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The security guard opens the car door, and Ezra quickly ushers me in before diving in after me, and one by one, Madds, Dylan, and Rock follow. The moment the door closes behind Rock, peace washes over me. We’re not out of here yet, but we’re one step closer to freedom, and that’s all I can hope for.
Ezra pulls me into the warmth of his body, holding me close as everyone seems to watch me, waiting for me to fall apart, but now that the guys are here and I feel safer than I ever have in my life, the need to crumble isn’t as overwhelming as it’s been in the past.
I’m okay. Truly okay.
The security team works on clearing the crowd, and inch by inch, the SUV begins to roll down the street. “Fuck,” Dylan says. “The paps haven’t been that bad since news of Axel’s death broke.”
“Oh sure,” I mutter under my breath. “Just while my brain is reliving the hell my father put me through, let’s throw in a reminder of my brother’s death.”
Dylan’s face turns white, his eyes widening like saucers. “Shit, Rae. I didn’t mean—”
“Chill. I’m screwing with you,” I tease, reaching out and grabbing his hand. “I’m fine. I just wanna get back home and pretend like none of this ever happened.”
“Home?” Rock asks. “Where exactly is home?”
“Uhhhhh . . .” My brows furrow. That’s a damn good question. My gaze shifts to Ezra’s, and he looks at me as though the answer has been staring me in the face this whole damn time, and as I pick up what he’s throwing down, my eyes widen in horror. “Woah. Back up. Are you suggesting I move in with you?”
“Ummm . . . what?” Madds grunts, peering around Dylan to look between me and Ezra. “Did we just skip seasons three and four? How did we get here? I thought we were figuring out where they were going to dump us for the night.”
“You’ve belonged right by my side since you were thirteen, Rae,” Ezra says, ignoring Madds. “We’ve spent years apart from each other, and now I’m done waiting. I want to build a life with you, just as I should have done all those years ago. I want you with me. I want you in the home I bought for us. I want you in my bed. My life. My whole fucking world. I want to wake up every morning and the first thing I see is you. The first thing I feel is you. The first thing I hear—you. It’s always been you, and unfortunately for your stubborn ass, I’m not taking no for an answer.”
My bottom lip pouts out, trembling as the overwhelming happiness fills me. “Wow,” I tease. “Way to get a girl when she’s down.”
Ezra groans and grabs me, pulling me into his arms, and before he even gets a chance to pull me right in, my lips are on his.
“Fuck yeah,” Dylan cheers as the driver hits the gas, finally clearing through the mob of fans and paps and taking me back to Ezra’s home where I can finally start the life I was always supposed to have.
30
Raleigh
The past two weeks have been a wild ride of ups and downs. I’ve spent days on end in Ezra’s bed filled with absolute bliss, while also doing what I can to ignore the vile paparazzi. They try with everything they can to exploit the rumors spreading like wildfire about the abuse I suffered at the hands of my father.
We had hoped that the news would eventually blow over, that some other scandal would hit the internet and I’d be free, but I’ve never been that lucky. Instead, I was left with no choice but to make a statement, and refusing to sugarcoat anything or allow my father to be seen in any way except for the monster he is, I laid it out for everyone. I gave specific details, times, and dates. I gave them the number of bones he’d broken over those two years, listed the different ways he had raped me, the places of my home I had to fear. I offered up every last detail until there was nothing more to give, and then turned off my phone.
It was humiliating, shameful, and made me feel weaker than ever before, but the moment it was sent out into the wild, I felt as though I suddenly had the power. I felt like a survivor, not a victim, and as the world finally knew what kind of monster my father was, I felt free.
Sadly, that little moment of power only lasted within the confines of Ezra’s home—our home. The second I stepped out into the real world and was flooded by the paparazzi again, I realized nothing but time was truly going to free me. All that matters is that I’ve done my part. I don’t have a shred of proof to back up my story, nothing I can physically use to see my father locked away, all I have is my word, and I don’t know when, but someday, that’ll be enough to give me the justice I deserve.
I stand in the hotel room I share with Ezra, staring out the hotel window at the beautiful view of the ocean. It’s one of the most stunning sights I’ve ever seen, and while I love that I get to share this with Ezra, it makes me wish Ax could be here to see it.
“Did you ever come here with Axel?” I ask Ezra as he steps out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped low on his hips, making my mouth water.
Tonight is the first show in Portugal, and while I’m thrilled to be here, a part of me wants to stay right here and hide away from the onslaught of paparazzi. I’m not sure I can handle it just yet.
“Umm . . . yeah,” he tells me, moving in behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist as I stare out at the ocean. “Maybe five or so years ago. It wasn’t like this though. It was raining the whole time we were here. Not a hint of blue skies, and to be honest, we were still pretty young then. We didn’t really take the time to appreciate where we were, not the way I do now. But he always made sure to take pictures of all the sights to send you.”
“I know,” I say, resting my hand over his on my waist. “I have a whole album saved in my phone of all the pictures Axel sent me from tour. I think he considered himself to be a bit of a photographer, but honestly, he sucked. They’re all terrible, but that’s what makes them so good.”
“Really?” He laughs, pressing his lips to the side of my neck. “I always wondered if you hated getting those pictures.”
“Sometimes I did,” I admit. “Especially right at the start of your first tour. Every one of them was a knife straight through the heart. By the second and third tours, I started to look forward to them.”
“I’m sorry, Rae,” he tells me. “All those years with you not here with us. I never should have left you behind.”
I turn in his arms and lift my chin to meet his haunted stare. “There are lots of things both of us should have done differently, but we were young and didn’t know any better. You couldn’t have known what hell I’d go through, and I should have been honest. But I’m here now, and that’s what counts.”
“Damn straight you are,” he says as his hands drop to my ass and lift me into his strong arms. His lips come down on mine as he turns and starts walking to the bed, but I pull back, a stupid grin on my face.
