Page 75 of Unraveling with You
Her words lift my soul. Can she tell? How powerful it feels just to look into Remington’s eyes, finding him staring back with just as much pure love?
Miss X slips from my grasp with a wink, opening the door for Remington.
Rushing to my side with wide, panicked eyes, Remington cups my wet cheeks in his big palms. “What is it? Something happened.”
“I need to carry my mom,” I whimper.
Remington’s brows furrow. “You’ve said that before, haven’t you? When we first met.”
I let out a panicked, despairing cry. “It’s been too long. I don’t know what to do. I never have.”
Remington’s expression hardens into determined neutrality. Slipping his hand into mine, he guides me from the dungeon, unlocking the first private room he can find. Closing the door behind us with his back, Remington pulls me into his arms for a tight, reassuring squeeze.
“Breathe, baby. Tell me from the beginning.”
I tell him everything: how it wasn’t as severe at first, but Mom deteriorated over the years, how she was eventually diagnosed with MS, but they said it was showing up worse for her than most, how I pretended Dad didn't hit me so Mom couldn't stress more, but Mom deteriorated more anyway until she couldn’t walk, how Dad decided he was worth nothing unless he was Mom’s one and only source of life, and how when I had to leave home because I wanted to either leave or kill myself from feeling like a burden, Mom told me she would be fine without me, so I took the chance to restart my life - saving myself.
“I thought I needed to become strong enough to carry herhome. But I finally called Annabella.”
Remington blinks a few times. “No way.”
“I know. We made up, I think. But Annabella thinks our mom genuinely doesn’t want my help, and I’m so scared she’s right. But I can’t accept that yet, Rem. I think I need to say goodbye to my dad one last time, tell my mom the truth, and hope she actually wants to come home with me. To leave him with me.” I grip my head, steadying myself in Remington’s solid focus. “But fuck, even if she does, nothing has really changed. I can’t afford a specialist for her. She can’t care for herself, and I can’t afford a caregiver, so all she has is my dad. He does everything for her, but that scares me. I don’t know if he hurts her when he’s frustrated too.”
“Fuck, your dad is just–” Remington grips his forehead almost as hard as he clenches his teeth. “Okay, so if this were the best case scenario, what would you want to do instead?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “I-I don’t know. I can’t offer her to live with me if I can’t afford to care for her. How could I have time to work and be her constant caretaker at the same time?”
“Then do you want to take her home to live with you alone, or what if she comes home to live withbothof us? We could share the load together. Split one rent payment, care for her, and probably even afford a caregiver.”
I gape at Remington, unmoving. When I realize he’s serious - that this moment is real, and I didn’t die and go to heaven - tears slip from my eyes. “Oh, my God, you're a sweetheart.”
Remington pulls me closer, cupping my cheeks to wipe tears from my eyes. “No, I just love you. And I’m really serious about this offer. I–” He softens his voice. “I want to spend my life with you.”
Elation strikes my whole being, weakening my knees. I lean into Remington, scooping up his sweet face in my hands. “Oh, God, yes, Rem. So do I.”
This time, the tears escaping my eyes are filled with pure joy. I hop on my toes in excitement, arching Remington’s eyebrows as he gives me the sweetest, most emotional smile. Crashing into a fierce kiss, we cling to each other with our full hands, squeezing like we can’t get close enough without melting into one.
Remington breaks our kiss with an elated, breathy laugh. “God, you’re so sweet. Are you as happy as I am, baby? Because I feel like my life was just made.”
I sigh through a watery smile. Stroking my thumb beneath Remington’s eye to catch a joyous tear, I float in the clouds. Is this really the same man who was afraid to let me love him, terrified we’d warp into the same monstrous familial relationship he grew up under?
“Rem, I’m so many things. My heart is so happy, my soul feels safe, and I feel so, so proud of you for allowing yourself to be here with me.”
Melting into a soft smile, he draws me into a gentler kiss. We linger, holding one another in a blissful silence.
Remington seals our kiss with an even deeper press, easing his lips off mine. “You rescued me last, so now it’s my turn to rescue you from the dragon, L.L.B. If we visit your parents, and you decide you feel ready to take your mom home, I've got your back.”
As he settles me onto the couch to ground me with loving, sweeping touches, I know he has far more than my back; he’s holding my whole heart, and I’m holding his.
