Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Get out of my house,” is all her mother says.
“With pleasure.”
I break into a jog to catch up to Fable, but then I’m sprinting when I find her outside on all fours, her body shaking with sobs. I slide along the manicured lawn, capturing her before pressing her body to mine.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey,” I chant, cupping her face, stricken by the sight of how hard she’s crying. She’s hyperventilating, gasping and clawing at her neck as she tries to breathe. Panic fills me, but I grab her hard, pulling her chest to me. “Come on, princess. Breathe with me.” I take a deep breath as she struggles. Her eyes are bloodshot, her tears falling hard as she wails and fights for breath. I hold her gaze as I tell her again, “Breathe, in and out. Come on. Yes, good job,” I praise as she inhales, letting it out and repeating the motion. “I love you so much, Fable. You’re so strong.”
Her lips quiver as she wails, wrapping her arms around me and hiding her face in my neck. “We have to go. I can’t be out here like this.”
“The fuck you can’t. We aren’t moving until you can breathe.”
“Jett, people can see,” she sobs, but I shake my head once more.
“They see a man holding the woman he loves,” I tell her, kissing her ear. “In and out, princess. Breathe with me.”
She does as I ask, and as I hold her to me, I watch as curtains open and people peek through. Some even come onto their doorsteps, but I don’t let her go. Her heart is still beating out of control, and with every other breath, she shudders or hiccups instead of breathing. When I see movement in the corner of my eye, I notice her neighbor approaching the black fencing.
The older lady’s face is full of concern, her eyes a little teary as she asks, “JT, honey, is everything okay?”
Fable tenses in my arms, and I send the older lady a wide smile, rubbing Fable’s back. “Yes, Mrs. Eisman, just helping my woman breathe.”
She nods, though she’s not convinced. “Fable, honey, are you okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” she stammers, her voice so broken it hurts.
“Okay,” Mrs. Eisman says, but I can tell she’s worried. “I love you both. I have always rooted for you two. The only people who matter are you two and Kitty. Okay, sweetheart?”
Fable lets out a sob, and I hold her tight. Mrs. Eisman grimaces as I send her a thankful grin, and she blows me a kiss as Fable wraps her arms around me. I don’t move, only hold her tighter as she takes in breath after breath, easing my tormented heart.
When she pulls back, her red-rimmed eyes bring tears to my own when she looks up at me. “If I said I wanted to leave this town, would you let me?”
I search her eyes, knowing my truth. “Yes, and I’d go with you.”
“But the Thistle? Our home?”
“I don’t care. I’ll go with you.” Her lip wobbles, and I flash her a small smile. “Baby, breathe. They don’t matter. The past doesn’t matter. It’s my job to take your breath away, not all this other shit.”
Another sob leaves her as she leans into me, clutching me tightly to her body. “I love you,” she whispers, and I kiss her temple.
“Not as much as I love you.”
She draws in a shuddering breath. “Why aren’t I enough for them?”
My heart shatters as I lean in. “Because you scare them. You’re the best parts of your grandparents, and they don’t know how to handle that.”
Fable lets out another sob, and I press my lips to her nose as she sighs shakily. “I don’t want them to take what we’ve built.”
I hold her gaze as I stroke her cheek. “Then we stay and show them that, no matter what, they can’t break us.” I rub her jaw, my eyes searching hers. “They can watch us live a life they wish they could have. Share a love that is only ours. You and me, baby.”
She nods, pressing her nose to mine. Her eyes drift shut, and I watch as she takes a breath and lets it out through her nose. “I’m sorry.”
“Fable, for what?”
“For freaking out like this,” she answers, shame in her voice. I only saw her get panic attacks when we first started skating, but they never were this bad.
“Princess, all I care about is that you are breathing.”
“Still, I know it’s scary.”
“It’s scarier to live without you.” I kiss her nose. “You know I’ve got you.”
“I know.”
“And you’ve got me?”
“Always,” she answers, kissing my top lip. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get them to apologize to you.”
“I told you,” I remind her, “I didn’t need their apology.” I cup her face, making sure she’s looking into my eyes, as I tell her, “The past was our start, the twenty years apart were an interlude, the last six months were the twist and climax. But our future, baby, that is our happy ending.”