Chapter 52
52
Faith woke up alone.
That familiar panic tried to suffocate her again and she sat up in bed, looking around.
Don’t be silly. Maybe he’s just in the bathroom.
He’s allowed to leave you alone.
Her brain just wouldn’t let it go, though. He’d kept the memories and fear at bay and now that he wasn’t touching her, everything wanted to rush back at her.
Eric yelling at her. Grabbing her. His hands going around her neck.
Just breathe through it.
You’re safe.
Right. But she’d feel better if Reuben was with her.
What are you doing? We need that money!
The words blasted through her mind. Cammie had screamed that at Eric last night.
The money? The money that she had given them each week? But Cammie got paid well.
Right?
Daddy. She needed Daddy.
Stumbling, she headed out toward the kitchen. Faith could smell coffee and hear people talking. Walking into the kitchen, she found them both at the small eat-in dining table. Cammie smiled and leaned over to put her hand on Reuben’s arm.
Jealousy filled her.
Reuben immediately moved his arm away from her.
“I know you’ve been through a lot,” he said in a firm voice. “But you do not have permission to touch me.”
And her jealousy dropped away.
Women would always look at him, covet him. But they could look all they wanted.
Because he was hers.
And Reuben wasn’t the sort of man to ever cheat. She knew that.
There was a look of shock on Cammie’s face. As though she couldn’t fathom anyone ever turning her down.
Reuben stood and walked over to Faith. Then in a display of possession, of ownership, he pushed her gently back against the counter, his hand going to the back of her head before he kissed her.
The kiss was deep and heavy. Hard. Hot.
And over far too quickly.
When he drew back, her head was spinning.
“Good morning, baby.”
“Good morning,” she whispered.
“You feeling all right?” he asked.
“A bit weird.” She rubbed her forehead. “I slept better than I thought I would.” Then she caught sight of the time on the oven. “Oh no! Look at the time. We’re late.”
He stopped her from rushing away, lifting her onto the counter. “Calm, baby. I checked my calendar. My first meeting isn’t until after lunch.”
She breathed out a sigh of relief. “You’re right. That’s good.”
“Let’s get you something to eat. You’re too pale for my liking.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m going to make you better than fine.”
“Wow, I’m about to develop cavities from how sweet the two of you are.”
Faith jolted. She’d forgotten that Cammie was even here. Glancing over, she saw that her friend was smiling at them. But her smile didn’t really meet her eyes.
Something inside Faith was starting to burn and grow. She’d always thought she’d be friends with Cammie forever. But she’d changed. Cammie she used to know wouldn’t have spoken like that.
The old Cammie would have been happy that Faith was happy.
“Sorry, Cammie, forgot you were there.” It was mean, but she couldn’t help herself.
She was feeling like a voodoo doll who had been stabbed one too many times and was about to snap.
Reuben helped her down and she wandered over to the table. Cammie was dressed in a tight black skirt and a white sheer shirt. Her hair was a smooth ebony wave down her back.
She’d expertly applied her makeup, so you could barely see that she had a black eye.
Faith felt like a total mess next to her.
“Sit down, baby. I’ll get you some breakfast.”
She nodded, giving Reuben a small smile. Cammie glanced away.
“How did you sleep, Cammie?” she asked.
“Great, thanks to the drugs Reuben gave me.”
“Are you going into work?” Faith asked. She was dressed like she was.
“No. I called to let them know I’m not going in.”
Reuben put a plate filled with soft scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon in front of her.
Faith smiled up at him. “Your housekeeper has been by?”
“Yep.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “Eat up, baby.”
She stared up at him adoringly. How could she not?
He wasn’t an easy man.
Nor was he a perfect man.
But he was her everything.
A cup of coffee was placed by her hand. He leaned in to whisper to her. “I tested it so it’s not too hot.”
Turning, she kissed him to say thanks.
“Yep, there’s another cavity. Are you going to cut her food up and feed it to her as well? I mean, she’d like that. She loves being treated like a baby.”
Faith sucked in a pain-filled breath.
Usually, when someone said something awful to her, she’d run away. Try to hide her wounds.
But not this time. Enough was enough.
“The fuck did you just say?” Reuben snarled.
Cammie paled and leaned back.
“I have this, Reuben,” Faith told him.
“Baby.”
“I have this. Please.”
Reuben clenched his jaw. “All right, but if she hurts you again, I won’t hold back.”
Cammie bit her lip.
Yeah, she really didn’t want Reuben to unleash on her.
“Why are you being mean?” Faith demanded.
Cammie’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”
“You’re being mean. I understand that last night was awful. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through. But that doesn’t give you the right to be mean.”
That felt so good. Well, in a way it was awful because she’d been friends with this woman since they were both young. And it hurt that Cammie could be so awful.
Faith also thought that perhaps Cammie’s offer to live with them wasn’t so much about helping her out as it was about using her.
“Did you want me to live there? Or was it just about the money?”
Cammie tried to hide her reaction, but Faith saw her wince. Then she rubbed her ear. That was her tell when she was about to lie.
“Of course it wasn’t. You’re my best friend and I wanted to help you.”
Faith was vaguely aware of Reuben stepping away to lean against the counter behind her. Giving her space but not leaving.
And she was grateful for that.
“Cammie, you forget how long I’ve known you. Remember in Mrs. Ferguson’s class how someone stole all the candy out of her drawer? They questioned the ten of us who had been in the classroom during break. I knew it was you because you rubbed your ear. Just like you’re doing now.”
“You never told.”
“Of course not. Because best friends have each other’s backs. They don’t let their husband put their best friend in a horrible basement or use them because they need the money. Or make them feel terrible for finding a man who dotes on them.”
Cammie sucked in a breath. “I don’t know when I turned into this person. I really don’t. Eric, he . . . he’s not the same man he once was. He gets angry so easily.”
“Is this the first time he’s hit you?” Faith asked. She wished she could reach over and take her friend’s hand. But she wasn’t sure she could handle being rejected.
Cammie couldn’t meet her eyes. “It’s happened a couple of times before. But he’s under a lot of pressure! And sometimes I get too pushy and demanding.”
“Cammie, he never has the right to hit you. To emotionally manipulate you. Abuse is never excusable.”
The other woman nodded, although Faith didn’t know if she was getting through to her.
“Eric invested our savings in this scheme and lost it all. That’s why we needed the money. I wanted you to stay upstairs, but he . . . he couldn’t handle that. I don’t know why, but he’s never liked you or your family. I think he was always jealous, and he got a kick out of the idea of one of the Blossoms sleeping in his basement. I thought it would be all right. You’d stay for a while, and we’d be able to keep the house. But he got angrier, and I started to resent you being there because it made him so upset. I’m sorry, Faith.”
“I know. I’m sorry, too.”
“What happens now? Where is Eric?” Cammie dared to glance up at Reuben.
“Eric is at home,” Reuben said, surprising Faith who turned to look back at him. “Do you want to see him?”
Faith turned back to Cammie who was obviously struggling. “I . . . I don’t know.”
“We can help you get away from him, Cammie,” Faith told her. “Get a divorce, a place of your own. You don’t have to stay with him.”
Cammie stared at her for a long moment. Then she nodded. “I don’t want to go back to living like that.”
Faith let out a long breath.
“Excuse me a moment.” Cammie stood and walked out of the kitchen.