When We Are Enough (Valiant Hearts #1)

54. Emmy

Chapter 54

Emmy

S tanding with Patrick in my parent’s driveway feels strange, like stepping into a new world where everything is slightly off-kilter, but brighter and better.

For the first time in a long time, the overwhelming silence in my mind is almost startling. The relentless, nagging thoughts are quiet. There’s just me and Patrick.

“Come on,” I say, still holding his hand as we head around the house, through the lush gardens that lead to the beach. “I’m sorry about my mom.” Glancing at him, taking in his beautiful face, the rough stubble of his strong jaw. Forcing a swallow over my dry throat. “Why are you here?”

A breath held, waiting.

“Like I said to your mom, I came to bring you home.”

Patrick is the one who finally allowed me to discover a way to let the pressurized pain out in a better way. And now he’s here. Fighting for me all over again.

My heart swells with emotion, a love that’s almost too intense to bear. I feel seen, valued, and protected in a way I never have before. His presence is a promise of better days, his hand warm, solid in mine, grounding me in the moment. His thumb brushes over my knuckles, sending a jolt through me.

We continue in silence for a moment, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filling the space between us. Walking past the slate-blue of the pool, the chill in the sea air hits me immediately—the sky is still overcast, casting a gray pallor over everything, and I shiver slightly. Patrick shrugs off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders before I can protest.

“You don’t have to?—”

But he shakes his head. “Just wear it, please.”

I pull the jacket tighter around me. It’s warm and smells like him, a mix of sandalwood soap and something distinctly Patrick. A sideways glance: he looks ridiculously handsome, blue eyes locked on me beneath the flop of his dark hair, wide, muscular shoulders and broad chest tapering to narrow hips. The cold doesn’t seem to bother him at all, and I can’t tear my eyes away.

We walk together through the garden, around established trees with mostly bare branches. Brown leaves litter the ground, crunching under our feet as we walk, but the grass is still green, the bright blooms of summer replaced by more muted colors.

Despite the approaching winter, there is still life and beauty in the garden, and we walk in silence until we get to a bench facing the ocean. We’re out of sight of the house, and it’s like we’re in our own world.

We both take a seat and Patrick turns to me, the blue of his eyes filled with something deep and unspoken, and the moment lingers, curling inside me, warm and safe.

He clears his throat. “I hope I didn’t cross any lines with your parents, but your mom refused to let me in, and I’m not prepared to just walk away from you, no matter how hard you push me away.”

I open my mouth to speak but he presses a gentle finger to my lips.

“Just let me finish, please. I love you more than anything. I can’t stand the thought of being without you.” He holds my hand tightly, his vulnerable eyes searching mine.

“I’m sorry for being so caught up with work and all of my responsibilities that I suggested we keep the fact we’re dating just between us, telling you I don’t have time for something serious. For not giving us the time and attention we deserved. I know now what’s important, and it’s you. It’s us.”

My heart is thudding in my chest. “Patrick...”

He squeezes my hand, his gaze never wavering. “I want to be with you properly. No more keeping things secret, no more pretending it’s just fun . I want all of you. Your dreams, your fears, everything. And I want to give you everything I have in return.”

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, and I struggle to find my voice. “I?—”

He leans closer, his other hand coming up to cup my cheek. “I love you. I love you more than anything. I’m not going to let anything come between us again. We’ll face everything together, whatever it takes.”

His thumb traces a slow circle on my skin. The way he’s looking at me, wanting and needing, it’s almost too much. No one has ever looked at me like this before.

“I know you were worried about what my family would think after your parents came to their house, but it made no difference to them. I’ve also come clean to my mom about our relationship, and she’s happy for us. They want us to be together.”

“What if Ruby is just being polite? And what about the fact we lied to her about us? I don’t want to hurt anyone.” But my words are half-hearted.

Patrick’s gaze never leaves mine. “Please believe me. They just want you home. Nothing your mom says can change that. I need you to come home, too, Emmy. Nothing makes sense without you.”

“I’m scared. Scared of letting you down, of letting them down. I don’t understand how you can love me now you know…” Words fail me for a brief moment. “Now you know everything .”

I think about all the things I don’t say: that if I stay with him, return to Harbor’s Edge, it could cost me my parents. I’m not sure my mother will ever forgive me if I make a stand and leave with Patrick.

But I’m not losing much, really—my parents have never accepted me or loved me for who I am. And if they don’t support my relationship with Patrick, well… there’s not much I can do to change their minds.

Patrick leans closer, close enough I can see the wild flecks of darker blue around his irises. “How could I not love you? You’re the best person I know. You’ve faced so much and come out the other side even stronger. I want to be there for you, love you in every way I can. You’re my happiness. Please, come home with me.”

A startling truth hits me: even if I had the most loving and respectful parents in the world, if they tried to stop me from being with Patrick and returning to Harbor’s Edge, I’d still be prepared to walk away from them if it meant being with him.

Ending things with him was the biggest mistake of my life, and now I’ve got the chance to fix it. No more letting fear dictate my choices. Patrick is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’m not going to let anything or anyone stand in the way.

Looking into the truest blue of his eyes, something shifts inside me, and I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of belonging, of safety. I’ve worked so hard to hide the truth for so long, to keep the raw and damaged parts of myself locked away, safe from scrutiny and judgment.

But now there is nowhere to hide, and all I can feel is warmth, all I can see is light reaching as far as I can see. We both have demons, shadows from our pasts that haunt us, but together, it no longer feels like we’re just trying to suppress them or keep them hidden. We can reveal the broken parts fully, smooth them, make them into something beautiful.

My soul is whispering: he came for me. He loves me. Even after I pushed him away, after he saw the worst of me, he came. He wants me , scars and all.

“Okay,” I whisper, before speaking the words I’d known on some level since the moment he appeared at the front door: “I’ll come home.”