Page 80 of Rescuing Josiah
“Noted.”
“How long are your parents staying?” she asked after a couple of minutes of silent driving. Thankfully, Josiah hadn't been angry with her for telling his mom he’d been hurt and was in the hospital. She knew she shouldn’t have because he’d told her they were estranged, but his mom had been so worried, and she didn't want the woman worrying any longer.
“They’re going to stay for a while,” Josiah replied, his hand tightening on the wheel so much his knuckles blanched white. “Apparently, my brothers and their families are going to fly up here, too.”
“You okay with that?” Placing her hand over the one hand he still had on her thigh, she squeezed lightly, reminding him he wasn't facing this alone. She was right here, and she wasn't going anywhere. She would support him however he wanted to face his family, but she hoped he was willing to give them a chance and stop shutting them out when it was clear they loved him very much.
Letting out a long, slow breath, he finally nodded. “Yeah. I'm terrified because I know my brothers are going to be a lot harder on me than my parents were. Well deserved. I hurt everyone by pushing them away. It wasn't intentional, I was just trying to survive, but nonetheless the outcome was the same.”
“They get that because they love you,” she reminded him. Bottom line was neither she nor his family had lived through the hell Josiah had, so who were they to judge him for how he’d handled his trauma? “I’m glad you're letting them back in. I'm glad you're letting me in.”
The fingers on her thigh squeezed almost to the point of pain. “Me too, Chels. Thank you for standing by me. For not giving up on me. I'd already given up on myself and if you hadn't been there … I don’t know what would have happened to me.”
Thankfully, that was not something they needed to worry about finding out. “I’ll always be there for you, Josiah. Because I love you.”
“Love you back.” She could tell the words felt a little rusty coming from his mouth, but she didn't care, he was saying them and that was all that mattered.
Lapsing into silence, a comfortable one, they drove for another fifteen minutes or so before Josiah pulled up outside a luxury apartment building right in the middle of the city.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, totally confused.
“You’ll see.” Climbing out, he rounded the car and opened her door for her. Taking her hand, he helped her down. While she tried to hide her wince, she was pretty sure he noticed it anyway. She certainly noticed his, and she did her best not to lean on him too much because she didn't want to cause him extra pain.
Apparently, he didn't like that, because he huffed and pulled her close against his side. After handing the keys to his truck to a valet, they headed into the building. Curiosity was bubbling inside her, and a million questions wanted to come pouring out, but she held them back. This was Josiah’s moment, and she wanted him to have it and enjoy it.
He led her to the elevator and scanned a card before pushing the button for one of the top floors. Neither of them spoke as the elevator took them up, and Chelsea reveled in the warm, comforting, strong presence of the man holding her. This was everything she’d ever wanted, and it was so hard to believe that it was real.
But it was real.
And she wanted to soak up every second of it.
When the elevator opened, Josiah guided her out and down a hall, stopping outside one of the apartment doors and pulling out a key. Once he opened the door, Chelsea’s gazewas immediately drawn to the stunning view from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of an airy living room.
“Through there is the kitchen dining room,” Josiah said, pointing to a door in the wall to their right. “And that way is three bedrooms and two bathrooms,” he added, pointing to the left. “The master suite has the same views as the living room.”
Unable to resist wandering over to the windows and staring out at the city below them, Chelsea knew her mouth was hanging open in shock as she took it all in. The apartment was gorgeous, and she’d had no idea that Josiah lived there. Although from the slightly musty smell, it didn't really seem like anyone had been there for a very long time. Had he rented it? Did it belong to a friend of his? A family member?
“What is this place?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder to find him watching her with a tender expression.
“This place is mine. Well, I hope it’s going to be ours.”
Chapter
Twenty-Two
May 20th
5:55 P.M.
The shocked look on Chelsea’s face when he told her he owned this place made keeping the secret on the way here more than worth it.
Plus, she was cute when she pouted.
It also made this moment more bittersweet than just bitter.
“You own it?” Chelsea asked incredulously. Then her eyes narrowed. “Are you some sort of secret millionaire? Or billionaire? Because I have to tell you that would be super romantic and a perfect plot twist for our romantic storyline.”
Laughter burst out of him at the absurdity of her statement. “No, Chels, I’m not a secret millionaire or billionaire. Sorry to burst your bubble.”
