Fighting Silence (27 page)

He chuckled, and I arched an eyebrow that quickly silenced him.

“I will have the freckle from under my boob permanently removed.”

His smile quickly went flat. “You wouldn’t!” he hissed.

“Wanna bet?”

He narrowed his eyes, and I narrowed mine right back. The stare-down was short-lived because he broke it with a kiss.

A gentle yet still toe-curling kiss.

“Okay. Point taken. However, just so you know, I do love you eternally.” He kissed me
.
“And I can’t breathe without you.” He kissed me again. “And your body has most definitely ruined me for all others.” He squeezed my butt. “And one day, I’ll be serious when I ask you to marry me. So start practicing your yes, and let me take you out tonight.” He kissed me again, slipping his tongue into my mouth.

“No,” I answered when he pulled away.

“No? Well, there’s no way I’ll ever propose with you throwing
no
around all willy-nilly.”

I laughed. “Till, I can’t even get out of bed. Much less go out to dinner. I’m sure I look like hell. Let’s order celebratory Chinese food and rent a movie. Then save the date for when I can properly sex you up afterwards.”

“On the first date?” he mocked in shock.

Just as I was about to give him a detailed explanation of what he could expect after that first date, there was a knock at the door, which was quickly followed by Quarry’s agitated voice.

“Till! Wake up! You’re late for work.”

“Should we mess with them for a little while—tell them I got fired?”

“Oh my God, that’s mean!” I slapped his chest, but I couldn’t say no to the excitement dancing in his eyes. “Okay, but just for a few minutes.”

“I’ll get a real job,” Flint announced as he paced around the room. “I can quit the gym and start working full time after school.”

“Me too,” Quarry agreed from his place at the edge of the bed.

“I just don’t get why they would fire you. You’ve never been late before.” Flint began chewing on his thumbnail as someone knocked at the front door.

“I’ll get it.” Till flew off the bed, leaving me with the fallout from his cruel joke.

I felt horrible watching them stress about how to keep the rent paid. “He didn’t get fired. He’s messing with you,” I announced after he walked out of the room.

“That asshole!” Flint gritted out with a mixture of relief and anger.

“Pretty much.”

“Son of a bitch!” Quarry shouted, rising to his feet.

Flint pushed a hand against his chest and shoved him back down just as Till rejoined us.

“So listen, Till. I know this is a little unconventional, and I didn’t want to tell you, but given the current circumstances, I think I have a solution.” Flint said.

“Oh yeah. What’s that?” Till bit his lip to fight back a smile as he settled back on the bed, tearing a large, manila envelope open.

“I made, like, two hundred bucks stripping for this bachelorette party last weekend. I lied about my age, but those old women loved that I was young. One even offered me an extra hundred to take it all off. You should have seen her eyes when I did. I could do it, like, once a weekend. My body could pay our rent.”

I had to give it to Flint. His face was so serious. I knew he was screwing around, but I’d almost bought into his story.

“Excuse me?” Till dropped the envelope.

Quarry joined the fun. “Hey! I could be your bouncer!”

I thought Till’s eyes were about to pop out of his head.

“You did what?” Till took an angry step toward him.

A smile spread on Flint’s face as he said, “Your jokes suck.”

Till let out a relieved breath. “Your body will pay the rent?” he mocked as he pulled Flint into a headlock. “We’d be homeless in no time if I counted on that.”

For a full ten minutes, they wrestled on the floor while Quarry acted as the ref.

God it felt good to have them back.

When Flint finally tapped out, Till climbed back into bed beside me.

“All right, so I didn’t get fired. But I did get a new job.” He threw his arm around my shoulders and puffed his chest in pride. “Slate’s bankrolling my transition to pro.”

Flint’s eyes jumped to mine for validation that this wasn’t another one of Till’s jokes. When I gave him a nod, his jaw slacked open.

“Shut up,” he breathed.

Quarry did what Quarry always did. He let out a curse. “No. Fucking. Way.”

Till didn’t even bother to scold him as he responded, “Way.”

“Seriously?” Flint asked, still in disbelief.

“You’re a professional boxer!” Quarry shouted, jumping up on the bed.

“Oh, God!” I cried out as my body shifted with the bounce.

Flint swiftly plucked him off the bed by the back of his shirt.

“Sorry,” Quarry said sheepishly.

Till’s hands patted over me as if he were inspecting for new wounds. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it, Q. Go back to the boxing thing,” I encouraged even as my ribs throbbed.

“Right.” Till stared at me, uneasy, but he dragged his attention back to the boys. “So things are gonna change around here. I’m gonna be busy, but my hours should at least be more predictable. Hopefully, I can swing it so I can work out while you guys are in school. Then I can help you in the afternoons. The other good news is Slate doubled what I was making before. So, Flint, I want you to keep whatever you make at the gym from now on, and, Q, I want to start giving you an allowance for helping out around the house.”

“Sweet!” Quarry pumped his fist.

“Oh, and Eliza’s moving in.”

“What?” I shouted, sitting up and immediately regretting it. “Shit!” I hissed, collapsing back against the pillows.

“See? She’s ecstatic about it.” Till slid an arm under my shoulders and gently dragged me back into his side.

“When exactly did we decide that I’m moving in?”

“Oh, good idea! She can cook for us all the time now,” Quarry announced.

“Yep. And she hates your nasty-ass ramen too, so at least I’d have reinforcements in that department,” Flint added.

“Okay, then. It’s settled. We’ll move her stuff next weekend.”

“What the hell just happened? I did
not
agree to move in with you. Last week, you were telling me how we couldn’t be together, and now, you want me to move in?”

“Don’t give me that look. You told me forever.” He smirked.

“Well, what if it doesn’t work out? I’ll end up homeless!” I snipped back, but waves of warmth were crashing in my chest. I’d fought so hard for so long to get him to take a chance, and there he was, jumping all in.

“What kind of asshole do you think I am, Eliza? I’d never let you be homeless.” He looked hurt, and I instantly felt guilty. “I’d at least let you sleep on the couch,” he teased.

“How about we just chill and let things play out for a little while. There’s no rush, Till. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then why wait? You’re the one who pointed out that we’re basically married. And after that shit last night, there is not a chance in hell you will ever sleep alone again. I’ve got the boys, so it makes more sense for you to move in with us.”

“Is this about you wanting to live together or you worrying about me? Because if this is about my safety, then I’ll pass.”

“Why can’t it be both? Yeah, I’d kinda like to know you’re safe every night. But I also love you and want to spend as much time with you as possible. Why are you even arguing about this? Word on the street is that you’re pretty obsessed with me.” His lips lifted in my favorite way.

“Obsessed? I’m not the one who has spent the last eight years climbing through windows. If there is a stalker among us, it’s most definitely you.”

“I don’t stalk. I keep tabs.” He winked.

While I didn’t get his stupid joke in the least, I still laughed with both arms holding my stomach. I looked up, and Flint and Quarry’s eyes were still asking the question they were all waiting for the answer to.

“What happens if I say no?” I asked Flint.

“It would be unfortunate. But your belongings have already been scheduled for relocation.” He cracked his knuckles. “Welcome home, Eliza.” He gave a grand gesture around the room.

“So, what do you say?” Till tilted my head back and stared deep into my eyes.

“I think it’s too soon.”

“Quarry, you’re up!” he called out, never dragging his gaze away from mine.

“Puh, puh, please, Eliza. We’re hungry,” Quarry exaggerated, full-on batting his long, black lashes.

Till bit his lip to stifle a laugh, but Flint let it fly freely.

I rolled my eyes. “You’re moving my stuff regardless of what my answer is, right?”

“Yep.”

“Absolutely.”

“Hell yeah.”

I once again rolled my eyes, but an impossibly wide smile gave me away.

“She’s in!” Till declared.

He wasn’t wrong.

FOR THOSE FIRST FEW WEEKS after Eliza moved in, I was a nervous wreck pretty much every minute of every day. I waited for her to disappear, proving my theory that she had no business in reality. But each morning as she woke up in my arms, I slowly started to believe that I could possibly have it all.

On the surface, things went right back to the way they always had been between us. Except, instead of sneaking in her bedroom window, I was sneaking into her shower. I couldn’t get enough of her. After years of fighting my constant desire to be with her, I couldn’t keep my hands off her. She must have felt the same way, because if I was within her reach, she was touching me too. Her body was healing, but she still offered it to me—and I took it every fucking time.

Derrick Bailey was officially removed from our lives. He had been arrested and found guilty of assault. Not even dear old daddy had been able to get him off the hook, and lord knows he tried. Thanks to Slate speaking at his sentencing, his punishment was rather lengthy. It still didn’t feel like enough for what he had done to my Eliza, but I breathed easy every night knowing he could never touch her again—not as long as she slept at my side.

After my week off to help Eliza heal, I formally began professional boxing at On The Ropes. Slate wouldn’t schedule my first fight until he felt I was ready, and if the way he was training me was any indication, he had been right in holding me back. I was struggling to keep up with the unbelievable regimen he’d created for me. I’d worked hard my entire life, but this was something else completely. By the time I got home from the gym each night, I could barely keep my eyes open. But every day, as I stared up at that painting on the wall, I knew it would be worth it. He couldn’t work me hard enough to erase the image I had of someone painting my name into that blank. I was hell-bent on making it happen.