Chapter Seventy-Nine
Xavier
The kitchen is too warm. Too crowded. Too loud with the clatter of plates and Ben and Dominic arguing over whether store-bought rolls count as sacrilege. I lean against the counter, beer in hand, letting the noise roll over me while my attention keeps drifting to the living room.
Ruby is on the couch with Emily. Laughing. Relaxed. Not checking the door. Not watching the exit and entry points. Not bracing every time someone moves too fast.
It feels good to see her like that. The fact that someone had the guts to make her feel scared everywhere she went pisses me off. It’s been days since anything has happened. Maybe the guy took the hint and will leave her alone.
My fingertips dig into the glass. He’d better be done because I’m not letting anyone hurt her.
Jake nudges my shoulder. “You’ve been quiet.”
“I’m eating,” I say.
“You’re holding a beer,” Dominic points out.
Close enough.
Sam steps into the kitchen, grabbing a plate. “So… anything new?”
The change in his tone says enough. Break-in. Notes. Gate. Tire. I don’t have to ask what he’s referring to. Ruby is under everyone’s protection. She’s one of our own, and we don’t let our own get harassed.
I shake my head. “Nothing for a while.”
Jake nods once. “Maybe he backed off.”
“Or figured it wasn’t going anywhere,” Dominic adds.
Sam glances toward the living room, then back at me. “Hard to do much with you around all the time.”
I don’t answer right away. Just take a slow drink. “I’m around.”
Jake’s brow lifts, but he doesn’t push it.
Dominic studies me instead. “Guy probably decided it wasn’t worth it.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Predators don’t give up. They adjust. Wait. I don’t say that out loud. My gaze drifts back to the living room.
Ruby shifts on the couch, tucking her feet under her, leaning into something Emily’s saying. Comfortable. Like she’s not thinking about who’s watching or what could go wrong. The way it should be.
Jake follows my line of sight. “She looks better.”
“She is.” No hesitation. No second thought. Because she is.
Sam nods. “Whatever you’re doing. Keep doing it.”
I huff a breath, taking another drink. I don’t correct him. Don’t explain it. Don’t need to. It’s none of their business what’s going on between Ruby and me.
Dominic leans closer, voice lower. “You sure you’re just friends?”
The question lands easily. Not teasing and not pushing. Just… there. I answer it the same way I always do. Keep it simple. Keep it clean. “We’re just friends.”
Even as I say the words, they don’t feel right. We’re friends. We’ve always been friends. But ‘just friends’? We’re so much more than that.
Jake reaches for another roll. “Well, whatever it is, it’s working.”
Across the room, Ruby laughs again, turning toward Bella this time, one hand lifting as she talks, relaxed in a way she hasn’t been in weeks.
I know that rhythm now. The way she settles into a space when she feels like it’s hers. The way she stops tracking every movement around her. The way she forgets to be careful. That doesn’t happen unless she feels safe.
And she does. I take another drink, letting that settle. For now, it’s quiet—no signs of anything off. No pressure.
I glance back at her one more time. She’s right where she should be. Laughing. Surrounded. Not alone. And whether I call it anything or not, I’m not stepping out of that.