Chapter 21 #2
Like she’d told him already, she didn't think that everything was going to be perfect from here on out.
He still had major issues to work through, she had some unresolved trauma from their time undercover as well, coming that up close and personal with evil had changed her, but they had time.
There was no rush, it was clear Josiah didn't want them to annul their marriage, and of course, she didn't either, but that didn't mean they had to act married until he was ready.
“Nope.” Josiah popped the p, and she tossed him a glare.
“I want to know where we’re going,” she told him. Not that she thought the answer would be anything bad, but she was dying of curiosity here.
“You pouting at me, Chels?” Josiah asked, amusement in his tone.
Tears stung the backs of her eyes. Seeing him this light and free made her so happy that she could hardly breathe.
Which was a nice change of pace from the throbbing agony in her chest from her broken ribs making it so she hardly wanted to breathe.
In fact, if she didn't have Josiah right beside her, and the hope of a happy future together, she might just give up on the whole breathing thing since it sucked to have to do it every couple of seconds and endure the worst pain she’d ever felt.
Okay, that was a lie. Chelsea wouldn't want to be dead either way, but this really did suck pretty majorly.
“Damn, Chels, are you crying? I can tell you where we’re going,” Josiah said, panic in his tone.
“No!” she yelled quickly. It was bringing him joy to keep this little secret of his, and she wanted that for him. “Happy tears, I promise.”
“Sure?” He cast his gaze away from the road, and it roamed her face, searching for the truth. He must have seen it because he nodded, and one of his hands moved from the wheel to rest on her thigh. “If this is too much we can go to your place, or Prey, or back to the hospital. Whatever you need.”
“Yuck for the hospital,” she said quickly.
There was nothing they could do for her anyway, her broken ribs would have to heal on their own.
Her place no longer felt like a home after everything that had happened to Ava and Teresa there.
The apartments at Prey were fine, modern and spacious, equipped with everything anyone would need, but they weren't homey.
Besides, she was intrigued to see what Josiah wanted to show her.
Josiah chuckled, and the sound had a few tears tumbling free. Which he noticed and his gaze quickly grew panicked again.
“Happy tears,” she reminded him. Honestly, she couldn’t even remember a time in her life when she’d been this happy. She’d had a great life, parents who loved her, good friends, her dream job, but something had always been missing.
This man right here.
He was the other half of her soul, and she’d recognized that the moment she met him even if it had taken him a whole lot longer to see the truth.
“I don’t want to go anywhere but wherever you're taking me,” she assured him. “I guess I'm just a bit of a pouter when I'm left out of things.”
“Noted.”
“How long are your parents staying?” she asked after a couple of minutes of silent driving.
Thankfully, Josiah hadn't been angry with her for telling his mom he’d been hurt and was in the hospital.
She knew she shouldn’t have because he’d told her they were estranged, but his mom had been so worried, and she didn't want the woman worrying any longer.
“They’re going to stay for a while,” Josiah replied, his hand tightening on the wheel so much his knuckles blanched white. “Apparently, my brothers and their families are going to fly up here, too.”
“You okay with that?” Placing her hand over the one hand he still had on her thigh, she squeezed lightly, reminding him he wasn't facing this alone.
She was right here, and she wasn't going anywhere.
She would support him however he wanted to face his family, but she hoped he was willing to give them a chance and stop shutting them out when it was clear they loved him very much.
Letting out a long, slow breath, he finally nodded.
“Yeah. I'm terrified because I know my brothers are going to be a lot harder on me than my parents were.
Well deserved. I hurt everyone by pushing them away.
It wasn't intentional, I was just trying to survive, but nonetheless the outcome was the same.”
“They get that because they love you,” she reminded him. Bottom line was neither she nor his family had lived through the hell Josiah had, so who were they to judge him for how he’d handled his trauma? “I’m glad you're letting them back in. I'm glad you're letting me in.”
The fingers on her thigh squeezed almost to the point of pain. “Me too, Chels. Thank you for standing by me. For not giving up on me. I'd already given up on myself and if you hadn't been there … I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
Thankfully, that was not something they needed to worry about finding out. “I’ll always be there for you, Josiah. Because I love you.”
“Love you back.” She could tell the words felt a little rusty coming from his mouth, but she didn't care, he was saying them and that was all that mattered.
Lapsing into silence, a comfortable one, they drove for another fifteen minutes or so before Josiah pulled up outside a luxury apartment building right in the middle of the city.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, totally confused.
“You’ll see.” Climbing out, he rounded the car and opened her door for her.
Taking her hand, he helped her down. While she tried to hide her wince, she was pretty sure he noticed it anyway.
She certainly noticed his, and she did her best not to lean on him too much because she didn't want to cause him extra pain.
Apparently, he didn't like that, because he huffed and pulled her close against his side. After handing the keys to his truck to a valet, they headed into the building. Curiosity was bubbling inside her, and a million questions wanted to come pouring out, but she held them back. This was Josiah’s moment, and she wanted him to have it and enjoy it.
He led her to the elevator and scanned a card before pushing the button for one of the top floors.
Neither of them spoke as the elevator took them up, and Chelsea reveled in the warm, comforting, strong presence of the man holding her.
This was everything she’d ever wanted, and it was so hard to believe that it was real.
But it was real.
And she wanted to soak up every second of it.
When the elevator opened, Josiah guided her out and down a hall, stopping outside one of the apartment doors and pulling out a key. Once he opened the door, Chelsea’s gaze was immediately drawn to the stunning view from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of an airy living room.
“Through there is the kitchen dining room,” Josiah said, pointing to a door in the wall to their right. “And that way is three bedrooms and two bathrooms,” he added, pointing to the left. “The master suite has the same views as the living room.”
Unable to resist wandering over to the windows and staring out at the city below them, Chelsea knew her mouth was hanging open in shock as she took it all in.
The apartment was gorgeous, and she’d had no idea that Josiah lived there.
Although from the slightly musty smell, it didn't really seem like anyone had been there for a very long time.
Had he rented it? Did it belong to a friend of his? A family member?
“What is this place?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder to find him watching her with a tender expression.
“This place is mine. Well, I hope it’s going to be ours.”