Chapter 8 #2
My cheek still aches, my feet still sting, my whole body feels like it got hit by a truck emotionally, but I don’t care about any of that right now.
“I’m okay,” I say. “I just… I needed to see you.”
His forehead drops to mine, our noses almost touching. “I needed to see you too.”
For a second neither of us says anything. We just stand there, breathing each other in, the porch light casting soft shadows over his face, and I can see it now, the exhaustion, the tension still clinging to him like he hasn’t fully come down yet.
“What happened?” I whisper.
His jaw tightens, just a little. “It’s handled.”
That’s all he says. And honestly? I don’t need more than that. I press my face back into his chest, and his arms tighten around me again like he’s anchoring me to the ground.
“Come inside,” he murmurs. “It’s cold out here.”
I nod, but I don’t move yet. “Rev?”
“Yeah, Princess?”
My throat tightens. “Thank you for coming for me.”
His grip on me goes iron-strong for a heartbeat, and when he pulls back, his eyes are dark and serious and way too intense for three thirty in the morning.
“There was never a world where I didn’t,” he says quietly.
we walk inside and it looks like people are moving to head to bed. “I want to go home,” I whisper, my head resting against Rev’s chest.
He stills instantly. Not pulling away, not tightening his hold, just… pausing, like he’s afraid to move the wrong way and break something.
“Your house?” he asks carefully.
I nod. “But I don’t… I don’t want to be alone.”
His arm tightens around my shoulders. “You won’t be.”
I lift my head just enough to look at him. “I need you to come with me. I just… I need you there. Just for tonight.”
There’s no heat in his eyes. No teasing. No flirtation. Just concern and something deeper that makes my chest ache.
“Okay,” he says without hesitation. “Yeah. I’ll stay with you.”
Relief hits me so hard my eyes burn. He doesn’t make a big deal out of it. He just shifts, careful and steady, and helps me stand like he knows my legs might not cooperate. Switch tosses him the keys to his truck without a word, and Rev squeezes my hand once before guiding me outside.
The ride is quiet. Not awkward quiet. Just tired, heavy quiet.
I lean against the window, watching the streetlights blur past, and every time the truck slows or stops, my heart jumps like it’s waiting for something bad to happen again.
Rev notices because of course he does, and he reaches over and rests his hand on my thigh, not squeezing, not moving, just grounding.
“I got you,” he murmurs, like he knows exactly what my brain is doing.
When we pull into my driveway, I don’t even have the energy to unbuckle my seatbelt before he’s already moving.
“Hey,” he says softly. “Keys.”
I fumble them out of my purse, and he takes them from my shaking hand, then opens my door and lifts me like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Rev, you don’t have to—”
“I know,” he says. “But I want to.”
I don’t argue. He carries me up the steps, unlocks the door, and once we’re inside, he locks it behind us, then checks the deadbolt and the chain like he’s building a fortress out of muscle and stubbornness. Only then does he carry me down the hall.
My house feels different right now. Too quiet. Too big. Like it doesn’t know what just happened to me. He takes me straight to my bedroom and sets me gently on the edge of the bed. “I’m gonna grab you something to sleep in,” he says. “Okay?”
I nod, too tired to do anything else. He goes to my dresser and hesitates for a second like he’s not sure he’s allowed, then opens the top drawer and grabs a soft t-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice cracking on the words.
I make it to the bathroom on autopilot, peel off the clothes that still feel like they belong to earlier tonight, and stand under the shower until the water turns lukewarm and my hands stop shaking quite so badly.
When I come back out, wrapped in my softest t-shirt and shorts, Rev is standing near the window, arms crossed, looking like he’s guarding the whole street by himself.
He turns when he hears me. “You okay?”
I shrug and try for a smile. “As okay as I can be.”
He nods and walks over, pulls the covers back, and waits until I crawl into bed before tucking them around me like I might shatter if he’s not careful.
There’s a pause where it feels like this is the part where he’s supposed to leave. Where he’s supposed to say goodnight and go sleep on the couch or in the truck or anywhere that isn’t next to me.
I can’t let that happen. My hand shoots out and grabs his wrist. “Don’t,” I whisper. “Please. Just… stay. Hold me.”
He freezes. I can see the war on his face. The part of him that wants to protect me, and the part that’s terrified of crossing some invisible line when I’m this vulnerable. He swallows. “Brooke, I don’t want you thinking…”
“I’m not,” I say quickly. “I just… I need you. I need to not be alone right now.”
His shoulders drop a fraction. “Give me a minute,” he says quietly.
He disappears into the bathroom, and when he comes back out, he’s in nothing but boxer briefs.
He climbs into bed carefully, like he’s afraid of jostling me, and pulls me into his chest, one arm wrapped around my back, the other resting over my shoulder.
The second I feel his body heat, the second I realize I’m safe enough to stop holding myself together…I lose it. Silent at first, just my shoulders shaking, my breath catching, and then it all spills out of me in these broken, ugly sobs I’ve been holding back for hours.
Rev doesn’t tell me to stop. He just holds me tighter and presses his cheek to my hair. “I’ve got you, Princess,” he murmurs. “I’m right here. You can fall apart. I won’t go anywhere.”
I cling to him like he’s the only solid thing left in the world, and for the first time since tonight started, I let myself break.