The sound is loud enough to hear for everyone to turn their attention to us. The waiting area of the hospital becomes silent and all I can hear is the erratic beat of my heart.
The imprint of my hand is splashed across his face in crimson. I can see a welt already starting to form on his cheek.
How fucking dare he ever accuse me of using when I’ve seen what the addiction has done to my mother and how much I’ll never touch a drug because of it and my love for Connor.
The red haze starts to clear as I see Steven lift his arm, then defense kicks in mixed with alarm.
Before I have a chance to defend Oak swiftly pushes me behind him.
Peeking from behind Oak I see him sneering down at him. “If you fucking touch her you’ll be dead before you can blink.”
Steven bristles. “You’re threatening me?”
“Take it however you want, fucker. You touch her or even think about it, you’re dead.” And maybe I shouldn’t feel flattered, maybe my heart shouldn’t swell, but it does. It’s one of the many things I love about Oak. His fierce protectiveness will always get to me.
Taking Oak’s hand in my own I intertwine our fingers and come to stand by his side.
Steven’s eyes glance down at our hand with disgust and he vibrates with a silent rage. He inhales thinly, his jaw incredibly tense. “You’re making a grave mistake,” he warns me in a steely voice.
“No. I’m finally fighting back and you don’t like having your power being threatened,” I say to him with a voice that’s calmer than I how I really feel.
“You’re going to lose and you will only have yourself to blame. I tried helping you, lied on the files for you, but now, now I’m going to make sure Connor will never be under your care.”
“And I’m going to make sure you lose your fucking license. You’re done, Steven. And when I’m finished with you you’re going to wish you never set eyes on me.”
Fuming, he turns on his heel and leaves. With each step he takes further away from us I’m finding it easier to breathe. The tension in my muscles lessen but not completely. I feel the pressure of a headache coming and mentally I’m so fucking exhausted.
“We’re going to win, baby,” Oak assures me in a soft voice. He turns so that we are facing each other. Ice blue eyes look down at me with so much love and affection. I can drown in those eyes and die happily.
Bringing my hand up he untangles our fingers and presses a firm kiss to the inside of my hand. The feel of his lips against my skin sets off an electric current that zaps all throughout my body.
The air between us hums with electricity. I can feel the energy pulling us closer. Truth is we will never be close enough.
He presses another tender kiss to the inside of my hand before laying my palm against his chest, right above his heart. “This heart of mine, it’s battered and bruised, it’s flawed, but it’s yours. It will always be yours.” His declaration has tears springing in my eyes. They pool at the brim and his thumb collects a drop before it even has the chance to fall. “I love you, Grace. And there isn’t anything in this world that I wouldn’t do for you.”
Love.
The three words I’ve been holding back because I have been waiting for him to be ready.
Ethan “Oak” Barrington loves me.
I can’t help the tears that then fall. My heart feels as if it’s burst out of the cavity of my ribs and land in his hands.
Smiling through my tears I finally tell him what I’ve been wanting to for weeks. “Oak, I love you.”
Gracie Mae
“You’re staring,” he says to me with a small amused smile on his face.
“Yeah I am,” I agree, not embarrassed at being caught. Oak’s beauty is something to be admired. But it’s his tenacious heart that I find the most captivating.
He glances at me before giving the back of my hand a tender kiss. My heart swells in my chest. The flutters returning in my stomach.
“No one looks at me like you do.” His voice is soft, thoughtful.
“And how do I look at you?”
He swallows. When his eyes catch mine again I see the vulnerability in them. “You see me, Grace. The real me. The man with flaws and scars,” he swallows roughly, his fingers tightening in my hand, “You see the man I had given up hope on so long ago. You always saw me, Grace, from the moment you met me. And I was so fucking scared, terrified to be seen that clearly when I’ve been fighting myself all these years. And I’m sorry that it took me this long to see the man I’ve always been meant to be.”
