“You’re staying with the Blaze?” I say, staring at him, my eyes blinking rapidly.
“With the Blaze,” he confirms. “With the people who actually care about me. With the team that feels like home, along with the girl that feels like home.”
He hesitates, then adds, softer, “With you.”
I look down at the table; my throat tightens with emotion. I have been waiting for him to say those words to me and for it to feel like no one is going to take this away from us. “He’s not going to make this easy.”
“He doesn’t have to,” August says. “I’m not scared of him anymore.”
I finally turn and look at him. I really study his features and his eyes that are smiling at me. That’s when I see it. Thesteadiness. The certainty. The weight that has been sitting on him for years is all gone.
“You okay?” I ask him quietly.
August nods. “Yeah, for the first time in a long time. I am.”
I let out a breath that I didn’t realize that I was holding. “Good.”
He nudges my knee with his. “You worried about me?”
“No,” I say automatically.
“Liar,” he says with a chuckle. “You are.”
I roll my eyes at him, but the corners of my mouth lift up in a smile. “Maybe a little.”
August reaches for my hand under the table, fingers brushing mine before curling around them. Feeling him holding onto my hand like this feels warm, solid and grounding.
“You don’t have to worry,” he replies, giving my hand another squeeze. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean into him, letting my shoulder rest against him. “Good.”
He presses a kiss on the top of my head, gentle and certain. “Everything is okay. He can’t hurt us anymore.”
I stare at him for a moment. I want to believe this so badly. But he hurt me so deeply before, and I can’t imagine him going so quietly.
“Everything isokay,” August says again. “I promise you, Hendrix Monroe. I am not going anywhere.”
And for once, I don’t fight him. I don’t deflect and I don’t run.
I just let myself believe him.
The bar buzzes around me, teammates are stealing glances at us while they laugh and play pool. The world is moving on, and eventually the stares will stop and calm down. Right now, in our little corner of the world, everything is still.
Everything feels steady.
Everything feels okay.
The bar door swings open and I can hear Mac’s laughter drifting through the bar.
I don’t move, though; I stay tucked against August. Wishing that we could remain in our little bubble in the corner booth. His arm is resting around my shoulders, my legs stretched across the seat. Our conversation has been low and quiet, but it’s been nice. Like we were casting out all the demons that were threatening to tear us apart.
Everything that he said was calm.
He said it like a man who finally knew his own way. And I believe him. This time we are going to last.
I’m still leaning against him when the rest of our group finds us.
Mac squeals as she sits down right across from us. “Oh my god! Everything is okay, right? You guys are okay?”
