Chapter 162
He made a broken sound, half protest, half relief.
“If you want to stay with your sister at the hospital, you stay. If you
want to be with your mom, you go. But you are not walking into that
house with him by yourself. I’ll get us a hotel, I’ll stay out of the way
if you need me to, but I’m there. Every night. You’re not alone in this,
not anymore.”
For a long moment, he just stared at me, chest heaving, tears sliding
freely now. Then he folded forward into me, clutching my shirt like he
needed it to breathe.
“I’ve got you,” I murmured, holding him tight, rocking him through it.
“You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”
When he finally sagged against me, spent and trembling, I eased him
back into the cushions.
“Breathe,” I told him again. My hand smoothed his hair back from his forehead. “Lie down. Close your eyes. Let me take care of everything.”
And while he obeyed, curling into the couch with ragged breaths, I pulled out my laptop. I booked two seats on the first flight to West
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Virginia I could find. Then I emailed his professors, excused him from
classes, and fired off a note to the assistant coaches about practice.
My phone buzzed nonstop, but I ignored it.
Nothing mattered right now but him–and making damn sure his
father never got close enough to break him again.
200
By the time we were in the air, some of the frantic edge had worn off
him. He sat by the window, head tipped back, eyes red–rimmed but
dry. His hands were clenched in his lap, restless, like if he let them go
slack he’d shatter.
He spoke quietly, almost like he were confessing. “I talked to my mom
this morning. Emily’s stable. They stopped the bleeding. Broken
bones, yeah, but she’s alive. She told my dad I’m coming.” His jaw
locked, eyes burning. “I don’t know how I’m gonna look at him
without–without launching at him.”
I leaned closer, my voice steady. “You’ll do it for her. For Emily. That’s
the only fight that matters right now.”
He nodded, sharp, swallowing hard. I could see the fury rippling
under his skin, the guilt that wouldn’t let go. But he held it together
until the wheels touched down.
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Chapter 162
At the terminal, I had every intention of putting him straight into a cab for the hospital. He needed to see his sister. But Noah surprised
- me.
“No,” he said, dragging his suitcase up beside me. His voice was hoarse but firm. “I wanna go to the hotel first. Just–drop my stuff,
shower, breathe.”
So I let him.
The hotel was quiet, impersonal–exactly what we needed. After he’d
set his bag down and refreshed from the trip, I pulled out my phone
to call him a taxi. But before I could finish, he was there, pressing
close, his mouth finding mine. The kiss was rough, grateful,
desperate.
“Thank you,” he whispered when he pulled back, his forehead against
mine. “For all of this. For coming with me. I don’t know how to-
just…thank you.”
I cupped his face, but he shook his head, pushing the words harder.
“I want you with me,” he said. “When I go in. When I see them.
Please. I want you there.”
I searched his face. He was trembling, but the plea in his eyes was
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solid. Real.
“If you’re sure,” I told him quietly, “then I’d be honored to come with
you.”
His breath shuddered out, relief written all over him. He kissed me
again, softer this time, before pulling away to grab his jacket. And
just like that, we were heading toward the hospital–together.
Comments
R Visitor
6 Comments >
your trigger warning should be sooner not here
7 days ago
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
