“I’m okay, I just... I need a minute,” she chokes, rushing into her bedroom.
The door closes with a click and Nico zeroes in on me, the quiet intensity of his gaze like an invisible pole probing my brain.
“Did she tell you what Gideon made her do?”
I bob my head, chugging the last of my beer.
“How bad was it?”
Everything Blair told me about herworkresurfaces. She didn’t go into detail, but it was enough to draw a bone-chilling picture.
“No one was there to help her when she faced her own version of Asher and Jake,” I say, knowing damn well Nico will understandrapewithout me having to spell it out.
His hands ball into tight fists as he regains his composure, squashing the memories of his girl’s sexual abuse.
“You should go see how she’s doing,” he finally says, pushing away from his casual lean against the cabinets. “Call me when she decides how to proceed with the money. And tell her Gideon’s set on moving to Europe by the end of the month.” He squeezes my shoulder, a silent gesture of reassurance. A nonverbal confirmation that he’s available if we need any help. “I’ll let myself out.”
With a tight nod, I turn the opposite way, finding Blair in bed, curled under the comforter, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes are shut tight, a clear indication words aren’t what she needs right now.
The first night she spent crying in my arms comes back to the forefront of my mind. I loved how she curled into me and held onto my t-shirt while silently falling apart.
Despite our mutual hatred, she trusted me even then. She embraced her emotions and let her tears dry at their own pace.
I sneak under the comforter, pulling her into me, ready to put her back together when she’s done crying.
Her tears dry much faster tonight than they did all those weeks ago. She clings to me, no longer afraid I’ll push her away, and feeds off whatever calmness she finds in my arms.
“Can you promise me something?” she murmurs a while later, her fingers drawing little hearts across my chest. “Don’t go looking for my father, okay? He’s not worth it.”
I clench my jaw, the cogs in my mind whirring. Since we came back yesterday, I imagined breaking the fucker’s nose a thousand times. Holding back all day wasn’t easy, but he was supposed to show up at some point.
But he’s not coming and B’s making me promise I won’t go looking...
And that goes against my reflexes. He hurt her. Intentionally used her as bait. His owndaughter. A few broken bones are the least he deserves.
“I don’t want him anywhere near you, B. I’ll just talk to him. Let him know he should stay the fuck away if he values his life.”
She smiles. Fuckingsmilesinto the crook of my neck. “He will stay away. Now he knows Nico doesn’t mind us being together, he won’t risk a scandal. He knows he can’t intimidate me anymore. That if he tries poking, I have enough stories to bury his reputation.” She sighs heavily, rising on her elbow to look me in the eyes. “Why do you think he’s moving to Europe? It was always his retirement plan, but now that he’s facing a backlash, he’s removing himself from the picture.”
“Coward,” I mutter, wrapping one arm around her back.
“He always was,” she admits, then stamps her lips on my forehead. “When I wake up in the morning, I want it to be the first day of the rest of my life, Cody. A life I fully intend on spending withyou. I want to draw a line and start over but I won’t if you can’t start with me.”
A part of me screamshell to the no. Gideon should hear a few hard truths. He should fucking hurt, but... at the end of the day, what will screaming and throwing fists accomplish? Nothing much. He’s too rotten for any of the things I’m dying to tell him to make an impact, and bruises heal.
What won’t change is the weight on Blair’s shoulders. Not until we start moving forward instead of looking back and standing still. She deserves smiles. She deserves to feel safe and loved and thatwillmake a difference.
I take her face in my hands, pulling her in for a soft kiss. “Okay. I won’t go looking for him.”
The smile she gives me has my heart squeezing like a sponge. It’s the most genuine smile I’ve seen on her to date; I want to give her reasons to smile like this every day.
“I love you,” she whispers, maneuvering us back into a tangle under the sheets.
“I love you more.”
EPILOGUE
Cody
