“I don’t believe in magic”, said the young boy.
The old man smiled. “You will when you see her.”
~ Atticus
Eva
* * *
“Does it hurt?” I ran my thumb over the tender skin along Rafe’s cheekbone.
He covered my hand with his. “You should see the other guy.” The smile fell from his lips, guilt flashing in his eyes. “Crap, Eva, I didn’t...”
“Ssh.” Leaning in, I touched my head to his. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” I had questions, so many questions, but they could wait. Because this beautiful broken boy, the boy who had stolen my heart, was here.
He’d come... for me.
It was a lot to wrap my mind around.
“I’m done putting everyone else first.” The words were a rough, pained whisper. “I want you, Evangeline Star Walker, more than I have ever wanted anything else. I can’t do this without you.” His other hand came around my waist, drawing me closer.
“Rafe, I—”
Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I jerked away. “Hey, Mom,” I said, turning to her.
Her brow rose as she glanced from me to Rafe and back again. “I know you’re eighteen now, sweetheart. But you’re still my little girl.” She glared at Rafe. “Please respect my boundaries.”
“Mom,” I hissed, embarrassment staining my cheeks.
“It’s okay, Eva.” Rafe’s hand slipped to the small of my back, nudging me forward. “Your mom is right. I meant no disrespect, Mrs. Walker.”
Her expression softened and she blew out a frustrated breath. “You may call me Jesse, Rafe. But you’ll have to excuse my protectiveness. Eva is—”
“Mom,” I groaned.
“She’s important to you,” he finished, standing up. I expected him to move away, but Rafe surprised me by taking my hand. “I get it, Mrs. Walker, I do. But you should know, she’s important to me too.”
“Yes, well,” Mom pressed her lips together, “that doesn’t excuse the fact my daughter fled the tour because of you and your brother.” She gave him her best mom-stare.
Rafe's posture stiffened. I peeked up at him, smiling weakly. “I regret a lot of what happened,” he said quietly.
“I’m pleased to hear it. How is your brother? The press has been quite brutal.”
“Levi is... he’ll be okay.”
Something in Rafe’s tone made my stomach knot. Levi wasn’t okay. We both knew that. And given the mess of Rafe’s face, I knew the Hunter brothers had come to blows.
Over me.
“So you did what exactly? Came here to beg Eva to return to the tour?”
“Actually, I didn’t,” he said with complete conviction. “I came because I love your daughter, Mrs. Walker. I love her so much, I couldn’t leave things the way they ended. But if Eva decides not to re-join the tour, I won’t try to persuade her otherwise.”
“I see.”
My eyes narrowed at my mom. Her coolness toward Rafe was justified, but it didn’t make it any easier to watch it unfold.
“How long are you in town for?”
I felt his eyes burning into the top of my head. Slowly, I lifted my gaze to his. “That all depends on Eva,” he said.
“We have a guest room. You can stay the night, but I expect my husband will want a word or two with you when he gets home.”
Rafe didn’t take his eyes off me. I saw every emotion right there in flecks of silver and gray. Love. Possessiveness. Anger. Pain. Regret. There was a storm raging inside him, and I was right at the center of it.
“Eva?”
I forced myself to look at Mom. She gave me a sad smile. “I’ll give the two of you some space, but please respect—”
“Your boundaries. Got it, Mom.”
She left and some of the tension dissipated. Rafe sank onto the stool and let out a low groan. That was when I noticed him holding his ribs. I reached for his t-shirt, pushing his hand away. Gently inching the material up, I gasped when I saw the ugly purple bruise marring his ribs.
“Rafe...” I cried.
I hated this.
Hated knowing that he and his brother had fought, all because of me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, unable to meet his heavy stare.
“Eva, look at me,” he whispered. But I couldn’t do it, the burden of the mess I’d created weighing too heavily on my shoulders.
“This isn’t your fault.” His hand slid against my cheek, tilting my face. I screwed my eyes closed, blinking away the tears building. “Starshine, look at me...”
I couldn’t deny him. His voice called to me and I gravitated. Our eyes collided; Rafe’s love wrapping around me like a warm blanket. “There she is.” He smiled.
“What a mess,” I sighed. “How are we supposed to fix this?”
“Ssh, come here.” Rafe’s hand curved around my neck as he leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. Once. Twice. And not nearly enough. My fingers twisted into his t-shirt pulling him closer. “We shouldn’t,” I breathed.
My mom would be lurking close by. I knew, and yet, I couldn’t tear myself away. Because when I’d left Vegas, I hadn’t known when—or if—I would see Rafe again. Sure, part of me hoped I would. But I left knowing I could never compete with Levi. With the bond the two of them shared.
But Rafe was here.
“Just give me this, please?” He kissed me again, harder. Deeper. Our tongues tangled together in soft, lazy licks and he cradled my face in his hands. “I love you,” he murmured against my mouth, pushing me against the counter. “I love you, Eva.”
The desperation in his voice shook me to my core, but I didn’t break the kiss. I didn’t ask him any of the questions running through my mind. I let him have this moment.
I let myself have this moment.
Because I wasn’t the same naïve girl who had met Rafe at the Talent Showdown.
I had my eyes wide open now. I knew that even though Rafe was here, it didn’t mean everything was fixed. We’d made a mess. We’d hurt Levi in a way I wasn’t sure we could ever come back from.
And it was something we had to face up to.
“Fuck, Ali, I said I got it.” Rafe paced back and forth in my parents' kitchen. “Yeah, yeah, Eva is,” he glanced over at me. “She’s okay. No, I don’t know yet. We haven’t... yeah, okay.” He dragged a hand down his face, his expression weary. “How is he?”
I bristled at the mention of Levi. We still hadn’t talked much about the events that led to Rafe being on my doorstep. But I knew we couldn’t avoid it forever.
Dropping my gaze, I wrung my hands in my lap, trying to give Rafe some privacy. But then he was there, his hand curving around my neck, drawing me close as he said goodbye to Alistair.
“How bad is it?” I whispered.
“It isn’t good.” Rafe sighed, pressing a kiss to my hair. “But we’ll figure it out.”
“Ali asked about me?”
“They need an answer.”