. “Ms. Beckett, would you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
She shakes her head as she walks into the room, closes the door, and takes the chair next to me. “I don’t mind. I’d like to support Mr. Rivers, so yes, anything you need to ask is fine.”
Mr. Steele seems to think over things for a second. “And are you okay with Mr. Rivers staying?”
“Of course. I’m comfortable with him hearing anything you have to say or ask of me.” Hadleigh sits ramrod straight in her seat, but her knee is going a mile a minute again. It makes me want to smile, but I think better of it.
Mr. Steele focuses on her. “It seems you know more about whatever happened between Mr. Haskin and Mr. Rivers than I was previously aware of. Were you present during the argument?”
Her chest visibly rises and falls, her breath coming fast. She wets her lip, nervous. I want so badly to put my hand on her knee to still the bouncing motion, but I know I can’t, and it kills me. “I wasn’t.”
“So, you didn’t witness it?”
“No.”
“Were you aware of animosity between them?”
“To a certain extent, yes. And I’m pretty sure you’ll see on the footage from the surveillance camera outside the gymnasium doors that Ed hit Sawyer twice before he responded.” She takes a deep breath.
Mr. Steele looks back and forth between us, finally landing on me. “And that fight was due to something Mr. Haskin said about Ms. Beckett, is that right?”
I nod. “Yes, sir. Again, I apologize that it came to that.”
“Be that as it may, we could possibly need to terminate your placement here, depending on what Mr. Haskin says when I bring him in.”
“But—” Hadleigh makes a move to jump to my defense, but I stop her with a hand to her forearm. I don’t want her saying more than she has to.
“It’s okay, Hadleigh. Let’s wait and see what Mr. Haskin says first.” I look up at the assistant principal and lock eyes with him. “Yes, sir. I understand, and wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Hadleigh stands up from her seat, her face even more red now. “No. This isn’t happening.”
“Had. Don’t.” I close my eyes for a second and shake my head.
Mr. Steele’s brows go up at my use of a nickname, but he doesn’t say anything.
“No, Sawyer. He needs to know.” Her eyes flick to Mr. Steele’s, imploring him to listen. “What Ed isn’t going to tell you is that he and I were seeing each other and he hasn’t taken the breakup well. I can go into more details if you need me to. Sawyer just happened to be at the wrestling match yesterday, volunteering, and he got caught up in my mess. Please consider that before making any decisions.”
Surprisingly, Mr. Steele just nods with a smile. “Okay, Ms. Beckett. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll call you back in if I need to.”
Beautiful, brave woman. Everything inside of me twists and tightens, knowing it must have been difficult for her to say as much as she had.
And now … we wait.
Chapter 34
Hadleigh
“Did you know that when two lovers gaze into each other’s eyes, their hearts synchronize?” Sawyer looks at me expectantly. I try to smile, but I’m so nervous, I feel like puking on my shoes.
“Hadleigh, it’s going to be fine. We’ll deal with whatever decisions are made. No matter what, everything is going to be okay. Promise.”
I breathe in deeply and hold it, nodding, before letting it out in one big whoosh. Sawyer has proven himself to be a man who will stand by me through thick and thin, not just when I’m the easy, convenient choice. “I’m glad you’re confident because I’m nervous as hell.”
“Baby, I’m confident because I know that no matter what happens, we’ll figure things out—together.” He samples the meat sauce he’s been cooking.
“You really mean that?” The wobble in my voice has him setting the spoon down and pulling me to him.
His hands rest on my hips as he looks into my eyes. “Of course I do.” His fingers press into my skin. “I kind of thought you felt the same.”
I scan his features and swallow. Oh. Oh, man. “Sawyer, I do. Um. I’m not really good with stuff like this.” Does he understand why this is so hard for me? I know he’s been waiting. He’s told me he loves me, and I haven’t been able to say it back. I’ve tried, but every time I open my mouth, it clamps shut again. It’s not because I don’t want to tell him. I do. I’m just terrified.
“Stuff like what?”
“Um. Oh.” I frown. “I—”
