Page 18 of Tears of Gold

I can’t tell him about Dan. It would be too much now he knows the truth about us. He knows that on one blind night I broke the connection between us and gave myself to Dan. I swipe at my eyes. How did this happen? How did we get in such an awful mess?

“Talk to me.” He steps closer, gathering me into a tight embrace. Five minutes ago, he was sobbing, but now he’s the one comforting me, holding me up. It should be the other way around. My hands spread across his chest, gold and diamonds winking at me, telling me to hang on tight.

I shudder a deep breath. “Dan has been arrested. He went after Aiden and his friends.”

There’s a deep dark flicker in his eyes. I watch it flash and then resolve itself into his bright blues. I want to catch on fire as I struggle to breathe and meet his gaze.

“What happened?”

“He went after the guys who set on us; who hurt you.”

His head shakes from side to side and he sighs so deep it’s like it comes from his soul.

“Listen, Eli. Don’t worry about it. I just wanted you to know, because I don’t want secrets between us.”

His face, as he looks at me, is a tortured mask. “No secrets, not ever.” He runs a hand though his hair. The bruises are better, but a long way from being healed. A long way. “I’ll go. He needs a lawyer.”

“No.” I press my fingers into his chest. “No. You’ve got enough going on. We need to help Jeremy too now. He’s family.”

Eli nods slowly. Fuck, why does everything hurt so much? “And Dan’s yours. You look after Jeremy and I’ll go to Brighton. It won’t take me long to sort it out, then I need to come back and have a conversation with my mother.”

I frown. “Why?”

“Because she knew about this. I know she did, and I want to know just what deal she did to keep Peter from sharing his life with me.”

“You don’t know that.” My fingers lift to his cheek, smoothing the soft skin and the harsh scrape of his dark stubble.

“Yeah, I do.”

He catches my hand, turning it over and planting his lips on my palm. “`You aren’t running, even though this is a mess.”

I meet his gaze. “I told you. I’ll never run.”

“Let me go and help Dan.”

“Eli, your brother has just died.”

His fingers clutch mine tight. “I know, but nothing is going to bring him back now.” A shrug lifts his shoulders.

“I love you. You’re a good man.”

He’s deadly serious when he catches my face in his hands, his thumbs tilting my jaw so he can press a kiss against my mouth. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.”

“I’ll stay with Jeremy for a while. I hope he lets us into his life now we’ve found him.”

Eli’s lips flicker with a wry smile. “I think he will have a hard time keeping you out. It’s your thing.”

“I’m a bulldozer.”

“The prettiest bulldozer I’ve ever met.”

“I’m going to ring Gerard and make sure he’s okay.” Another person I haven’t spoken to in the mess that’s been the last few days. Peter and Gerard used to be more than friends; he should have been first on my list. I suck.

“I’ll see you at home later?” Eli’s lips skim my cheek.

“Please don’t go. This isn’t right.”

“I’m going. End of. I’ll see you at home, my love.” His lips press against mine and my heart stutters wildly. “My wife.”