Page 188 of There's No Us Without You
“There you go,” I say when I’ve finished wiping his face. “Let’s get you into bed.”
He nods, fresh tears sliding down his flushed cheeks. But it’s when he presses his palms into his eyes, his shoulders shaking, that my throat closes up and I struggle to swallow down my own emotions.
I’ve never seen him like this, and it’s tearing my insides out. There’s nothing I can do to take his pain away, and that’s what hurts the most.
“I’ve got you.” I wrap an arm around his shoulders and pull him down to rest his head in my lap—I’ll give him a few minutes to recover before trying to move him again.
He grips onto me like his life depends on it, while I brush his wet hair from his forehead and twirl his curls around my finger. His emotions take over, his body shaking, but I’ve never felt more like I’m in the right place at the right time.
“I’m so sorry,” Emerson says through his tears. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”
I rub his back in the best soothing motion I can. “You don’t have to do it alone. I’m not going anywhere.” Leaning down, I kiss his temple. “This is the worst of it, I promise.”
A guttural cry echoes in the bathroom, while Emerson falls apart in my arms, his shaking body hot against mine. Fuck, he’s burning up. Although, that’s to be expected. He’s going to get through this—I’ll make sure of that.
When his tears stop, and his convulsions have calmed slightly, Emerson wipes his eyes with his shirt. “Do you think Eden will leave me?” he says, sniffing.
“A lot has happened,” I say truthfully. “She’s upset. Give her some time, but my guess is if she was going to leave, she would have already.”
With a nod, his hair tickles the exposed skin of my thighs. “You’re probably right.”
“I’m always right.” A small smile plays on my lips—something I haven’t done in days.
With a snort, Emerson punches my thigh. “You’re an arsehole.”
“You love me though.” The words are out of my mouth before my brain has fired on all cylinders.
What a fucking idiot.
Emerson’s face grows serious when he moves his head to glance up at me. He licks his dry lips. “I do love you,” he says, hiseyes darting between mine. “More than anything. You’re my best friend, Will. But you’re so much more. You’re everything. You are my life.”
Jesus. Me and my big mouth.
I want to tell him he’s my everything too, protect him until my last breath.
The latter I can do, the former not so much. If I say the words out loud, it’s real.
So instead of confessing my feelings, I squeeze his shoulder. “Come on. You need some sleep.”
Sighing, he attempts to sit up, his arms shaking under the weight of his body.
I stand and help him to his feet, wrapping an arm around his waist to walk him to his room. Once he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, I pull the sweat-soaked shirt over his head and nod to his pillow. “Lie down. I’ll get you some water. Are you hungry?”
“No... thanks.” He winces when he lifts his left knee, which tells me he’s still a little tender, but that will subside soon enough.
Yawning, he rolls onto his side and closes his eyes.
At least I haven’t lost him. I’ll make sure he comes out the other end of this, even if I have to commit murder to make sure he stays clean.
After coming back to the room with a glass of water, I place it on the bedside table and climb in next to Emerson.
Sniffing, he shuffles closer and places his head on my chest. “Let’s buy Eden’s dad’s restaurant for her.”
“What?”
That’s random.
“You heard me,” he says, before licking his lips. “I want to make it up to her, show her I’m—we’re—in this for the long haul.”
