“My uncle… I’m going to handle him.”
“I’ve handled him,” Rafe says simply.
I pause, standing in front of him, towel half lifted toward his temple. “What?”
“I threatened him earlier tonight on the phone. Made sure he knows I have proof, too. Because reputationdoesmatter to him, and if he so much as breathes at us again, I’m going toburn his to the fucking ground.” Rafe’s eyes are locked with mine. “He’s never going to come after you again. I promise you, Paige. I promise.”
The fervor in his voice makes my eyes glassy. “You did?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, and dab at the wound by his lip. No one has taken care of me in so long. No one but him, no oneuntilhim. Maybe I should have been the one to handle my uncle. But I’m so, so grateful that I don’t have to.
And yet… Rafe was so cold earlier. So laser-focused.
“I should have logged out of that email account,” I say, just one more time. “Thank you for helping me.”
His lips tug in the tiniest, most humorless smile I’ve ever seen. It disappears a second later as he winces at the gash in his lower lip. “Don’t thank me. Don’t apologize to me. You did nothing wrong, and you owe me nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your uncle wouldn’t have done this if it wasn’t for me. You wouldn’t have married me if I hadn’t made myself your only way out.” He sounds like a man condemned, the words spoken to my throat, not my face. “The lawsuit against you wouldn’t have happened. I’m the one who painted the target on your back.”
“Rafe…”
“Your panic attacks have gotten worse since I entered your life.”
“You’re not the reason. I told you that.”
He talks as if he doesn’t hear me, lost to the fire of his own conviction. “And what’s worse, what’s driving meinsane, is that there’s no way for me to undo any of it. I can solve it, I can keep you safe, but I can’tundoit. I don’t deserve you, and that guilt is another weight to carry.” He shakes his head slowly, his green eyes narrowing. “I haven’t earned you.”
“You don’t have to earnme.” I put a hand on his shoulder. He looks down, like it’s a surprise to him. His skin is warmand a little dry. “I was so worried that you resented me today, for my mistake, and for embarrassing you so publicly.”
“Resented,” he repeats, like the word is strange. “Resented?”
“I know I’m not what you wanted. I’ve pushed you, and annoyed you, and yeah, I did a lot of it on purpose…” It’s hard to keep going. Fear licks inside me like flames. For so long, I’ve run from my emotions. “I’m a lot. You like your life calm and ordered.”
“Resented,” he says again, and he takes my hand in both of his. He runs his finger over my engagement ring. “Yes, you have pushed me. You’ve annoyed me. You’ve turned my life upside down and inside out, and you’ve made me want to scream. And I never want you to stop. I never want you to leave.”
My throat closes. “Really?”
“Yes. Really.” His hands wrap around my waist, his thumbs against my ribs. “Ben was your family and he failed you. I want to be your family, Paige. I want so badly not to fail you.”
I stroke my hand over his anguished face. “What are you talking about? You’ve never failed me.”
He shakes his head slowly. I find the towel and start wiping at his forearm, removing the blood. This has to stop. He can’t do this to himself anymore.
“What are you punishing yourself for?” I ask him.
He leans forward, head to my abdomen, and breathes in deep gulps.
“Tell me,” I murmur. My hand finds the thick of his hair, and I gently thread through it, careful not to press too hard. He told me once he always tries to protect his head.So there won’t be any visible bruises.But just in case he didn’t, I don’t want to hurt him further. “Rafe… talk to me.”
“If I tell you,” he says, voice against the silk of my nightgown, “you’ll never look at me the same way again.”
“I doubt that.”
“I don’t.” There’s a bleakness in his voice.
