Chapter 16
sixteen
I’ve been able to hold Kelsea off for almost two full days.
She’s been so adamant that I need to explain everything that’s been going on to Elijah, but I told her no.
I don’t want to give him another burden to shoulder when he just brought home his babies.
This is my problem to solve, not his. But this morning she threatened my life.
Well, technically, she threatened to withhold sex, which is essentially the same thing. Because at this point, I’m not sure I can survive without a taste of her body at least once a day.
I pull up to Grovewood Ink and see his truck parked in the alley on the side of the building. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I check my phone and see a message from Kelsea on the lock screen.
Kelsea: Did you tell him yet?
This woman is relentless. But I know she’s only riding my ass because she cares about my safety, which gives me a strange feeling of satisfaction and contentment I’ve never felt before. I text her back quickly before I go inside.
Me: No, I just got here. Going in now.
Kelsea: Don’t be a bitch.
I laugh out loud at her quick response. I swear this woman is just asking for me to paint her perfect ass red for taunting me this way.
Me: Careful, goddess. I have no problem showing you just how much of a man I am.
Kelsea: Promise? *wink*
God, this woman. For a while now, I’ve known that everything I feel for her isn’t casual or temporary. I don’t know why I haven’t told her that. I’d blame it on not finding the right time, but that’s bullshit.
Kelsea: Don’t be nervous, honey. He’s your best friend. You are not a burden, Ev. He needs to know.
I know she’s right. I allow her encouragement to give me the push I need to get out of the truck and go inside.
Eli stands at the counter, looking over the online appointment schedule.
He’s only been back to work for a few days, and even now he’s only carrying a light load.
But I don’t mind picking up the slack. My sister and their children are more important right now.
“Hey, man. How’s my favorite baby daddy?” I ask, slapping him on the shoulder and pulling him into a hug.
“Fucking exhausted. But happier than I’ve even been.” His eyes shine with pride. “The kids are amazing, don’t get me wrong. But so is sleep,” he chuckles.
“I don’t think sleep and newborns really go together. I mean, I don’t have much experience in the field, but I think it’s par for the course.” His lack of sleep is not something I envy. I’d be dead on my feet if I was in his place.
“Yeah, but your sister is incredible. She’s been so patient with them and with me. I don’t know what I did to deserve a woman like her.” He stares off into space, love for his wife written all over his face.
“Yeah, I don’t know what you did, either. God knows your ugly mug didn’t convince her,” I joke, and he rolls his eyes.
“What’s so important that I needed to leave my family to come bask in your presence, asshole?” He leans back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.
I take a deep breath, running through the details in my head so I can tell him the facts. I look around the waiting room, making sure the shop is empty.
“I have a problem,” I mumble. “Breaker told me Justin’s dad put a fucking contract on my head.”
His eyes widen in surprise, his muscles tensing at the mention of my sister’s ex. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“He said his dad is a congressman. Apparently, he used his political connections to find his way onto the dark web. He put out a contract for somebody to take me out. I’m assuming this is an ‘eye for an eye’ situation.
Breaker said he tried reaching out to some local gangs and none of them were willing to help him, so he went global.
My life is currently worth about 1.5 mil, evidently.
” I lean my hip onto the counter, letting him absorb everything I’ve just told him.
“Fuck, Ev. This is insane. A fucking hit? His son was a piece of shit! Even he knew that. He’d been covering up his mistakes for years.” He runs his hands through his hair.
“I mean, I felt like we were doing him and the world a favor. Apparently, he saw it differently,” I shrug.
“What are we gonna do here?” Eli asks, his voice hard and determined.
“We aren’t gonna do anything, Elijah. This is my fucking mess. I’m not dragging you into this. You have a family now. I can’t ask you to put a target on your back for me. I won’t.” I do my best not to leave room for argument, but he’s obviously been spending too much time with my sister.
“Ember didn’t ask you to put yourself in the middle of her bullshit and put a bullet in the fucker’s head either, Everett.
You did it because she's family and you love her. I’m in this whether you want me to be or not.
” His words hold a finality in them. He won’t back down here, and I know if he tells my sister everything, she won’t let me deal with this on my own.
“She's my sister. I couldn’t sit on my ass doing nothing,” I rationalize.
“And you’re my brother, Everett. Literally, now.” He’s got me there. We’re family in every sense of the word.
“I should have known this is what Kelsea wanted when she started pushing me to tell you,” I say with a smirk. She knew he wouldn’t be able to abandon me in this.
“How’s that going, by the way? Still sunshine and rainbows?” He cocks an eyebrow up, a smug look on his face.
“Do you mean am I as pussy whipped by her as you are by Ember? Nah. Not possible.” I joke. But we both know it’s a lie. I’m so far past gone for Kelsea, and it’s obvious.
“Hey, I’m not afraid to admit I’m so fucking in love with Ember I can’t survive without her. She is my wife, ya know. It would be a lot weirder if I wasn’t.” He’s got a point.
Is that what I feel for Kelsea? I know I crave her body like a fucking addict.
But I also crave her mind, her spirit, just…
her. She makes me feel lighter than I’ve ever felt, like I don’t have to carry my past or problems alone.
I can’t imagine going a day without hearing her voice or feeling her touch.
Even though we’ve only been official for a few weeks, I think I’ve loved her for years if I’m being honest with myself.
The first time I saw her crystal blue eyes, full of fire and strength, I was attracted to her.
Learning the different facets of her personality over the years of our friendship has only made her so much more beautiful to me.
It’s the way she exudes confidence, carrying herself like the goddess she is, even when she’s feeling unsure.
It’s her emotional attachment to reality dating shows.
There isn’t a single part of her that isn’t perfection.
She’s shown me that love isn’t this grand gesture of showering someone with material things or one big showy proclamation.
True love is a million small gestures, a million acts of kindness she’s shown me, just to make my life easier.
Bringing me dinner when I have to be at the shop late or organizing my nightmare of a closet so I can actually find my shit a lot easier, things that seem insignificant but all add up to one truth.
I love her. Probably more than I’ve ever loved another person in my life.
It’s hard for me to fathom that only a few months ago, I was content in living my life single.
I wasn’t interested in being tied down by anyone or anything.
But that was before I tasted Kelsea’s lips and the world flipped on its axis.
All the broken pieces of my soul, the cracks I’ve struggled for years to cover up, she paves over them like they aren’t even there.
She sees who I am, sees the darkness that follows me, and she loves me anyway.
The need to be near her is primal, like I won’t survive without breathing her in every single day.
Is this what it means to be all-consumed by someone?
A physical pang clenches in my heart, and I look to Elijah. He gives me a knowing smirk, as if to say he’s well aware of what I’m feeling right now. My eyes widen in surprise at my realization and I stare at him, unable to process this feeling.
“Oh shit,” I say quietly, mentally surveying my relationship with Kelsea. “Am I fucking whipped? No. No way. Am I?”
Elijah laughs whole heartedly in response, slapping me on the shoulder. “Oh yeah, dude. You’re totally fucked. Sorry, but ya know… not sorry.”
“I love her,” saying it out loud makes it really hit home, the words crashing into me like waves against a rocky shore. I have to brace myself against the counter to keep myself upright. Never in a million years did I think this shit would happen to me.
The bell above the front door rings, snapping me out of my stupor.
Elijah's smug grin taunts me as he walks back to his station to get ready for his first client.
Two sorority girls saunter up to the counter, both bleached blonde with clothes so skin tight they leave nothing to the imagination.
Six months ago, I would probably have been halfway done convincing at least one of them to come home with me tonight, maybe both of them.
But now I find myself comparing every woman I see to Kelsea. Nobody even comes close.
“Hey, we saw the sign said walk-ins welcome. Do you have room for us tonight?” Blonde number one asks. She bats her fake eyelashes at me, obviously undressing me in her mind right now. I feel absolutely nothing in response to her blatant flirting.
“Um… yeah. Let me check the books.” I move behind the counter, pulling up my schedule for the night on the computer screen. It’s wide open. “I’m free tonight. For both of you?”
“Yeah, we want to get matching designs,” blonde number two says, her voice high pitched and nasally, instantly annoying.