Page 124 of From You to Me

“Fuck, Evy.” I crushed her to my chest, running my hand down her back as her body rattled from her cries. The sounds coming from her torched my blood.

“Hey,” I whispered, wiping away all her tears. “It’s all over now. No one will hurt you anymore, okay? I swear I won’t let anything happen to you from now on. You have me, forever. I am never leaving your side, okay?”

She nodded but continued to cry.

I hugged her close to me as she let it all out.

It felt like forever before her cries turned to tiny whimpers and then her breathing settled as she came back to me again.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, running the back of her hand through the remnants of the wetness stuck to her face. “I’m a mess.”

“The most beautiful mess.” I kissed her sweet lips.

My heart soared from the laugh that transformed her face. God, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I didn’t ever want to be apart from her for a second.

Evelyn was the pulse that jumped up my heart. She was the light that soared my life. She was the reason I wanted to wake up every morning to live because I wanted to and not because I had to. The past few months showed me how much I missed her. How much I needed her in my life.

She was my inevitable.

She was my undoing.

And I didn’t want it any other way.

EVY

“You ready to head down?” Jay asked as we lifted ourselves from the floor.

“Yes,” I mumbled as I stretched out. It was close to midnight, and the air was a lot colder. Not that it affected me because I had a human torch keeping me all toasty.

“You sleepy?” We entered the apartment, making our way straight to the living room.

“Not really.” I lifted a shoulder. “I should probably go home.”

His blues flashed to mine. “Stay.”

My exhale caught in my throat. “Thought this was the first date, Jay.”

“It is.” He smirked. “I wanted you to stay because it’s pretty late, but it seems your mind has taken you somewhere dirty.”

A flush pinked my cheeks. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Yes, of course you didn’t,” he mocked, but then the lines around his eyes softened. “You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded as I felt a real smile sweeping my lips. “Yes.” And it was the truth. It felt like all the pain caged inside me burst open. Set free like a flickering ember from the flame that has beenburning for hours. I could feel the lightness in my bones and I loved this feeling. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way and I don’t want to change it anytime soon.

“How about some food?” He raised a brow, peering inside his fridge.

“If by food, you mean the monstrosity that you keep inside your fridge, no thank you.”

He rolled his eyes, his face glowing from the light of the fridge. “I have ice cream.”

I gasped, holding my palms to my chest. “What?” I asked. “The healthy asshole has ice cream in his fridge? I still remember him reprimanding me for adding a splash of oil to his omelet.

“I’m sorry,” he grumbled sheepishly as he ran his fingers through his hair. “It just drove me mad to see you in my kitchen.”

A chuckle spilled out of me. God, he was so adorable. “Fine, I like my ice cream with lots of chocolate fudge and roasted almonds.”

“Whoa, that’s a new one.” He gave me a lopsided grin.

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