Page 80 of Yours to Keep
“I spoke to Deck last night and asked him to tell Finn,” he adds. “About Adrian. About everything.”
My breath leaves me. “They know?”
He nods. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Relief hits so hard my knees almost give out. It isn’t happiness; it’s pure, weightless release.
“Okay,” I whisper.
CJ balances the laptop on my knees. “Okay, baby. Show us, Adrian.”
My hands shake as I pull up the hospital directory and search for his photo, waiting for it to load. Then, there he is: Doctor Adrian Blackwell.
Perfect smile. Perfect posture. Perfect life.
Dread crawls through me as memories start to claw back, hovering around the edges.
CJ’s hand lands on my shoulder, and I flinch before I can stop myself: pure instinct snapping tight until I force myself to breathe and remember where I am, and who I’m with. I’m safe. CJ is safe.
I look back at the picture: dark hair, controlled expression, tailored suit, all restraint and composure. And then I see it: the tattoo of chains and eyes. The eye color matches mine. My body shivers uncontrollably as a wave of coldness sweeps through me.
My stomach twists, and I shut the laptop harder than I mean to, guilt hitting me immediately. Adrian wants me back, and now I’ve dragged CJ, Deck, and Finn into this. The guilt is suffocating, heavy enough to crush me.
“I can’t do this to you,” I whisper. “CJ, you don’t have to do this.”
His expression shifts. “He took photos of us,” CJ says. “A private moment. He violated you.” His voice stays controlled. “He’s tracking you, Eli. Threatening you. This is serious. He is dangerous.”
“That’s not what I meant, ” I start, but Finn’s voice cuts through.
“He isn’t acting like it’s not serious, CJ!”
The room goes dead silent as Finn stands up.
“Don’t say that again,” Finn hisses, pointing his finger at CJ. He’s angry. I can feel the tension spike, my stomach rolling as the atmosphere shifts violently around us.
Deck stands, too, placing a steadying hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Come on, Little one. Let’s get some air.”
Finn lets himself be guided out, still glaring at CJ over his shoulder. The balcony door closes, sealing us in silence.
CJ turns back to me. “Eli,” he takes my hands, “I’m sorry. I was angry, and I put that on you. That wasn’t fair.”
The panic in my chest loosens slightly, his sincerity steadying me more than I expect. I search his face for anger, but all I see is genuineness, and my CJ.
I lean in and kiss him, the kiss feeling like a lifeline. I feel his lips move beneath mine, tentative at first, before he shifts slightly and deepens it. It is slow and grounded. Adrian fades along with the fear until there is only CJ.
When he pulls back, he brushes a kiss to my nose.
“I’ve been trying not to fall for you since the night I saw you in that car,” he says quietly. “But Eli… I have fallen in love with you. Hard. So fucking hard, Baby Boy.”
My breath catches as I open my eyes. He’s smiling, showing that dimple, his words hitting me deep and overwhelming me. I breathe in shakily, but it doesn’t settle anything; it only makes me more aware of how tightly everything inside me is wound, like I’ve been holding myself together for too long in too many places at once.
I swallow hard, trying to anchor myself in him instead of the storm still moving through my chest.
“You’re my safe harbor, CJ,” I whisper, the words feeling like a surrender I didn’t know I was ready for. “You make me feel like I matter… like I’m not just surviving things anymore.”
My chest caves inward, but I don’t fight the tears this time. Something inside me has already given up the fight: not in a bad way, but in a necessary one.
And when I look at him, really look at him, the truth comes out like a complete surrender.
