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“Now, what?” Dawn grumbles.
Lilly leans over the back of the couch. Who could that be? She leans over further, practically falling off the couch to see Gage standing on the threshold. Damnit! She flounces back around in a huff, folding her arms across her chest.
“Is she here?” Gage’s voice carries through the open doorway.
“Yep,” Dawn replies.
Lilly closes her hands into fists and digs her nails into her palms with each of his booted footsteps. Gage steps into her line of sight, and her gaze travels up his jean-clad legs to where his muscular forearms are crossed over his chest. His jaw is set.
“I know I said I’d give you space, but we’ve both had time to cool off and think. Now, we need to talk.” His stance brooks no argument. Lilly briefly glances at Dawn, who is standing behind Gage, mouthingtalk to him.
She glares at Gage before standing. “Fine. I’ll meet you at home,” she says before she storms out of Dawn’s house.
Lilly can't stop staring at Gage as they sit on the couch in her living room. He's been trying to reason with her for what feels like hours, but realistically, it’s only been a few minutes, and her head is just not in the right space.
“I know it may seem like I’m overreacting about you reading Maverick’s journal, and maybe I am. It doesn’t make my feelings any less valid.”
Gage shifts on the couch, his gaze intense. To his credit, he doesn’t speak.
"I saw you standing there," she says softly. "Inhishouse, readinghiswords, looking just like him."
"Lilly," Gage begins sadly.
She holds her hand up. "No, listen. Look, I know that the two of you aren't the same. I knew Mav, and I know you. You're very different people. But so much has happened in such a short period of time, and I'm just–I'm just trying to process it all. Seeing you there, doing what you were doing, it was a lot."
Gage stares at her for a moment before getting up and stopping in front of her, his eyes searching hers. "I can leave," he says softly. "Give you your space to process."
He turns and disappears down the hall. Biting her lip, she gets to her feet and wanders to the doorway of the bedroom. She leans against the frame with a heavy heart while Gage packs his things.
Since he’s been staying with her, she's come to rely on his presence. She’s hesitant. Part of her wants him to stay, to cling to his warmth and comfort, but another part of her needs to confront her feelings—to figure out what she wants without the influence of her mate being so close. Her panther yowls inside of her in protest of their mate leaving. A wave of emptiness overwhelms her as thoughts of not having this man in her life weigh heavily on her.
Gage glances up from his bag. “Lilly?”
She opens her mouth to speak, but her voice fails her. She can’t let him go.
Gage closes the distance between them with his bag in one hand as he takes hers in the other.
"No, stay," she says.
Gage's eyes widen, but he doesn't argue. Instead, he drops his bag and wraps his arms around her. "I'm here," he murmurs.
They spend the rest of the day in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. She feels Gage’s eyes on her on the few occasions she’d go get a drink in the kitchen, and she tries to give him a reassuring smile before returning to her bedroom for some privacy.
She leans her head back against the wall where she’s perched in the window seat. Her mind is like an assortment of crates from her store, each overflowing with its own trauma.That’s a lot to unpack,she snorts at her self-deprecating dark humour. Her panther gives her a warm push of confidence. She begins sorting through her mental chaos.Childhood trauma?Nope, don’t have time for that shit right now, she thinks as she pushes that back to the furthest edge of her being before reaching for the next.
When night falls, Lilly’s exhausted from her emotional sorting and doesn't want to be alone. "Stay with me," she whispers when he comes into her room to check on her.
Gage nods, and they crawl into bed together. Lilly's heart races as his warmth presses against her back. She's not ready to talk yet, but she is grateful for his patience with her. For now, she's content to simply have him there, holding her.
As they drift off to sleep, Lilly’s panther gives her a push, an overwhelming feeling of love and need for Gage bursts from inside. Neither her or her animal want him to leave. They want to be by his side, not just for now or during his time here, but as his mate. She doesn’t know what the hell a life with him would look like or what the logistics of them being together would entail. She'll figure it out soon enough, but for now, she's happy to have him as her mate, by her side, and in her bed.
Chapter twenty-four
Thebladesoftheceiling fan spin, bringing a light breeze against his exposed leg. Lilly shifts in her sleep, her adorable, dainty snores grazing the hairs of his chest. Gage caresses her back, the softness of her skin comforts him and the bear within. The thought of almost losing her over a misunderstanding has his stomach clenching.
Her courage and resiliency are so damn admirable, but even the strongest have a breaking point. They are content to carry the burdens of the past and those around until it is too much to bear. Sometimes, it’s the weight of a feather that gently floats, weaving its way on the wind, that once it lands, causes the world to crash and burn.
Did her accusation of betrayal hurt him? Anger him? Yes, it stung, but he’s more upset for her. As a leader, he is a natural fixer, but this isn’t for him to fix. Only time and Lilly herself are capable of working out all the shit she’s been through. As her mate, he will stand beside her and, if necessary, catch her if she should fall. That’s what love is.
