I groan loudly. “He’s so ridiculous. What did he even say?”
“That you’re too good for anyone, no one deserves you, and that I need to stay away.”
“What did you say?” I ask, gawking at him and feeling so mortified that my dad is insane.
“That he was absolutely right. No one deserves you and you are way too good for me, but there was no way in hell I was staying away from you.”
My heart soars, and the tears come faster. How did I get so lucky? And why does he still want me? I’m embarrassed by me.
He leans in, kissing my nose. “But none of that matters. What are we doing about your living situation? Do you wanna go get your stuff tomorrow?”
I shake my head before leaning it on him. “No, my mom paid the rent for this month, so I am going to stay there. I just need to calm down, and then I’ll start looking for a place.”
Owen presses his lips to my temple. “You can live here.”
I close my eyes, loving his warmth. “I don’t even know. There is so much I need to consider, but I’m so stressed out I can’t even deal.”
He kisses me again before standing up and grabbing my plants from me. I watch as he carefully puts them on the bookcase by his window. He walks over to his bed and starts to push it toward Evan’s bed without saying anything to me. Before, he offered me Evan’s bed, but I guess that option is gone and he wants to share a bed with me. If I weren’t so stressed and totally overwhelmed, I’d find him completely irresistible. He grabs some sheets out of the drawer and throws them on the bed before pulling me to my feet.
He reaches for my bag and hands it to me. “Go get a shower. I’ll make up the bed.”
My lip starts to wobble at his kindness. “Are you sure? I know this is a lot, and I probably should have just sucked it up and gone to a—”
“Angie,” he says, taking me by the hips and bringing me to him. “I’m sure. It’s not a lot. I want to be there for you and make things easier. Most of all, I want to go crack this dude’s kneecaps with a hockey stick.”
A tear escapes down my cheek as a distressed laugh leaves my lips. “He isn’t worth it. He’s trash.”
“I agree, but I don’t want anyone making you sad,” he whispers, kissing my jaw. “Everything is going to be okay. We’ll figure it all out.”
Between his kindness and all the what-ifs, a sob rips out of me. “But what if I don’t get the job and I gotta go back home or something? It’s all such a mess,” I cry, falling into his chest face-first.
He slides his hands through my hair, tangling his fingers in it as he holds me close. “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
“You’ll dump me, and I’ll be heartbroken. There is no way I’m worth the trouble of a long-distance relationship.”
His chuckle is low as he rubs the back of my neck. “Angie, you’re spiraling. Baby, go take a shower.”
He’s right. I am. I realize I haven’t taken my meds, so I sit up, setting my bag on the bed and opening it. I pull out the bottle of my meds that I take twice a day and glance at him. “Do you have water?”
He reaches for his cup on the nightstand. “It’s Coke.”
I nod as I take the pill, and when I look at him, he asks, “Is that Xanax or something?”
I shake my head. “As if your girlfriend wasn’t already a walking disaster, this is me unmedicated. I have bad anxiety as a result of the attempted rape. And like you said, I tend to spiral when I get overwhelmed. I take these twice daily.”
“Angie, stop.”
I raise a brow. “Stop?”
“You act as if I should be appalled by you or disgusted. I’m not. I’m proudly in love with you. All of you. The medicated part included.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, and he wraps his arms around me. He kisses my nose, my jaw, my cheek before pressing his lips to mine. “I love you. All of you.”
I swallow hard and whisper, “I love you.”
“Good. Now, go take a shower, and I’ll get the bed ready for us.”
I nod as I turn out of his arms, heading toward the bathroom.
Before I can shut the door, he says, “Angie, you are worth the trouble. I thought I proved that to you tonight,” he says, his eyes burning into mine as I turn. “I thought we were moving forward.”
“We are,” I promise. “I’m just freaking out.”
He holds my gaze. “I know, but remember, Angie, no matter what, we’ll figure it out. Together.”
“Together?”
“Oh yeah, sugar. Me and you. Against the world.”
My lips curve as I get lost in his eyes. They’re so full of promise and hope. I don’t know how he can be so positive when I feel as if my world is falling apart. Especially with my dad calling him and me being a walking train wreck of emotions and roommate issues, but there he is.
My pillar.
My everything.
My Owen.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Owen
* * *
“She doesn’t even like you!”
The party in the living room is crazy loud. Why Dart thought it was a good idea to have a little shindig when we have practice in the morning is beyond me. Yeah, it’s an optional skate, but doesn’t he realize how it makes us look if we don’t show up? I plan to show up, but now that I’m on the receiving end of Benji Paxton’s anger, I don’t know if that will still be the case in the morning.
“Absolutely no disrespect, Benji—”
“If you think you’re dating my daughter, you’ll call me sir or Mr. Paxton!”
I grin. This is silly, and Lucy agrees. “Oh Jesus, Benji! Relax! He’s known you almost his whole life!”
I have, but I also respect him. “My bad. With no disrespect, sir, it seems that Angie does, in fact, like me a lot. We’ve gotten to know each other, we vibe, and she makes me very happy.”
“Well, no shit. She’s incredible, smart, and gorgeous to boot!” he yells, and I can feel the emotion in his words. “Do you know her past? The shit she’s been through with guys?”
“Yes, sir,” I answer, cupping my face. “And you know better than I do that I wasn’t raised like that. I would never do that or even think to do that. I want nothing more than to protect her.”
“Ben, sweetheart, this is Shea and Elli’s kid—”
“I am aware of who the hell Owen Adler is, Luce, and that’s the issue. He is a showboating, cocky little shit that thinks he is God’s gift to the world. Probably has our daughter kissing his feet at night and rubbing his back!”
“For the love of God,” Lucy complains. “Are you serious right now?”
“Can I interject?” I ask, holding back my laughter. “I am all those things, for sure. I’m also a very confident man, which is why I’m so attracted to Angie. She doesn’t take anyone’s shit, especially not mine. We all know—and I include you, Lucy—that it would be a cold day in hell before Angie knowingly did something she didn’t want to.”
“Exactly,” Lucy scolds. “The shit with that boy, baby… She was drunk and probably high, and yes, it messed our girl up. But she’s coming back. I fully believe Owen has a hand in that.”