He just grins.
“What?” he shrugs. “It’s a good thing you’ve got three men who can take care of that.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have said anything,” I mutter.
Zach huffs a quiet laugh under his breath.
Elijah doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the shift in him. That awareness again. That tension that isn’t quite tension anymore, just… presence.
We reach the car. And then... “Jackson!”
The voice cuts through everything.
Sharp.
I freeze.
A couple of people are moving toward us now, phones already out, cameras already lifting.
“Is that your girlfriend?”
“Why are you all coming out of the doctor’s?”
“Jackson, look here!”
The questions start overlapping.
Too fast.
Too loud.
Too familiar.
My body reacts before my mind does.
Tension snapping tight through me, something cold curling in my stomach as old memories rise too quickly, too easily. Flashes. Cameras. Voices. Judgement. Exposure.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Jackson says immediately, his hand coming to me, grounding. “Don’t worry, sweetheart.”
“Elijah,” Zach says quietly.
Elijah is already moving.
“Get her in the car.”
There’s no hesitation in his voice. No uncertainty. Just control.
He guides me quickly, firmly, his hand steady at my back as he gets me into the car, blocking the line of sight just enough as the others follow.
The door shuts.
The noise cuts off.
Silence fills the space.
I exhale sharply, my hands still slightly tight in my lap.
“Well,” I say after a second, my voice a little shaky despite myself. “That was shit.”
