Page 43 of Scoring Grey

I click off the call to answer the other, and when I do, it’s gone. “Damn it!” I call Coach back. I never miss calls from Beck, but when I dial him back, it goes straight to voicemail. One more time, I dial his number for good measure, but—nothing. “How the fuck did I go from the best day ever to this?” With my hands on my hips, I breathe deep. There are a million thoughts fighting for dominance, and I try to land on one that’s actionable and doesn’t include running out my front door to her.

“Grayson.” I need to get a hold of my lawyer. My fingers quickly flick over the screen, scrolling to his number before I shoot him a text.

Callum: I want this down immediately. Defamation, slander, whatever it takes. I didn’t give my permission for this to be released, and she is most definitely not my girl.

I take a screenshot of the picture for reference and then add.

Callum: I don’t care what the costs are. I want this handled.

I stare at my phone for long seconds before chucking it hard into my pillows. “This can’t be fucking happening.” They say when you love someone, you’re supposed to set them free, but that doesn’t work for me. I head to my front door. I’ve waited. I gave her space. I’ve done this her way. I’m done. I don’t want to live without her. I can’t live without her. I throw open the front door. This ends now. Whatever happens with the tabloid shit doesn’t matter as long as I have her by my side, and I refuse to have it any other way. She’s mine. There’s no going back. I won’t allow it.

It’s been three hours since Eloise walked out the door, and in that time, I’ve accomplished nothing more than worrying away years of my life. The first place I went was hers. I searched every room, only to come up empty, and when I tried calling her, I found her phone sitting next to the easel in my living room. The only solace I found in all this mess was that she couldn’t have gone far. It’s cold as hell outside, and she only wore jeans, a sweater, and Tieks when she left. Naturally unable to sit still, I checked the gym, the pool, and even the rooftop deck, though finding her there was highly unlikely. Unable to sit and do nothing, I walked around the block, peeking in all the windows, searching for her face, and again, nothing.

I release a long-winded breath and stare down at the street below. “Just come home, Eloise. Come back so we can work this out.” No sooner I’ve uttered the last word than it’s as though my spoken plea is answered because I hear the door across the hall close. There are only two doors at this end of the hall, which means it has to be her, but the second I open my door to get to her, Dash is there, his hand raised, ready to knock.

“Oh, it’s just you,” I say, releasing the knob, somewhat defeated.

“Nice to see you too,” he says, running his hand through his sandy-blond hair. “Don’t freak out, but there’s been an accident.”

I straighten, my heart rate immediately accelerating. “Those words don’t belong in the same sentence. What do you mean there’s been an accident? Where’s Eloise? Is she hurt?” Before he can answer, I’m crossing the hall. I heard a door close, which means he came out of there, and I’m going on a strong hunch she’s there too.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you,” he says, following behind me. “I had just parked my rental when I saw her slip on a patch of ice. She hit the ground hard. The fall knocked the breath from her lungs?—”

My eyes search the living room, and when they don’t land on her, I turn my panicked gaze on him. “Where is she?”

He points down the hall, and I start walking. “I tried to take her to the hospital, but she refused.”

“Why didn’t you bring her to my place?” I demand, salty that he didn’t think to bring her to me.

“Because my hands were full, and I didn’t know your door code. I took care of her, got her dry clothes, and?—”

I stop in my tracks and turn, pushing my finger into his chest hard. “Are you telling me your eyes saw what’s only mine?”

He grinds his teeth and pushes my hand away. “No… Lou and I aren’t like that. I got her clothes, an ice pack, and some ibuprofen, then I came to let you know what happened, a choice I’m quickly regretting.”

My eyes narrow on his and I take a breath. I’m not mad at him. Everything I’m feeling has nothing to do with him, and I need to get a grip on myself before I go through that door. “Thank you,” comes out. I nod toward the door. “I’ll take it from here.”

He crosses his arms. “How about we leave that for her to decide?”

I don’t bother giving his posturing a response. Instead, I open the door to her room. Nothing is going to keep me from her. The second I open the door and see her lying on the bed, her hair damp, mascara smudged, and face pained, I rush to her side. “Eloise.” I sit beside her and take her hand. “I’m so damn sorry.”

She shakes her head, and the smallest of tears slides down the side of her face. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left like that, but I couldn’t help it.”

“Lou, are you good here?” Dash asks behind me, but I don’t take my eyes off her.

She nods. “I’m fine, Dash. Thank you for saving me.”

I can’t help but clench my jaw. I hate that I feel like I’m the reason she needed saving, to begin with. The second the door closes, I reach for her cheek. “Where did you go? What happened? I’ve been going mad.”

Her hand grips mine. “I’m not telling you where I went. Then you’ll know where to find me when I need a minute to myself?—”

“Wrong. You don’t get any more minutes to yourself. I forbid it. From now on, we’ll be doing things my way, Eloise. If you want to be mad, fine, be mad, but you can do it in another room in our house. I’m not letting you leave me again. Nothing happened between me and Blair. I’d never lie to you. You’re my whole fucking world. You and Adler are the only thing I care about.”

Her hand squeezes mine. “I know.” She closes her eyes. “I knew that before I walked out, but you don’t understand?—”

“You’re right. I don’t understand because you keep shutting me out. You shut me out for six fucking years, Eloise.” She flinches, and I rein in my tone, realizing how upset I’m getting. “For too long, you’ve kept whatever it is that’s been eating you up inside to yourself,” I say, my tone softer. “If you ever expect us to be partners, and I mean true partners, then you need to be honest with me. We’ve laid our truths out there. If this isn’t about Blair, then what is it? What is it that’s eating you up inside now?” I hate seeing the worry and sadness on her face. I want to protect her, but I can’t when I don’t know what’s tearing her up, which reminds me. “And don’t worry about Blair. Consider it handled. I already have my lawyer working on it.”

Her eyes widen. “Can you call your lawyer off?” She tries to move and winces.

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