Page 190 of New Growth
“Think they’ll take me to court over the house?” I asked after a long stretch of quiet.
Elliot glanced over at me. “They might. Know any good lawyers?”
I exhaled through my nose. “I did a law student’s hair once.”
He snorted, the corner of his mouth lifting. “I don’t think that counts, baby.”
“Damn.”
“Just relax.” He shifted, turning to face me more fully. “We’ll figure it out if the time comes.”
I stared up at the ceiling, its familiar cracks no longer comforting. “Am I petty for not wanting to give them the house?”
“You’re honoring what your father wanted,” he said softly.
“I know. But deep down…” My throat tightened. “I’m doing it for selfish reasons. I know I shouldn’t. I know I should be healed. I know I should’ve grown. But the bitter part of me is louder. It wants revenge. It wants them to suffer. And I don’t know how to make it stop.”
I paused, my voice cracking.
“I don’t want it to stop. But I don’t want you to think less of me for feeling that way.”
Elliot didn’t rush to speak. He reached for me, cupping my cheek with his calloused hand. His thumb brushed just under my eye.
“Ellie,” he murmured, voice low and sure, “Of course, part of you wants revenge. Of course, it hurts. You’re human. You’re grieving. You won’t heal today. Or tomorrow. Fuck, you may not even be completely healed by next year. But you’re allowed to be upset. You’re allowed tofuck up. It’s part of the messy process. You’re not bitter because you feel this way.You’re honest.I don’t need you to be over it. This—” he gestured gently between us “—this is enough. I’d never think less of you for expressing how you feel. I just need you to be real with me. And you always are. The fact that you can see your emotions for what they are shows you’re in a much better place than you were before.”
His fingers skimmed back through my hair.
“I’m proud of you.”
My chest cracked open a little at those words. I closed my eyes and breathed him in. His arms wrapped around me. They felt more like home than Daddy’s house ever had.
“I’m glad someone is,” I whispered.
“Oh, baby,” he said softly, his lips grazing my temple, “you’re allowed to fall apart with me. I’ll always pick up the pieces.”
“I don’t know how I would’ve survived this without you.”
“Thankfully,” he whispered, “you’ll never have to find out.”
I leaned into him, my fingers resting against the beat of his heart. “I’m more thankful you belong to me.”
He paused, then said, “It just occurred to me… I never actually asked you to be mine.”
I lifted my head, eyes narrowing playfully. “What happened to ‘you are undeniably my other half, Elliot’?”
“It’s true,” he said, grinning. “But it’s different. The respectable thing to do is ask.”
I laid my head back down on his chest. “So ask.”
“Not like this.”
“Then when?”
“Soon,” he said. “Very soon. I won’t keep you waiting.”
The day finally caught up to me, its heaviness wrapping around my limbs. I yawned, the last of my tension softening under his touch.
“I’ll hold you to it,” I mumbled, already half-asleep.
