Chapter 33

My hand was still on my cheek and Hal was tilting my head this way and that, trying to check and make sure I was okay. He was literally asking as he kept searching my face.

"I'm fine, H. I promise."

Someone wraps a hand around my shoulders and held onto me. Hal, well, Hal looked angrier than I'd ever seen in. He moved so fast, one minute he was beside me and in the next he had a hand wrapped tight around Tracey's neck and squeezed.

Her eyes were wide and she was still talking.

"How dare! I'm your mother!"

Thankfully Jesper storms out of the house, reaching out for his son and dragging Hal away from Tracey. Jeff who had been holding me, tightened his grip on me. Hal took one look at me and it felt like his anger reared up again.

"H..."

Hal ran his hand through his hair and walked back to my side.

"Jeff, can you please get me some dettol wipes and that ointment cream you used the other time you didn't want a scar." Hal told Jeff who quickly walked away.

"Of course you'll be here, Jesper. Look at how your son is maltreating his mother. His own blood mother." Tracey sneered and I fought down the urge to go off at her. She deserved to have her hair pulled. I don't though. No. There's an angry Hal in front of me. Hal who was visibly shaking with how hard he was trying to calm himself down.

I was thankful Danny wasn't here to see this.

"Send her away and we can go in." I told him.

"She hurt you."

"I'm pretty sure her ring just scratched me." I told him, placing my hand on top of the hand he had on my cheeks already.

"Angel..."

"For fuck sake! It's a tiny fucking scratch, if you just give me what I ask for I'll be on my way. Hell, if you had just given it to me earlier then I wouldn't have slapped your little boy toy."

"Tracey you watch your mouth."

"Or what are you going to do, Jesper?" Tracey demeaned, hands on her hips like she owned the entire place. "A slow witted soft man with no money like you shouldn't be talking to me. I keep telling you. I kept telling you and you didn't even work for anything but our son is a fucking multi millionaire and he can't spare some change for his dear mother. How did we raise him?"

Yeah. Even I knew I wouldn't be able to talk Hal away from this one. She insulted his father.

"Tracey you have gone too far." Jesper snapped, glaring at her.

"You come to my house, disrespect the man I love, going as far as injuring him."

My heart slammed into my chest and I silently gasped. He just said that didn't he? It wasn't a figment of my imagination! He just...

Oh goodness.

"You come to my house and insult my father who raised me himself and you're asking for money? How much even is two million?" Hal snapped at her, his words coming off harsh and mean and I just let him go at her. "You don't deserve shit, you don't deserve to spend any of my hard earned money, you don't deserve to stand this close to my dad, you are not even worth the grain of sand under Jesse's shoes. You mean squat to me. And so help me, I will actually hit you."

Tracey sputtered and Hal takes a step away from her.

"Tracey..." Jesper spoke up and his voice sent chills down my spine. "The son I raised has never raised his hand to another woman and yet you provoked him to the point he put his hand around your throat. The son I raised by myself. You even disrespected Hal's boyfriend."

Jeff walked back out and handed the pack of wipes and the tube of ointment to Hal. He whispered something in Hal's ear and my boyfriend looked over at me.

Hal made his way over to me. He doesn't say a word as he takes out one wipe and swipes my cheek with it, cleaning up the blood before applying the ointment. Jesper was still talking to her but I don't hear a word. All I was looking at was Hal.

"H..."

"I'm sorry. I'm not usually this angry and I..." Hal cuts off. Tracey was talking and I had finally had enough of her shit.

"Jeff, please I'm going to need you to get Prez."

Jeff does as I said and quickly got back with Prez right behind him. I squeezed Hal's hand a bit before walking towards Tracey.

"You are just rude and disrespectful. I was told about but I thought maybe you'd change later on, that Hal and Jesper might need a little convincing, hope and time but now I see you and you suck. You suck so hard. You ruined his birthday! You didn't even tell him happy birthday! So I'm going to count to three and if you don't leave, you'll be thrown out and served a restraining order." As I said those words, Hal stood by side, ready to jump in if she so much as blinked at me wrongly.

"You can't talk to me tha-"

"1."

"Jesper what thefucki-"

"2."

It seemed like she wasn't going to stop talking so. Jeff and Prez dragged her away. She just kept going and I didn't want Hal and Jesper looking at her.

"Jesper, I'm going to borrow Hal for a few." I said, taking Hal's hand in mine. Jeff and Prez weren't back yet and I needed Hal to calm down.

"I'll check on the guests."

That's right. Fudge. We had guests. It's a party. I curled my hand around his arm as Hal and I walked into the house. I let him up the stairs and into the room, flipping on the lights.

"I am so sorry. I am so sorry, Jesse. I should have made sure you were okay and I just reacted. She hurt you and I wanted her to hurt more." Hal said, pushing his fingers through his hair.

"Am I really that hurt?" I asked Hal as I made my way towards him.

"You've got two scratches on your cheeks." Hal said, reaching up to cup my cheeks.

"Small?" I asked, he was calmer now but I needed him to see I was fine. Once he was feeling better about me and my safety, he'll be calmer then we can talk more.

"Small. No longer bleeding even." Hal said, looking right at me.

"So you can see I'm okay?"

"You are but I am still so sorry she hit you. She shouldn't have touched you. She should have kept her horrible behavior to herself. I am already used to her and the disappointment that comes, same thing with my dad and I didn't want you to go through what we went through."

"She's gone." I said and Hal nods.

"And I'm getting the restraining order on her. For you and dad and for me too." Hal said and I nod. Tracey really was as terrible as Hal had said and to be honest, I don't think I want to see her. I don't even want her near Hal.

"I'm sorry she ruined your birthday."

"She didn't."

"H..."

"It's the best birthday. It's the best birthday because I got to spend it with you. It's the best birthday because I got to spend it with you, my dad and friends. People I actually care about. It's the best birthday because you planned all these wonderful things."

"You deserve the best. You deserve to laugh, you deserve joy. You don't deserve to be disappointed. You don't deserve to have your heart broken." I told him honestly. Today had started out so good and hearing him say it was still perfect.

"I am also sorry for not telling you this first." Hal said and I just blinked up at him. We were close.

"Tell me what?"

"I'm in love with you. I am so in love with you." Hal said and it startled a gasped out of me. I took one step closer to Hal "H..."

"I'm in love with you. Your smile, your smell, the way you always smile when you wake up in the morning. I love how nice you, how smart you are, how caring you. How you always put others before yourself. How you always take care of me. The sound of your giggle, that close lipped smile you have that makes your cheeks so puffy, how more confident you're getting. I love everything about you, Jesse. You are the love of my life."

I couldn't hold back the tears of relief. I had been so scared of telling him how I felt when he already felt the same. Hal was looking right at me. His gaze never wavering. I pushed myself forward and kissed him. Soft and sweet.

"Darling..."

"I love you too. I love you so much." I said, placing my hand over the hands Hal had on my cheeks. "I love you so much. It was so easy to fall in love with you. I do it as easily as breathing. You are my everything. I love how grumpy you are when you're tired, how cuddly you are when you're stressed, I love how sweet you are, how caring you are, I love you so much. So so much, Hal."

"You are my forever."

"Hal..." I sniffed.

"It's why I got so scared when you tried to break up with me. I could see us being together for a long time and soon the long time became forever. I don't know how I loved before you and I don't ever want to know. I love you, kitten." Hal confesses, his thumb softly stroking my cheek.

"Forever."

"Always." I said, turning my head to the side so I could kiss his palm. I was so happy to hear this. I was so happy to say all these things. He loves me. He loves me. Hal loves me.

Hal pulled me so close and kissed me, keeping it soft yet passionate. It felt like with each brush of Hal's lips and tongue against mine made every part of my body light up. We kissed and kept on kissing, occasionally stopping to take a breath. Our bubble was however popped when there was a loud knock on the door.

"Son?"

I moved away from Hal who kept looking right at me as he told his dad to come in. Jesper walked in, albeit a bit shyly and really, Hal's dad was adorable.

"Hal, Jesse, I wanted to apologize on Tracey's behalf. She shouldn't have hit you." Jesper said. I moved out of Hal's hold and took Jesper's hand in mine.

"It's alright, Jesper."

"It's really alright, dad. Jesse is fine and so am I." Hal added, moving closer to me, his hand settling around my waist. Jesper doesn't look convinced so I gave his hand a little squeeze and smiled right at him.

"I'm still sorry though."

Hal smiled at his dad. We talked for a bit and Jesper pulls in for a hug, whispering a quiet apology to me and I get it really but we've got to put this behind us. Fudge, I've already put it behind me.

"Let's go and eat some cake."

"Yes!" Jesper cheered.

Hal fondly shakes his head as he watched his dad dance out of the room. Hal's grip on my waist tightened and I turn to look at him. At the smile he had on his face.

"Your dad is awesome."

"I know."

We both made our way back out but I stopped right before we got to the back garden. I get on my toes and press a kiss to Hal's lips. We'll still talk later but for now everything was alright.

"I love you."

"I love you too."