Aliza
A knock sounded at her door, and her heart leapt into her throat. She hurried to open it and found Elias standing on the other side. His jacket was off, his sleeves were rolled up, and concern was written all over his face. Relief hit her so hard when she saw him that her knees almost buckled.
“Hey,” he said softly. She stepped aside and let him in, trying to keep her composure. She closed the door behind him like she was sealing off the world.
“Thank you for coming,” she whispered.
“Always,” he breathed. He didn’t touch her right away. He didn’t seem to want to overwhelm her, but his presence was steady and grounding. It was exactly what she needed.
“Can I get you something to drink or anything?” she asked.
“No, I’m good,” he admitted. “Have you heard from your dad?” he asked.
“Not yet, but I’m sure that he’ll call any minute now. My father believes in punctuality, and he’s determined to see this through,” she said, sinking onto the sofa. Elias sat down next to her and took her hand into his.
“We’ll find a way to figure this all out,” he assured.
She wanted to laugh at just how unbelievable that sounded at the moment.
Here she was, waiting for her father to call her to make an impossible decision—one that she shouldn’t have to make at all.
Getting through any of this and figuring things out seemed like a pipe dream at the moment.
Yet, having Elias sitting next to her, holding her hand, gave her more strength than she imagined it would.
They hadn’t been sitting long when her phone rang. “It’s my dad,” she said, holding up the phone for him to see the screen as though needing to prove that she was telling him the truth.
“You’ve got this,” he breathed, squeezing her hand. “I’m right here.” Aliza’s stomach twisted. Elias met her gaze and smiled, giving her the comfort that she needed. What was it about this man that he could comfort her with just one look?
She nodded and put the call on speaker. “Hello.”
“Have you made up your mind?” her father demanded.
“What, no hello or anything, Dad?” she taunted.
“This problem has already consumed most of my day, Aliza, and I’m a very busy man. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to cut to the chase here. Have you made up your mind?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, forcing her voice not to shake. “I have.”
“Well?” he snapped. “Get on with it then.”
“I’m not breaking things off with Elias,” she breathed, chancing a look at him.
He nodded and smiled, rubbing her hand with his thumb.
She couldn’t help herself as she scootched closer to him.
She was practically sitting on his lap as he wrapped a protective arm around her.
She felt right there, as though she had made the correct decision and the universe was confirming it.
Silence exploded through the line, followed by her father’s rage. “You’re making a mistake,” he barked. “That man is manipulating you.”
“That’s not true,” she said, surprising herself with how steady she sounded. “You’re the one manipulating me, Dad.” There was a pause, and for a split second, she thought that her father had ended the call.
“Is he there with you now?” her father asked.
Aliza met Elias’s eyes again. “He is,” she admitted.
A low, dangerous laugh came through the phone. “Put him on the phone.”
Elias leaned forward and took the phone gently from her hand. “Mr. Becker, this is Elias Kingston.”
“How dare you insert yourself into my daughter’s life?” her father snapped. “You have no right—”
“I have every right to be here,” Elias said calmly. “Because I care about her.”
“You haven’t known her long enough to care about her. You’re taking advantage of her,” he shot back. “She’s young and impressionable.”
“She’s an adult,” Elias cut in. “And she’s intelligent. She knows what she’s doing. You just don’t like that you’re not the one making decisions for her anymore.”
“Stay out of this,” her father growled.
Elias didn’t flinch. “You don’t get to threaten her future to get your way.
I’m not going anywhere, and I will make sure that Aliza finishes getting her graduate degree—one way or another, because it’s important to her, and she’s important to me.
” Aliza watched him, her heart swelling and aching all at once.
“You think I won’t cut her off?” her father sneered. “I will.”
“That’s your choice,” Elias replied. “But it won’t make her decision wrong. It’ll just prove that you care more about controlling Aliza than you do about her.” The silence on the line was heavy, and Aliza held her breath.
“You’re throwing your life away, Aliza,” her father said finally.
“No,” she said quietly. “I’m taking it back.
” That was all it took. This time, her father ended the call, and she wasn’t sure if she was relieved or worried that it was only the beginning of her fight with him.
He wasn’t a man who liked to lose, and that phone call was definitely a loss for her father.
Her hands were shaking when Elias handed her the phone. “You okay?” he asked.
She nodded, though tears burned her eyes. “I think so,” she lied. Elias wrapped his arms around her again, firm and protective. She pressed her face into his chest, breathing him in like an anchor.
“I’m proud of you,” he murmured.
“I’m terrified,” she admitted.
“That just means that you did the right thing. You stood up for yourself, Aliza, and that’s huge.
If you weren’t terrified, I’d be worried.
But I’m right here, and I don’t plan on going anywhere.
” Elias was right. She had stood up for what she wanted.
For the first time in her life, Aliza felt like she’d chosen herself—and that made all the difference.
“I need some air,” she whispered. They had been sitting on her sofa, her wrapped in his arms, for what felt like an eternity.
She knew that she needed to clear her head in case her father called back, or worse, showed up at her apartment.
He had a key, and the idea of him storming into her place terrified her.
She wouldn’t put it past him either. Hell, he’d probably take her back to her childhood home and lock her away in her room until she could behave herself and follow his rules—just like he used to do when she was a kid.
After her mother passed away, when she was just four years old, it was her and her father.
He never really figured out how to be a single parent to her.
He threw himself into his work and left her with babysitters who ignored her most of the time.
He parented her using control and dominance most of her life, and telling him that she wasn’t going to allow that anymore was a huge step for her.
“Do you mind if I tag along?” Elias asked. “I could use some air, too.” She was sure that he was just wanting to make sure that she was okay, but the idea of being without him felt wrong to her.
“I’d like that,” she admitted.
Aliza grabbed her jacket and tugged on her shoes as Elias waited for her. The cool night air hit her face, and she took a deep breath in, as though letting her father’s poisonous words wash through her lungs and back out of her body as she exhaled.
She stood on the sidewalk outside her apartment, staring at nothing.
Her father’s words still rang in her ears, sharp and unforgiving, and now that the adrenaline had drained out of her body, all that was left was exhaustion and a hollow ache behind her ribs.
She felt like she’d just run a marathon with no finish line.
Elias watched her quietly for a moment before speaking. “Hey,” he said gently. “You don’t have to go back in there tonight.”
She blinked up at him, confused. “What?”
“Your place,” he clarified. “It’s full of everything he just dumped on you. I don’t think that’s where you need to be right now.” He was right—her apartment was the last place that she wanted to be right now.
She hugged her arms around herself, suddenly cold despite the warm jacket that she had pulled on. “I don’t really have anywhere else to go,” she admitted. “Dani already has two roommates, and she’s really the only close friend that I have.”
“You do have somewhere that you can go,” he said softly. “Come back to my place with me.”
Her heart stuttered at his offer. “Elias—”
“Not like that,” he said quickly, not wanting to scare her.
“I just don’t want to leave you here all alone when you’re this upset.
You can crash in my spare bedroom, if you want.
Or, if you don’t feel like sleeping, you can steal Cat’s favorite chair.
I don’t care. I just—I want you somewhere safe. I want you with me, Aliza.”
Safe—the word wrapped around her like something solid. “I don’t want to impose,” she whispered.
“You’re not imposing. I offered,” he said, meeting her eyes. “You’re someone I care about. Let me take care of you tonight.”
The offer made her chest ache. She nodded slowly before she could even think through his offer. “Okay,” she said, “thank you.”
“How about we go back into your apartment and pack an overnight bag for you?” he asked. Then, we can grab some dinner and take it back to my place.” Her stomach growled as if on cue, and he chuckled. “I take that as a yes,” he teased.
She smiled up at him, “Yes,” she agreed.
She had a bag packed in just minutes, eager to get out of her apartment before her father decided to show up there.
She couldn’t take another run-in with him—not tonight.
No, tonight, she was going to do just what Elias had asked of her and let him take care of her.