Page 129 of You Found Me
“Be that as it may, I’m still walking with you. So let’s go.”
She walks ahead of me, getting to his door before me. Colette is just about to knock when the door opens. I take a breath, expecting it to be Spencer. But I hear a small gasp from her, and I know it’s not him.
“Starlight, what are you doing here? I thought you were in the city with the girls.”
“Why I’m here isn’t your concern, Theodore. I assume Spencer is here?”
I hear his frustrated sigh. “Yeah. I was just leaving. Yo, Spencer. You got a visitor.”
When he steps around Colette to leave, he notices me standing behind her. Theo gives me a once-over before coming back to my face. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m okay. I just need him,” I sniffle.
Theo pulls me into a quick hug. “If I need to kick someone’s ass, let me know. Or if I need to bail your boyfriend out of jail.”
“Thanks, Theo. Seriously.”
“Call me if you need anything, ‘kay?” Colette says, hugging me.
I turn and when I see Spencer standing against the doorway, I crumble. I knew the adrenaline crash would be rough, but I didn’t think it would hit the moment I saw him.
“Buttercup, what happened? And why is the side of your face red?”
I try taking a few deep breaths and then tell him what happened.
***
Spencer
Theo came over tonight as a way to distract me, but to also hear a proposal I have for the location of the co-op he’s wanting to build.
As I told him my ideas, his smile grew wider and wider. He was on board and said he’d start getting everything with the town and permits all figured out. Theo said we might have to have a few meetings to reiterate the fact that we don’t want to change the area, just enhance what it already has to offer.
We had just squared everything away when Theo shouted that someone was at the door. I’m not sure who I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t Colette and Emmy. Not when they were supposed to be in the city until tomorrow. When I saw her face—saw how red and swollen it was—I knew Chance had done something. It wasn’t until she started talking that I realized her face didn’t look like that from crying. He fucking hit her.
Now is not the time for me to have feelings. I can deal with my anger once I know she’s okay.
“I should’ve stayed home tonight. I knew he was going to be in the city, and I knew he had been keeping tabs on me. It wasn’tsmart. I got too cocky and look where it got me. I just really wanted to go out and not worry. Pretend he didn’t exist.”
“Emmaline, you will not take the blame for what happened. He’s a grown man—albeit, he’s a fucking idiot—who made the decision to be drunk and high, and to lay a hand on you. You didn’t want to let him have control over your life anymore and I supported that—I still support it. I hate that he hurt you again. The only thing keeping me from going to Charleston is the fact that he’s royally fucked his life beyond repair.”
“There were just so many people around who saw it. Which means it’ll be in that stupid gossip column and probably everywhere else by Monday.”
“Have you given any more thought on giving a statement or even an interview?” I ask her. “I think it would be helpful for you to get your story out there.”
“Yeah. It was one of the things I was thinking about, to the point where I started to zone out, on the way here. I don’t know who to go with. You said that woman your mom set you up with was a sports photographer, right? Maybe she knows someone?”
“Shiloh? Yeah, she’d probably know of someone. I can shoot her a text tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” she says as she raises up a little to place a kiss on my cheek. “I’m not sure I could’ve gotten through all of this without you.”
“Emmy, I know that you would’ve been okay in your own time. Especially with your crazy bunch of friends.”
“You’re being too sweet. Besides, I think you’re too biased. Since you love me and all,” she jokes.
“I do love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could. More than I ever thought I’d get to feel with someone. And I’m going to love you this much for as long as you’ll let me. Because you’re it for me, Buttercup.”
She sniffles, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I love you, too, Daredevil. And you’re it for me too.”
