Page 46 of I’ll Find You

“It should be,” I whisper, and I don’t think we are talking about Dr. Somersworth any longer. For a moment, no one speaks.

He nods. “It should be,” he agrees.

“But it isn’t.” I swallow, as the knot in my stomach only tightens. “So what’s changed?” I ask finally, “Why now?”

Dani looks at her husband, and her lips twitch into the faintest smile, prompting one from him in return. Only she has that effect on him.

“Because we aren’t those helpless kids anymore, and we are no longer guessing. We don’t need proof.”

“And now,” Dani adds, “we aren’t going to be ignored.”

The conversation turns from something distant and theoretical from the past into something immediate, folding into the present and what could happen now.

“Did he touch her?” he asks, looking at Alex. His voice is lower now, edged with something dangerous. I see Dani lean forward in her seat, inching closer like proximity might give her a better read on the situation.

“No,” I answer instead, and his obsidian eyes snap back to me. The intensity of his stare should scare me, but it doesn’t. Because I know without question he would do anything to protect his family. And for reasons I’m still trying to understand, they have chosen to make me a part of it.

“If he does⁠—”

“He won’t,” Alex cuts in, the word leaving no more room for question. Our eyes lock, and he must see something in mine that must be different, because he pauses, really looking at me.

Then he nods once. “Good.” His attention moves to Alex. “You take care of her.”

It’s not a question, but a command. Alex doesn’t argue. He simply reaches for my hand, threading his fingers through mine before lifting it to his lips, pressing a brief, deliberate kiss to my skin before placing it back into his lap. He doesn’t need to say anything else.

Dr. Flores exhales slowly. “Don’t wait until something worse happens,” he says. “Handle it.” He walks away as if that’s the end of it, and he didn’t just hand Alex over something that felt like an order or an expectation.

We sit there for a moment longer as Dani casts one last look our way before following her husband out of the kitchen.

“Well, that was something,” Ezra says, dragging a hand through his untamed hair.

“I feel maybe I’ve missed a whole entire conversation before I got here,” I say.

Alex pushes back from his chair and moves to the coffee maker, grabbing me a mug and pouring me a cup without me asking. Like it’s something he’s done forever, he brings it over, placing it in my hands, and I take it with a small, grateful smile, lifting it to my lips. The familiar gesture makes me feel cared for in a way I haven't in a long time. He presses a quick kiss to the top of my head before dropping back into his seat, reaching for his own mug as if it is the most natural thing in the world.

“It was nothing,” he says, returning to my question. “My dad was just getting the full story after Ezra here filled him in about everything that happened at the restaurant we went to for my birthday.” He pauses. “And then with the dean.”

I turn to Ezra, giving him my best look of disappointment. He just grins and shrugs, completely unbothered.

“Nope, not going to work on me. Especially,” he adds, pushing up from his chair and moving closer to us, “when it comes to your safety. Uncle Vic would castrate me. Or at least try until someone scarier—my mom—steps in to save her future unborn grandbabies. Then all bets are off.”

Alex laughs, and I glance over at him. He lifts his mug slightly. “It’s true, you know. Aunt Evie’s the scariest of the bunch. And that’s saying something.”

“Great,” I mutter, “Can’t wait to meet everyone.”

Ezra waggles his finger, patting my shoulder as he moves toward the door. “It’s funny you say that,” he calls over his shoulder, “because we’re going out with everyone tonight, so be prepared.” He laughs as he leaves the kitchen.

The kitchen empties slowly, but the weight of everything that was said lingers long after Vic and Dani disappear down the hall and Ezra heads for the door. Nothing feels finished. If anything, it feels like the beginning of something worse. Alex's hand remains wrapped around mine as he leads me down the hallway without a word. I follow without question until we're alone, the door clicking softly shut behind us.

“I wanted a minute alone with you,” he admits. We stand there looking at one another, and I can feel the warmth of him, with the unrelenting pull that seems to exist between us. And for a moment, I let myself stay in it. I let myself forget everything as I lean into him. Until⁠—

The doorbell rings. The sound is sharp and jarring, announcing something more than this intrusion into our private moment alone. I stiffen, already feeling the loss of him as he steps away, the moment broken. He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated just as I am. His forehead comes to rest against mine.

“Of course,” he mutters. Another ring, this one sounding more insistent. He pulls back reluctantly, his hand finding mine again as we walk back down the hall. Dani reaches the door before we do, pulling it open. I don’t think anything of it. Well, not at first anyway. Not until we step into view and I see her standing there. The unwanted memory hits me fast and is impossible to ignore. Lizah.

The day I first met Alex, this mousy girl with the pink hair came bouncing down the stairs from Alex’s room, and out the door, taking his lingering scent with her. It felt wrong and angered me for no reason at the time. My steps falter just slightly. He sees what I do, and his hand tightens around mine immediately, thinking I’m going to let go, to take off running. Lizah’s eyes lift and find his first. Then they land on me.

The room stills as Dani steps aside. “She’s asking for you.”