Chapter Twenty
From: Issaky the guy
It’s move-in day! El and I will be by around noon.
━━━━
Six Months Later…
Myah stood in the middle of her new apartment and tried very hard not to cry. Again.
This was becoming a problem. An embarrassing one.
She'd cried when she signed the lease, when Jace handed over his half of the deposit, when Ellis had shown up with pizza.
She'd cried when Issaky had somehow turned moving day into a celebration complete with balloons and a playlist titled Domesticity, But Make It Sexy.
And now she was crying again. Just a little. Barely. Okay, maybe not barely. A lot.
The apartment wasn't even fully unpacked yet. Boxes still lined the walls, the kitchen looked like a cardboard graveyard. Someone had labeled one box MISCELLANEOUS CHAOS in handwriting that was definitely not hers.
Issaky. Obviously.
But despite the mess, despite the clutter, despite the overwhelming amount of work still left to do—it felt like home. Their home. Her’s and Jace's.
The thought made her chest ache in a good way.
A terrifying way. A way she never thought she'd experience.
Because six months ago, Myah would've laughed in someone's face if they'd told her she'd be moving in with a boyfriend.
Not because she didn't want love. God. She'd always wanted love.
She'd wanted it so desperately she'd nearly destroyed herself chasing it.
The problem was she never trusted it to stay.
Never trusted herself to keep it. Never trusted relationships to survive her.
For most of her life, she'd lived waiting for people to leave.
Waiting for the inevitable disappointment.
Waiting for the moment someone realized she was too much.
Too emotional. Too impulsive. Too difficult.
But six months had changed a lot. Therapy had changed a lot.
There hadn't been some dramatic breakthrough where everything suddenly became easy. Healing didn't work that way. Some weeks were still hard. Some days her emotions still felt bigger than her body. Some mornings she still woke up carrying old fears and wounds. Old instincts.
The difference was that now she knew what they were. Now she understood them, and thanks to Karen, her awesome, super educated therapist, she had tools and support.
And maybe most importantly—now she believed she deserved help.
That realization alone nearly brought tears back.
Because she remembered who she'd been. The girl who ripped closet doors off hinges.
The girl who sabotaged herself before anyone else could.
The girl who made a stupid bet because she couldn't imagine someone like Jace wanting her for real.
The girl who thought love was something you earned through performance and chaos and desperation.
But then Jace had happened, and suddenly she was given patience and kindness and something steady. The man who somehow loved every version of her. Not despite her struggles. Not despite her growth. All of it. Every messy piece.
The front door opened and heavy footsteps followed, and just like that, her tears became someone else's problem.
"Last box."
Myah turned as Jace stepped through the doorway carrying a cardboard box that looked suspiciously heavier than anything labeled on the outside.
His dark hair stuck to his forehead. His black t-shirt clung slightly to his chest. And despite carrying approximately a thousand pounds worth of belongings up three flights of stairs all morning, he still somehow looked unfairly attractive.
Rude, honestly. The man should've looked sweaty and exhausted. Instead he looked like a lumberjack romance novel cover. A very tired lumberjack romance novel cover, but still.
The box hit the floor with a thud as Jace straightened before rolling his shoulders and wiping his hands on his jeans. "That's everything."
The words echoed through the apartment. Everything. No more trips. No more back and forth. No more separate apartments. No more leaving.
Just home. Their home, together.
Jace looked around and then at her before immediately frowning. "Oh no."
Myah sniffed. "What?"
"You're crying again."
"I am not." She laughed despite herself. And apparently that was enough to make him smile.
His expression softened, the way it always did when he looked at her. Like she was something precious. Something worth protecting. Something worth staying for.
Jace crossed the room slowly, like he knew exactly what she needed before she did. When he reached her, his hands settled on her waist. Warm and comforting and familiar. Then he pulled her against him and wrapped her in a big, sweaty hug.
Myah wrapped her arms around his middle immediately. Pressing her face into his chest and breathing him in.
His chin rested atop her head. "I love you."
"I love you too." The words came so naturally from her now. No fear or hesitation.
Jace squeezed her gently. The silence that followed felt comfortable. The kind of silence only existed between people who knew each other completely.
Eventually, Myah leaned back enough to look up at him.
His green eyes immediately found hers. Attentive and present. There was something she wanted to tell him. Something she'd been thinking about all morning. Maybe longer.
"Hey."
"Hey." Jace smiled, still holding her.
"My dad called."
Jace blinked, immediately concerned. "Oh?"
She nodded. A strange mix of emotions twisting through her chest. "He wants to meet."
Jace remained quiet. Listening and giving her space. The way he'd learned to do.
"The real kind of meet."
His brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"
Myah exhaled slowly. "He wants to apologize."
The words felt strange. Even now. Like she wasn't entirely sure they belonged in the same sentence as her father.
Because apologies hadn't exactly been a thing in their relationship.
Not growing up. Not afterward. Her father had always been busy.
The kind of businessman who was constantly flying somewhere, meeting someone, building something.
Everything always seemed to come first. Everything except her.
It wasn't that he hadn't loved her. At least she didn't think so. It was worse and more complicated. He'd loved her while neglecting her. Loved her while never showing up. Loved her while making her feel invisible. And those wounds lasted long after childhood ended.
Jace's thumb brushed across her hip. A grounding touch mixed with his silent support. "What did he say?"
Myah swallowed. "He said he's been in therapy."
Jace's eyebrows rose.
That surprised both of them.
"He said he's spent years pretending everything was fine." A shaky laugh escaped her. "Apparently that's genetic."
The corner of Jace's mouth twitched.
"He said he knows he failed me." The words hit harder spoken aloud. "He said he doesn't expect forgiveness." Her throat tightened. "But he wants to try."
Thoughtful silence followed as Jace considered her carefully. Then smiled. "How do you feel about it?"
The question mattered. Because six months ago she would've answered automatically. Emotion and reaction first. Now she paused and actually thought about it. Actually checked in with herself.
"I'm excited." The answer surprised her. But it was true. "I think..." She hesitated. "I think I want a relationship with him."
Jace nodded with no judgment or pressure. "Then I think you should see what happens."
Her chest warmed with trust. A year ago that would've felt impossible. Now it felt natural.
Jace kissed her forehead tenderly, "I can come with you."
The offer immediately made her smile. Because of course he would. Of course he'd volunteer. Of course he'd stand beside her if she needed him.
But for the first time in her life… She didn't think she did. Not because she was alone. Because she'd learned she could handle hard things. Because she wasn't that scared little girl anymore.
"I know." Her voice softened. "And thank you." She reached up and brushed a hand against his cheek. "But I think I want to do this myself."
A wide smile flashed across his face. "I'm so proud of you."
The words settled deep. Because she spent so much of her life feeling like a disappointment. Like a problem. Like a burden. And now someone looked at her growth and saw something worth celebrating.
Tears slipped free and this time she didn't bother hiding them.
Jace wiped them away automatically. The gesture so familiar it made her laugh.
"I really love you," he whispered.
"I love you more." She smirked.
Jace narrowed his eyes and his hands tightened around her waist before his smile grew, slow again. The smile she'd fallen in love with. The smile that made her stomach flip every single time.
Then he leaned down. Forehead resting against hers, and with a grin that promised forever, Jace said, "Wanna bet?"
The laugh that escaped her filled the apartment. Their apartment. Their home. And for the first time in her life, Myah wasn't afraid of what came next. Because whatever happened, whatever challenges waited, whatever healing remained, they would face it together.
Even if they had to bet on it.