Only when he’s rinsed clean, when I’m trembling from the inside out, does he finally move.
He reaches for me, pulls me against him, and my world falls right back into place.
“Christ, I was so scared,” he whispers, voice rough from holding it in too long.“Never letting you out of my sight again.”
“Good,” I manage between shaky breaths, pressing my face into his chest.“I don’t wanna be outta your sight.”
He holds me there, his heartbeat pounding against my ear like it’s trying to sync with mine.
“Tell me,” he says after a long silence.“Tell me everything that happened while I was gone.”
So I do.
I tell him about Artist’s Alley and how I got accepted, about how I’ve been sketching and sewing, about how I wanted to surprise him with the news.
I tell him about my mom calling, about how she still knows exactly how to make me feel small.
About Angie and Diego and Alex—how good they’ve been to me.
He grumbles at Alex’s name, and I laugh for the first time in what feels like days.The sound cracks something open between us.
Then I tell him the truth.The whole truth.
How I knew I loved him days ago.
How, when Roach broke in, all I could think about was him.
How I wasn’t scared for myself—just for the people I love.For him.
How sorry I am to have brought all this badness down on him.How I know I’m lucky he’s letting me stay—but he growls at that.
Sawyer pulls back just enough to look at me, his gaze fierce and raw.
“Don’t you ever say that,” he growls.“This is your home.I’m your home, Lil Bit and you belong right here with me.You are everything to me.But I’ll do better.I won’t let anything touch you again.”
My hands slide up his chest, resting over his heart.
“You don’t have to do better, Sawyer.You already said you love me.That’s all I need.”
He studies me, eyes burning.“Is it?”
I swallow, the air thick between us.“Not really.”
His breath hitches, his hand coming up to cradle my jaw.“What else do you need, Lil Bit?”
I meet his gaze, my voice barely a whisper.
“I need you to show me.”
The space between us disappears.
The water falls around us like rain.
And when he finally bends his head, everything else—fear, pain, the entire world—melts away.
Chapter 39-Sawyer
I’ve never known fear like I’ve known it tonight—and that’s saying something.
