“I do.”
He presses his mouth to mine in the most tender, sweetest kiss, and it’s everything.
“As much as I want to pull you into my arms and kiss you until we’re both struggling to breathe, I need you to know everything, Emery.”
“Give it to me. I can handle it, and I already know a little.”
“Tell me what you know,” he asks, sliding his arm around my shoulders and pulling me in close.
I rest my hand on his chest as I tell him what I know of his past, his family, and the elite. I apologize for comparing him to my dad and my cousin and explain how disgusted and sickened I was when I discovered the truth. We discussed how I would have helped him to take them down if I had known.
Then he tells me everything, not holding anything back as he purges it all. I snuggle in closer as he fills me in, hugging and touching him in encouragement as it spills from his soul. His story shakes me to my core, and a myriad of different emotions cloud my head and stab my heart.
“My whole life has been a manipulation.” Bitterness oozes from the words. “Ro and I were elite pawns tossed around by evil men who always planned to use us, and I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it, Em.” He’s shielding nothing from me now, showinghis vulnerability, and I know what I’m seeing is the real Zayn. It gives me hope we can find a way to be together. Because I want to be there for him. I want him to lean on me. I want to help shoulder some of the weight he carries.
“I have always prided myself on being smart, but I’m a goddamn fool. I let myself be used. Let Roman be used and abused.” His voice cracks, and I hug him harder, pain infiltrating my chest.
“How were you to know, Zayn? These men preyed upon you and Roman. They were adults, and you were only kids.”
“I used to hero-worship Denton Mathers,” he says through gritted teeth. “I thought he was our fucking savior when he was our destroyer all along.”
He breaks down, falling against me and sobbing into my neck. Strips tear off my heart as he cries and I do my best to console him. After a while, he pulls back, sniffling and wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I say, winding my fingers through his hair.
His eyes shutter for a few seconds as I run my hands through his gorgeous dark messy hair. “So much for pulling out all the stops to win you back,” he says, shooting me a shy grin.
“I don’t need expensive gifts or grand gestures. This right here is perfect.” I grip his face in my hands. “You’re showing me the real you, and you’re not afraid to be vulnerable with me. That’s most attractive to me, Zayn.”
“I don’t want to be a burden,” he says, pressing his brow to mine.
“You’re not, and I want you to lean on me.” I reach in and hug him. “I know you’ve never had that. You’ve always had to be the strong, responsible one. You don’t have to be that person all the time. You have people who love you now who want to help.”
“I don’t understand why.” He leans back against the bench, tipping his head up to the stars. His fingers thread in mine. “All I have done since I got to Rydeville is scheme and spy and keep most everyone at bay. They should hate me.”
“You’re blood, Zayn. They were always going to forgive you.”
“I blamed them for years, Em. I blamed Kai and Rick when they were only kids too. Denton fueled the flames of that hatred, and I was ready to help him to destroy them. I’m a horrible piece of shit, and you should run a million miles away from me.” He pulls his hand from mine and scoots to the edge of the bench, adding new distance between us.
“You are owning your actions and taking steps to make amends, and that says a lot about your character. You didn’t have all the facts before, but you do now, and you’re making the right decisions. That’s all that matters.” Moving up beside him, I reclaim his hand, relieved when his fingers weave through mine. “Nothing you did was deliberate. You were protecting Ro and then protecting me.” I worry my lip between my mouth as fear crawls up my spine.
His arm winds around my shoulders again, and he tucks me in close. “I don’t want you to worry about Hamilton. We’ll keep you safe from him.”
“Do you think he had anything to do with me coming to Rydeville?” That question has been looping through my mind since Zayn explained it.
“I’ve been investigating your aunt and uncle. They’re both elite but at the lower end. I didn’t think there was any connection, and I certainly didn’t find any evidence to suggest they were working together. But now I know Mathers was working with your dad, I think it’s most likely Hamilton was involved too and he brought you to Rydeville on purpose to entice me here.”
A shiver works its way through me. “My aunt has never really wanted me, so it makes sense.”
“Leave her to me,” he says, hugging me fiercely. “I’ll find out how she’s involved, and then we’ll make her pay.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Emery
Tickles dance across my cheeks, stirring me from sleep. Slowly, I blink my eyes open, smiling when I’m greeted by the most beautiful sight.
“Morning, beautiful,” Zayn says, brushing his lips against mine.
