Standing on your front porch, Rafe paused before knocking and lowered his fist. Now that he was here, he wasn’t sure it was fair to you. He shouldn’t be dragging you further into his shit. What he should do was turn around and get in his truck and drive far away, never darkening your doorstep again. Because you had absolutely no business getting caught up in the trouble he was in. You were too pure, too good.

He sighs loudly, cradling his head in his hands as he tries to think. When they’d released him from his jail cell, the first thing he’d thought about was you. You had a way of comforting him with just your presence, and he needed that right now. He always needed you, but in times like these that need turned overwhelming. Fresh out the slammer, you were who he wanted to come home to.

He tries to picture what your reaction will be if he knocks. You’ve heard of his arrest, it had been on the news, and the 37 missed calls from you on his phone, assured him you knew and were pissed. You’d no doubt scream and yell at him, tell him what a reckless idiot he was. But he hoped if stayed calm (a big ask for him) that you’d eventually flip to trying to comfort him.

Ride or die, that’s what you’d said you were. You’d sworn that no matter what he did, there was nothing that would ever make you walk away or stop loving him. And you’d proved that so far. Standing by him through all the fights, the pills and drugs. Never judging, just loving him. He didn’t know what he had done in his life to deserve you.

He releases his head from his hands, and again raises his fist. This time he lets it connect with the door, knocking loudly. He leans against the doorframe, waiting. Your footsteps sound from behind the door and he feels his stomach turn over. The door is yanked open so abruptly, he has to catch himself from falling into your hallway.

“Well?” You say, crossing your arms and fixing him with a glare. Yup, his baby knew all about the arrest and you were practically breathing flames of white hot rage at him. He shuffles nervously, it’s not lost on him that you haven’t invited him in yet.

“Baby, if you let me in, I’ll explain it all to you. Just let me in, baby. Please.” Your eyebrow raises at him when the word please slips from his lips. It wasn’t a word you thought was in his vocabulary.