Page 41 of Make You Mine

“Whatever you are thinking...stop,” he murmurs into my hair, placing the tiniest of kisses there. It’s comforting, and if I’m being honest with myself, I want to burrow deeper into his warmth and never come out. “None of this is your fault, Ava. Do you hear me?”

“But—”

“None of it.”

The vehemence in his tone pulls me from my temporary haven, and I look at him through watery eyes. My bottom lip is wobbly. “There’s more to our past than what’s in your notes, Elijah. I didn’t know it was...I swear, I don’t understand how I missed the signs when we were teens. How I didn’t connect the dots now, but he…he?—”

“Breathe for me. Nice and slow.”

A hiccuping sob escapes, and it takes me another minute or two to calm down. To ask the question that’s been plaguing me. At first, it didn’t make sense. I truly didn’t remember the name Jason Ripley, and there’s a reason for that.

Not until today. That note.

“Why didn’t Anthony or Rose tell me anything back then? So much happened, Eli.”

“What are you remembering, sweetheart?” There’s no reproach in his tone, nor does he pull away. Instead, his arm lowers to encircle my waist as he looks out over the water, letting me take my time. I’m in control.

“Everything began...shit!” The sound of a seagull suddenly flying close causes me to jump, my sharp yelp making the man beside me chuckle. We’re sitting on a bench in an empty section of a pier not far from his building, watching a couple of small boats head further out to sea. A small moment of respite helps me gather my thoughts after those birds, and I’m ready to confess something only three other people know.

This isn’t the first time that man tried to harm me.

Two more birds follow, and I duck a bit as one glides too close.

“They won’t hurt you,” Elijah says from beside me, but I can’t turn away from them. There are so many. Most are perched along the tide pools below, yapping and cleaning their feathers before taking flight once more, some to feed, others to harass the people walking among them.

For the most part, they don’t come near us, giving preference to a group of what looks to be tourists feeding them bread down below.

This scene seems so normal and is slightly amusing, considering the reasons we’re here. The topic of our conversation.What I need to share with him.

It’s also interrupted by the sudden loud ringing of Eli’s phone. I shift my watery eyes over and take note of the way his jaw ticks, of the grim line of his lips. He’s pissed yet remains cool at the same time while muttering a lowfuck.

“Everything okay?” I ask, taking account of the sudden annoyance crossing his features.

“Yeah,” is all he says before pulling the phone from his pocket, reading the message, and then returning it to its place. Those eyes of his are warm, though, as they meet mine, and the sudden apprehension that settled into my bones at once dissipates. “It’s my mom, Ava. I owe her a call, and she’s just nagging. I promise.”

No rush. No anger.

I hold my finger up to him. “Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear. No more secrets.” Maybe it’s childlike, but he follows through and links his finger with mine. A simple gesture, but it means everything to me at that moment—it takes a stressful situation and turns it into something that gifts me a semblance of comfort. There’s no urge to run, something that’s a bit confusing yet true because I know in my heart that he won’t abandon me.

This moment, full of heartache and fear, isn’t hard to carry with him beside me. Someone who will listen. Help me. And maybe it’s that feeling of ease, or the laughter of some innocent child down below that makes me talk.

“Something happened when I was sixteen.”

15

AVA

“Ava, what are you?—”

“Please let me speak, Detective.”

“Sorry.” Elijah turns to face me. No longer hugging me, his warm hand encases one of mine, and our fingers intertwine while his lips gift me a comforting smile. “But please know you can tell me anything without concern or fear of judgment. I’ve got you.”

“Thank you.” Reciprocating his grin, I reach for the bottle beside me. It’s still cold, and I bring the ginger soda to my lips and take a few quick sips. Thinking. Mentally going back to another day and time that marked my life, a memory I once buried in the past due to my embarrassment. Stupidity. The fear of no one believing me. “Of course, back then, I wasn’t allowed to see it as anything more than bullying or him being an ass, butLyle Janson Portertried to forcibly steal a kiss from me on my birthday.”

Beside me, Elijah tenses; the muscles of his arm coil tight, yet his hold on my hand is tender. His stance is a bit protective, as if preparing himself for what’s to come. This is also when he takes out his cell phone with his free hand, and Eli opens the recordingapp. He shows it to me. “Can I? This will remain private and used solely by me to help the investigation unless you give me your consent to share it with Captain Perez.”

---