“And she already asked you to leave.” Cole takes a step forward. “You’ve broken into her home and now this is bordering on the line of harassment.” He stops as he reaches Jacob. “You have three options. You leave yourself, Ella calls the cops, or I remove you myself.”
Jacob’s lips part, like he’s going to say something to get himself in trouble, but he pauses and looks at me. “I’ll have my lawyer send all the papers to yours.”
He moves forward, brushing past Cole as he walks through the house, acting like he owns the place. He walks through the living room, Cole following behind him, with his shoulders pressed back and chin high, like he hasn’t just cracked openthe worst parts of me in front of someone who’s actually worth something.
I climb to my feet, following after the two of them. As Jacob reaches the threshold, Cole stops in the center of the room. His voice drops, low and sharp. “You come back here uninvited, it won’t be words next time.”
Jacob glances over his shoulder to look at him, a smirk lifting his lips. He snorts, shaking his head and pulls open the front door. Without a second glance in our direction, he walks out, letting the screen door slam hard behind him. A picture falls onto the floor, the glass shattering across the surface.
Silence settles in the air around us. For a long, awful moment, all I can hear is the pounding in my chest. My gaze drops to the floor and I stare at the lines in the wood, bracing myself for the sound of Cole’s voice.
For the judgment. The disappointment.
For that step in the wrong direction.
Instead, I hear the sound of his boots on the wood floor as he closes the distance between us. The toes of his boots stop by mine and I lift my eyes, finding him standing there, his hands gently curling around mine.
“You okay, El?” he asks, his voice low and calm, like I haven’t just had my world flipped upside down again.
I nod, but it’s shaky. “I didn’t know. I thought it was done—I thought we were done.”
“I believe you,” he says without hesitation, shaking his head.
Tears sting at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away. “You’re not... upset?”
He shrugs, eyes steady on mine. “I’m not thrilled he showed up like that, but this doesn’t change how I feel about you. He’s your past, Ella. I’m here for yourfuture.”
The air leaves my lungs in a rush. I swallow roughly over the emotion lodged in my throat. Cole reaches for me, pulling me flush against his chest without another word.
He wraps his arms around me, like he’s anchoring me back to solid ground. Back to the present moment.
Back to him.
And for the first time in a long while, I let myself lean into someone—really lean.
Because for once, I’m not standing alone.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
COLE
Ella pulls away from me, the sudden distance shocking and cold. She moves to stand behind the couch, turning her head to look at me. Unreadable emotions dance in her irises as she swallows. “I'm sorry about that,” she says, her voice barely audible as she shakes her head. “You were never supposed to meet him. He was never supposed to come here.”
“I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner,” I retort, a frown pulling my lips downward.
She stares at me for a moment. She pulls her lips in between her teeth, biting down as she nods in agreement. “Thank you for coming. I’ve never had someone break into my house like that. I’ve never had to threaten calling the cops on anyone before.”
“I'm proud of you, Ella,” I say, my voice firm, yet there's a tenderness to it as I step up to her. She shrinks backwards as I reach for her and I immediately freeze. It's a blow to my chest and I know it's the lingering feelings from the events that happened this afternoon, but that doesn't soften the blow at all. My breath catches in my throat and I immediately drop my arms to my sides. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overstep.”
It's such a mind fuck and my face contorts as I'm overwhelmed with conflicting feelings. I want to go to her. I wanther to know she's safe with me, but I don't want to cross any boundaries that she's not comfortable with. And at this moment, it doesn't seem like she even knows what she wants. She's shook from her ex and from the reality he brought down upon her. We're both stuck in a weird spot and I don't know what I'm supposed to do at this moment.
“No, I'm sorry,” she apologizes again, a frown sitting on her perfect lips. I hate seeing her like this. I want to make her laugh, to chase all her worries away. I want her to be light and happy, not bogged down by the bullshit from her past. “I think I need some time alone. I need to get my head straight and process everything that's going on.”
My head tilts to the side, pain rippling through my entire body. “Okay,” I concede, not wanting to push too hard arguing with what she said. “If you need anything, I'm only a phone call away. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I'm here for you, sweets.” I pause for a moment, collecting myself, concealing the emotion from my expression. I know I'm doing a shit job when her eyes scan my face and they glisten with tears. “I'm nothing like him, Ella.”
Her throat bobs as she swallows roughly. Her nostrils flare and two tears streak down the sides of her face. “I know you're not.” She lets out a breath, her forehead creasing. “You're everything good in the world. You're the best person I've ever met. But you can’t fix everyone’s problems. This is something I have to deal with on my own.”
Her words are like a blow to my chest. “I want to fix this for you.”
