Raine (Gods of the Fifth Floor #2) - M.V. Ellis Page 0,105

right and fair outcome—it’s a clear indication that they’re not to be trusted as far as someone could throw them.

“But like you say, one thing at a time. Let’s not waste precious energy on them—you’re going to need everything you have to get yourself better. Stick a pin, we’ll tackle the issue when you’re fit and well again. In the meantime, I really am going to bounce now, and leave you two to whatever you were doing before I so rudely interrupted.” He flashed Raine a mocking grin, quirking his eyebrow at the same time. Raine flipped him off.

Zed turned from his brother to me, still grinning. “Nice to meet you Noa. Beautiful name, by the way, just like you.”

“Dude, you’d better get the hell out of here before I whoop your ass, drip or no drip.” The words were there, but there was no sting in his tail, and I was glad.

“So nice to meet you, too, Zed. Don’t be a stranger.” I meant it. It seemed that despite the water under the bridge, the brothers were ready and willing to patch up their relationship, and I had a feeling that could only be a good thing for both of them.

“I won’t.” Zed gave Raine a two-fingered salute, turned on his heel, and left.

“Wow. That was...” So many things I barely knew what to say. “Intense... Really intense.”

“Hmm... I guess you’re right.”

“What do you mean, you guess? From the moment I met you, it’s been this hectic rollercoaster ride, and mostly not in a good way. Michelle said I’d been sucked into your vortex, and, though I didn’t know it at the time, she was absolutely right, and I’m good with that. I love you, and I’m totally down for being with you in this thing called life, but I want you to promise me one thing.”

“What do you need?”

“You know by now that I have your back, right? That I’m in it for the long haul with you? That I’m going to be right here twenty-four seven, for whatever you need, whenever you need it?”

“But...?”

“But, I need you to promise me that once you’ve kicked cancer’s ass, and you’re back stronger than ever, we have some truly ‘boring’ times ahead. Like, I’m talking zero drama, just regular people shit. I mean, at this stage, I’d be happy with watching paint dry for a couple of months, you know? Then after that, I’m thinking white picket fence, Netflix and chill. The full suburban nine yards.”

“Hmm...You’ve met me, right? I’m going to fight this, and I’ll be back stronger than ever, but as for the rest—I don’t like to make promises I can’t keep.”

“Since when?”

“Since I care so much about the person I’m making promises to, it hurts. Since I respect and admire her more than I have anyone I’ve ever known, and want her to feel the same about me. Since she was the first person after Lily’s death to remind me that I know how to love. Since she gave me a reason to want to live.” Oh... wow.

I was so floored by his words that I didn’t even know what to say in return.

“So, all I can promise right now is to love you until I croak, whether that’s today, tomorrow, or in one hundred years’ time, and that if you finish what you started before Zed so rudely interrupted us, I’ll try my best to give you the most dull life you can imagine.”

Epilogue

Noa

* * *

Six Years Later

* * *

“Tell me again, Mommy, again!”

“Really Lila? You’ve heard this story so many times before.”

“I know, Mommy, but I want to hear it one more time. Tell me again how Daddy died. Please.” I sighed heavily, because I honestly had told her the story in depth, what felt like no fewer than a million times. On the other hand, even though she’d heard it so many times before in her short life, I didn’t feel like I could deny her the opportunity to know every detail about the unique way she came into the world.

She held the framed photo gripped tight in her little hand, as though it was her most prized possession, and I truly believed it was.

“You looked so pretty on your wedding day, even with no hair. Tell me again, Mommy.”

She was a smart kid—she already knew that flattery would get her everywhere. “Your daddy was very, very sick. The kind of cancer he had is very rare—which means that not many people in the