Page 210 of Always Love You More
They both stare back at me, neither of them looking satisfied with that answer.
“I promise,” I add.
“I don’t want you going back to that house.”
“I can’t just—”
“You can come stay with me.”
“I don’t know …”
He watches me carefully. “You don’t have to be scared of them.”
“That’s not …” I chew my bottom lip. “I’m not scared of them.”
He sits down on the bed beside me. “You’ve got me now.” He motions to Billy. “Both of us. We’re not gonna let them get to you.”
I know they’ll protect me, but that’s what I’m scared of. I saw how Jameson reacted to a fucking scrapped knee; what would he do if they really came after me? How far would he go? And what would happen to him if he crossed a line he couldn’t come back from?
I paste what I hope looks like a reassuring smile on my face. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“Baby …”
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” I say, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. I shift, twisting my ring. “Sorry … I’m just … I’m kind of done with today.”
“Okay,” he says, taking my hand. “We can be done with it for today.”
I nod.
“But Sam?”
“Yeah.”
“I meant what I said. He’s never gonna hurt you again.”
Chapter 49
Sam
“Ishouldgoinwith you,” Jameson mutters as we idle in front of my house.
“We both should,” Billy adds.
“No.” I shake my head. “That’ll only … I just need to see what I’m dealing with.”
Jameson reaches for me. “Baby …”
“Maybe it won’t even be that bad. I mean, my dad’s not oblivious to the way Carson’s been acting.” I let my eyes drift over to the front door. “He could side with me. He did after the fight at school.” My voice sounds hopeful, almost desperate.
When I turn back to Jameson, he’s watching me wearily. “I’ll call you if anything happens, and you can come and get—”
“I’m not leaving,” he cuts in.
“Jamie …”
“I’ll stay out here,” he relents. “But I’m not leaving this driveway until you give me the okay.”
“All right,” I say softly, realizing arguing with him is futile. “Thank you,” I add before looking over my shoulder at Billy. “Both of you.”
