Page 83 of Fool Me Once

My angel. My savior. My safe haven.

If someone had told me when we were kids that Smith was going to grow up to be this patient man, covered in tattoos, who had the ability to calm even the strongest of my storms, I don’t think I would have believed them. We were young and immature. And as much as I wish that we could have continued to grow up together instead of him leaving and maturing on his own, I’m not sure we would have been as resilient as we are right now. Both as individuals and as a couple.

This foundation we’ve built wasn’t made overnight. It was formed from the deepest parts of our souls. Where things like grief, anger, patience, communication, and selflessness roam all together, learning to coexist. We’re here right now, stronger than we’ve ever been, after learning to keep the things that matter most closest to us and letting go of things that we can’t change when it’s time.

Being a victim of abuse has shaped me into the warrior that I am today, and when I look in the mirror, I’m proud of the woman staring back at me. She’s worked so hard to get to the place she’s at.

Once we’re outside the courtroom, Smith wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer. His lips press to the top of my head as he sways us back and forth. “I’m so proud of you, baby,” he murmurs thickly. “You did so well.”

Even though today has sucked, I can feel a weight that’s being lifted from my body. Almost like I’ve had bricks sitting on my shoulders, waiting anxiously for this all to be over, and one by one, someone is pulling the bricks off of me and tossing them to the side.

Smith kisses me before releasing me because his sister is all but shoving him out of the way.

“I want to hug her too!” she whines before throwing her arms aroundme and running her hand over the top of my head as our foreheads press together. “You amaze me, you know?” She sniffles.

“I love you.” I smile, squeezing her tightly.

My mind flashes back to that very first day in a new school when I was a kid. Since then, Saylor has been my constant. She’s never strayed, and somehow, I know she never will.

And Smith has proven time and time again that he’d move mountains just to make me smile, even though I wish he didn’t have to.

I don’t deserve these two Sawyer siblings, but they’ve gotten me through this life and all its challenges.

When Saylor finally lets go, I walk over to my mom and dad.

My father hugs me first. “I’m so proud of you, Gem.” His voice is strained, and though he tries to stay strong, when he releases me, I see his eyes are glossed over.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “For being here.”

Before he can respond, my mom throws her arms around me. “I’m sorry we didn’t know,” she whimpers against my ear. “I’m your mom. I should have known.”

“Shh … it’s okay.” I rub my hand over her back. “It’s all over now.”

When she steps back, Smith takes my hand to lead me outside, and I can’t believe my eyes when I see so many of the Bay Sharks standing in front of the courthouse.

The courthouse is all the way on the other side of the freaking country from Maine, and yet here they are … waiting for me because I’m now a part of their world.

“Look at that,” my mom practically sobs behind us. “They all came here for you, baby.”

Maci and Paige rush toward me, wrapping me in a group hug before Poppy appears. My heart is so full, and I’m so overwhelmed in the best way possible.

When they release me and I sweep my eyes over all of Smith’s teammates who came here just to support us, my eyes land on Kolt’s, and I smile before throwing my arms around him.

He might look scary to everyone else, but to me, he’s a teddy bear with a huge heart.

“Thank you,” I say, tears pooling in my eyes. “For giving me a place tostay when I needed to heal, for making me feel safe, and for marrying one of the very best humans on the planet.” I look back at Paige before turning to face Kolt again. “You and Paige deserve the world, Kolt. And one day, you’ll have it.”

Kolt’s eyes grow misty, but he tries to hide it and pulls his sunglasses on before giving me another hug. When he releases me and I feel a hand on my back, I know it’s Smith.

Sliding my hands to his sides, I angle my face up to look at him. “All these people flew to California for us, just so that we didn’t have to feel alone today.” I choke out the last few words through my emotions as my vision grows blurry. “How lucky are we?”

He dips his head forward, kissing me lightly. “Pretty damn lucky, I’d say.” His lips smack against mine once more, and he smiles. “You’re family now, Firefly. They love you.”

He steps back and throws an arm around my shoulders, tucking me against him, and I still can’t get over everyone who showed up to show their support for me in this trial.

Not every survivor is fortunate enough to walk out of a courthouse after standing up to their abuser and have friends and family rallying against them. Which is another reason why the more I think about joining forces with Cameran Kade, the more I know it’s something I need to do. Because for the woman who has no friends or family and has to face everything alone … I want to hold her hand through it.

Once the gang has broken up a bit, piling into their rental cars after making a plan on where to meet, I follow Smith to ours. When he pulls the door open, I slide inside.

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