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THE WHOLE DAY IS spent going through different pieces of evidence. Every time the prosecution brings up a new piece of evidence, Finn gets the chance to discredit it. I didn't know what to expect going into this, but no part of me thought it was going to be this hard. Hearing them talk about Jace like he's some kind of monster—it's heartbreaking.
If they knew Jace, they would know he's the most kindhearted person. The kind of person who would never hurt a hair on anyone’s head. The kind who would jump in to protect anyone, even if it meant he was going to get hurt. To hear them paint him as the opposite is just absurd.
When court lets out for the day, we all make our way back to the hotel. It's a giant suite with several bedrooms. As soon as we get in, I stay quiet and walk over to the window that looks over the city.
Waiting for Jace to get back, I curl into a ball and just stare at all of the buildings. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to feel right now. It's not that I believed anything they said about Jace today, but I also can't help but feel some sympathy for the girl who lost her life. Whether Jace had anything to do with it or not, that doesn't make it any less tragic.
Grayson comes over and takes a seat next to me. "How are you doing?"
I shrug. "I'm okay."
He bends his head down, forcing me to look at him. "You want to try that again?"
An involuntary smile makes its way onto my face, and I can't hold it back no matter how hard I try. Gray knows all about trying to hold in your feelings. I mean, he spent months acting like he wasn't completely head over heels for Savannah, when everyone could see he was. But I don't think I ever expected him to be so warm-hearted.
"I just don't know what to do," I say. "It's like I want to help him, but I can't. I'm completely useless here."
He looks toward the door and then back at me. "I don't think you're useless to him."
My eyes find Jace's as he stands by the door. His dad is saying something to him but he can't be bothered to listen as he tells him to hold on and starts walking straight to us. On his way, he grabs Sav's wrist and drags her with him.
"This is yours," he tells Grayson, and places Savannah in his lap. "This," he reaches down and grabs my hand, pulling me into his arms, "is mine."
Sav laughs while Grayson pretends to pout. "You mean I can't have both?"
"Careful, Hayworth. I'm on trial for murder here. Don't make me actually be guilty of one."
Gray shuts up instantly, and I cuddle closer into Jace's arms. I don't think I realized how badly I needed this until now, with him here—holding me the way he always has.
"Can I talk to you?" he murmurs.
I nod, and the two of us head over to the balcony. It's half the size of the room, and from up here, everything looks incredible. You
can hardly even see the people down below, we're up so high.
Jace comes behind me and puts his hands on their side of the railing as I look out over the distance. "You know you don't have to be there, at the courthouse, right?"
I tilt my head back to look at him, and my brows furrow. "Do you not want me there?"
"No, that's not it," he assures me. "Trust me, that's not it. I've spent too long without you. I want you as close as possible at all times. It's just..."
He pauses, and a nervous look spreads across his face. His lips move like he's counting until he lets out a long exhale, and then continues.
"Part of loving someone is putting their needs before your own, and God, Paige, I love you so fucking much. It's so intense I don't know what to do with it all. You scare the ever-living shit out of me and calm me down all at once. All I want is to make sure you're okay."
Hearing those words, the ones I've wanted to hear come from his lips for as long as I can remember, I feel like I'm going to burst. I spin around in his arms and look into his eyes, seeing the vulnerability and fear that linger in them.
As I reach up and place my hand on his cheek, he leans into my touch. It's then that I know— nothing can ever separate us. Not time. Not distance. Nothing.
"And part of loving someone means being there for them when they need you," I tell him. "And I love you. I always have."
The biggest smile I've ever seen on him stretches across his face, and it looks like all the tension leaves his body. He releases the banister and wraps his arms around me. And finally, after an insanely long six weeks, he presses his lips to mine in a kiss that breathes the life back into me.
This is exactly where I belong.
Trial: Day 2
Court starts out almost the same as yesterday, except for there is no need for opening statements. Throughout the whole time the prosecution talks, Finn scribbles down something on a piece of paper and shows it to Mr. Trayland. For a while, we were considering signing him onto my legal team, but the conflict of interest with Carter being his son was just too much to ignore.
