“How about taking more classes with Danica? You're beautiful up in the air. Free. It could inspire you."
A laugh bubbles up in my chest. "When did you get so wise?"
He’s quiet for a moment, gently rubbing small circles along my back. "I love you too, by the way. But you have to promise never to run away again."
My brain short-circuits. "I . . . What?"
Zach smiles when I look up and our eyes meet. "You mumbled it before you fell asleep a few days ago."
"Oh, fuck me." I bury my face against his shoulder, my cheeks burning. Fucking traitorous mouth.
But after a moment, I peek just enough to catch a glimpse of his face. “You love me?"
"Wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."
"I love you too." The declaration comes easily, as if I’ve been waiting for me to say it my whole life. "And I promise, no more running."
He traces his thumb over my bottom lip, his steel-gray eyes intense. "So . . . guess we need to tell our parents."
Fuck.
My stomach does a nosedive as I imagine that conversation.
“Hey, Mom, remember how I ran away because I almost killed my stepbrother? Surprise! We're dating now! Please pass the potatoes.”
Yeah, that'll go over real fucking well.
But looking at Zach—at how his eyes soften when they meet mine, at how his touch grounds me when everything else feels like I’m smack in the middle of a hurricane—I know it's worth it.
Besides, we're not facing it alone. We’ve got friends. Actual friends who show up with food after a crisis.
And yeah, we're both kind of fucked up. Hell, we've got more baggage than a Louis Vuitton factory. But somehow, together, we work.
We fit.
And that's worth fighting for.
Chapter 28
Zach
Merci's fidgeting in the passenger seat. He keeps tugging at his sweater, knee bouncing in rapid rhythm, and glances at me every few seconds like I don't notice.
I focus on the road, hands steady on the wheel as the Koenigsegg purrs beneath us, the smooth rumble a familiar comfort. Except my jaw is clenched to the point the joints are already aching as I calculate the possible chaos that might erupt at family dinner.
It’s been over a week since I carried Merci out of that fucking arena, vowing to burn the world down if anyone ever hurt him again. Our parents found out about the incident, and my father stepped in before I could handle it myself.
He had those fuckers expelled from Crestwood. One of them is even doing time.
Lucky for their parents.
Their families didn't press charges against anyone. At least not that we know of. I’m sure if they tried, our parents would’ve dealt with them.
A perk of being powerful multi-millionaires.
Despite the whole shitshow, Merci and I have kept our relationship hidden from our family. I wanted Merci to heal first, not add more trauma to the shit he's already been through. My father's always been a cold bastard, more concerned with appearances than anything real.
And my stepmother?
