31. Elias
Elias was dirty and sweaty by the time he stepped away from his creation. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was a damned sight better than it had been. He was starting to see the story emerge from the metal. Honestly, it was his favourite moment. Rarely did he start an artwork and love it from the get-go. Mostly he hated them right up until this point. Michelangelo was reported to have said that he saw an angel in the marble and carved until he set it free. Elias couldn’t actually say that was what happened to him, but there was definitely a turning point in a piece where it went from nothing to something. The trick was not giving up before he reached that point.
He tossed his safety goggles aside and stepped into the small bathroom off the workshop floor to run some water over his face and arms. He needed a shower, and he’d need to pick up another load of scrap metal before he could do any more work. Using a rag, he wiped off his face and hands and crossed to the speaker to shut off the music. When he swiped his phone out of focus mode, he saw the missed calls and texts from Kate.
He swore softly, thumbing the notification to call her back.
‘So you’re not dead, then?’
‘Yeah. Sorry. I was working. Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine.’
An alarm blared in his head. Warning! Warning! Danger! Danger!
‘I’m on my way… are you home?’
‘Don’t rush on my account.’ She hung up without letting him say anything else.
Fuck.
Putting his phone on Do Not Disturb had been habit. When he was working and got into a flow state, any disruptions were like poison. It had been his saving grace when getting ready for an exhibition. But today? The piece he was working on wasn’t even that important… or at least, it wasn’t yet. But that was no excuse. Even if he did use the Do Not Disturb feature, he needed to set up an exception for Kate. What if there had been an emergency?
Elias closed up and locked his warehouse before jumping into his truck. The rain drummed steadily on the windscreen as he navigated his way out of the industrial park and into the traffic. The roads were full, and he tapped the steering wheel impatiently as he crawled along with everyone else. When were they going to invent flying cars? But then, would the traffic be any better if they were in the sky?
It took far longer than he liked, but eventually he made it back to Kate’s place. He pressed his lips together when he noticed the car parked out front. Dr Douchebag. Great. What the hell was he doing here? Elias had specifically asked Kate not to be alone with him. He hadn’t asked much of her, and he thought the request was a reasonable one considering the guy’s behaviour the last time they’d met.
Elias slammed out of his truck and marched up the driveway to the house. He didn’t care that he was getting drenched. He was so mad, the rain was probably rising off him as steam.
He kicked his boots off as he entered the house, and although the sound of Kate’s laughter put part of his mind at ease, it stirred up the little green monster inside him. He stopped and took a breath to calm himself before stepping into the living room. He plastered a wide, friendly smile on his face and looked Dr Douchebag dead in the eye.
‘I see you have company,’ Elias said.
‘Hugo was my saviour today,’ Kate replied, ice in her tone.
Elias raised an eyebrow and looked at her. Her tone may have been cold, but her eyes were blazing.
‘Your saviour?’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t say it like that but, if you insist,’ Hugo said with a smarmy smile.
‘You’re just a regular knight in shining armour, aren’t you?’ Elias said through gritted teeth.
‘He did rescue me when I was stranded. I tried to call you, but you must have been busy.’
The words sounded reasonable, but when they came out of Kate’s mouth, they were acerbic.
‘I was working. You know, just like when you’re at work and can’t get to your phone?’
Okay, so his work wasn’t quite the same as hers, but did she seriously expect him to just drop everything for her on a whim? He didn’t even know where the hell he stood with her. She was hot one minute and cold the next. He had given up so much already in this relationship, but what had she given up? A spare room?
The injustice of it all and the sight of Hugo sitting there listening to them fight made him want to spin on his heel and walk right out of her life. It’s what he had always done in the past. Why bother fighting for something when he was the only one fighting for it? But this was bigger than just him and Kate. This was about their baby, who couldn’t fight for itself yet. The baby needed Elias to fight for them.
‘Thank you, Hugo,’ Elias said, keeping his voice calm and his eyes on Kate. ‘I appreciate you bringing Kate home, but if you wouldn’t mind, I think it’s time you left.’
‘Kate?’
Kate didn’t look at Hugo. ‘He’s right. We’ve got things we need to discuss.’
Hugo hesitated, but when neither of them looked at him, he sighed and grumbled something inaudible before finally leaving.
They stared at each other without speaking. Kate was seated on the couch, and Elias was where he had been when he walked in, and he was dripping all over the floor. He should have a shower and change but this was too important. They needed to discuss it now and put some ground rules in place.
Elias reached for the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head. He couldn’t do much about his jeans, but he could at least minimise the damage by removing his shirt.
Kate’s eyes dropped to his chest and hung there for a long moment. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m trying to save your floors,’ he replied, tossing the shirt onto the tiled entry.
‘Go and shower. We can talk later?—’
‘No,’ he said, stepping toward her. ‘We’re going to discuss this now. Why was Dr Douchebag here?’
‘I told you. Hugo rescued me.’
‘Elaborate.’
‘My car overheated. I called roadside assistance, but my policy had lapsed. I called the mechanic and they said they could come and look at it, but it would be a couple of hours. I went to wait at a café and ran into Hugo.’
‘You, “ran into” Hugo.’ Yes, he made air quotes with his fingers.
‘You make it sound suspicious.’
‘That’s because I think it is suspicious he was just there when you needed him.’
‘I tried calling you, remember?’
Elias raked his hand through his wet hair. ‘I’m sorry. My phone was on Do Not Disturb. I know it’s no excuse, but it’s a habit I’ve picked up. I will put your number in as an exception so I won’t miss another call from you.’
‘What if it had been serious? What if… there was something wrong with the baby?’ The last bit came out in a whisper, as if she didn’t want to verbalise the thought.
He wanted to assure her it wouldn’t happen again, but what could he say? It had happened, and he couldn’t go back and change things.
‘I need to know you’re serious about this,’ Kate said.
‘Me?’
‘Yes, you.’
He exhaled roughly. ‘I think I have done a hell of a lot to prove to you how serious I am about this. About you. About us and the baby. But what have you done, Kate? You asked me to stay with you last night, and then this morning it was like it never happened. Do you actually want me around, or am I just a convenient body for you?’
Kate’s face paled. ‘What?’
‘I get that I’m not your ideal partner. I get that I’m younger and still starting out in my career. I even understand that I may not be as mature as you would like, but I am trying and I am all in, Kate. All in. Whereas you…’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t even know where I stand with you.’
She blinked rapidly as if she was trying to process everything he’d said.
When she didn’t say anything, he tipped his head to the ceiling and exhaled roughly.
‘Fine. I get it.’
She didn’t want him. She was just putting up with him. Wasn’t that the story of his life?
He turned to walk toward the bathroom. He would shower and leave. If she didn’t want him here, then he wasn’t going to force the issue. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be there for the baby, though. It just meant he was finally putting the fantasy of them being a family to bed.
‘Wait.’ Kate caught his arm and he stilled. ‘That’s… I mean…’
Elias turned around to look at her.
‘I do want you,’ she whispered, her eyes wide with something that looked a lot like fear. ‘But I’m… scared.’
‘Of me?’ The thought twisted his gut.
‘What? No.’ She shook her head. ‘Of course I’m not scared of you. I’m just… I haven’t had a very good track record with men.’
He stepped closer. ‘Did someone hurt you?’ His voice was a low growl.
‘No. I mean, not like that. I was hurt. Of course I was, but not physically. I just mean… I’ve been let down and betrayed before. Multiple times. I’m scared to let you get too close. Today, when I couldn’t get hold of you, my immediate thought was not that something had happened to you, but that you were with someone else.’
‘Kate,’ he murmured, resting his hands on her shoulders.
‘I know it’s irrational but… that’s been my experience, so you can understand why I’m a little… skittish.’
He rubbed her arms gently. ‘I can promise you this. There is no one else I want to be with. You are my complete focus, Kate.’
‘That’s the baby.’ She looked away from him.
He bent his knees so he could get down into her eye line. ‘No, Kate. I wanted you before I knew about the baby. I was devastated when I woke up that morning and you were gone. You didn’t even leave your phone number. I had no way of contacting you, and then when I saw you again, you were with him. I was so jealous, I couldn’t see straight. I know you only want us to be friends, but honestly? I’ve wanted more from the start. I just didn’t want to pressure you.’
Kate searched his eyes. ‘Do you really mean it?’
‘I mean it.’
‘Don’t ignore my calls again.’
He smiled. ‘I won’t.’
‘And… as for last night?’
Elias held his breath.
‘You weren’t just a convenient body.’ She stepped closer to him, disregarding his wet jeans. Her hands went to his chest. ‘I’ve wanted you too. I was just… protecting myself.’
Elias lowered his head and ran his nose along the side of hers. ‘How about we try protecting one another?’ he whispered.
She nodded. ‘Okay.’
Drawing his lips closer to hers, he replied, ‘Okay.’
Then he kissed her.