Page 37 of They Are Mine

Like it’s the only option.

His lips part. “I, I can’t just…”

I press my hands against his chest, gentle but firm. “Yes, you can.” And then I say the words he needs to hear. “You don’t have to be alone tonight.”

And just like that?

Noah is mine.

He looks at me, so broken.

So devastated.

And oh, my love.

He doesn’t even realize how perfect this is.

I pull out my phone, my fingers moving without hesitation.

I dial, I take control, I take care of him.

“I need to report a break-in,” I say, voice steady, because I am steady.

Because I am the only thing keeping him standing right now.

Noah just blinks, his breath shaky, his hands limp at his sides.

Lost.

I reach for him, threading my fingers through his, holding him like a lifeline.

“What’s your address, sweetheart?” I murmur, soft, gentle.

Like I don’t know it by heart.

He rattles it off, voice hollow, and I repeat it back to the officer on the phone.

I answer their questions.

I give them the information.

And when I hang up?

I reach for him.

I frame his face between my hands, tilting it toward me, grounding him.

I make sure I’m the only thing he can focus on.

“I’m here for you,” I whisper. So certain. So soft. So real. I smooth my thumbs over his jaw. “You can stay with me.”

His breath catches.

His hands come up, hesitating like he wants to hold onto me too.

But then, his gaze sweeps over the wreckage again.

“My things,” he breathes, voice cracked, raw.

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