Page 124 of Rush

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We lie there tangled together and I let myself feel it.

The vulnerability, the connection, the terrifying intimacy of being seen.

This makes me feel more alive than I have in years.

It also makes me more afraid of my own darkness.

But I'm not choosing distance. I'm choosing to stay.

To keep being present even when it's hard.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand and I reach for it.

It's a text from Pyro.

Diesel's booked a flight. Gets in Tuesday. Heads up.

I stare at the message and my jaw tightens.

"What is it?" Everly asks.

"Your dad's coming Tuesday."

She closes her eyes. "Fuck."

"Yeah."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to handle it."

"How?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm not backing down."

She touches my face. "You know he's going to try to scare you off."

"I know."

"And you're still staying?"

"Yeah, I'm still staying."

She kisses me and it's soft and reassuring.

"Okay," she says. "Then we handle it together."

Later, when she's asleep beside me, I lie there thinking about everything.

Diesel's coming to intimidate me, to test whether I'm worth his daughter.

The club is watching to see if I can handle the pressure.

And through it all, I'm trying to be someone worthy of Everly's trust.

Someone who doesn't run when things get hard.

Someone who can be intimate without being destructive.

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