Page 17 of Beautifully Broken
My hands shake as I swipe away another tear. “Get yourself together, Blaire,” I whisper so that only I can hear.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” Ezra’s voice has me freezing. He is pissed and not hiding it.
Climbing off the bed, I slowly creep to the doorway and peek into the living room.
Ezra paces the glass wall, his hand balled into a tight fist with his phone pressed against his ear.
“I told you to keep an eye on him! We are sitting ducks here!”
Keep an eye on who?
Ezra stops abruptly and props himself up against the glass with one hand. His forehead hitting the rain covered window. “I know you did your best. But best isn’t good enough when the girl I love is at risk. I’ve failed her so many times and I cannot fail her now. Got it?”
I don’t allow myself to dwell on thosethree little wordsand wait for him to continue.
“No. You’re not fired, Ty. But the second Carson Wilson enters New York state again, I want to know within the minute. Got it?”
The world stops and my legs give out. Sending me sliding down the wall to the hardwood floor.
My vision becomes blurry and seconds later, Ezra is crouching down in front of me. His tattooed hands rest on my knees I have clutched into my chest. “Blaire. How much did you hear?”
“C-Carson is here?”
Hesitantly, Ezra reaches out to cup the side of my face. “He isn’t, but he was.”
My eyes go wide and I scramble to my feet and run past him.
I go straight to the walk-in closet, find a duffle bag and start shoving clothes that kept appearing in my section while I was asleep, into the bag.
I feel him walk up behind me, but don’t stop. “Ivy. Stop.”
“No. I will not let him take me back. I would rather die than go back to that hellhole.”
Closing the bag, my hands shake as I try to close it.
Warm hands cover the top of my arms. “Ivy, baby. Please stop. I promise I will never let him take you. I know you have no reason to trust me, but please let me help you. I will protect you until my last dying breath. Give me a chance to prove it.”
Every day without him. Every time the needle entered my veins, and I wished for it to be the last. Every punch. Every kick. Every unwanted touch. Every god damn moment for the past decade consumes me all at once and I turn in Ezra’s arms and completely fall apart.
Chapter 10
Ezra
I carry Blaire to the bed and sit with her tucked against my chest.
The second we sink into the mattress, Blaire tries to slide out of my lap, but I don’t let her. “Let me help you. Please. Give me a chance to prove that I can be the man that should have stayed by your side. Please Blaire.”
Blaire lifts her head off my chest and stares up at me with rose-colored cheeks. “Why should I? I don’t know who you are anymore. The only thing that’s the same is your eyes and your stubborn attitude. How can I trust you when I don’t even know where you’ve been for the last decade, Ezra?”
She’s right. And it's time for me to tell her the truth. I just hope I can make it through without sending myself into a goddamn panic attack.
Haven’t been able to do it, even to Andi. Let’s see if I can do it for the girl I would die for.
Nodding, I swipe away a tear on her cheek. “You’re right.”
Blaire’s eyes go wide and I grin. “Don’t give me that look. We may not have seen each other in a decade, but you should know that still to this day, I worship the ground you walk on. You may not trust me, but the man that loved you is sitting right in front of you. And if I have to get on my knees and tell you every second of the past ten years to gain a sliver of your trust, I will.”
Glancing down at her lap, Blaire pulls at the strands of her shirt. Her hands start to shake and before I can stop myself, I cover her hands with mine. Her gaze darts up to mine and I see the war raging in her head on what to do or say.
