Stay inside. Please. Goddess Girl. This is on me.
The door banged open, and I edged out onto the porch.
The heated planks were hot against my bare feet, sun beltin’ down on my skin that was already covered in sweat.
The ocean pattered on the shore behind us, but it didn’t do anything to give a semblance of peace.
Because my girl followed us out anyway.
Her panic this bubbling, boilin’ thing.
“Stay inside, Maggie.” The words left me on a low plea.
Royce growled.
Maggie whimpered and followed us out.
“Please, baby,” I begged. Last thing I wanted was for her to feel guilty for this. For her to witness this.
Apparently, it was the wrong damned thing to say.
Because Royce was coming for me, and I was backing out farther, and a sob was eruptin’ from Maggie when Royce punched me again.
This one was a hook that got me under the chin.
Fuck, he had a fist.
I floundered backward, stumbling, losing footing and falling off the edge of the elevated deck.
I took it.
Fell to the sand below.
Misery seared through every inch of me.
Face on fire.
But I guessed it was my heart that was gettin’ charred to ash.
I managed to get up to my hands and knees, pushing up to kneeling in time for Royce to clamor down and bust me with those knuckles again.
My head whipped to the side.
Blood gushed from my nose and splattered on the sand.
Maggie wept, and all I wanted to do was go to her. Arms this wild ache to hold her. Promise her none of this shit was her fault. Couldn’t stand the sound of her torment.
But it kept coming. “Oh god. Please, stop.”
Could barely sense that we’d gotten an audience. Emily and Mel burst through the door. Two of them gasped and cried out with what was going down. “Oh my god. What is going on? Royce. No!”
Whole time, Royce glowered down at me, old pain leaking out of him like a broken main. “Get up, you piece of shit. Stop being a pussy and fight like a man.”
The words were shards of razor-sharp glass.
My head barely shook. “No, man.”
I’d take it. I’d take it.
Maggie tried to scramble for us. Emily held her back while she shouted at her husband, “Royce, stop it. Please. Don’t do this.”
“Rhys,” Maggie cried from where Emily hugged her to her chest.
Energy crashed.
My girl.
My girl.
I barely chanced a glance at her, knowin’ my face was all busted up. Last thing I wanted was for her to have to see any more. “Baby…please go back inside.”
“I can’t.”
Another blow, this one to my temple.
Darkness clawed at my consciousness.
So close to gettin’ knocked clean out.
My chest clutched, and I fought to keep the madness from getting free.
“Get up!” Royce’s shout trembled. Rocked and pitched with his agony. Dude thinkin’ he’d failed when that was on me.
I dropped my head.
Preparing for the next blow.
“Get up.” This time he begged it, and the breath was heaving from him, and he was ripping at his hair. “Get up. Get up, you piece of shit.”
His voice had grown thin, sounding of disbelief.
I waited for another blow.
“Jesus Christ.” Royce stumbled to the side in some kind of shock. “Tell me you’re not in love with her?”
My spirit screamed, and I croaked over the truth of what I couldn’t deny any longer. I slumped forward and let it consume me.
Overwhelm me.
Overpower me.
That feelin’ that I’d been fighting for so long.
And I wasn’t looking at Royce when I lifted my head.
I was looking at Maggie.
Our gazes tangled and that energy slashed.
A second later, Maggie broke free of Emily’s hold and came running for me. Missing two steps and jumping off the boardwalk, feet flingin’ sand as she flailed in my direction wearing my shirt. She was on her knees three feet away, frantically crawling the rest of the way until she was throwing herself at me.
My arms encircled her.
Finally accepting their place.
Tears stained that stunnin’ face. I reached up and cupped her cheeks, trying to brush away the tears.
“Do you feel it?” she barely managed to ask through the sobs coating her voice, those eyes all over me, taking in everything.
“Do I feel it? Sweet Thing… How could I not? Don’t think there’s a way not to love you. God, I love you. Know I don’t deserve it, but I do. So much. So damn much.” The confession poured out.
I didn’t even try to stop it.
More tears streaked down her cheeks, but it was different, that joy gushing free, and she was mumbling, “I love you. I love you, Rhys. More than anything.”
In a frenzy, the girl was kissing me, and I didn’t care that it hurt—that we were probably smearing blood all over the place—I was kissing her back, my arms wrapped around her waist as she pressed her sweet heart against the thunder raging in mine.