But Gracie shocks the shit out of me by scrambling from the bed, her movements a momentary distraction that Cole uses to his gain, freeing his hands from my hold.
Just as he goes to shove me backwards, Gracie steps between us.
The force from Cole that was meant to hit me is taken by her instead, and she stumbles into to me. My arms wrap around her, my heart pounding for the first time tonight as I heave her into my arms and turn away from Cole. Placing her into the armchair I was previously occupying, I crouch down in front of her.
I ignore Cole and what he’s saying, leaving Lana to deal with him while I check to make sure Gracie is okay.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I ask, panic filling my voice at the thought of Gracie getting injured because of me but she shakes her head, tears still streaming down her face.
She looks over my shoulder and glares at Cole before reaching out and tentatively swipes her thumb across my cheek. The action stings, since that’s one of the places that Cole got a good hit in, but I don’t flinch away from her touch.
No, I welcome it.
I willalwayswelcome her touch.
And anything else she has to give me.
“You hurt him,” she says and at first, I think she’s talking to me, but then she stands and storms over to Cole.
Fisting her hips, she glares up at him, and it’s honestly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
She’s going head-to-head with her brother, forme.
It’s completely unnecessary, since this would have happened whether he found out like he did, of if I had sat him down and calmly told him.
But the fact that she’s doing it at all tells me exactly what I needed to know.
Fists were always going to be in the equation, and I don’t blame him.
She’s his little sister and he just wants to protect her.
But he doesn’t need to protect her from me.
I’d give my life for her.
“Are you seriously taking the side of that asshole?” Cole grinds out, and I see Lana squeeze him with the hold she has on his arm. He turns to glare at his girlfriend before focusing back on Gracie. “He’s meant to be my best friend, yet he’s fucking around with my little sister behind my back. What else has he done, huh? He fuckingbetrayedme anddefiledmy innocent bab?—”
“He didn’tdefileanything,” Gracie says, her entire body tense as she comes to my defense.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now, G? This asshole has?—”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Lana steps in, cutting him off with sharp words. “She’s not your innocent baby sister, Cole. She’s a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions.”
I see Gracie shoot Lana an appreciative smile and the former grins at my girl.
“You know Noah better than anyone else” —debatable—“and you know that there’s not a single soul out there that will treat Gracie better than he will. Just because you don’t like the idea of Gracie growing up doesn’t mean you get to dictate her life, pretty boy. How would you feel if she tried to get in the way of you and me being together, huh? Only, Gracie would never do that, because she knows it’s not her place. Just like you know this isn’tyourplace,” Lana adds.
“She’s right, man. You know that I would never hurt your sister. You know me, and you know that I’ve always protected her. I might have gone about things the wrong way,” I admit, shooting him an apologetic look before continuing, “but you need to understand that you can’t control herorher actions. And you sure as fuck can’t control me. Whether you like it or not, this is happening,” I say, though I hold my breath as soon as the words leave my lips, waiting for Gracie to contradict me.
Only, she doesn’t.
She stays exactly where she is, her glare still fixed on her brother in silent agreement with me and the last of the anxiety I had about us leaves me.
She’s not asking Cole for help or trying to get away from me.
She’s standing by me, just like I’ve always stood by her.
Cole raises an eyebrow, quickly glancing towards me before focusing back on Lana. “He sent me a fucking picture of my sister tied to a bed from an unknown number.”
