Over My Dead Body #2
I take a step toward him, putting myself squarely between him and the house.
“Riley left you. She chose to walk away from you, and now she’s with me. She’s my girlfriend, she sleeps in my bed every fucking night, and this is her home for as long as she wants it to be.”
His expression changes at that.
Good.
“And if you think I’m going to stand here and let you manipulate, threaten, or drag her back into the hell she was brave enough to escape, you’ve seriously misjudged me.”
My voice rises despite every attempt to keep it under control, anger burning hot beneath every word.
“You don’t get to come onto my property looking for my girl. You don’t get to ask to see her. You don’t get to decide what’s best for her anymore.”
I step closer, holding his gaze.
“And I’d use my last fucking breath to make sure you never get the chance to hurt her again.”
Preston looks at me. “I see.” He adjusts his cuffs. His gaze moves past me to Riley, and then back to me again. His smile returns. “There’s no need for a fight. I see she’s doing well, and you have a wonderful career.”
He’s going down that road. Laying on his threat, but I expect nothing less from him.
“Do have a wonderful evening, Mr. Blake.”
He walks back to the car.
The driver has the door open before he reaches it. He gets in. The door closes, and the car pulls away from the curb and down the hill, around the bend, and the taillights disappear.
I stand there for a moment.
Then I turn around.
Riley is still in the doorway. The book is on the floor at her feet. She has not noticed.
Both hands are pressed flat against the frame on either side of her, like the door is holding her upright. She's shaking.
I cross the driveway and come up the steps.
I pick up the book, put it in her hand, and do the one thing I’ve been wanting to do since she appeared at the doorway.
I pick her up.
“He found me,” she says. Her voice is small. The fear is there, and it breaks my heart hearing it.
“No, he found the address.” I walk inside, while she’s still in my arms, legs wrapped around my hips.
I close the door behind us, and the lock catches. The house is quiet.
“He knows you, and what you do.”
“And that is public information, Riley. It’s nothing.”
Her eyes find mine. “You told him I’m your girlfriend. You shouldn’t have. He… he knows people, Easton. He’ll come for you. Maybe I should go. I need to go. My parents…”
“Riley.”
“Easton.” Her voice is very quiet. “You did not have to do that. It’s going to make things more complicated. He's going to—”
“Riley.”
She stops.
She’s spiraling, and I’m not going to let her. She’s come too far to quit, and I tell her just that.
“I know what he's going to do,” I say. “I know what kind of man he is. I know how he works, and I know what tonight just cost me in terms of what comes next, and I need you to hear me when I tell you that I would say it again.”
She stares at me.
“You won’t go back to him. If you do, you lose everything you’ve worked hard to regain.
Yourself. Your mental health. Your photography.
Running away and choosing yourself would be pointless.
You can’t keep running forever. He was bound to find you, and I’m surprised it took so long.
But that doesn’t change anything. So, for tonight, we’re going to pretend he didn’t show up.
And we’ll focus on you. When the time comes, and he returns, we’ll figure it out. Together.”
“What if…” Her eyes fill with tears. “What if I c-cost you everything? Your career, your life… y—”
“Shhh… Please, don’t cry, baby.”
My heart cracks. My thumb swipes her tears away. “You won’t cost me anything. I promise. I just need you to not rethink your decision or second-guess it because you’re scared. I need you to be courageous, and know I’ll always be here for you. Okay?”
She looks at me for a beat. Then she nods.
“Okay.”
I heave a sigh of relief. I look at her. I want to kiss her, but I can’t. She needs some time to herself. So, I set her down on the couch and retreat to the kitchen.
I need something to do with my hands that isn't reaching for her. I fill a glass of water I don’t need and set it on the counter.
I stand there, and I think about the word I just said in the driveway to a man that didn’t deserve to hear it first.
Girlfriend.
I think about how little I hesitated.
I think about the look on Preston's face when I said it.
The way every protective instinct in my body had locked into place the second that asshole stepped too close to her.
And the truth is, I'd do it again. I'd say it again in a heartbeat.
I'd say it to every reporter with a microphone, every camera pointed in her direction, every smug bastard who thought he had the right to show up here and make her feel small.
I'd say it however many times it took to make Preston understand she's out of reach.
That he doesn't get to corner her anymore. Doesn't get to manipulate her. Doesn't get to act like she's something he can win back because he decided he's not done with her.
No.
If the word girlfriend puts a wall between Riley and that piece of shit, then I'll build the damn wall myself. Brick by brick.
The problem is, it didn't just feel protective. It felt true.
I know Riley’s barely had time to breathe since she landed in my car. She's still trying to figure out who she's when no one's lying to her, controlling her, deciding for her. The last thing she needs is me crowding her with feelings she's not ready to carry.
I know that.
I know she doesn't need another man making claims on her before she's had the chance to make any choices for herself.
So if she needs space, I'll give it to her.
If she needs friendship, I'll give her that too.
If she needs me to stand beside her and pretend this is nothing more than a convenient lie, I'll do that with a smile on my face and keep every selfish thought to myself.
I can be patient.
I can be whatever she needs me to be while she finds her footing again.
But I'm not going to lie to myself.
When I said the word, something in me settled.
Because, somewhere deep down, I know.
I know the way she fits in this house already, like the place had been waiting for her.
And I know that whatever this is between us, it's not temporary for me.
Maybe the girlfriend thing is a lie for now. But not forever.
Someday, it'll be true. And when it is, Riley will be mine.
From the entryway, I hear her exhale.
Then I hear her feet on the floor, moving toward the kitchen.
She comes around the counter and picks up the water without a word. She drinks half of it and sets it back down.
“Thank you.”
That’s it. I can’t stay away another minute.
“Come here, sweetheart.” She crosses the space, and my arms are around her again, this time, holding her tightly like she might disappear if I let go.
I lean down and kiss her head.
“I’m not going to let him take you again. I promise.”
The words solidify in my heart because I mean the hell out of them. Preston has something else coming if he thinks he’s up against me.