still bright. I wait her out. I’ve learned enough about this fierce and fragile girl of mine to know that’s exactly what she needs.
"She knew. She knew what was going on long before I ran away. She didn't want to give up her grief for my dad for long enough to help me… to leave Paul and figure this shit out on our own.”
I blow out a breath and tug her into my arms until she’s staring up at the sky again with me wrapped around her like a shield.
I decide that life is too fucking short to keep shit from her. “Listen to me, Angel. I love you and I’d die for you. I’ve given you my patch so that if I do have to lay down my life for you, my club will protect you too. She’s fucking nothing to you now. You have me and my family, my mom is yours now too. Forget about some weak bitch who never deserved you in the first place.”
She moves to bury her tears into my chest, her hands clutching at my cut. “Tomi, I didn’t know I could love someone like I love you. I’m not sad about my life anymore. I'm not happy about that shit and there's a lot of shit I'd go back and change but I'm not sad about it anymore either. I had to get through it to get to you so… I can live with that.”
I hold her tight enough that her demons can’t come to play until she’s ready to move.
It’s the least I can do.
Chapter Thirty Five
Angel
When we finally get into Tomi’s room at the clubhouse I feel fucking fried.
I’m not sure why we’re here instead of my house but when I ask he shrugs at me, “I had to move the bed for the carpets and I just wanna pass out. Plus, there’s food already here and I just want you to fucking relax for a bit.”
Seems reasonable enough, I can’t argue with that.
The room is much cleaner than it usually is, no dirty clothes anywhere and all of the computer stuff is piled neatly on his desk. When he notices me looking he grins at me.
“I’ve gotta start packing. Keely came and saw the mess it was in and chewed me out.”
Oh.
Right, he’s moving in with me because we’re a couple and he loves me. Jesus, it still sounds so fucking strange to me. I sit down on his bed and fall back on the pillows. The nap at The Boulevard barely took the edge off of my exhaustion.
“Angel, I need you to tell me about why you ran away. I wanna hear it from you.”
Oh God.
My eyes immediately well up and I almost choke on my tears because it’s been a long time since I tried to tell someone, and that had gone so fucking badly I swore never to speak of it again.
His eyes are piercing and true on mine as he sits on the bed with me, clearly there’s no getting out of this. “My dad died. He had cancer, he was a cop for fifteen years back in Maryland. The good type too, everyone respected him and he did what he could for people.”
Tomi nods and pours me a drink. This time, I don’t choke on the taste as I down it in one go, handing it back to him for a refill. I need the courage. “Paul was his partner. His best friend, my so-called uncle, and when my dad got the terminal diagnosis he asked Paul to take care of me and my mom.”
My fingers fuss with the the edge the the blanket on the bed, my mind a fucking mess as I try to distract myself from not only the horror of my words but the very real chance that he’ll leave me the second I’ve poured the story out.
“He stayed at the house and I loved him being there. He always called me princess and would do my hair for me with ribbons before school. My mom was a shell of herself after my dad and she wouldn’t get out of the bed. Eventually, Paul stopped going home and just moved his stuff into the house. My mom started doing better and they fell in love. Got married, the whole deal. I was happy about it. I missed my dad like nothing else but at least I had Paul right?”
Tomi’s face hasn’t changed once and that gives me just a little