By the time Haley makes it to Morgan's front door, she's forgotten about the marks on her face until he answers her knocking. "Haley?" He's confused at first, thinking it's just his imagination but then his face splits into a huge smile as he wraps his arms around her frame. "Haley!" He pulls away with his hands on her shoulders. "The hell happened to you?" He asks, his thumb brushing across her fat lip before his usually calm, warm blue eyes quickly fill with anger at the dark marks across her cheek. "What the hell!?"

"It's nothin'." She brushes him off, letting herself inside.

"Haley, who-"

"Nice place." She says over him, dropping her bone-tired body on the couch, kicking her feet up. She closes her eyes for just a few minutes but quickly dozes off, beyond exhausted.

Morgan sighs and drapes a nearby Vols blanket over then kisses her forehead. He picks up his phone to call his best friend and his girlfriend.

"What's up, man?" Michael asks when he picks up.

"Haley's here and she looks like shit." He mumbles, looking at her from his spot at the kitchen counter. "Someone was beatin' on her."

"What!?" He shouts up to his feet, grabbing his keys, immediately thrown into protective mode over his best friend's girl and his girl's best friend. "Who!?"

"I dunno." Morgan says back, keeping his voice down.

"She told me she's been spending more time with Preston." Caleigh pipes up in the background. "I can talk to her."

"Okay. Morgan, we're on our way over-"

"Pick up some food or somethin', act like it's just a regular night-"

"I gotcha. See y'all in a few."

Morgan sets his phone on the counter, his jaw and fists clenching when his eyes land on the not-so-faint bruising on her cheek and fat lip.

How could anyone do this to another person?

His heart feels incredibly heavy- guilty. He feels like this is his fault somehow. If he hadn't been a fucking idiot and messed around with that coed, they'd probably be hitched by now.

Maybe a baby or a couple by now.

Morgan is pulled from his thoughts when he hears a car door slam shut outside. He tip toes to the front door and leaves it open for the couple to join them.

"Hales," He says softly, running his fingers through her messy hair, brushing the back of his fingers over her opposite cheek. "Wake up."

Haley jolts awake, her body tensing then relaxing when her dark, tired eyes land on her ex boyfriend. "What time is it? How long was I out?"

"An hour or so."

"Shit." She sits up, wincing slightly, only adding to Morgan's worrying, and digs through her purse for her phone. "Fuck." Her eyes go wide.

"What's wrong?" Morgan asks, leaning his elbows on his knees as he sits on the coffee table.

"I have like thirty missed calls from Preston."

"Why- why would Preston be callin'-?"

"Haley!" Caleigh beams, dropping her purse and a bottle of wine on the counter. "I missed you!" Haley stands and wraps her arms around her best friend, tears jerking in her throat from the love she's feeling for the first time since her dad had passed.

"Michael!" Haley smiles, hugging him too before she's distracted by the bottle of wine. She grabs the corkscrew from the drawer in the island then pops the bottle open, pouring herself a generous amount into a coffee mug.

The Lynchburg native wanders out to the porch alone, her brain going a million miles an hour, completely overwhelmed. Haley's heart starts pounding in her chest when she hears her phone ring inside the house but it stops abruptly. She glances over her shoulder to see Morgan yelling into her phone, the vein in his neck sticking out while Caleigh and Michael share a concerned look.

"The hell's goin' on?" Haley asks, looking between the three as Morgan hangs up.

"Who did that to your face?" Morgan demands, crossing his arms across his chest, her phone still in his hand. He just got off a call with Preston and he said some pretty intense- nasty things to him.

"Wow, I, uh, need more wine." He reaches out and gently takes her arm. Haley turns and smacks him, immediately covering her mouth with her hand when she realizes what she's just done. Morgan's head jerks to the side, his cheek bright red as he clenches his jaw. "Oh my g- I'm- I'm so sorry, I- I just- Morgan-"

He calmly puts his hands on her shoulders, looking into her teary eyes. "Talk to me." She looks past him at Caleigh's shocked face and Michael's dropped jaw.

"It's nothin'. I'm fine." She tries to put their wary minds at ease but it doesn't work.

"Baby," Morgan sighs, sliding his hands to grasp the sides of her face. "Is it Preston?" She rolls her busted lips into her mouth, looking anywhere but at him. "You're not goin' back."

She scoffs. "You sound like him."

"If he's hittin' you, you're not goin' back." Michael states firmly, standing. "If he does that again-"

"There won't be an 'again'." Haley says. "He promised me he wasn't gonna do it again."

Morgan rolls his eyes. "Yeah right." He clenches his jaw, Haley looks him over and bites her lip. "What?" She blushes making Morgan smirk to himself before he shakes his head. "No, this is serious. What're we gon' do?"

"I can't run away here." Haley mumbles. "I- I can't get rid of that house and I own a third of the farm. I can't just-"

"Take a deep breath and sit your ass down." Michael says, guiding her to sit where he was next to Caleigh. "Okay." He clasps his hands together, standing across from her and next to Morgan. "Option 1: Give the house to one of your brothers."

"Option 2: Break up with Preston?" Caleigh shrugs.

"Option 3: We could move back in together." Morgan mumbles, blushing slightly at his own words as he looks down at his crossed arms.

"Option 4: Kill Preston." Haley says, cackling at the shocked looks from the trio. "I'm just jokin', jeez."

"So?" Caleigh looks over at her best friend.

"I'll talk to my brothers." Haley settles on the first choice. "But, if I tell them why I want to leave, they'll do somethin' to-"

"Don't even think about that." Morgan says, sitting across from her on the coffee table with her hands in his. "Okay? We just want to keep you safe and away from that asshole."

"Okay." She nods, forcing back more tears. "Yeah, I'll go talk to 'em." She stands then sits back down. "Can I stay here for a couple days?"

"Sure, yeah, absolutely." Morgan nods without hesitation.

"I'll talk to my brothers when I go home then." She yawns, leaning back against the couch. "I just thought that he'd be like the last person to ever do that, y'know?"

"Why don't you take a shower and just relax for a bit? We'll still be here when you're done." Caleigh says, patting her hand. "Go on."

"I- I didn't bring any clothes." Haley says, rubbing her face.

"You can borrow some of mine." Morgan gently takes her hand, leading her to his bedroom.

Haley quietly shuts the door behind them. "I'm so sorry, Morgan." She whispers, looking at the back of his head.

"For what?" He asks, a t-shirt that's too big for him in his hand.

"Leavin'."

She suddenly knocks the shirt from his grasp and kisses him, putting his hands on her hips as she grabs the sides of his face. Morgan stumbles back against the bed, Haley still in his embrace as he lands on his back. She straddles his hips, shoving the t-shirt he's wearing up and off his body as he tugs on the belt looped through her tight blue jeans.

"Wait." She breathes, her hands heavy on his chest. He leans up on his elbows and looks up at her with blown out pupils, breathing hard. "Fuck."

"You okay?"

"He didn't want me leavin' Lynchburg again." She rushes out, her heart pounding in her chest as she shoves her hands in her messy hair. As she keeps talking, the more shaky and panicky her voice gets. "He kept saying' that he's all I need in life- he's the only family that matters. Morgan, I- I can't go back there-"

"Hey," He puts his hands on her cheeks. "Take a deep breath." She nods and does as she's told, subconsciously gripping his wrists. "If he's puttin' his hands on you like that, that ain't love. Family doesn't hit family." She nods again and covers her face with her hands.

"I can't go back there alone, Morgan."

"Go back with your brothers; they'll kick his ass." She chuckles weakly, tears pooling in her eyes again. "You ain't gonna be alone, okay baby?" She takes a shaky breath in and nods again. "Okay." His eyes flicker to the way she's sitting on him with her legs on either side of his hips, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth. "So uh, what're we doin'?"

She chuckles again as she climbs off of him and picks up the discarded tee. "I'm gonna shower." She gets to the bathroom door before she turns and looks back at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

***

Haley sighs quietly as she turns on her back in Morgan's bed. She didn't want to sleep alone so she invited herself into his room while he's sawing logs. She looks over at him and sighs again but louder. Morgan doesn't react so she leans closer to him and huffs in his ear.

"What."

"I can't sleep." She whispers, her fingers walking across the waistband of his shorts with an ornery smile on her busted lips.

"And that's my problem?"

"It's gonna be." She leans over and starts kissing his neck and jaw, taking his ear between her teeth to give it a playful tug. He lets out a surprised sound, his eyebrows raising as he stirs. Haley slides her hand to his stomach, brushing her thumb over his warm skin before slipping lower to his waistband. She sneaks her way beneath the fabric and chuckles when he suddenly flips from his front and looks up at her in the dim light coming from the bedside lamp. "Mornin'." She smirks.

Morgan turns and grabs her with an arm around her middle, laying her on her back toward the foot of the bed, giving her a look that has her soft giggles go silent. He leans down and kisses her neck, smirking at the quiet moan that tumbles from her pretty lips as his hand blindly finds its way between her thighs. She lets herself relax against him while he pushes her borrowed t-shirt up and off her figure, her panties following with his boxers not too far behind.

Haley's eyes are barely open as Morgan keeps his lips against her body, his hands roaming her skin, his hips never stopping or slowing. She grabs his jaw and pulls him down for a hot kiss, a passionate kiss with tears forming in her throat. "I love you." She whispers, holding him close with her legs crossed behind his back.

Morgan's body stutters as he leans back and catches a glimpse of her tearful face. "You okay?" He asks, worry threading his brows as he stops moving. "Hales."

"I'm sorry." She whimpers, tears making their way down her flushed face. "I'm so sorry, Morgan."

"Hey, hey, hey." He pulls out and sits her up. "Shh." He situates her in his arms, running his hand over her mess of honey blonde hair.

"I'm sorry. I shoulda never ended things with you. I's so selfish and-"

"Stop." He says sternly. "I knew you had to do what you did. Family comes first, always." She buries her face in his shoulder as she cries harder. "I let you go because I love you."

"Morgan-"

"And what that asshole did to you, isn't- is not what you deserve. You deserve the whole fuckin' world, Haley-" She pulls back from him and he kisses her tenderly; lovingly. "You're a great girl, Hales. I'd give you the whole world of you were still with me."

She nods, her lips rolling into her mouth. She smiles slightly. "You know, I missed you, a lot."

"I missed you too." He admits. "A lot." She chuckles and lays back under the sheets, sighing heavily. "I'm glad you're here." He whispers as he joins her. She nods in return, reaching over to put her hand on his chest, laying awake until the sunrise.