Page 365 of Sticks and Stones
Corbin sobbed.
He let that wall down again, and he mourned what they’d taken from him, and what they’d nearly stole again.
The whole time, Will soothed him, trying to pour that love into the empty vessel to give Corbin a fighting chance.
“I don’t want to say goodbye to you, Will,” he whispered. “When they were destroying me, I thought about you, and that’s why I survived. When they dumped me broken and battered, I climbed out because I needed someone to find me so I could come home.”
Will lifted his chin with gentle fingers.
“You’re home, Corby. I’ve got you now, and I’ll take care of you. I’ll make sure you’re okay. We’ll go to therapy, and we’ll get you better. Just let me be by your side. Choose me one more time. I won’t let you down. I promise. Gene and Ethan will let me stand with them to protect you. Your family will keep you safe, and I’m family too.”
Corbin had just enough left in him to fight a little more. So, he’d hold on and pray that Will had him. Because losing him was too much for him to handle.
“I’ll fight,” he whispered.
Will brushed his hair back from his face.
“I’ve got you, Corbin. I swear to God that I’ve got you,” he promised.
Picking up the ring box, Corbin handed it back to Will. When he saw his face, he explained.
“Hold onto this until I get back on my feet. It gives me something to work toward. It gives me a goal, and I want to get that ring more than you’ll ever know.”
Gently, he gave Corbin a soft kiss on his lips. His lower lip had stitches from being split, and looked painfully sore.
“Deal,” he said. “The second you’re back on your feet, I’m asking. Because I want to spend my forever with you.”
He knew that feeling.
When Corbin went to get up, Will was right there, and he helped him move to the couch. When he sat down, he tucked the blanket around him, and made sure he was comfortable.
“Do you need some medicine?” Will asked.
He nodded.
“I feel like shit,” he admitted. “I’m achy and everything hurts. I’d kill to soak in a hot bath.”
Will took care of him.
Like he promised.
When he sat next to him, he took his hand and held it in his to keep them connected. He was just about to ask him if he’d like a bath, but Corbin went there.
“Which one of them told you? Was it Ethan or was it Gene?” he asked, pointing at the gun lying on the table. The men didn’t leave guns around. They had to have given it to Will to protect him. “Because I don’t believe you broke into this condo.”
He gasped in fake horror.
“You don’t?”
No, he absolutely didn’t.
He knew the two men well, and this had their fingerprints all over it. Plus, they wouldn’t leave him alone.
So that meant they knew Will was here.
“Let’s just say I know how they think. Which one?” he asked. “We have a zero-lie policy, right?”
That they did.
