Page 71 of Enzo

The words knocked the breath out of me, not because I didn’t believe him, but because I wanted to. My chest ached, my throat tight, and before I could think twice, I stepped forward, closing the space between us.

I walked right into his arms.

Enzo didn’t hesitate. He wrapped me up in that steady, grounding way of his, solid and sure. I inhaled the familiar scent of him—motor oil, clean soap, something undeniably him—and rested my cheek against his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heartbeat beneath my skin.

“Fuck,” I murmured, my voice nothing more than a whisper.

His arms tightened around me for a second before he exhaled. “Don’t ever think I don’t believe in you. Because I do.”

“I know.”

I buried my face in Enzo’s shirt one more time, letting myself have this moment of quiet, of safety before we separated.

He cupped my right cheek with his hand before clasping my shoulder and squeezing.

“You staying for dinner after work?” I asked, same as every end of day.

“I’d love to,” he said. Same as every time I asked.

“Chicken parm, tonight,” I said, to break the silence and the chaos in my head. “With garlic bread, maybe some roasted vegetables.” I’d retrained my stomach after years of nothing—years of gnawing hunger, of desperation. Now, I could eat anything I wanted, no longer limited by survival or scarcity. Cooking had become a quiet victory, something else I’d taught myself through books, through trial and error. Every meal proved I was here and choosing to take up space and live.

Enzo had been there through it all. He stayed every night, sitting at my table, eating whatever I made as if it was the best thing in the world. I wasn’t skin and bones like the near-dead man Enzo had found behind the dumpster, though I was still thin. But I was more than I’d been back then. Stronger. And tonight, I’d make something that reminded me of that and show Enzo again what I could do.

Enzo smiled. “Sounds good.”

I was cooking while Enzo fiddled with an engine after everyone else had left for the night—Rio and Jamie were back at their place, and Logan was heading off with Cassidy to see Gray for the weekend. I was drained from the emotional rollercoaster and couldn’t stay awake through dinner.

Enzo managed to rouse me just enough to pull me into a hug, told me he’d handled the dishes, and teased that he had to pull me out of my food. As he pulled away, he kissed me as a goodbye, when I looked up, he was already checking the locks and then headed upstairs.

I wanted more kisses, more hugs. I wanted to climb onto his lap again, although I’d gotten out of the habit, or maybe his body language told me he didn’t want me there.

I just wish I could sleep.

TWENTY-FOUR

Enzo

I’d handledthat all wrong and ended up acting like a fucking idiot. I’d taken all his sunshine and hope and crushed it in my fist, and guilt was heavy.

“Fuck,” I muttered and I couldn’t shake the feeling I was leaving behind something important and that I’d messed up too much.

Why was tonight so different? I’d walked away from him many times, telling myself he was okay, safe inside, protected. But had things changed after how he’d looked at me earlier? Or was it just my stupid ass driving to fix what I’d done, even when I knew I didn’t have the right words?

All I knew was I was abandoning him when he needed someone the most.

“He’s asleep, you fucking idiot,” I grumbled. I didn’t want to be that needy guy who thought they could be someone’s savior, but maybe that was what I was trying to be when I couldn’t make a difference, no matter how hard I tried.

Fuck.

Fuck this shit.

I sent a message out before I could change my mind, then headed out to the yard behind the garage, waiting for Jamie and Rio to arrive, watching cameras blink and show they were coming, watching them enter codes, seeing the system work as it should.

“What did you do?” Jamie asked, on a yawn as he rounded the corner, Rio on his heels. It was a dumb move when I knew they’d take one look at my sorry ass and laugh. But using them as a sounding board was the only thing that made sense.

“You didn’t press the alarm?” Rio asked. “Is Robbie okay?”

Jamie watched me in silence—the complete opposite of Rio’s concern.

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