Chapter 25
When I felt the bed sink in behind me, I turned my head so fast I almost snapped my damn neck, thinking Damien had finally found me.
When I saw Truce’s face, I was about to get excited until I noticed the bruising and swelling on his right cheek and the cut on his bottom lip.
I frowned as I turned to him fully, looking into his eyes.
“Baby,” I swallowed. “What happened to your face, Truce?”
“Shhh. Everything’s okay,” he said, stroking my hair. “I love you, Jela.”
Tears filled my eyes as I kissed his lips. “I love you too, my Tru Bear.”
“I’ve never put my trust in any woman I’ve ever dated before.
You came into my life and changed that. Shit moved fast with us, but I don’t regret anything that brought us to this point.
I’d die protecting you and Scottlyn, Jela.
You deserve to live and thrive and watch your baby girl grow up.
If that means putting my life on the line for you to have that, I’ll do it a million times over. ”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Don’t be afraid, baby. I’m just letting you know how I feel about you.
If anything were to ever happen to me, I want you and Chunks to be straight.
” He reached into the pocket of his hoodie, brandishing an envelope.
“This is the deed to the house and bank information for an account I put in your name for two million dollars.”
“No! I’m not taking that. Nothing is going to happen to you, Truce. It can’t!” I felt myself panicking as I sat up and tried to calm my breathing.
“Jela, baby… Look at me.” My eyes went to him as tears fled from my tear ducts.
“You’re right. Nothing is going to happen to me if I can help it.
This is just reassurance of a ‘just in case’ moment.
I don’t want you to worry about anything; I just want you to take your life back and be the person you’ve always wanted to be. ”
“I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Truce. I need you.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to be sure that I don’t leave you.” He wiped my tears away, then pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, holding onto him as if he’d disappear.
This was not what I expected when I didn’t hear from him tonight.
I thought the worst, figuring something was wrong, and I was right.
I didn’t need the story of what happened, though.
It was clear he’d run into Damien, and that scared me.
As I felt his lips press against my forehead, I prayed for God to end this warfare and keep Truce safe and protected.
Morning had come and gone, and it was now the afternoon. We were sitting at the table eating a light lunch. Things had been really silent. Aside from us saying good morning to one another, Truce hadn’t said more than a few words this morning and since our talk last night.
He was brooding.
I knew why, and it really sucked because I didn’t want this for him.
I may not have asked him to go against his brother for me, but the fact that he did only made me feel like this was all my fault.
If I had stayed with Damien, maybe I could have convinced him that I was all about him.
Maybe after the first black eye, I should have just fallen in line and done whatever he asked of me.
Perhaps I played the role as if I were madly in love with him, then maybe the beatings would have stopped, and we wouldn’t be in this place.
But I couldn’t do that.
I wasn’t raised to be a doormat or anyone’s punching bag.
I’d stood up to him numerous times, and most of those times resulted in me being abused more and more.
I became closed off and it triggered him to hurt me more.
I withdrew from him completely, realizing he didn’t deserve my love after he’d cracked my ribs.
I felt nauseous thinking about it. Ms. Delilah had to play Mommy to my baby for that period of time after me being put on strict bed rest for six weeks to heal.
The things I had endured while with Damien couldn’t allow my heart to keep loving him.
Almost pissing the bed because I couldn’t move before he got out of bed, being secluded from my family, being repeatedly lied to and cheated on with multiple women, him kicking my baby out of me and then blaming me for it, and being tortured by his mental, financial, and emotional abuse was enough for anyone to withdraw emotionally.
I was fucking depressed and losing weight until he built the dance studio for me.
He was always using presents as a way to buy back my emotions.
Scottlyn and dance were my only escape from the hell I was living in.
Now, as I sat across from his brother, sadness began to wash over me from what I knew was going to happen between them.
“Truce…” I called out to him.
His eyes lifted from his plate and stared at me. “What’s up, baby?”
“I-I think I should go back to Muskegon.”
He frowned. “For what?”
“I don’t want this. I never asked for this. If something happens to you because of me, I would be devastated. This war between you and Damien can end if I just go back.”
He dropped his fork on his plate. “What the fuck are you saying, Jela?”
“You know what I’m saying, Truce. I don’t want you two killing each other because of me!” I cried.
“Eat your food, baby,” he said, picking his fork back up and stuffing food in his mouth.
“Will you please listen to me?”
“You’re not going back to him, Jela! He will fuckin’ kill you! What part are you not getting?” he roared.
I flinched as Scottlyn began crying. I stood from my chair and went to her, taking her out of her high chair and cradling her to my chest. I could tell he regretted raising his voice at me from the somber look that crossed his face.
“Baby, I’m sorry. Come here,” he reached for me, but I moved away.
“No. I had to put up with your brother yelling and screaming at me. I won’t tolerate you doing the same.”
I stormed out of the kitchen and went upstairs. Inside the bedroom, I shut and locked the door. I rocked Scottlyn in my arms to settle her and myself.
“Shhh. It’s okay, Scottie Pie. It’s okay.” I soothed, rubbing her back.
“Ma-Ma!”
“I know, baby… I know.”
She lay her head on my shoulder, and I smothered her with kisses. After ten minutes of us both being emotional, Scottlyn went down for her nap, and I went inside the en suite bathroom to wash my face.
A few moments later, there was a light knock on the door.
“J, open the door, baby.”
I moved over to the door, unlocked it, and went back inside the bathroom. A moment later, he appeared in the mirror behind me, leaning against the doorframe.
“I’m sorry, Jela. I’m just frustrated with all of this. I didn’t mean to yell at you, but with you talking about risking your life to save mine, it made me angry. I’d never hurt you, baby, and I for damn sure don’t want you hurting yourself to try to save me.”
“And you think I want you putting yourself in harm’s way to save mine? How does that work, Truce? How come I have to be the one to live without you when all of this is because of me?”
“Because I don’t have a child to live for.
I love Scottlyn as if she were my own, but she needs you, Jela.
Who’s going to nurture her better than you do?
Who’s going to teach her about boys and lead her into womanhood other than you?
So many mothers have lost their lives to domestic violence, and so many children have to live without their queen.
“I was able to stop that shit with my moms, and I’m going to stop this shit with you too. I ain’t worried about dying, Jela. I’m not afraid of Damien. But you are. I’m going to defeat the monster that lives under your bed once and for all.”
I shook my head as more tears cascaded down my cheeks. “It’s not fair.”
“Life’s not fair, but it’s life. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. But I’m going to do all I can to make sure you win.”
He pulled me to him, and I fell into his arms. He held me tightly, kissing my neck and rubbing his hands up and down my ass.
I lifted my head, driving my tongue into his mouth, and we kissed hungrily.
I tugged at the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head.
He winced, and my eyes went to his bruised side.
I bent down and planted soft kisses there, then pulled his pajama bottoms down.
His dick sprang out, and I latched my lips onto it and sucked.
I could feel his abs constricting while I rubbed his abdomen.
“Shit, baby. Just like that.”
I spit, sucked, and slurped his dick down my throat.
If this was going to be our last time, I wanted to show him just how much I loved him.
Before I could make him cum, he lifted me, turned me around, and yanked my leggings down.
He slid inside of me, and I let out a pleasurable cry as he began thrusting his hips, touching my heart with his dick.
The only sounds made were our moans and my ass slapping against his stomach and thighs.
“Jela,” he called out to me.
“Yes, baby?”
“I’m about to cum, and I’m not pulling out this time.”
I shook my head slightly. “I don’t want you to. Cum with me, baby.” He drove his hips faster into me as I held on to the sink. “Fuck me, Truce. Oh God! I’m cumming!”
“Ugghh! Gahhh! Fuck!” he groaned out, releasing deep inside of me.
He held on to me, kissing my neck and the side of my face.
“Fuck, Jela.” He held me in his arms until his body stopped shaking, then pulled himself out of me.
He kissed my head and pulled me to the shower stall.
We both undressed and got inside, letting the water run over us.
“I want you to go out today with your girls and have some fun. I’ll stay here with Scottlyn until I leave tonight.”
“Will you get fired for not working today?”