Page 43 of From Us, Forever

A hiss escaped through my parted lips, my eyes darkening as I watched her towel her dripping wet body in front of the mirror.

The sound of me striding inside the room made her look up and she cast a shy smile my way. She wrapped the massive towel around her body, clutching it tightly in front of her chest. I grabbed a fresh towel from the heating rack and eased behind her.

“You okay?” I asked, pressing a soft kiss on her wet nose while I tried my best to dab off the excess water from her silky hair.

“Better,” she replied, her voice still mellow and low. But she did look a lot better. Her eyes were less dull and vacant, and the ever-present flush of pink that painted her cheeks returned.

I dropped the soaked towel aside and pulled one of my clean T-shirts over her head.

“Let’s get that fixed,” I whispered, dragging a finger along the dried red gash on her chin.

She nodded as I circled my hand around her dainty wrist and tugged her toward the bed. With a heavy sigh, she settled herself against a mountain of pillows, leaning back as she rolled her neck, emitting a soft groan from her pillowy pink lips.

“This is going to sting,” I said, dabbing some cleaning solution onto a cotton pad and carefully pressing it on her wound.

A slight flash of pain swam through her eyes before she closed them tight, squeezing her lids.

“That’s it,” I whispered, peeling open a Band-Aid and laying it over her chin. “Are you hurt somewhere else?” I asked, my eyes roaming over the scrapes on her wrist.

“Just my knees, I think,” she mumbled, her eyes darting open and landing straight at me. “But that’s okay. It’s just some scratches.”

“I’ll take a look at it, anyway,” I muttered through the fury spiking my blood at the sight of her swollen knees, but I bit it back to focus on her.

“Thanks,” she muttered as I fixed the last Band-Aid on her knees. “Pink Band-Aids, uh?” Her eyes dragged over the bright pink plasters decorated with cartoon characters.

“Only the best for my girl.” I placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before handing her the mug of her favorite vanilla-flavored coffee, the smell of which put some life back into her face as she took a sip.

A small smile curved my lips as I tucked the stray strands of hair gliding in front of her cheek.

After a few mouthfuls, she set the mug aside and curled up on the bed, pulling the sheets to her chin as her eyes focused on the ceiling.

Helpless, I sank in next to her, pulling her soft, warm weight all over me. The heat of her breath brushed my neck as she sighed, burying her face. My hands couldn’t do anything except hold her tight, thinking it would make her feel better.

Deep down, my head was trying to deny the damage this situation would wreck on us. I knew in my heart that to be picked and prodded and scrutinized was Evelyn’s worst nightmare.

And now it was her reality that she couldn’t control.

As much as I would’ve loved to promise her that I could fix this and that everything would be all right, I just didn’t have it in me to give her false hope and see the disappointment crumble her entirely.

I considered her the strongest woman I’d ever known, but she tended to let others’ perspectives take hold of her insecurities and dictate her life.

She let her doubts and fears choke the light out of her, even if they were all untrue.

In the end, she failed to see how truly incredible she was and how stupidly lucky I was to have her in my life.

CHAPTER 10

EVY

It felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest when I woke up. The anxiety thudding through my blood made me weak and lightheaded like I’d woken up from a restless slumber when I’d actually slept peacefully.

The events of last night came crashing back to me, and I sighed, pulling myself out of bed. A glance at the clock told me it was late afternoon. For some reason, my feet took me to the pink room that Jay made for me rather than downstairs for my usual coffee.

Sinking down on the soft carpet, I faced the picture wall. Our love throughout the years; we even added a few recent ones, but I knew it would only grow.

I waited for the dark cloud that would usually swallow me, but it never came.

Oddly, every incident that ruined me flashed before my eyes like a film reel.

---