𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘

My meaty men

| Ethan's POV |

The movement of me scooping Emma out of the car and into my arms stirs her and then she insists that she's able to walk. I know that she isn't but I don't feel like pissing her off more.

I realised how much of a dick I was being after I saw her leave in floods of tears. Ironically the reason I was upset and pushed her away was the reason that the whole left side of her face was busted.

My beautiful Chambie.

Who could do this to someone?

I thought I'd calmed down but as I assess the bruising and cuts and the extreme blood he had made in one punch- may I remind you without her even being shocked- I begin to get more and more angry.

"Ethan where'd you g-" Grayson calls swinging round the door frame to his shock to see Emma looking like she had been in the ring "who the fuck did this?"

I can't even answer him, my chest is rapidly raising and if I don't calm down soon Gray knows I'm going to snap

"It's oak-eeeee, he does it all the tyyyyme" she slurrs as she tumbles to the left and then to the right where my brother clutches onto her

"NO THATS NOT OKAY" I start to scream knowing that if I carry on my fist will be colliding with the nearest wall "HOW DARE HE HURT ANYONE. HOW DARE HE HURT MY BABY"

I don't realise that I've called her it until it's come out my mouth but neither of them are paying attention to my words they're just terrified by my pure anger.

I've never hated a person more.

Just as I'm about to swing at the door frame in rage my poor precious, beat-up baby looks up towards my brother with sparkling puppy dog eyes

"Gray" she whimpers putting her hand flat upon his chest to try and get his attention, she's so small "puh-lees tell E to stop it" she whispers like I'm not here and my heart breaks and it looks like Grayson's does too "he's scaring me" she finishes and my breath hitches.

Grayson doesn't even need to say anything to me, he knows her frail voice has some tight hold on me

"Hey Hey Hey, Come here" I say calmly out-spreading my arms and without thought her cute little tipsy ass wobbles into my grip and I hold her there tightly promising to never let him hurt her again.

Or anyone hurt her for that matter.

"Let's go upstairs, Luna's waiting in bed for her mommy" I smile and she nods her head eargerly bounding up the stairs, almost tripping, causing her to walk on all fours for the rest of the way.

Gray catches me before I follow,

"Please don't let him hurt her again, E"

"I don't plan on letting anyone hurt her, ever again"

-

I wake up to hear her sobbing in my bathroom at 3am. What the hell was she doing up? And why hadn't I noticed that she'd not been next to me the whole time?

"Em, what's up?" I whisper through the crack of the door allowing it to slowly swing open to reveal her beat face and sunken, red puffy eyes

"I thought it'd all done"

The way she speaks sounds like she's back to being completely sober which although couldn't be true- was very believable.

"I thought he had gone and I'd be free. But look at me" her voice cracks as she says it and her body crumples inwardly as she sobs. I instinctively wrap my arms round her from the back and her face stays pinned upon the mirror that pictured the pain that the monster had caused

"I'm sorry, Em, I should've been there. I should've told you he was back instead of battering my knuckles into the closest thing to me and taking it out on you" I speak so deeply and so precisely so she can really understand that I mean it. My head is buried in the crook of her neck so my voice is muffled but it stops me from crying myself.

"Etha-"

"No listen I'm sorry" I say genuinely staring at her deep in the eyes through the mirror "I'm sorry for hating you for getting attention when something so serious happened, I'm sorry for bullying you and hurting you both emotionally and physically. Just know if I could go back I'd change it all. I'd just want you to be as happy as possible. Maybe if id've told you I loved you back then, then you wouldn't have met Aaron"

I take a long deep and shaky breath

"Maybe this is all my fault"

A tear falls down her cheek slowly and I watch it as it dances from her beautifully thick eyelashes down her freckled cheeks and towards the corner of her lip

"You loved me?"

"Yeah you've always been occupying my mind I've just been so confused as to why. I thought I hated you but it turns out I just loved you" I stop and very quietly alter the tense "i just love you"

"You love me?"

Her eyes are now dazzling in the bathroom light and I've never seen such beauty, my fingers lace together round her waist and ever-so-slightly I begin to sway from side to side

"Why would you love me when I look like this" she asks beginning to uncontrollably sob and I try with all my might to keep myself together so that I can say these next words without crying myself.

I bring my lips to her neck very softly and proceed to turn her round where I pad away her stray tears

"Em, baby, you're still the prettiest girl I know even with a split lip"

I bring my lips down against hers to peck over where it was split and she winces slightly but doesn't pull away. Her whole hand is tightly clung to my pointer finger and she rubs it rhythmically with her thumb.

I hope she's sober, I hope she remembers this, I hope she loves me too.

Suddenly Luna begins to wail

"I'm gonna be sad when we give her back on Monday, Eth"

That's the first time she's called me that and for some reason my stomach does flips. Get a grip Ethan!! It's not even a fucking pet name.

"So am I" I frown while the baby carries on sobbing for assistance "come on let's go love our baby" I smile taking her hand to pull her away but she's fixed still in place.

I turn to look at her but her eyes are glossy

"Baby," she begins and I feel like sobbing just at the sound of her calling me that for real with no sarcasm "we are still going to talk after Luna, right?"

Does she honestly think that that's why I'm sticking around? Because of our stupid robot baby?

"Of course" I scowl stepping forward

"I forgive you" she whispers so quietly I wonder whether she's even said it

"What for?"

"Just for everything...so that we can start fresh."

I'm so happy that I cup both her cheeks and kiss her on the lips and as I pull away I don't mean to but I do an excited squeal...

And I swear I hear her smirk,

"Dork"