Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  I watched as both of their mouths dropped open in shock.

  “He’s clearly mentally unstable. He needs help. And someone needs to call Evan.”

  “His twin?” Lawson gaped.

  I nodded. “His twin. He’s lost it. He thought he was taking me back because I belonged with Evan or some nonsense like that.”

  They both stood in silent disbelief as they absorbed this new information.

  “El?” Mark asked softly. “Lawson said when he got there, you were already on your way out. Evan—or Matthew, was on the ground. How did you get away from him?”

  Lawson was watching me like a hawk. It was clear he wanted the answer to this question as much as the detective did.

  “I used self-defense,” I said with a slight shrug.

  They both stared at me, waiting for more of an explanation.

  “I was mugged back when I was 18. I felt helpless. I couldn’t protect myself... I went to some classes after that. I actually ended up being quite good at it and I was an instructor for a few years.”

  Lawson’s mouth had dropped open in shock again.

  “I used my weight against him, set him off balance and then I did what I was taught. Go for the throat and the groin.”

  “What about your cut?” Mark asked.

  I looked at my bicep and shook my head. “I’m not too sure, it all happened so fast, I think maybe when I threw my body towards him... I knocked the knife from his hands. I think it went under the couch.”

  “Well...” Mark replied. “Well that is... really something.” He looked completely astounded.

  Lawson still hadn’t said a word.

  I shrugged at Mark. “He wasn’t a fighter. If he was, it might have been a different story. And like I said, he’s not right in the head. He needs help.” My eye caught sight of the flashing lights and I turned to watch as the police car drove away with my stalker inside.

  75. Lawson

  Wait, she what?

  I was having a hard time getting my head around all of this. I hadn’t really stopped long enough to think about what had happened between the two of them in that apartment – how she had gotten away from him. I’d finally made it to her floor and there she was, looking like she was bleeding half to death.

  My blood had boiled. I’d wanted to kill him.

  I would have killed him.

  I could hear El screaming at me, but even that wasn’t enough to stop me. I was possessed by rage. It was lucky for me that Logan had been able to hold me back long enough for Ellerslie to bring me back from the brink.

  He’s not Evan...

  That little detail had thrown me for a loop.

  Not Evan... well fuck me dead.

  El... she’d protected herself, defended herself against a man who had at least 40 pounds on her. Sweet Jesus, I didn’t know what to do with this information. I was so proud of her for being able to handle herself... but I was so angry with myself for putting her in the position where she had to.

  I should be protecting her.

  I watched her, watching the police car drive away, lights flashing. It disappeared into the distance and she turned back to face me. The white long-sleeve shirt she had on was covered in blood – just the sight of it made my stomach churn.

  “Don’t,” she told me sternly. I knew the guilt was pouring out of me. It was suffocating us both. She pointed a finger into my chest. “Don’t you dare apologize to me. This was not your fault, Lawson. You didn’t let me down.”

  Once again, she knew how I felt. “I should have been there.” My words were choked and quiet.

  Ellerslie stepped into my body and wrapped her arms around my waist. I rested my head down into her hair and breathed her in.

  French vanilla.

  “You did everything you could,” she murmured into my chest. “I know you came as soon as you could. I still don’t know how you did it, but I’m grateful, Lawson. You were there when I needed you most.”

  “Needed me most?” I huffed out a breath. “You needed me there to fight that bastard, and I wasn’t there.” I was getting louder, angrier. “I should never have let you go up there alone—”

  “Lawson!” El interrupted my rant.

  My whole body was shaking.

  “Do you like me the way I am?” she asked me, looking straight into my eyes. “Would you change me if you could?”

  “I wouldn’t change a single thing about you,” I told her without hesitation.

  “Well then you need to stop punishing yourself. I’m an independent woman, Mr. Pierce. You and I both know you didn’t have the option of coming up there with me. I made the decision to go alone, and I’ll continue to make my own decisions. You are just going to have to learn to accept that I’m going to screw up, and I’m going to fall sometimes. I love you, Lawson, and I love that you want to protect me, but sometimes all I need, is for you to help me pick up the pieces and put them back together.”

  “El,” I whispered.

  She gave me a sweet smile. “Right now, I just need you to hold me. I need you to stop friggin’ apologizing, and just be content with the fact that we’re all okay.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at her. We let go of one another and stepped back towards Mark.

  “Okay, I’ll try,” I replied. I pulled her back into my chest and did my best to push down my guilt.

  “You could have killed him,” she scolded me softly.

  “And that is my cue to leave,” Mark interrupted loudly. “Don’t go telling me anything I’ll have to get the cuffs out for, Ellerslie.”

  “What happens now, Mark?” she asked.

  “He’s headed down to the station for questioning. You’ll all need to come down too. Now, if it’s possible.”

  I shook my head. “El needs stitches.”

  “I’m fine. Can we just go and get it over with please?” she begged with her big light blue eyes.

  God, I’m such a sucker for those eyes.

  “Sounds like we’ll be coming down now.” I sighed in defeat.

  The bastard just smirked at me and headed in the direction of Logan, Reeve and Lisa.

  ***

  I looked around the waiting room of the police station – Lisa was doing better, she was sitting on Reeve, snuggled into him. She really was such a tiny little thing. Logan was flicking through a magazine; I could tell he hadn’t read a word – he just needed something to keep his hands busy. Quinn had arrived about 15 minutes ago, and was still getting the story from El.

  “You did what?” Quinn screeched.

  El rolled her eyes. “Calm down, you nut case, this is a police station.”

  I chuckled and shook my head at the two of them.

  Some things never change.

  I stood and moved into the chair next to Logan – I felt like a real asshole. “Hey, man, I just wanted to thank you, for you know... stopping me back there. I’d well and truly lost it.” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.

  “I get it. I see how you feel about that girl.” He nodded in El’s direction. “I can see how quickly you’d lay your own life down in exchange for hers. I know she feels the same. To be honest, I just hope that one day I can love, and be loved like that in return.”

  Logan’s response surprised me. He was the master of seeing things as black or white. With Logan, there wasn’t a lot of gray area. I’d been expecting to get a lecture on right and wrong.

  I sat in silence, his words running through my mind.

  “I’m glad you didn’t really hurt him, Lawson,” he said more quietly.

  “Me too, man,” I replied.

  The doors to the waiting room flew open in a rush and I instinctively flew to my feet, putting myself in between Ellerslie and the door. The man in front of me looked distraught, scared, and tired. So damn tired.

  El was the first to speak, “Evan.” I felt her rise to her feet. “I’m really glad you’re here.” She started to move around me and my arm instinctively flew out to catch her. She shrugg
ed me off and I caught her rolling her eyes at me. “They are not the same person, Law.”

  I didn’t give a crap. They looked the damn same and that was close enough for me. “What the hell was he playing at?” I barked out the words at Evan.

  “Ellerslie... I...” He looked right at El, and I saw him begin to crack. My anger faded and I actually found myself feeling sorry for the guy. He swayed slightly – like he might fall. El moved around me and grabbed his forearm. She led him slowly to a seat and pushed down lightly on his shoulders until he was sitting.

  She took the seat across from him – I sat right next to her. “Start from the beginning,” she told him softly.

  He took a deep breath. “Matthew is my twin. We’ve always been close. A few years back, he came to me. Told me about some of the urges he was having. He told me that he wanted to fix all my problems. He started interfering in my life, intimidating people, and showing some other concerning behavior.” He paused and looked back and forth between El and me.

  “Go on,” Ells pressed.

  “In the end, my parents and I admitted him into a hospital. He was difficult, he refused medication, and he threatened the nurses. It took a full year for him to get to a stable condition. By then our parents had washed their hands of him.” He fidgeted with his sleeve. “I moved him in with me so I could keep an eye on him. I thought he’d been doing well. But getting the call tonight proves otherwise.” He looked at El in question. “What did he do?” I could hear the fear in his voice.

  I placed my hand on El’s knee. “He’s been stalking El; harassing us. He assaulted her tonight, and Lisa too.” I gestured towards where Reeve was holding Lisa. “He kidnapped Lisa and attacked El in her home.”

  Evan collapsed forward and held his head in his hands. “Jesus,” he muttered. “Are you hurt badly?” He looked back up to El and pointed to her blood-covered clothes.

  “It’s just a cut, I need stitches. But I’ll be okay,” she told him. “He had a knife,” she added.

  “A knife?” he whispered in disbelief.

  “He wanted to take me back to you, Evan. He seemed to think that I belonged with you. He knew that we’d been out together, and that I’d told you I wasn’t interested in going out again.”

  “I told him,” Evan replied quietly. “It wasn’t a big deal, he asked if I was seeing you again... asked where you worked... he’s my brother, we talk a lot. I’m so sorry, Ellerslie, I made you a target... I thought he was well. God, I’m so sorry.” He looked like he was on the verge of breaking into tears.

  There was one thing that was still not falling into place for me. “Did you know El was at the club that night?” I asked him.

  He shook his head quickly and met my gaze. “No. No, I had no idea. Matthew wanted to go at the last minute...” He trailed off. “Shit... he knew.” He looked back to El. “He knew you were there.”

  I sat back in my chair. He was telling the truth. The guy was a mess. “He needs help,” I stated.

  Evan nodded. “He’ll get it. I’ll make sure of it.”

  I looked up at the sound of the door opening again. Mark strode in. “Evan?” he asked with an extended hand.

  Evan nodded and shook his hand. “Can I see him?”

  Mark nodded. “Follow me.”

  Evan threw us both an apologetic glance and hurried after Mark.

  ***

  It was late and I was starving. All of us had been questioned, and I’d taken El to get her cut taken care of. Thirteen stitches later, we emerged from the emergency room. Logan had gone back to my place with Quinn, and Reeve had taken Lisa home right after finishing at the police station.

  We’d been told that Matthew had admitted everything. He’d copied Evan’s keys, stolen his pass card for the office building, copied contacts from his phone and even pretended to be him to gain access to different facilities. He’d entered our office building several times, pretending to be Evan.

  It was a scary situation.

  As much as I wanted to hate Evan, I couldn’t. He was as much a victim as El and me. I couldn’t even hate Matthew for what he’d done. He was clearly mentally unstable. He’d been admitted into a psychiatric facility tonight and would be supervised around the clock. El seemed happy that he would be getting the help he needed.

  She is unbelievable.

  The woman was a saint. He’d threatened to kill her, and yet, she was worried for him, for his well-being. I loved her even more for her compassion.

  I opened the door of the truck and helped El in. She’d lost a lot of blood and she was shattered. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. I buckled her in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. I shut her door and leaned against the truck for a moment.

  She was my whole world. I shuddered thinking about how I could have lost her tonight. I never wanted to be without her. I jumped into the truck, started the engine and cranked up the heater. I turned to Ells. “Can I ask you something, baby?”

  “Can it wait?” she asked quietly. “I’m just so tired.”

  “I know, baby, just one question, I promise.” I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading on my face.

  She rolled her head towards me and opened her eyes. “One,” she breathed.

  I reached over and took her hand. “Will you move in with me?”

  She stared at me and a smile slowly spread across her lips. “Yes. I’ll move in with you.”

  I danced and fist pumped internally.

  Fuck yes!

  I pulled her hand up and pressed my lips against her knuckles. “Thank you, baby.” I let go and flicked my indicator on.

  “Is that it?” she asked.

  I chuckled at her frown.

  “No song and dance?” she asked with amusement.

  I just laughed – she knew me too well already.

  “I think there comes a time when you meet someone and you just want to make them smile for the rest of your life.”

  - Author unknown

  76. Ellerslie

  Four weeks had passed since Matthew’s attack.

  The first week had been tough, everywhere I looked there was guilt – Lawson’s guilt for letting me go up alone, Evan’s guilt for dragging me into this mess, Mark’s guilt for not looking into Evan’s family, Lisa’s guilt for taking him to the apartment, my own guilt for Lisa being involved... the list went on. I had spent so many days telling them all that they weren’t responsible, that I didn’t blame anyone.

  I had made peace with the whole experience. The last time I’d been attacked it was completely random, I wasn’t the intended target any more than the next person who walked by, and even though this time, it was personal, I eased my fears the same way. I’d found a small self-defense class and had begun attending. Quinn and Lisa had decided to join too. I hoped it would help to get Lisa’s confidence back. She was stronger than she looked, but since the attack, I’d learned she had some horrible demons in her past – she needed a way to take the power back in her life.

  We had learned that when Matthew found he couldn’t get through Lawson, he’d decided he needed another way to get to me. He’d given up on Quinn, she was as much under lock and key as I was, and he hadn’t wanted to mess with Reeve. That was where Lisa came into the picture. He’d assumed that she would have access to the apartment building, and that she wasn’t being guarded. He’d grabbed her from the car park outside the hospital she was doing a placement at, and forced her to drive him to our apartment building. His plan was just to get inside our apartment – the fact that I was there, was sheer luck on his behalf.

  His plans had so many flaws, but that was unsurprising – he was mentally unstable. I’d called Evan a few times, and he’d assured me that Matthew was doing better; he was taking his medication and talking about his issues. It was a good start.

  I shook my head in an attempt to clear the memory. I closed the lid of the box I was packing and looked around the now empty apartment. I was beyond excited for this day – to
day I was officially moving in with Lawson.

  I didn’t think it would have been possible, but Lawson had been even more protective of me for the first few days. He’d not only kept me in his sight, but he was always touching me, holding my hand, or resting his hand on my back. It was as though he thought I might disappear if he let go. I’d woken up every night to him crushing me against him with his strong grip. As the weeks had gone by, we’d both gone back to work, and he’d learned to relax a bit – I still hadn’t spent a night away from him, but that was fine with me. My life was his life now too.

  “Are you done back there?” I called to Quinn.

  Lawson and Logan had left about an hour ago with their last load of boxes. Some would be going to our house and some would be going to the house that Logan had bought.

  He’d purchased a large home, not far from us and he was planning to renovate it. He had asked Quinn to come and live there with him. I was relieved she’d agreed. The two of them got on like a house on fire, and I knew Quinn would enjoy the company – they both would. Lawson was happy that Q would have Logan there to watch her back, so it was a win-win for everyone.

  I smiled as I thought of Lawson. He’d tip-toed around me for the first few days after the attack. I knew he had questions he was burning to ask, but he didn’t want to upset me. I’d finally begged him to just ask, and Jesus, had he what.

  He’d wanted to know if I could have really hurt Matthew, how I’d used my body to fight him off, and then he’d even made me show him. He’d wanted to know if I thought I could take him down in the same situation... the list went on. Apparently Lawson was a teeny bit obsessed with combat. When I’d asked him about it, he’d just winked, told me he’d once been a bit of a scrapper, and promised it was a story for another day.

  “Yeah, girl, I’m done,” Quinn announced as she walked into the empty living room.

  When we’d taken the apartment, we’d signed the lease for a year. I’d since learned that my sneaky big brother was in fact our landlord, and he’d been more than happy to let us out of it early. I still couldn’t believe he’d bought this building so he could give us somewhere nice to live. He’d told us that like much of the city, his waiting list was as long as his arm, and he’d have no trouble leasing it right away.