The whole story spilled out in broken sentences. The setup with Edward. The pointed questions. The accusations. The names she'd called me. The things she'd said about Luca and Jaxon.
The slap.
The disowning.
By the time I finished, Luca's jaw was clenched so tight I thought it might crack.
"I need you to do something for me," he said, his voice deadly calm.
"What?"
"I need you to stay in this car for five minutes. Can you do that?"
"Why?"
"Because if you don't, I'm going to walk into that house and say things to your mother that I won't be able to take back."
"Luca, don't..."
"She called you a whore, Reina." His hands were shaking now, barely restrained violence in every line of his body. "She told you that you're dangerous. That you destroy everything you touch. That we're going to tear each other apart over you."
"She's wrong," I whispered.
"I know she's wrong. But I need five minutes to calm down before I trust myself to drive."
He pulled me out of the car, into his arms. Held me so tight I could barely breathe.
I buried my face in his chest, inhaling cedar and ice. His scent wrapped around me, steadying something that had been spiraling out of control.
"I've got you," he murmured into my hair. "I've got you and I'm not letting go."
We stood there in my mother's driveway for what felt like forever. His hand stroking my hair. My tears soaking into his shirt. Both of us shaking for different reasons.
Finally, he pulled back enough to look at my face.
"Your heat's close."
"I know."
"We need to get you back to the cabin. Jaxon's going to meet us there after his game."
"Okay."
"Can you walk?"
I nodded, even though I wasn't sure.
He helped me into the passenger seat of his car, buckled me in like I was fragile. Walked around to the driver's side.
Before he got in, he looked back at my mother's house one more time.
His expression was cold. Furious.
"You're never going back there," he said as he started the car. "You hear me? Never."
"Okay," I whispered.
He reached over, took my hand. "And Reina? Everything she said about you? About us? It's bullshit. All of it."
