“Are you okay?” I ask, taking the beer from her hand and setting it on the side table next to the couch.
“Yeah, but you still didn’t tell me what the note said,” she complains quietly, lifting her head to look at me.
“You don’t need to worry about it.”
“Don’t do that; don’t make me feel like I have no control over my life or the things that effect me and Hope,” she says, and my mouth opens to speak, but she covers it with her hand. “I know you want to protect us. I get that, but I need to know what’s going on. You can’t just expect me to follow you blindly, not when Hope and I are involved.” Taking her hand off my mouth, I adjust her on my lap so she’s straddling my waist and take her face gently in my hands.
“I don’t like that I’m the reason this is happening. I hate that, because of my bad decision, she thinks she can fuck with me and, in turn, fuck with you. I don’t want any of this to touch you or Hope. I don’t want you to have to worry.”
“I’m already worried. You rushed me and Hope out of a restaurant like the mob was after us,” she says, making me fight a smile.
Pulling her toward me, I place a soft kiss against her mouth then lean back, studying her face. “The note didn’t say much.”
“Jax,” she growls, pushing against my chest and trying to get off my lap.
Flipping her to her back, I pull her hands above her head and hold her down. “It said, When she’s gone, you’ll come back to me,” I snarl, feeling the anger from reading the words the first time build back up in my system.
“Oh, my God,” she says as the color drains out of her face.
“That’s why I didn’t want you to know what it said. That look on your face right now is the reason I wanted to keep that shit from touching you.”
“I knew she was crazy, but I didn’t know how crazy she was,” she breathes in distress as her body stills under mine.
“She won’t touch you or Hope. Nothing will happen to either of you.”
“She’s crazy,” she repeats.
“I’m going to call her dad in the morning. I know he doesn’t want this kind of attention, especially after what happened the other night at the restaurant. Hopefully he will be able to talk some sense into her.”
“I can’t believe her,” she whispers, looking over my shoulder before meeting my eyes once more. “What kind of woman does that? I mean, I know Kim told me about her twin trying to drug Sage, but this isn’t like that. She’s not trying to rob you,” she says, and I rear back, ’cause I have no idea what the fuck she’s talking about. “She wants you and thinks if I’m gone, you will go back to her. She’s seriously insane, and I mean insane…like she needs medication and a psychiatrist, maybe even a straight jacket.”
“What happened with Sage?” I ask, ignoring her rambling.
“Uhh…” She freezes then pulls her bottom lip into her mouth.
“What happened to Sage?” I ask again.
“I don’t think it’s my place to tell you,” she whispers, trying to sit up.
“Tell me,” I demand, holding her wrist firmly against the couch.
“You’re such a jerk.”
“Ellie.”
“Fine, but I think if Sage wanted you to know this, he would have told you himself.”
She’s probably right, but I don’t give a fuck. “Tell me,” I repeat.
Huffing then narrowing her eyes, she says, “Kim has an evil twin sister. Kim liked Sage, and they…” She pauses, turning red. “They hooked up, but then the next night she and Sage…you know…Sage went out, and Kim’s sister tried to drug him. So Sage now thinks Kim is crazy, but she’s not; her evil twin is.”
“What the fuck?” I say, releasing her and sitting back on the couch, trying to wrap my head around this.
“I know it’s totally messed up, and I feel bad, ’cause I think Kim really liked him before he called her a b-word and told her she was crazy,” she says, sitting up then moving over me, grabbing the beer from the table, pressing it into my hand, and then lifting it to my mouth. “I’m going to talk to Sage about it, but I haven’t been able to be alone with him,” she says, and my eyes meet hers and narrow. “Don’t even start that caveman business. He’s your cousin. I mean, he’s good-looking, but—”
“Stop,” I growl, setting the beer back down.
“What? I’m just saying he’s a good-looking guy.” She shrugs, but I see the smile she’s trying to hide.
“You think it’s funny to make me crazy?” I ask her, and she shrugs again. “You’re lucky I love you,” I say without thinking, and her breathing stops completely then she moves off the couch before I can catch her.
“I…I’m going to go…go shower then go to bed,” she stammers, leaving the living room in a rush, and I hear her feet pounding up the stairs.
Running my hand over my head, I mutter, “Fuck,” under my breath then pick up the beer and finish it off before getting up, shutting down the house, and setting the alarm. Heading upstairs, I hear the hall shower running in the hall, so I turn out the light and wait in the dark for the water to turn off and the door to open.
As soon as she steps into the hall, I cover her mouth with my hand and whisper, “Don’t wake Hope,” into her ear before dragging her down the hall to my room.
Closing the door behind me halfway, I push her onto the bed then crawl on top of her with my legs between hers. The only thing separating us is the small towel she’s wearing and my jeans.
“Jax,” she says, and I hear the fear and worry in her tone. Reaching over, I turn on the lamp next to the bed so I can see her face.
“I don’t care if it’s too soon to tell you. I don’t care if you think we need more time. I’m not going to pretend I don’t love you.”
“Jax,” she repeats, but this time there’s a softness in her tone that wasn’t there before.
“I love you, Ellie. I loved you before I even knew who you were. I have no idea how this works. I have no idea how it’s possible to find someone who was made just for me, but you were. You were made for me. You’re everything I never knew I wanted. You and Hope complete me, and it doesn’t matter if I tell you now or a year from now, because my feelings will still be the same. You were meant to be mine,” I say, watching as tears slip from the corners of her eyes, into the hair at her temples.
“It’s too soon,” she whispers.
“It’s not.”
“We don’t even know each other.”
“I know enough to know how I feel.”
“It’s too soon,” she repeats softly, searching my face as her fingers intertwine with mine.
“It’s not,” I say again, leaning in to kiss her then pulling back enough to reveal, “Time’s only going to make what I feel now stronger, what you feel stronger.” I kiss her, rolling to my back and adjusting her to rest on top of me.
“I love you too,” she says so quietly I barely hear her over the loud pounding of my own heart. “I didn’t think it was possible to feel this way.”
“You have me, Ellie. You and Hope both have me, always,” I tell her, running my hand over her wet hair while listening to her softly cry. “I promise we’ll be happy.”
“I’m already happy,” she whimpers, and I feel her body shudder against mine. Holding her a little closer, I listen as her tears stop and her breathing evens out then roll her to the side, adjusting her until she’s under the covers, and I get out of bed.
Going down the hall, I open Hope’s door and walk across her almost dark room then crouch down next to her, laying my hand on her chest, feeling the rise and fall under my palm before kissing her forehead and going back down to my room. Slipping off my jeans and shirt and climbing into bed behind Ellie, I fall asleep.
“You have to be quiet, Angel,” I hear Ellie say then feel wiggling and a warm small hand land on my face.
“He’s snoring weally loud,” I hear Hope whisper loudly then hear her giggle. “He sounds wike a monster.”