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“I’ve come to bring you home, baby. I’ve missed you. We all have.”
She shook her head violently. “No. You can’t. I— You know what I did. How can you, of all people, be standing here and saying that to me?”
“It’s not just me.” Reaching out, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and she trembled at my touch. “My parents came too, in case you needed extra persuasion. I’m sure they would’ve brought JoJo as well, but she’s currently having a sleepover with my aunt.”
“But how? Why? After everything I’ve done? And how did you find me?” Her body was still shaking, and I didn’t care about how I should or shouldn’t behave anymore. I had to hold her. Wrapping my arms around her, I looked into her beautiful eyes, seeing the tears trembling on her long lashes.
“We found the phone. And the money you left for the handbag replacement. Those were the actions of a good person. A person trying to do the right thing, to make amends. And you saved my dad’s fucking life, baby.”
She shook her head again. “His life wouldn’t even have been at risk if it wasn’t for—”
I leaned in and kissed the words off her soft lips. “Don’t you fucking dare blame yourself for that. The blame lies with your mother.”
“That woman is no longer my mother. I renounced her. Disowned her, if you can do that to a parent.”
A smile curved over my lips. “Yeah, you did, and I’m proud of you for doing it. As for your other question—how we found you…let’s just say that both my dad and I have some useful contacts.”
“So what now? Are you here to save me? I’m a charity case to your family?” Her voice was threaded with pain and bitterness, and it killed me.
“Fuck, no. You don’t need saving. You can save yourself—you’re a survivor. You’re doing it right now. I mean, fuck. Five days, and you have a flat and a job, not to mention that you did all of this right after a blood transfusion. Although…I should mention that you shouldn’t be doing anything after a blood transfusion, especially not moving to a new city and starting a job that requires physical activity.” My jaw clenched, thinking of everything she’d been through. “You survived living with your mum for that year before you came to me, and I don’t even know half of it.”
She sighed against me, a soft, sad sound. “Why, then? I don’t understand.”
“Because we want you to come home. Because even though it’s only been a month, which I realise is stupidly fucking fast, you’ve become a part of our family.”
A sob tore from her throat, and I pulled her closer, lowering my head to her ear. “And I want you. I want you so fucking much. It’s been hell not having you around. I missed you.”
“Knox.” Her arms finally came around me, and she was properly crying. “How can I just come back? After everything?”
“You’re asking too many questions. Do you want to know something? Both my mum and my dad advocated me kidnapping you to bring you home, if it was necessary.”
She laughed brokenly. “This is insane.”
“Insane, but it’s happening. Come on.” I released her, wiped away as many of her tears as I could with my fingers, and then took her hand. She didn’t protest as I led her back through the pub, out the door, and down the street. My Maserati was still idling at the kerb, and both my parents waved madly when they saw us. Embarrassing as fuck—they could’ve at least done me the courtesy of keeping the windows up, but no, they had to have them down, meaning we had an audience of three people in the chicken shop, plus a passer-by on the street.
“I see he didn’t have to resort to kidnapping,” my dad shouted at fucking foghorn levels, making even more people look at us. Elena took one look at the grimace on my face and started laughing, andtherewas my girl.
“Fucking hell. Quick, open the door. I need to get off the street.” I crowded up against Elena’s back as she slotted the key into the door that led to her flat, feeling her still laughing against me.
When we were safely inside her actual flat, I took a look around. No joke, if I stretched out both my arms, I could touch both walls. There was the tiniest excuse for a kitchen I’d ever seen, a bed, and one armchair, all in one room. Another door led to what I assumed was the bathroom.
“What the fuck is this place?”
She shrugged. “I sublet it from the people who own the laundrette downstairs. I pay in cash, weekly, and there’s no contract.”
“It should be condemned.”
“You’re such a snob.” The tiniest smile appeared on her face, and I couldn’t resist kissing her. “I missed you so much,” she murmured when we broke apart. “I was trying to do the right thing.”
“I know you were. But you’re coming with us. Let’s get your shit packed so we can leave.”
My words were interrupted by her stomach rumbling, and my brows pulled together as I stared down at her. “When was the last time you ate?”
Biting down on her lip, she eyed me from beneath her lashes. “Um…yesterday?”
Thank fuck I’d had the foresight to bring something with me. It was better than nothing. Digging around in the bag that was slung across my body, I handed her a bottle of water, a bag of crisps, and a pomegranate.
She arched a brow at the pomegranate, and I shrugged. “It was the first thing I saw as we were leaving. I know you like the seeds, so I grabbed one from the fruit bowl on our way out.”
