Page 19 of Point Proven
Simon cleared his throat, but it was evident the blow had hit as his eyes glossed over. “I just…”
Not saying anything else, he stood, pushed in his chair, and headed for the back door. Either the words had taken a shot at his ego, or his prosthetic was bothering him, because he limped through the glass doors.
Swallowing, I glanced between Thorne and Oren. “I’m sorry.”
Without giving either of them another second to respond, I quickly followed, pursuing Simon just as I always had. He’d continuously pushed me away in the past, shoving me so hard that chasing after him felt redundant. But this time? I wouldn’t let him walk away.
Sliding the door shut behind me, I approached him with slow uncertainty. “Simon, I… I didn’t mean… God, I’m sorry.”
Wiping at his cheeks with the back of his hand, he stared at the fading horizon, the sun beginning to lower. Fingers curling into fists, his shoulders shook, evidence of the cries he was stifling.
“Simon…” I reached forward, gently grabbing his arm. “Simon…”
“I know I’m broken,” he whispered, barely audible above the wind.
“No.”Shaking my head, I pulled him toward me. Stepping around him, I planted myself in front of him with a clear refusal to back down. “Love… That is the furthest thing from the truth.”
“One kick… One kick and?—”
Cutting him off, I stepped forward and pulled him into my arms, inhaling his cardamom and pepper scent. Fingers lacing through his hair, I coaxed his head into my shoulder, rubbing his back with my other hand. “You are not broken, Simon.”
“God, yes, I am! I’m not… I canneverbe a soldier again. I limp everywhere, and I’m… I’m in so much fucking pain all thetime. And he’s right. One kick and I wouldn’t be able to save you, and thatfuckinghaunts me!”
My throat bobbed, lips quivering as I struggled to reel in my emotions. “You’remysoldier,myhero, Simon… I’m sorry you’re in pain… I’m sorry I’ve overlooked you. I’m sorry I haven’t understood and that you’re scared because of this… because of… because of me… But… But I love you as you are.I don’t care about anything else.”
He blinked, and tears cascaded, cresting over his waterline in a never-ending stream. “I… I failed. The mission that day. Everyone got hurt because of my carelessness, like always. If I… If I had missed that land mine, things could be different. We… I would be strong enough to protect you.”
Brushing my thumb over his cheek, I wiped away a few droplets of his sorrow. “You arestrong enough, Simon. You are stronger than any of us…”
A fractured sob tore through him as his knees bent, fully collapsing into my arms as he wept. “Fuck…” Heaving between breaths, he clung to me, shattered.
“I’ve got you, Simon. I-I’ve got you…”
Burying his face in the crook of my neck, his wails turned ugly, tremors racking his frame as everything he’d built crashed. “Fuck, Liam… I’m so broken.”
“And so am I…” I breathed, my tears slowly escaping. “Which is why we complete one another.”
Sniffling, he relaxed slightly in my hold. “Please,” he mumbled against my skin, “please don’t… please don’t say those things again.”
My fingers combed through his hair, and I planted a gentle kiss on the crown of his head. “I won’t. I love you.”
“I-I love you, too.”
But deep down, I knew that if I had to give myself up to keep him safe, I would do it time and time again. For him, I would doanything.
CHAPTER NINE
SIMON
Pouring water onto the liner, I massaged the ends to pull it off, as my prosthetic leg rested beside me on the bed. Ineededa moment of relief, soreness digging into my thigh as I ripped the medical bandage from my skin.
A loud sigh of relief followed as I discarded the old liner. The new one lay next to my prosthetic, and I knew I needed to put it on, but this moment felt too blissful. Flopping back against the mattress, I closed my eyes as I folded my hands over my stomach.
It had been a couple of days since the…messat Thorne and Oren’s house, my breakdown included. To say I was healed from it would be an overstatement, but I did feel better after unleashing those thoughts. It didn’t make it easier that there was some merit to what Liam said that day.
One kick really would render me useless, no matter how much he tried to convince me otherwise. Stefan could break my prosthetic, and I would have to sit there and watch, my muscles still learning to grow with the lack of function in my leg. While this might deter some, this made me want to fight harder,bebetter, because the incessant need to protect Liam had only blossomed.
With the threat of Stefan looming over us, there was no time to relax. And with Stefan’s statement about what would happen to Oren if we reached out to Thorne, we were on edge. We’d blatantly disregarded his rules, and while it had been silent, both of us knew there was always the chance he would come.
