Chapter Fifty-Three - Elise
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Elise
After getting the all-clear from Dr. Hanes, Joshua insists on carrying me to our bedroom—not that I put up much of a fight.
The second we step into our room, he’s kissing me.
His lips move slowly against mine like he’s committing this moment to memory. The tender kiss is in striking contrast to the firm grip he has on my waist.
Patient, yet demanding.
After a speedy shower, I feel brand new, albeit completely and utterly exhausted. Somehow, sleeping through two entire days was not enough.
Joshua and I climb into bed, letting our limbs tangle until we’re wrapped up in one another.
I haven’t felt so peaceful in days.
Of course, that’s when we hear a violent pounding at the door.
“Open the hell up, Moreno! I know you have my sister with you!” Logan’s voice booms from the other side of the wooden door.
I relax when I realize it’s only my brother, but my relief is short-lived when I glance at Joshua’s locked jaw and narrowed eyes.
Men and their egos.
Joshua climbs out of bed and stalks toward the door as I sit up.
I won’t get any rest until this is dealt with.
When it opens, an irate Logan stands red-faced in the doorway, with James standing expressionless at his side.
“Did you seriously think you could just steal her away to your bed?” Logan seethes.
“I can, and I did.” Joshua’s voice is abnormally calm—a front meant to irk my brothers.
It works.
Without warning, Logan’s fist connects with Joshua’s jaw.
“Joshua! What the hell, Logan?” I shout, eliciting a throbbing in my head as I work to pull myself from the tangle of blankets on the bed.
Joshua doesn’t so much as stagger and neither of them acknowledges me.
“I’ll remind you that you and your men are here as guests, but I can change that very quickly,” Joshua says, and his voice carries a deadly promise.
“Stop it!” I throw the covers off and stand faster than my concussed head can handle, causing me to fall to the wooden floor with a loud thud.
I cry out, tears filling my eyes when my injured arm collides with the floor.
“Elise!” James gets to me first. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay!” I grate as James helps me to my feet and wraps a supportive arm around my waist as I glare at Joshua and Logan. “You two are acting completely ridiculous!”
“Elise, get back in bed,” Joshua says.
“Don’t tell her what to do,” Logan snaps.
“Stop it!” I snap. “Joshua, these are my brothers, and they’re only looking out for me. There will be no threatening them or any of their men during their stay here.”
Joshua’s eyes darken with the promise that we’ll be discussing this later, but I ignore him and face Logan, who wears a smug grin. “And Logan, you might not like Joshua, but while you’re under his roof, you’ll show him respect. You will not lay a hand on him again, or I’ll kick you out myself.”
Both men open their mouths to speak, but I silence them with the wave of my hand.
“I get it—you have reputations to uphold, and you don’t like each other, whatever. But if either of you cares about me, you’ll figure out a way to get along.” I drop my scowl. “Please, don’t make me pick between my family and the man I love.”
“Elise, you’re not going to stay in his room,” Logan says.
“You’re right.” I step out of James’s hold, and Joshua’s arms take me in as soon as I’m within reach. “I’m going to stay in our room, just like I have been for weeks.”
Logan’s expression only hardens.
“It was her choice,” Joshua tells him. “I never forced her into anything.”
“You quite literally kidnapped her,” Logan bites.
Joshua stiffens, and I place my flat palm against his chest.
Thankfully, James decides to cut in. “Logan,” is all he needs to say.
The two look at each other for a moment before Logan sighs. I expect him to agree and go, but he doesn’t.
“I need to hear the story,” he says. “You said that what happened between you two is a long story. I need to hear it.”
I sigh in relief, and the invisible weight that’s been on my chest since I woke up finally eases. He’s actually willing to listen.
“I think that’s a great idea.” I gesture to the table across the room, and Logan and James go to it.
Joshua remains in place.
“You need to be resting, not storytelling.”
“Everyone will rest better when this is handled.”
Joshua’s phone buzzes, and he pulls it out with a grimace.
“Take it,” I tell him. “I’m good here.”
Joshua’s conflicted gaze flicks to my brothers, who are caught up in their own heated conversation.
“I don’t like leaving you,” he says, omitting the implied, with them.
“They’re not going to hurt me, Joshua.”
“I’m not worried about them hurting you.”
Though he doesn’t say the words, I can see his real concern hiding behind his signature stony expression.
I wrap my arms around him, laying my head on his chest, and breathing in the perfect scent of him. “No one is going to take me from you, okay? I’m yours.”
His arms hold me, and his lips press gently to my forehead. “All mine.”
I spend the next hour reliving every moment of the past two months, good and bad.
Though I desperately want my brothers to make peace with Joshua, I don’t edit the story. They deserve to hear the truth, even if it’s messy and difficult to come to terms with.
The only parts I tweak are the less-than-appropriate ones. I want them to understand that I love Joshua, but they don’t need to know how I love him.
I expect Logan and James to interrupt as I go on, but neither says a word. Their expressions remain controlled and calm throughout the entire story.
Well, almost the entire story.
Telling my brothers about Tripp assaulting me in the basement is a difficult experience for all of us. Talking about that day is still a physically difficult task, and my brothers aren’t handling it any better. Balled fists, red faces, and clenched teeth stop them from bursting as I explain.
Though Tripp is the culprit of that particular part, I know their anger is directed at Joshua for his lack of protection, and I can’t blame them. It’s the same reason I couldn’t even look at him for days afterward.
The rest of the explanation is much easier to get through, and I find myself smiling at the memories as I tell them.
Life with Joshua is so much more than I ever imagined it could be. I’m not just at peace with it—I’m happy here.
Logan and James are surprised when I tell them about my training with Ryder, but that’s nothing compared to their reaction to what happened before they got to the factory.
The entire Consoli family saw my blood-covered clothes when I pleaded with everyone to leave the factory, but none of them knew what led to that point.
Suffocating silence follows the end of my story, and I wait on bated breath for their response to everything I’ve told them.
James goes first. “Dad messed up by sending you away. He should’ve been training you all these years with the rest of us.”
Logan nods but says nothing.
“Well, it’s not like I was ever interested anyway.”
James shakes his head. “I don’t understand how he never saw your potential—how none of us did.”
My cheeks heat at his words, and I look to Logan, who avoids meeting my eye.
“Logan, I—”
“You love him,” he says.
I slowly nod. “I do.”
When his green eyes look up, I’m struck by just how much he looks like our father. Though the boys are identical twins, Logan’s resemblance to our father is far more prominent.
“Well, I love you,” he tells me. “So, if Moreno is what you want, I won’t stop it.”
I smile despite the tears welling in my eyes. This understanding is all I hoped for from my brothers, and it means the world that they’re giving it to me.
“But if you ever change your mind, we’ll drop everything to come and get you,” he promises.
As if the timing had been planned, Joshua opens the door, taking in the scene before deeming it safe to come in.
“You told them everything?” he asks, coming to stand at my side.
“Everything.”
The attention falls on Logan.
My brothers stand, and Logan squares his shoulders as he levels Joshua with a grave look.
“If you ever hurt her, I’ll make it my life’s mission to inflict the most excruciating pain imaginable on you.”
“Logan!” I exclaim, but Joshua only chuckles.
“Good luck beating her to it,” he says, bringing me closer by wrapping one arm over my shoulder.
I expect Logan to snap at Joshua’s sarcasm, but he nods, and I wonder if they actually agree on that fact.
Joshua and I walk my brothers to the door, but Logan pauses before leaving.
“You’re not good enough for her.”
I want to object again, but Joshua answers without hesitation.
“I know.”
Joshua and Logan share a tight nod before the door closes, and we’re finally alone.
“Are you sure you’re up for this? No one would blame you if you decided you’d rather rest.”
“I’m sure,” I tell him for the third time. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”
“I can think of a few things,” he mutters, but there’s a knock on the door before he can make any suggestions.
Joshua opens the door, and Donovan leads the group—likely due to the fact that he’s the only one of us not sporting a major injury. It’s one of the rare days his long hair falls around his face, and he’s dressed in black sweats and a tee.
Alec follows, and the first thing I notice is that his leg is cast-free. He carries a tray, which I can see from here is full of various desserts.
Kade brings up the rear of the group, and he’s traded his typical slacks and button-up for jeans and a tee, thanks to the obnoxious sling securing his left arm. Without the full use of both arms, he must’ve given up on shaving because his stubble is longer than I’ve ever seen it.
As soon as he reaches the bed, Donovan wraps me up in a bear hug that provokes a scowl from Joshua that we both ignore. “How do you feel?”
“Better now that you guys are here.”
Donovan smirks. “I tend to have that effect on people.”