Page 70 of Easy On Me

Blank.

Shattered.

My breath hitched. I'd always seen him steady, sure, centered, even when he'd told me of her pregnancy and I'd walked out.

Now... he was broken.

The edges of my vision darkened, white noise dancing over my eyes, buzzing at my ears. I forced in a breath, forcing down the urge to storm out, find her, break her the way she deserved.

That impulse wouldn't serve him. Wouldn't serve us.

As badly as I wanted to frame his face and drape myself around him, I allowed myself only that light touch at his hairline, the simple touch he seemed able to tolerate.

“Jase,“ I whispered, holding his red- rimmed gaze, “you didn't ask for this.”

His throat bobbed with a hard swallow.

“You didn't deserve this.”

With shaking hands, he set the trash can between his feet. On a hushed exhale, he laid his hands on his knees, fingers moving in a restless rhythm.

“I'm here,“ I stroked along an inch of skin, looking deep into his eyes, seeking my Jase. If I despised her before, I hated her now. “I love you and I'm here.”

His eyes filled, and his mouth trembled before he clamped his jaw. I blinked, eyes burning.

She would pay for this. I didn’t know how yet, but she would pay.

And that baby? She didn’t need to be raising that child.

“Can I, um . . .” I moistened my bottom lip, heart thudding. “Can I please hug you?”

His face crumpled, and this time he lunged for me, arms around me, crushing me to him.

I wrapped myself around him, stroking his hair. Eyes closed, I held him tight and kissed his damp face.

“I love you, Jase,” I whispered, as fiercely as Mama Nancy had once whispered I was safe with her. I wanted him to feel as secure with me as I’d been with her. “I love you, and I’m here.”

“Okay, so let’s talk about the legalities.” Scott pulled his chair around the desk to sit close to us, legal pad balanced on his knee.

In the leather chair next to Jase, I held both his hands with mine, covering his cold skin with as much warmth as I could.

Scott’s pen hovered over yellow paper. “Did you know the video existed?”

“No.” Jase’s denial emerged, raw, hoarse.

“You give her permission to post videos of you?”

He tensed, knuckles flexing under my palm.

“I signed a release,” he grated, skin pale around his mouth.

Scott looked up, a slight scowl drawing his brows. “Have an electronic copy you can email me?”

With slow, jerky movements, Jase pulled his hand from beneath mine and tugged his phone from his pocket. Pulling up his email app, he scrolled, tapped, then handed his phone over to Scott.

Silence stretched, punctuated by our breathing as Scott frowned over the screen. Finally, he passed the device back. Jase gripped it, knuckles white.

“This today is not covered by that,“ Scott flicked a dismissive finger at Jase's phone. “What she's done today is revenge porn–”