She opened her mouth to tell Jewel she’d just eaten, but Jace got in first. “I’d love one.”
Suck up. “Not for me, thanks, Jewel.”
Her aunt frowned. “Don’t be silly. You just went through a trauma—you need to eat.”
Once Jace was seated, Jewel grabbed Elle’s shoulder and guided her into the chair beside him. Jace smirked. Okay, here was the Jace she remembered. Heknewshe hated these sandwiches. In fact, he’d often brought two sandwiches to school so she didn’t have to eat the one her aunt had packed for her.
Of course, she’d told her aunt a million times growing up that she didn’t like them. She’d also insisted on makingher own lunch. Neither of those strategies had worked with Jewel. But it wasn’t out of spite. Her aunt genuinely thought she was doing Elle a favor by making her lunch.
Jace leaned over. “Maybe this is why I’m the favorite.”
She thumped his shoulder as Jewel set plates and coffees in front of them.
“Now,” she said, sitting opposite. “Tell me everything, including whether or not you’re safe and what I can do to help.”
Jace’s muscles visibly tensed.
She reached under the table and put a hand on his thigh as she told her aunt everything that had happened, including her run-ins with Boyd before yesterday. Jace was quiet the entire time, and even when Jewel directed questions his way, Elle would often answer them.
To be fair, Jewel had a lot of questions.
By the end of the conversation, her aunt was leaning back in her seat, hand to her chest. “God. I’m so sorry. You should have told me about this Boyd fellow earlier. I’m so glad you were there, Jace.”
“Me too,” he said, voice quiet but hard.
Elle squeezed his thigh before rising from the table. “I’m just going to the bathroom.”
She rose and moved from the table. When she was done, she stepped back into the hall, only to pause at the photos on the wall. They were the same photos that had been on the wall since she was a kid. Some of her and Jewel. Some of the dog they’d had while she was growing up.
Her gaze shifted to the last photo in the line. It was of her and Jace. When Jewel had first put it up, Elle had argued for weeks that it needed to come down. That there was no way she wanted Jace to see it.
She hadn’t taken it down. And at some point, Elle had found a comfort in it being there.
They were young, maybe sixteen. They’d just been to the river, and both of them had wet hair, damp clothes, and the biggest smiles on their faces.
God, she’d loved him so much. Even then.
She was still staring at it when two strong arms wrapped around her waist. She smiled and leaned back into Jace’s familiar body.
He kissed her cheek. “You looking at us?”
“Always.”
“I love that photo. I still remember that day.”
“Me too. Although, the old me used to look at it and mainly see my body, and what I didn’t like about it.”
Jace’s muscles tensed around her. “And now?”
“I just see how happy I was to be by your side.” It was exactly where she’d wanted to be. Where she’d always wanted to be. She turned in his arms. “We should go visit Molly.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready to leave Jewel’s cucumber sandwiches and all her doting yet.”
Elle laughed. “Your ego is big enough. It doesn’t need any more doting. And you can take some sandwiches in a doggy bag. Come on.”
They said a quick goodbye to Jewel—whodidgive them some cucumber sandwiches in a container—before climbing back into the car. Jace seemed more at ease as they made their way to Molly’s house. Elle had texted her that morning. Thank God she just had a mild concussion and nothing more serious.
They were halfway there when a traffic commotion up ahead had Elle straightening in her seat. She gasped at the sight of a crashed Toyota. The entire front of the vehicle was compressed against a large tree.
