Tears brim my eyes as I nod my head before swinging open the door and running outside to my truck.
Once inside, I finally breathe out. Tears falling down my face like a damn waterfall.
I back out of the parking lot and make my way down the road. This is just fantastic. Now I’ve got an hour drive to replay what the fuck just happened.
Dammit, dammit, dammit.
I slam my hands down on my steering wheel. Hitting it repeatedly like I wish I could hit Derrick.
I wish I could do more than just hit him.
The anger coursing through me is enough to send me away for life.
Being taken away from Elijah? My worst fucking nightmare.
***
When I get home, the house is still quiet. Still shaking, I walk up the stairs slowly, before I enter the bedroom.
There he is.
His naked back ripples beneath the sheets as his arms tuck beneath the white pillow. His dark hair cascades down around his angelic face. He looks so peaceful. Why wouldn’t he be? That’s all I’d ever want him to be. Just like this.
I’ll carry the stress for the both of us. Always.
I quietly make my way over, opening the blinds just enough for the rising sun to peak through.
Taking off my sweatshirt and my shorts, I slide under the covers, making sure not to wake him.
I hold my breath as he stirs. But, all he does is set his head on my chest, snuggling in under my arms to get closer.
The gentleness almost makes me cry.
Here he is, cuddling close as though I’m his protector. And he’d be right. I’d do anything to protect him.
I run my fingers gently through his hair, feeling the soft strands slip through. Tucking his hair behind his ear, I let my fingers drift over his temple, down his jaw, and across his cheeks.
Ever so softly, I take this moment to trace his face. Memorizing every curve. Every line of this precious human. He’s all that I have. He’s all that I live for.
Tears drop from my eyes as I think about what Derrick said. How easy it is for him to threaten my whole world.
My home.
The only evidence I’ve ever had that real love is real and exists.
Derrick’s threats can’t hurt me here. His toxic words are meaningless when I’m here with him.I’m safe here.
It dawns on me in this very moment that I don’t think I’ve ever felt what home was before him and Jude. They were everything and they always will be.
For as long as I’m living.
Derrick thinks he owns me. He has no idea. My life belongs to Elijah—and I’d watch the world burn before I ever let him touch him.
11
Elijah
I wake slowly as the morning sun slips through the cracks in the curtains, seeping gently past my eyelids.
