Rick’s POV~
The silence in the house was deafening, but it was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.
No more clicking heels. No more Vanessa’s shrill voice screaming insults. Just the sound of Elena’s breathing behind me as I locked the heavy front door for the last time.
I turned around. She was standing there, wringing her hands, looking small and shaken from the scene with her mother. But I saw it—the spark in her eyes. The relief.
"Come here," I commanded softly.
She didn't hesitate. She walked into my open arms like she was coming home. I buried my face in her hair, inhaling her scent—the scent of my girl, mixed with the faintest trace of the perfume her mother made her wear. I hated that smell.
"I need to get this off you," I growled, my hands finding the hem of her sweater.
