“Kale.” Her voice was full of resignation.
I took all of her in. The way she had rolled the borrowed pajamas pants up, and they were still too long and baggy at her feet. The way the top hung off her like a dress. But what I would never forget was the shadows under swollen, red-rimmed eyes. She had washed her face clean of makeup, but it couldn’t hide the trails on her face from her previous tears.
My stomach bottomed out at the proof of how upset she was.
Getting to my feet, I made my way to her in four steps. She just watched me with haunted brown eyes as I wrapped her up in my arms.
“I’m sorry,” I breathed into her ear. “I’m so fucking sorry, doll.”
“She …” She sucked in a shuddery breath. “Sage said you assaulted Wade.”
My arms tightened around her. “I didn’t hit him. I swear I didn’t. But I wanted to,” I told her honestly. I would never lie to her. Never.
Sighing, she pulled away then headed to the bed, where she sat on the edge of it. Lifting her head, she looked at me long and hard. “Maybe you should tell me everything that happened.”
“After what you told me last night, I couldn’t think straight about that Wade fucker. So, Gray and I went to The Way at lunchtime.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, unconsciously drawing my eyes. I forced my eyes back to hers as soon as I realized she wasn’t wearing a bra. Fucking hell, she was trying to punish me.
“I planned on talking to him calmly, but when I saw him, I lost it. So, I grabbed him and gave him a little taste of what it’s like to be on the other side of feeling threatened.”
Her forehead puckered up with a frown. “So, you didn’t hit him?”
“No, I swear.” I raked my hands through my hair and shrugged. “I told him, if he ever did anything like that to you again, they would have to scrape him off the floor. That’s all. Ask Gray if you don’t believe me.”
Another long moment passed. She just sat there, trying to read me.
Finally, she sighed tiredly. “I believe you,” she said, lowering her eyes to the carpet. “No one’s ever stood up for me like th
at. Not even Sage. I’ve always had to take care of myself, so you doing that … It’s just new for me. I don’t know how to take it.”
“So … you don’t hate me?” I practically whispered the words, too scared that she really did hate me and that I was about to lose her.
Her head snapped up, those brown eyes turning into melted chocolate for me. “No, you idiot, I don’t hate you. We do need to talk about boundaries, though, because you can’t just do that whenever I have a problem.”
“You are mine, Santana.” It came out as a growl, making her eyes widen. “That means, when you have a problem, I’m going to try to fix it for you. If that means I have to kick every guy’s ass who gives you a hard time, then I will.”
“Kale, you can’t—”
I didn’t give her time to say more. Moving across the room, I scooped her up into my arms and held her against my chest. I breathed in the cherry blossom fragrance of her skin, soaking up the feel of her warmth against my body and chasing away the last of the coldness that had taken hold of me.
“I can, and I will.”
We stood like that for a long time. Me just holding her, and her letting me. I had thought I was losing her. That I had lost her. Now that I had her in my arms again, my relief was so strong I practically shook with it.
“You scared the fuck out of me, doll.”
Her face burrowed against my neck. “I’m sorry. I was just so upset, and I didn’t know who I was upset with. It was all dropped on me so quickly, and what Sage said hurt so much.” Her voice quivered, and I tightened my hold on her. “She picked him over me.”
Right then, I hated Sage just as much as I did Wade. That little bitch had some serious issues if she didn’t see what she was missing out on.
“She doesn’t know what she’s losing,” I told her.
“We’ve been friends for years. I thought she loved me.” She sniffed.
I sat down on the bed so I could still hold her and see her face. Tears were pouring down her cheeks, her eyes swelling once again.
“She’s the only family I have. Without her, I thought I would have no one.”