Page 48 of Under Your Care

He spoke clearly and concisely; he looked calm. “I’d gone so long thinking that it would never end. I was a kid, Tate.I was just a kid…” He closed his eyes for a moment as he breathed deeply. “And when you said you didn’t need me anymore, I felt destroyed. It was so confusing, you know? I hated every little thing you did to me. I hated even looking at you or hearing your name. So why the fuck was Iupsetthat you were letting me go? I couldn’t figure that out for years. I went through highschool thinking I was sick and perverted. But, no… No, I felt that way because you had killed my motherfucking soul and then thrown away the husk of my body. I was a fucking child who was made to believe no one would ever want me but you, and then you fucking left? I’m glad you did. I’m even grateful for it. But I felt so messed up. I felt like maybe I wasn’t actually a victim since I wasn’t jumping for joy when you abandoned me.”

A glance over to the corner showed me that Oliver was quietly crying into Hayes’ leg. My eyes met his. For a moment, we were just two people who mourned for the life that was lost, and the life that was made.

Lane continued, “I wish there was something I could say that would make you understand, but there’s not. You’re the exact same now as you were back then. In your eyes, your preteen cousin was obviously seducing you and you justhadto rape me. Although, you probably don’t consider it rape, doyou? How deranged are you that you truly believe Iwantedit? I’ve tried so hard to understandwhy. I’ve tried to make excuses for you in my mind. I’ve gone back and forth for years in my head about whether or not those two years actually happened or if I had made it all up. I questioned my very reality because of you.”

We all watched as he circled the gurney to reach the array of weapons my brothers had laid out for him. He spent no time deciding, picking up a butcher knife. My princess had seemingly developed a taste for knives.

Lane placed a hand on the edge of the gurney, pushing it to see if it’d move. When it didn’t budge, he held the blade of the knife between his teeth and climbed onto the gurney to straddle Tate’s abdomen. I bristled at Lane being on top of another man, but the sight of him with that knife between his plush lips was worth it.

Once he was settled, he took the blade from his lips and held it at his side. He stared down at his abuser, having forgotten our presence long ago.

“I’ve been thinking about how to kill you. I thought about torturing you. I thought of a lot of inventive ways of murdering someone. But now I’m just tired of spending my time thinking of you. I want to go home, have my boyfriend pamper me, order sushi, and fuck. I want to watch a movie in his lap while my cat sits in mine. I want to forget you ever existed. And I will. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not even a month from now, but eventually. You won’t control me any longer. I’ll no longer want to throw up when I see your name. I’ll be able to drink the brand of beer you always made me drink.”

“The reality, Tate, is that you have donenothingin your life to be remembered by,” Lane said. “I stabbed another guy to death recently. I don’t remember most of it, but apparently it was pretty gruesome. Honestly, I think I took out all the violence meant for you on him. You could consider yourself lucky, or you could piss yourself thinking about how slow this blade will pierce you. I’m going to savor every second of it.”

Lane held the knife just above the right side of Tate’s chest. Hesteadily pushed the blade into his skin. We watched as centimeter after centimeter disappeared. When a little over half of the blade was in, Lane twisted the knife and plunged it to the hilt. He then smoothly and quickly pulled the knife from its sheath. Blood flowed freely out of the wound, cascading down Tate’s sides onto the gurney.

I stepped around the side to stand facing Lane. He lifted his head and met my eye contact, sharing a moment of silence with me. He sat, slightly panting, on the now dead body of the man who had plagued his thoughts for years. His hair brushed against his shoulders as they rose and fell in time to his breaths. Those expressive eyes of his displayed a storm inside of him. It was just him and I when I stepped forward, leaning slightly over the top of the gurney. Lane’s eyes closed as he surged forward and kissed me. My hands came up to cradle his head between them. As I deepened the kiss, Lane’s lips parted for me, a small, needy whimper escaping.

It didn’t escape me that we were passionately making out just a foot or two above Tate’s head. Lane gently nipped my bottom lip before pulling back an inch and resting his forehead on mine.

He breathed, “Thank you.”

“For what, baby?”

His eyelids fluttered open, long auburn lashes framing his ocean eyes. He spoke, his gaze not leaving mine, “For letting me really live again.” I brushed my thumb over his cheek.

I murmured curiously, “What do you mean, sweetheart?”

“Before we met, I was just going through the motions. I felt so broken, Grey. I was alive, but I wasn’t living. You didn’t need to give me his life for me to feel alive. I’m glad he’s gone, but right now, I don’t feel any different from how I felt before his heart stopped. He didn’t need to be dead for me to feel complete. You complete me, Grey.”

“Baby–”

“I’m not done,” he grumbled, bringing an adoring smile to my lips. “Ijust don’t want you to think that I love you only because you gave me justice. I love you so much, Greyson.” Lane’s voice caught in his throat. He whispered, “Can we get married?”

I was not expecting that. A laugh bubbled out of me, actual joy flooding my system. I shook my head in disbelief. “Baby, are you proposing? And here I was, planning a whole thing, just for you to ask me from on top of a dead body.”

He happily giggled while rolling his eyes, “I guess it was a silly question. Your “proposal” would have just been you telling me that we’re getting married.” Lane’s mouth dropped open as an idea popped into his mind. “I need to buy wedding lingerie!”

I lovingly chuckled, holding up my hand to help him step down to the floor. “I have to get you a pretty, little ring first. Maybe some other pieces as well… First things first, let’s get you home. I believe you mentioned pampering, sushi, fucking, and watching a movie?”

A brilliant smile accompanied his laugh, “Maybe it can be pampering, fucking, sushi, fucking, watching a movie, and more fucking?”

“Whatever you want, princess,” I grinned.

Chapter 21

Lane

Four Months Later

Tonight had been as perfect as a fairytale, thanks to Greyson. He’d given me the most perfect wedding of my dreams. The small ceremony had been held in a gorgeous botanical garden, complete with butterflies of every color and a really fat squirrel that I was pretty sure wasn’t supposed to be in here. My parents had flown in; they’d grown much more comfortable with Greyson and I’s relationship. It had definitely taken them some time to come to terms with our age gap and former therapist-client relationship, but they had. My parents were now fully Team Greyson, which was wonderful, but also a tiny bit annoying since they now always sided with him on family disagreements. My mom had cried to me several times about how happy she was to know I was being taken care of; my dad was obsessed with Greyson’s opinion on anything business-related.

In total, we had six guests - my parents, Greyson’s brothers, Oliver, and funnily enough, Amelia, the receptionist at Greyson’s office.

My wedding band was a simple gold band decorated with rubies. It felt so complementary to my ring - beautiful, precious and clear diamonds above an equally beautiful band of blood. The meaning didn’t escape me.

I wore a knee-length white shift dress draped in chains of pearls. The sharp inhale I’d gotten from Greyson when I’d walked down the aisle made me giddy. I glowed, happiness infused in my skin. I bit back a giggle when the dark, lustful look in his eyes clearly showed how much he wanted to rip my outfit off. I couldn’t wait until he saw what I was wearing underneath.

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