Page 51

Troy

I should have been enjoying the night out. The beer was cold, the music was loud, and my friends laughed around me.

But I wasn’t feeling it. Not even a little. All I could think about was Adrian’s fucking date.

It didn’t make sense. It felt completely out of the blue—like some twisted joke.

Adrian, the guy who hadn’t looked at another woman since Elena, was suddenly hosting a date in our house?

Bullshit.

We had made a promise to wait for her. To never let her think she was replaceable. And now Adrian was moving on?

He hadn’t even told me he was seeing someone.

That pissed me off more than anything.

I set my half-drunk beer down and pushed out of my chair.

“Where are you going?” Chase asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Home,” I muttered.

“You just got here. It’s been, like, an hour, man.”

I shrugged. “Not feeling it.”

Chase studied me for a second before smirking.

“Bet Adrian’s balls-deep in that date of his. ”

Something inside me snapped. I shoved my chair back, ignoring how it scraped across the floor, and stalked out of the bar.

I didn’t care if I was interrupting. I didn’t care if I ruined Adrian’s night. He needed to remember what the fuck we promised. If I had to throw his date out myself, I would.

By the time I reached the apartment, I was fuming.

I’d had opportunities to be with other women. So many. But I always walked away. Because Elena still owned me. Because I couldn’t stomach the idea of touching someone else. Because I loved her, even if she never came back. And Adrian had been the same way.

Until now.

I clenched my jaw as I reached the front door.

If he thought I was going to sit back and let him forget her, he was out of his goddamn mind.

I shoved the door open, already gearing up to let him have it.

“What the fuck, Adrian—” My words died in my throat.

Because sitting on the couch, holding Adrian’s tablet in her hands, was Elena.

I froze, my heart stopping cold in my chest.

The first thought that hit me was that he was showing her his book.

The second—am I dreaming?

She was here in our home.

I stumbled forward, dropping to my knees in front of her, reaching out like I had to touch her to believe it.

“Little dancer?” My voice cracked, raw with emotion. “Baby, you’re back?”

She smiled, sweet and beautiful, and Adrian quietly took his tablet from her lap.

Then she reached out, her gentle hands cradling my face.

I shuddered under her touch, the warmth, the softness—Her realness. She was even more beautiful than before.

Brighter. Stronger. Whole.

“Hey, Troy,” she whispered, blue eyes locking onto mine.

“Elena, baby,” I rasped. “You’re here.”

She nodded. “I am, and I’d like to stay if that’s OK. If you’ll have me. ”

A shaky breath left me as I grabbed her hands, pressing them to my lips.

“Fuck, baby,” I rasped. “That was never a question.”

I pulled her into my arms, burying my face in her neck, inhaling the scent I never thought I’d smell again.

“I will always want you,” I swore. “Always.”

I cupped her face, tilted her chin, and kissed her.

Deep. Desperate. Like I was trying to breathe life into my soul again.

She melted into me, her hands gripping my shirt like she needed me just as badly.

When I pulled back, I didn’t allow her to catch her breath.

I turned her toward Adrian.

“Kiss her,” I said softly.

Adrian didn’t hesitate.

His hands slid into her hair, his glasses slipping down his nose as he captured her lips.

I sat back, my chest so full it ached, watching them like I was watching something holy.

Because this was ours. She was ours. I had never—not once in my entire life—been this happy.

We had so much to talk about. So much to figure out. But right now?—

This was enough. Because she was home.

And nothing had ever felt so right.