Still Loving You

Part 29

Eddie laid with his head in her lap as Elizabeth held a bag of frozen peas to his eye that was becoming more black and blue by the minute. He could tell she was angry at him, and he hated that but what did she expect him to do? He wasn't just going to stand there while that prick insulted her. Who the hell did he think he was calling her trash? Eddie had been called things like that enough in his life to know how it felt, and he'd be damned if he was going to let anyone make Elizabeth feel that way.

But he definitely didn't want her mad at him. He'd just gotten her past being angry with him for how badly he'd fucked up before. Eddie couldn't bear for her to be angry again so quickly. He desperately needed to see that beautiful smile again. All he wanted was to make her happy.

She dabbed at his lip with a wet cloth and he winced, sucking in a sharp breath. His lip wasn't deep enough to require stitches but it still stung like hell. He looked up, caught her eye and tried a smile.

"You mad at me?" he asked sweetly, trying a small smile.

She sighed, rolling her eyes at him. Damn. Yeah, she was definitely pissed off, but she had to understand. He was only trying to protect her. Wasn't that his job as her boyfriend?

"Yes!" she yelled. "I get he was being rude but you didn't have to punch him."

He sat up quickly, "Yes I did. He called you a whore and he called you trash."

"Yes he did, and he was drunk off his ass too," Elizabeth huffed, leaning back against the arm of the couch and crossing her arms.

"So, that gives him an excuse to be a giant asshole? Because where I come from, being a jerk when you're drunk is called being abusive," Eddie demanded.

"No," she relented, sighing and shaking her head. "But I hurt him, Eddie. I did. He was not lying when he said what he did. I stayed with him for a whole year when I didn't truly love him. I did string him along. I was using him to try to get past all the shit I hadn't dealt with when it came to you. When I told him the truth, he was so devastated. He really did love me, and he's not a bad guy. Not really. Brian was actually really good to me. He never talked to me like that our whole relationship. He's just angry and he's lashing out and the alcohol definitely didn't help."

"That still doesn't excuse what he said," Eddie declared, refusing to back down on this. No matter what she did, that guy had no right to speak to her like that. "You didn't do anything to him on purpose. Relationships end all of the time."

"They do, but I was definitely at fault," Elizabeth argued. "He was just saying words. I am a big girl, Eddie. I can handle myself. I don't need you to defend me."

"Well, tough shit," he responded, staring her down. "I love you, and I am never going to stand to the side and watch somebody treat you like that. You are one of the strongest, most capable people I know. That still isn't going to stop me from wanting to protect you from everything in the world that could hurt you. That's my job now."

Elizabeth glared at him, throwing her hands up. "You are such an idiot sometimes."

"But I'm your idiot," he said, leaning in close to her, smiling softly.

"You are," she agreed, "and I love you and your idiotic need to be my great defender."

She leaned in, pressing her lips to his, and he hissed in pain at the pressure on his split lip. Elizabeth pulled back quickly, grimacing.

"Like I said, you're an idiot," she laughed quietly, stroking his hair. "Now, I can't even kiss you because you went and got yourself all banged up."

"Oh, I will figure that out," he asserted. "Nothing is going to stop me from kissing you."