Page 87 of Catching My Dreams

The glassy sheen in Ella’s eyes kept his anger in check. She wanted to end things as little as he did, and that fact kept Noah from losing his shit.

“If we put the brakes on this, Brett wins,” he said. “Don’t let him come between us. It’s exactly what he wants.”

Ella hesitated, but she gave in with a nod. “I hate him,” she whispered.

“Me too.”

Noah had never hated anyone before, but he hated Brett. It was an ugly, bitter feeling, and he knew that if he ever got given the chance, he would end him. It was a scary thing—to be so certain that he could kill. But Noah knew he wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of the person who would never leave Ella alone and who couldn’t be contained by any prison cell.

“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” Ella asked. “I thought I felt something before he appeared today, and if I’d paid attention to that feeling, I might have stood a better chance.”

Noah pulled her closer. It scared him—how close he’d come to losing her, how close he’d come to complete and utter ruin. “I’ll be careful. Nothing will happen to me.”

It was another promise he might not be able to keep, but he knew that as long as Ella was safe, he didn’t care what happened to him. As long as she was safe, that was all that mattered.

“I love you, Montgomery,” he murmured into her hair, the soft strands catching his words.

“I love you, too,” she replied.

And Noah could only hope that it was enough. They had each other, and Brett could never change that. Noah would make sure of it.

25

“That was so much harder than last time,” Riley said as she and Ella left the gym.

Riley had joined her for another yoga class, but she’d picked the wrong day to come. Ella knew her inner thighs and abs would be killing her the next morning. But despite it being a more grueling session than usual, she hadn’t minded. Putting her energy into their class had distracted her from everything else.

“At least you didn’t elbow me in the face,” Ella pointed out with a grin that took the bite from her words.

A chilly breeze blew against them, bringing goosebumps to her arms despite her flushed and sweaty skin. She shivered and pulled her sweatshirt over her tank top.

Halloween had come and gone earlier that week, and the trees lining the street were a beautiful wash of yellows, oranges, and reds. Ella preferred the greenery and flower buds of spring, but there was no denying the beauty of D.C. in fall, even if it came with chillier weather.

“There’s that,” Riley replied, her nose scrunching up in an adorable wince. “And we all know how easily a yoga class can get out of hand.”

“Exactly,” Ella replied in response to Riley’s sarcastic retort. “I’m counting my blessings.”

Riley’s phone buzzed with a message, and she pulled it from the pocket of her hoodie. “The guys will meet us at the coffee place in a few minutes,” she told Ella after she’d read the message and replied to it. “They’re just running a bit late.”

Ella nodded. Noah and Asher were meant to meet them at the coffee shop right across the road from the gym. It was a double date, and she wasn’t sure if she should be nervous or excited about it. She supposed it all depended on whether Asher was still opposed to her and Noah dating or if he’d come around to the idea.

And considering he’d been present for a lot of her and Noah’s bickering, she wasn’t sure her best friend would have had enough time to get used to it.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but how are you doing?” Riley asked once they’d grabbed a table inside the coffee shop.

Ella blew out a heavy breath. “I’m dealing.”

It had only been two days since Brett had broken into her house, and the truth was she was barely coping. Noah and Archie were the only reasons she was still getting a few hours of sleep at night and managing to function.

As expected, the police didn’t find anything in the house that would help them find Brett, and even if they were building an iron-clad case against him, none of it would matter. Detective Perez was doing his best, but the best would never be good enough when it came to someone like Brett.

“What about you?” Ella asked, wanting to take the focus off of her but also curious about Riley’s bloodshot and puffy eyes. “Did something happen?” she added more gently.

Riley smiled tightly. “I guess the eyedrops didn’t work so well?”

Ella shook her head. “They never do.” She would know, considering she’d been sporting equally red eyes the previous day.

The other woman played with the end of her braid and set her gaze down on the table. “Everything’s fine with me. It’s just one of the ghosts I had to help this morning.”

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