He hesitated. “No. I thought I was okay. Iwantedto be okay.”
“But you weren’t,” I said, sharper than I intended. “And instead of saying something, you let it fester until it blew up in front of everyone.”
Elliott’s jaw flexed. “And what about you? Did you ever stop to thinkmaybeI was trying to keep up withyou?”
“That’s not fair,” I said. “You told me you were okay. Youlookedme in the eye and said it.”
“Because I didn’t want to lose you!” he snapped, his voice cracking. “I didn’t want to be the one who couldn’t handle it. I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t enough.”
My heart immediately began to ache.
“Youareenough,” I whispered. “But you pretending to be okay when you weren’t—that’s what hurts. I would’ve protected you. I would’ve listened.”
He sat onto the couch, the one where it all started, rubbing his hands through his hair before letting them fall. His shoulders sagged and he looked…defeated.
“I didn’t know how to say it,” he murmured. “You’re younger. You’re vibrant. And all I kept thinking was—what if you realize I can’t keep up? What if I become the one you compromise for?”
The ache in his voice gutted me.
I sat down next to him, my hand wrapping around his. “You have always been enough.Morethan enough.”
He finally looked at me and I saw it all there in his eyes. The fear. The love. The desperate need not to fall behind while the world kept spinning faster.
“I’m scared,” he admitted. “Not of losing you to someone else, but of losingus—our life we built—because I was too proud to admit I was afraid.”
My grip tightened on his hand. “We’re stronger than your pride, Elliott. But only if you let me in.”
He looked at our joined hands, then back at me, his expression softening.
“I don’t want to keep you small just so I feel safe,” he said quietly. “That’s never been who I wanted to be. I want you to be free, Jacqueline, to be happy. I just…I didn’t know how much of that freedom would scare me.”
I slid closer, holding onto his arm. “I didn’t want to lose us either, Elliott. I didn’t want anyone else. I just thought this would bring us something new. A different kind of intimacy. But if something is hurting you, I need to know. I need you to trust me enough totellme.”
His shoulders finally dropped, tension easing from his jaw. “I do trust you. More than anyone.”
“Then be honest with me. Always. No more burying things until they explode.”
He nodded, his gaze softening as he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to my lips.
When he pulled back, his eyes didn’t waver. “I love you,” he murmured.
“I know,” I whispered. “I love you too.”
We sat for a moment before I gave him a faint smile. “Also, for the record, you’ve never once had trouble keeping up. Fuckingfarfrom it.”
His laugh was low and quiet as his hand found my hair, brushing through it while he shook his head. “God, I love that mouth.”
“I know,” I teased, gently squeezing his fingers. “And it’s not going anywhere.”
14
Hana
Islammed the bedroom door shut behind me.
“Seriously?” I snapped at Jack. “What the fuck was that?”
His arms were crossed over his chest, his jaw flexing. “What the fuck am I supposed to do?”
