Hooked on You: An Annapolis Harbor Series Prequel, Lea Coll [love letters to the dead .txt] 📗

effort to make me feel welcome, especially when I probably didn’t deserve their hospitality. Not when I’d hurt their daughter.

“I’ll help you.” Taylor followed her out of the room.

Mr. Leeds leaned forward in the chair. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I hope so too.”

“I’ve never seen Taylor like this before. She’s always been hopeful and upbeat. Now, she’s so—”

“Defeated.”

“Yes.” His eyes on mine were filled with questions.

I didn’t want to tell him about me when we’d just met. I wanted him to have a good impression of me but I didn’t want him worried about his daughter. “It’s all my fault. I screwed up.” I told him how Taylor helped me with Zach, and how I’d accused of her of going behind my back.

“You have some making up to do.” He leaned back in the chair.

I hoped that meant that I hadn’t screwed things up with her parents. “I do. That’s why I’m here.”

“Zach’s okay?” Mr. Leeds asked as Taylor walked in with a pitcher of lemonade, glasses, and muffins on a large serving tray.

I cleared my throat. “He is.”

Taylor’s eyes raised at Zach’s name. She poured a glass of lemonade and handed it to me. “You told him?”

“Yes,” I said, taking the cold glass of lemonade.

“Why?” She sat next to me on the leather couch not bothering to serve her parents.

“Your dad deserves to know what happened and my part in everything.”

She looked from me to her dad. “Yeah, and how did that go?”

“Gabe is going to make things right and I’m not going to stand in his way,” Mr. Leeds said, and my body filled with gratitude. Other than Isaac and Taylor, no one had ever given me the benefit of the doubt before.

“Why not?” Taylor asked, as if she’d expected her father to be angry on her behalf.

“Because he means well. He seems like a good guy and it’s obvious you’ve been avoiding him. You need to deal with it and move on,” Mr. Leeds said.

“But Caleb needs me.” Taylor’s lips were set in a straight line.

“He doesn’t.” Mr. Leeds’s tone was cool, dismissive. “He has us, his nurses, doctors, and teachers. Now, you can come and visit but you can’t live here anymore.”

Mr. Leeds was being harsh, but it’s what Taylor needed. She needed permission to live her own life because she wouldn’t give it to herself. Now that I’d gotten to know her better I was surprised she’d taken the first step to move to New Orleans, even temporarily.

Taylor stood, her voice rising. “What?”

I wanted to step in, but I couldn’t. This needed to come from her parents.

Her mother walked in with plates, her eyes widening at the raised voices.

“You’re kicking me out?” Taylor cried. “Just like you’re kicking Caleb out.”

I had no idea what she was talking about. Was this the bad news she’d mentioned? Her father was kicking Caleb out of the house? If so, my impression of her parents so far had missed the mark.

“No, that’s not what’s happening. If you’re living here, you’re not really living. We allowed it for a long time—too long, honestly. You should have moved out for law school, or even college. We should have made it a condition of paying your tuition,” Mr. Leeds said.

I’d never met a girlfriend’s parents before—and I knew she wasn’t my girlfriend now—but I’d never respected anyone more than I respected Mr. Leeds right then. They loved Taylor so much they were willing to upset her to do what was right.

“Mom, is he serious?” Taylor looked to her, exasperated.

Mrs. Leeds’s face was set. “Yes, we have to do what’s best for you. We allowed you to help out too much. You feel responsible for Caleb and we never wanted that for you.”

“You need to go home and get back to work,” Mr. Leeds said.

“You probably woke Caleb with all of this yelling.” Mrs. Leeds gave them a disapproving look before she walked out.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Taylor said, but her dad remained silent.

“It’s the right thing to do,” I said, not sure if I should be getting involved.

“So, you’re here for five seconds and you're on his side?” Taylor asked.

“You’re an amazing daughter, an amazing sister, but you have to get back to living your life.” I was still unsure if I should be throwing myself into the middle of a family argument, but Mr. Leeds brought it up with me here.

“What do you know about that? You’ve never lived your life. You hide behind your excuses that you can’t be more than you are,” Taylor hissed.

I sighed. “You’re right and that has stopped. I’m signing papers as soon as I get back. I’m partnering with Isaac on the bar. I’m moving out of my apartment into a better neighborhood.” I worried about leaving Zach, but Lizzie promised I could still see him. Whether I was with Taylor or not, I was making plans for my future and it felt great.

She sank back onto the couch, not meeting my eyes.

“I’ll let you guys talk.” Mr. Leeds left, leaving us alone, but neither of us acknowledged him.

“You’re really doing it.” Taylor finally looked up at me.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” Pride filled me as I realized what huge steps I’d taken recently to move forward out of the rut I’d been in.

“I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks. I don’t think anyone’s ever said that to me before.” The words were so foreign. I knelt in front of her and took her hand in mine. “I know it’s too soon, but I’m going to show you that we can be good together. That I deserve you.”

She squeezed my hand. “You deserve everything good coming your way.”

“I hope you consider yourself part of that good.”

She hesitated. “I don’t know. My parents are kicking me out. Caleb’s being institutionalized.”

I didn’t know how I felt about that. It didn’t sound good, but her parents had been dealing with this for a long time and I was sure they wouldn’t make any decision lightly. “Is that