I found myself nodding despite not knowing if it would work. I wanted to make Yates happy, but I also wanted to be honest. I didn’t want to eat to make him feel better just to turn around and throw it up, and I was worried that would be my default. I felt my pulse pick up as he made a noise in the back of his throat.
“Dahlia,breathe.I know this isn’t happening overnight. I know you won’t start eating how you should right away. I just need you to know I am here for you, okay?” he whispered.
I nodded, nuzzling into his chest as he rolled us so that I was laying on top of him. I worried a bit that I was too heavy for him, just for a moment, but when I tried to wiggle off of him, he just held me tight.
For a few minutes, Yates simply held me to his chest, the sounds of the occasional helicopter passing overhead and muffled voices from below reminding me what was going on. I breathed in his scent as he smoothed his hands through my hair, the moment seeming almost out of context with the rest of the day. Like we were in a bubble. It was just Yates and me. I found myself loving that, and I buried my head in his neck, his fingers running gently through my hair.
“Are you and King going to get in trouble for the video?” My voice was muffled as concern twisted in my gut.
Yates’s laugh was soft and a bit dangerous. “What are they going to do? Legally, it wouldn’t be worth the fight. There isn’t a clear shot of Greg, so unless he wants to show his hospital records, which would also detail the drugs he was on, he can’t prove it’s him. More so, if he tries to speak up, there is a lot that will come out about him and his family. It would be a nightmare on his end.
“On our end, the legal battle would be easily dismissed, and on top of that, the higher-ups at these stupid news stations are going to realize the association with the Ross family and back off. Most likely they are being contacted right now—you will see a change in the spin of the story probably by the evening news cycle. They are fucked because they’ve already aired the story, so now they will have to come up with a way to make it sound better, or else they will get fired by the people who the Ross family practically bankrolls. It will be amusing at best to watch them trip over their own feet, and annoying at worst because the media has a life of its own with small subsidiaries, international, trash media, and social media branches.”
I blinked up at him from where I laid on his chest, and his brow arched at my probably surprised expression. My voice was slightly amused as I commented, “I shouldn’t be all that surprised by any of this, but I am realizing how little people kept me in the loop over the years.”
“Not to exclude you,” Yates said, practically reading my mind. “I personally don’t think you need to worry about any of this shit. But if you ask, I’ll always tell you.”
I liked that.
Before I could say anything else, the door opened and Lincoln stepped in, looking exhausted before pinning us both with an amused look. “Must be nice to escape that bullshit downstairs.”
Yates chuckled as we sat up and I rolled my shoulders, putting my arms out to Lincoln, who came over and scooped me up in a princess hold. His voice was rough as he looked at Yates. “King is talking to his dad and yours. Callum and them are nearly here. Why has she been crying? Was Yates being an ass, Dahlia?”
“No.” I grinned as Yates offered an eye roll. He came up to me and kissed me hard, despite me being in Lincoln’s arms, before leaving the room.
Lincoln set me down and looked over me, a scowl coming on his face.
“What?” I teased.
“I don’t like how good you look in that dress,” he mumbled.
I flashed a smile. “Thought you liked blue?”
“I do.” He tugged my hips against him. “I don’t like other men seeing you in it though.”
“In the color blue?”
“In general,” he muttered and kissed my nose.
“I was going to change anyway,” I teased. I actually had meant to just put on panties, but I was a bit chilly, so putting on more clothes would be a win-win.
Lincoln let me go, and I slipped past him towards the closet, watching as he went around the room and closed all the curtains, seemingly more upset as he heard the noise of the helicopters overhead.
“What are you doing?” I asked after grabbing my clothes.
“Don’t trust them to not use drones or some shit. Security would shoot them down, but still annoys me. They have already been backed up halfway down the lane, but security can only do so much.”
“Police?” I asked as I walked towards the bathroom.
“They would do it.” He flashed a smile. “Although then they would have to explain why they are providing protection to the people who are supposed to be in trouble.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that as I slipped into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door. Slipping panties on underneath my dress, I pulled the garment off and once again noticed that I looked a bit paler than normal. Not because of a lack of sunlight, either. No, it was clear I needed sleep and probably food. My stomach rolled at that idea.
Pulling on a pair of navy blue cropped pants and a white and blue cozy sweater that came to mid-thigh, I brushed through my damp hair and nodded, happy with the change. I slipped on my infinity rings and walked back into the room, finding Lincoln sitting on my bed looking over a picture I kept on my desk.
It was one that featured all four of us—unfortunately not Stratton—from prom our senior year, only a few months ago. I smiled at it as he ran his fingers over the glass and offered me a curious look.
“You know life is never going to be that simple again, especially now.”