Page 143 of The Elusive Billionaire

“You can’t fix her, Uncle Grey—only Savvy can do that.”

Braxton’s phone rings. He glances at it, then sends the caller to voicemail.

“I know. And somewhere along the way, I went from wanting to fix her… No, that’s a lie.” I drag my hand through my hair and collect my thoughts. “I still want to fix her, but how I go about it has changed. I don’t want to change her. I don’t want to make her do things she’s not ready for. I just want to be there for her, by her side, holding her hand while she figures things out. We work. Together, we work.”

“I think you do too,” Braxton says.

“You want to be her partner.” Sage’s eyes glisten with emotion. He used to wear eyeliner to hide from people, but he stopped that shortly after moving to Happiness, where everyone accepted him just as he is—a sensitive genius who happens to be a gifted kicker on a football team.

Could they accept all of me too?

“I do,” I say. “I want her to be mine. Not like Riley wants her—I don’t want to own her, but because she wants to be mine and she wants me to be hers.”

Braxton’s phone rings again, and he frowns. “Hold on, it’s Madi again. Let me just make sure everything’s okay.” He steps to the side of the booth while Sage and I watch on. “Hello? Wait, Madi. Slow down. What happened?”

I step around the booth and study Braxton’s face. His expression contorts, and I turn to stone.

Something’s wrong.

“When? What did he say?” Braxton looks to me, and I feel it in my bones—something happened to Savvy. “We’ll be right there. Did someone call the police? Not Chief, but the station.”

My mind summons all the ways Savvy could be hurt, and I’m blinded by guilt so powerful, my vision blurs.

Why didn’t I insist the Harringtons come immediately?

Sage pats my back. “Breathe, Uncle.”

His words act as a defibrillator, and I greedily inhale but force myself to release the breath slowly.

This is my fault. I should have stayed with her. My fault.

“She’s okay,” Brax says. “But Riley threatened her at Blissy’s, and she…”

“She what?” I don’t recognize the sound of my own voice.

“She has some bruising on her upper arms.”

“He put his hands on her?” Each word comes out louder and harsher than the one before as I follow Braxton to the parking lot. “What happened? How did it happen?”

“Madi was pretty upset. I don’t have all the details, but Moose is there with her, and Chief Rigsby is on his way to Blissy’s now.”

We reach the car, and Sage holds out his hand at the driver’s side door. “You’re too upset to drive. Let me.”

I toss them to him because if I don’t, we’ll waste precious time fighting over it. I slip into the back seat to give myself time to clear my head. I love my brother and my nephew, but right now, the only thought in my head is that I didn’t protect Savvy—again.

Ten minutes later, Sage double-parks in front of Blissy’s. I jump out, but my mind is no clearer. There’s only one thing driving me forward, and it’s an overwhelming urgency to see Savvy.

The bell above the door rings loudly as I enter. I scan left to right until I land on Savvy, sitting in the corner, facing the door,with Chief Rigsby sitting in front of her, while Madi and Moose flank her on either side.

Moose has his hand on her shoulder in a protective, fatherly gesture I appreciate more than I ever could have imagined.

This is why Braxton and Sage love this town so much. Even when they’re not around, they know there are people who will protect those they love in their absence.

We’ve never had anything like that before.

Savvy lifts her head, and our gazes lock, solidify, band us to one stream of consciousness, and my chest nearly explodes.

She isn’t a replacement for the loss of my sister. She isn’t a new outlet for my grief. She isn’t a vessel to carry my child.