Always There

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five

Jordan rolls his eyes at me and strolls several feet into the bedroom. He pauses at the foot of my bed and glances to Blossom pointedly.

"No, not if we plan on going directly to the airport, but you decided that we had to go make Lexi break up with her boyfriend first," he says dryly.

Blossom tenses, and I narrow my eyes at Jordan.

"He isn't her boyfriend. And I'm not 'making her break up with him.' Her and I are just assuring that he never dares to bother her ever again," I say sharply.

I glance down at Blossom to find her staring up at my with terror in her eyes.

I lean in and rest my forehead against hers. She releases a long, shuddering breath, but keeps her eyes open as I stare at her.

"I'll be there with you, and if you want, I'll deal with him myself. You don't even have to see him. But, if you want to be the one to confront him, I'll be there every step of the way. He won't hurt you ever again. I won't allow it," I whisper.

Blossom nods her head.

I kiss the tip of her nose and take both sides of her face between my hands. I give her a small smile, and I watch as the very corners of her lips tip upward.

I hear Jordan making exaggerated gagging noises from where he's still stationed at the end of the bed, but before I can curse him out, he flees from the bedroom and slams the door shut behind him.

Blossom immediately dissolves into a fit of giggles in my arms. I've heard her beautiful laugh two days in a row now, and I feel like the luckiest bastard alive.

🌸🌸🌸

"Are you absolutely positive that you want to do this? If you give me his apartment number, I'll gladly handle him myself," I tell Blossom softly as we wait for the elevator to finish ascending to Liam's floor of the apartment building.

She sticks her nose up in the air and nods her head at me. She's a portrait of poise and confidence, wearing a silk button-down blouse and her hair tied back in a slick ponytail at the nape of her neck.

I reach for her hand as the elevator lurches to a halt. She slips her fingers through mine without hesitation as the doors slide open and we step out onto the carpeted hallway floor.

I allow Blossom to guide me down the hall until we stop in front of a door just like the rest. I give her a reassuring smile, but she doesn't meet my eyes as she stares blankly at the handle.

"Would you like me to go in with you?" I ask softly.

She shakes her head and drops my hand.

I take a step backwards, giving her some space.

She only glances over her shoulder at me for a moment before raising her fist and knocking.

I hold my breath until, after some time, the apartment door swings open.

"Why the hell are you knocking on my door so early in the morning?" a male voice grits out from the doorway. I'm unable to get a proper glimpse of his appearance from where I'm standing, but I'm able to see Blossom's face.

I'm disturbed by how his harsh tone doesn't even seem to faze her.

She folds her arms against her chest. "Hi, Liam. We need to talk."

A chuckle rumbles from the man's chest. "Oh, so little Lexi finally decides to grace me with her presence after completely ignoring my calls?"

I watch Blossom's eyes narrow. "I have a lot of shit going on right now, Liam. Let me in."

Liam obliges, and the door clicks shut after Blossom steps through the doorway.