The ride from Athens was somber with silence. Julia had been reduced to a sobbing mess when we reached the hospital room. Elsie was well on her way out of the world, already halfway gone when we arrived.
Watching my mate usher her into the next phase of her spiritual life had been both beautiful and heartbreaking. I held Julia tight, unable to let her go even when she wanted to rush to her mother’s side. The three of us stood next to Elsie as she went to the great beyond, exhaling slowly for the very last time.
handling some loose ends with the hospital and making sure that Elsie’s body would be delivered to the proper address, we had headed right back out, the three-hour drive seeming so much longer than before.
Now, relief washed over me when the estate came into view. Julia was curled into my side in the backseat. She didn’t seem to want to leave me. I didn’t want to leave her either. I felt strongly protective of her and I wasn’t quite sure why.
The car engine cutting off drew me out of my thoughts. Julia was fast asleep, soft snores intercepted by gentle sniffles. I opened the passenger door and watched as Nathaniel scooped her into his arms. Witnessing him acting so fatherly put me into a desirous mood. I followed him inside, my thighs twitching as my gut ached with longing. I trailed after him up the stairs and to a suite that was close to his. He set his daughter in the giant bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead.
She didn’t wake. She must have been truly tuckered out from all the emotional distress and traveling. I was feeling much the same way, and my outer shell was weakened with grief.
To meet her mother and then to bid her farewell in the same hour was too much for my little heart to handle. I collapsed near the door of Nathaniel’s suite, leaning into the frame to steady myself. He easily scooped me up just as he had done his daughter and carried me to his bedchamber.
“Why do you want me here?” I whimpered weakly. “Why did you bring me here?”
“Because I’m going to do everything I can to protect you.”
Tears rushed to my eyes, blurring my vision. I buried my face into his chest as I clung to his shirt, heart breaking repeatedly as I thought about that text I had sent. How could I have been so foolish?
“You didn’t say . . . You didn’t even think to tell me, Nathaniel.”
He shushed me. “I’m so sorry, my love. Please, forgive me. I wasn’t thinking. I was just . . . doing.”
“You’re a jerk.”
“I’m your jerk.”
I sniffled, raising my face from his chest to look into his eyes. “You’re my jerk?”
“Always. Forever. However long you’ll have me. I’m yours.”
His lips crashed into mine, preventing opposition. God, how I wanted him to take me over. I wanted to feel his hands all over, his caress the only sensation welcome in my body.
He knew I wanted him. He knew I needed him.
And I knew he would always take care of me.