Page 85 of Only Ever Yours

Just when I’m about to lose all sanity, I feel her fingers twitch in mine. It’s the slightest movement—just to let me know, give me the smallest amount of hope. I don’t pull away, though; I need to feel her. Instead, I lay my head down, snuggling the soft skin of her hand against my face. I wrap my free arm around her body, holding her close, and pray to God this somehow keeps her here with me.

I must drift off to sleep, because the next thing I know, I'm woken by the gentle touch of fingers caressing my cheek. My head jerks up, and my heart bursts out of my chest when I see her gentle smile. The relief I feel when I see her beautiful blue eyes again is indescribable. A warm sense rushes through my body—I feel like I can finally breathe—as I stand to study her face.

“Fuck, Ellie…you scared the hell outta me.” I grit out, trying to hold back all the emotions I’m feeling. I gently brush the soft skin of her cheek with my fingertips, then cup her face. “Let me grab the doctor.” I should move, but Ican't bring myself to stop touching her or staring down into her eyes.

I want so badly to kiss her, to press my lips to her gorgeous, swollen ones. I want to tell her that I can't stop fucking thinking about her, and the thought of losing her was crushing my soul.

I don’t know how I’ve so quickly—in just a few months that she’s lived with me—fallen so hard for her. But standing here staring into her eyes, I know the answer to my question.

I’ve been in love with her for years.

Back when we were still in school, I would have asked her out then, but I overheard her and Haleigh talking late one night. I was hiding out, snooping near Haleigh's bedroom door. I heard Haleigh accuse Ellie of having a crush on me, but she denied it and said she couldn’t stand me. Ever since then, I pushed her away. I always acted like I couldn’t stand to be around her, either. Eventually, it became a normal occurrence for the two of us. I got off on the fighting, the back-and-forth, and her feisty, smart-ass comments.

Then, somehow, along the way, it turned into something I didn’t know how to escape from.

I reach for the button, but she reaches for my hand before I move it.

“Jaydon.” Her voice is weak when she speaks. “What happened?” A lonely tear leaks from the corner of her eye.

My heart breaks, and my stomach tightens, but I need to tell her, “Oh, Peachy.” I try to soothe her, rubbing my thumb along her wrist. “Let me get the doctor so they can check you.”

“Please,” she begs, licking her swollen lips.

Her normal, vibrant, and smiling face is scratched and bruised, but she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

I carefully sit on the edge of the bed, barely touching her. I raise my hand to her face and thumb her cheek when I speak, “You were in a wreck on the way to Haleigh and Ryan's, do you remember?”

Her eyes flash, and I know she remembers.

“Oh… Yeah, a little bit. Kevin? Do you know if he’s okay?”

As much as I hate her asking about him, I know that’s just her kind soul. Always worrying about everyone else around her, and I don’t want her to stress any more than she already is. So, I give her what she wants.

“Yeah, he’s fine. You got the worst of it. Let me go grab the doctor.”

But what I don’t tell her is if I ever see his ass again, he won't be fine.

It only took two days before she was back to her old self… stubborn as hell. I’ve been staying at the hospital, bugging and driving her crazy, as she told Haleigh earlier.

I don’t care, she can give me all the shit she wants as long as she’s feeling better. The rest can be worked out later. I can tell she's feeling better by her sass. Besides the bruising of her face and the stitches, I know she’s on the mend.

The entire evening of the accident is a blur. I had to end up calling Haleigh because she was blowing up our phones, wondering where the hell we were, since she was expecting us for dinner, and I lied to my own fucking sister.

I had to lie.

I told her everything was fine, even though I had no idea if or when Ellie would wake up. After she did, though, I had to come clean. Haleigh still freaked out and rushed to the hospital. She was pissed I didn’t tell her sooner, but I couldn’t let her worry when she was already at home tending to her newborn baby.

When Haleigh and Ryan arrived earlier to visit, I stepped out, knowing they wanted time alone and to give her a break from me.

Now, Ryan and I are sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch. And I can sense the gears grinding in his head. He’s gonna call me out every fucking time.

“Your ass has been here the entire time? Every night?” His eyebrows hit his forehead.

I nod, shoveling a bite into my mouth, “Yep,” and wait for the rest to follow.

“Where the hell did all those flowers in her room come from?”

I only smirk, because it was me. I filled every counter and shelf in her room with peach-colored roses. The smile on her face when they delivered them yesterday was worth every damn penny.

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