I set my drink aside. “Hey.”
No answer.
I tilt my head, catching her eyes. “Talk to me.”
She exhales, slow and shaky. “There’s a lot I should’ve said. I just didn’t know how.” Her voice drops. “About Marcus. About Johnny. About my past.”
She sucks in another breath, this one sharper, cutting.
“I spent so long surviving, I forgot what living looked like,until it was too late.”
“You survived,” I say firmly. “That takes more strength than most people will ever understand.”
Her eyes flick to mine, glassy now. “I don’t feel strong. I feel pathetic. I let Marcus control me. I let Johnny get in my head. Hell, I had to change my identity twice because I couldn’t escape my past. And I still can’t.”
Her voice catches. I shift closer and pull her into my lap. Her head tucks beneath my chin like it belongs there. My hand strokes her hair, slow and steady.
She breathes deep, shuddering, then starts to speak. She tells me everything. Arizona. Joe. The abuse. Her mom. The murder. Johnny. Axel. Nik. The betrayal. The fallout. Years of running and never quite outrunning it.
But also, surviving. Trying to heal. Trying to forget… but she didn’t forget. She couldn’t.
Her fists clutch my shirt. “I hate how much they still live in my head,” she whispers. “Even now. I wake up some nights thinking Joe is in the room. That Marcus is coming through the door. That I’ll open my eyes and it’ll all start over.”
I close my eyes. Fury hums low in my chest, but I force it down. She doesn’t need my rage. She needs this.
“They’re not here,” I murmur, tightening my hold. “You’re here. With me. And if they ever try again—” I pause, letting her hear the truth. “—they won’t live to regret it.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, her breath warm against my chest.
“You make me feel safe,” she whispers. “Safer than I’ve felt in a long time. I wanted you to know that.”
The words hit like a fucking gut punch. God, I want to deserve that. I want to deserve her. I want to earn it every damn day.
I kiss her hair. “You never have to thank me for protecting what’s mine.”
She lets out a soft, watery laugh. “Yours, huh?”
I tilt her chin up, meeting her gaze. “Yeah. Mine.”
I kiss her slow and deep. For the first time all night, there’s no hunger or urgency. Just a promise. When we pull apart, her eyes shine a little brighter. She settles against my chest again, fingers tracing lazy patterns on my arm.
After a moment, her voice comes out softly.
“I like you, Sean. I like you a lot. But… you should know what you’re getting into.” She hesitates. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be in a relationship with them again, but they still hold pieces of my heart.”
She doesn’t flinch when she says it. Just hands me the truth, sharp-edged and real.
I hold her tighter. “You don’t owe me anything, Baby. Just give me whatever piece of you you can. That’s more than enough for me.”
“You’re sure? Because if not, I need this to end now. I can’t fall in love with you, only to have you break my heart.”
Something in my chest flutters at her words. At her admission of being able to fall in love with me.
“Absolutely. Living without you isn’t an option.”
A small smile ghosts her lips. She nods once, before curling deeper into me.
We stay like that for a long time. Her fingers tangled with mine. Her breath soft against my chest.
