Cheat [MxM] (Carter Brothers Book 1)

Chapter 35

A/N: The legal and medical happenings in this chapter are not accurate and altered to fit the fictional narrative of this storyline.

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EZRA • POV

My recovery took a long and gruelling three months of pain, stress and the soul destroying misery of missing my baby every minute of every drawn out day. It was a constant, patterned battle of hospital appointments, physiotherapy, legal appointments, phone calls with police and with my lawyers.

Those three months were most definitely the hardest I'd ever faced in my entire thirty-two years of life. I'd never felt so physically and mentally exhausted, so beaten down to the bone by fate, than I had after that shooting.

The only thing holding me together and out of the black pit of depression I'd been craving to sink into - as always - was Jay.

Jay, who hadn't left my side for one minute since the shooting. Jay, who held my hand as tightly as he could through all the physiotherapy appointments that lit the left side of my body in excruciating, burning pain. Jae, who took up my voice and spoke to my lawyer, the doctors and the detectives when I was too worn out and defeated to get out of bed.

Jae, who fought persistently alongside me in our battle for our baby, even though some days had seemed more hopeless than others.

I'd forever feel indebted to him, no matter what happened between us or how our lives twisted, turned and changed going forward. He'd always hold a sacred piece of my heart for being the pillar of light I needed when my life had been overcome by darkness.

He was perfect. So unbelievably selfless and a beautiful, amazing human being. I was so fucking lucky he'd chosen me to be his lover.

I was reminded of that fact as Jae slid his hand across the centre console of my car and clasped my thigh, settling his warm, secure presence over my thigh. I took one hand off the steering wheel, reaching down to clasp at his slim fingers, holding them tightly and pulling them up to my lips, kissing his knuckles.

He chuckled softly, linking his fingers through mine as I lowered his hand back down to my lap, drawing strength from the connection between us. Nothing could rival the relief and calm his physical affection could offer me. Nothing at all.

"How are you feeling?" Jae asked softly, and I turned to look at him, stalled in traffic behind a red light. He was gazing at me, handsome face set in an easy expression, full lips tilted to the left in a small smile.

Though I could tell that he was feeling nervous too, from the slight shiftiness of his dark eyes.

His shoulder-length black hair was pulled up in a messy top knot that wobbled precariously everytime he moved his head. His ears glistened with his piercings and his favourite, oversized panda hoodie hugged his torso, folding around his waist.

I could see the tattoos marking his tan skin along his forearms where he'd rolled up the furry sleeves to his elbows. In any other circumstance, the look would've stirred arousal within me, but for now, I could only appreciate the beauty that was my boyfriend.

Jae looked laid back, sexy and confident in the lounging clothes, even more than he would in a traditional power suite. Always in control, my Jae. Except when he rarely wasn't, and then it was my turn to be his pillar of light.

He'd been missing Ollie just as much as I had and I'd caught him more than a few times crying discreetly when he thought I wasn't looking. Jae wasn't a cryer and so, I never made it a big deal when I caught the tears falling down his sculpted cheeks. Just held onto him the best I could until he felt like he could breathe again.