I smirked as I shook my head. “Promises, promises.”
“Just come over here and test me, angel.” Damien smirked, even though his eyes remained closed.
I reached out and grabbed my phone, sure it was Ollie calling to check in. I’d sent her a message before we got to Damien’s apartment last night, just to let her know I'd made it here safely and would stay with him. She’d also left the apartment; until the coast was clear, she was staying with Cam and Hadley. Hopefully, we’d both be able to go home soon, but as I glanced over at Damien, who’d fallen back to sleep, I couldn’t help but think about staying. It was too soon, but I hated the idea of leaving him. I was greedy for his time, especially with him hopefully returning to the Hawks next season.
When I looked down at my phone screen, my smile twisted into a grimace. Three missed calls from my mother. Anxiety flared in mychest, but I forced myself to call her back.
She answered with a relieved sigh. “Brianna, thank goodness. I’ve been worried sick about you.”
“I’m okay, Mom. I promise.”
“Todd’s mother called—she said he got arrested last night for harassing you,” she said. “What did he do? What happened?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m not ready to talk about it. Last night was a lot, and I need some time.”
“Of course, Brianna,” she cooed. “I’ll reach out to Todd, make sure there’s no bad feelings with his family. We can figure out how to move forward—after he apologizes, of course.”
“Move forward?” I asked, my finger biting into the phone. “Why would I want to do that?”
“Brianna, please.” My mother sighed. “Todd made a mistake, one I’m sure he deeply regrets. We’ve had a long history with his family, he’s involved with the church?—”
“Heattackedme,” I snapped. “Showed up at my home and put his hands on me. Tried to hurt me. There are still bruises on my arm.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sure that was an accident. His mother said he’d been drinking. His fiancée had just called off the wedding?—”
“Mom, stop. Stop making excuses for him.” I laughed. “Todd is not a child who broke something by accident. Hehurtme. Put his hands on me. Maybe you can forgive that, but I’m never going to. I want nothing to do with him ever again. If you insist on having him around, then I’m going to have to take some space from you too.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’msaying we need boundaries, Mom. You’re made your opinions about Todd very well known, but it stops today.” As my anger continued to rise, a hand rubbed along my spine. I turned and gave Damien a grateful smile over my shoulder, finding my strength now that he was here with me. “I need some space from you.”
“Space?” she snapped. “Is this because of that boy?—”
“Don’t you dare talk about him. Damien is the love of my life and has been more supportive than you have ever been. If you say another bad word about him, I will cut you completely out of my life.”
“Brianna,” she gasped. “How could you say that?”
“Because he matters to me. You don’t get to say anything about him ever again. If you want to be a part of my life, you need to accept him, because he’s not going anywhere. Actually, if you don’t likeanyof my choices, you’re going to keep it to yourself unless I ask for your advice. But for now, I need space from you. I’ll reach out if I want to speak to you, but until then, please respect my wishes.”
I hung up the call without another word, not wanting to hear another word out of my mother’s mouth. I expected her to keep calling until I answered, but it never came.
With an uneasy smile, I crawled back into bed and snuggled against Damien’s side. His arm held me close as he kissed my temple. “Proud of you, angel.”
“It needed to be done. I’ve wasted enough time letting her be the voice in my head. If she can’t be happy for me, she has no place in my life.”
Before I said another word, Damien shifted me onto my back and nestled between my thighs. He smiled down at me, his eyes filled with adoration andlust. “You’re amazing, Bri.”
“You only say that because you love me,” I teased, running my nails along his back.
“Nah.” He brushed his lips along my chest. “Never been a gambling man, Bri, but if I had to bet on you, I’d double down every time.”
“I want to bet on us,” I said, pulling back to meet his eyes, “and the family we’ve created. I’m not letting anyone else try to take that away from us.”
“Good,” Damien said as he claimed my lips. “Because I’m planning on loving you for the rest of my life.”
EPILOGUE
NINE MONTHS LATER
