Chapter Thirty-Two
Jack
I don’t know how long we stay on the kitchen floor. Seeing Ria fall apart like this has to be the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve ever witnessed. Even the things I experienced out at war don”t compare to the pain of watching someone you love fall apart when there is nothing you can do but just stand by them.
Her breathing starts to even out and her body relaxes a little in my arms. I press a kiss to her forehead and slowly rock her. “I”m here, sweetheart. Just tell me what I can do to make it better,” I whisper.
“This, just do this.” I have so many questions. But I don”t want to push her. I knew her childhood was messed up but, I didn’t know everything. The idea of some asshole hurting my girl breaks me in two. I want to find him and tear him limb from limb. I was fortunate enough to have two loving parents who doted on me. The idea of a parent walking out on their kids or mistreating them is unimaginable.
We sit in silence with only the hum of the refrigerator filling the room. I almost miss her words. She’s so quiet.
“She let him touch me.”
I stiffen and I knew she wouldn”t have missed it. Blood runs cold through my body.
I clear my throat. “Who?” I ask, trying to keep my tone as calm as possible.
“Her boyfriend, Greg. He started dating my mom when you and Noah left for the Marines. It started with some comments, a grope of my ass and I told her. I told her he made me feel uncomfortable, that he would rub up against me when he walked past me, would ‘accidentally’ walk in on me in the bathroom. But she told me I was being stupid. Why would he do that when he had her? So I didn’t say anything again.
She wipes the tears that haven”t stopped flowing down her cheeks.
“I used to sleep with my desk pushed up against my door. In case he tried to come in.”
I grit my teeth so hard I’m surprised my teeth don”t crack. But I say nothing. I just let her open up. This is hard to hear, but it’s harder for her to share.
“He stayed over most nights and one night my mom was at a party with some girlfriends, I came out of my room to get a drink and he was drunk in front of the TV, he…” She stops, her voice breaking, and she starts to shake.
“It’s okay. I’m here, you”re safe.”
“He tried to force himself on me, and my mom came home and found him on top of me, trying to unfasten my jeans She dragged him off me and I ran to my neighbor’s house and called the cops. I got taken into foster care and mom kicked Greg out, but it took months till she got me back.”
“And that’s why Noah took leave after basic training finished?”
“Yeah, he tried to get custody of me so I didn”t have to live with her, but the judge ruled in her favor;, she proved she was capable of looking after me and Greg went to prison for a few years and then got let out for good behavior,” she scoffs “but with the agreement that he went to a rehab for his drinking”
“Fuck,” I growled, my fists clenching. How the fuck is that justice?
“Baby, I am so sorry, I’m so fucking sorry that happened to you.” I tighten my hold on her, letting her know I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.
“In a weird way, I’m not sorry it happened. If it hadn”t, I wouldn”t have been sent to my therapy group and I wouldn”t have met Ali and Gabby.”
I pull her face to mine, looking her straight in the eyes so she understands me. “Nothing like that will ever happen to you again. No one will ever hurt you again, I promise.”
She buries her face into my neck, her body begins to relax into me. Leaning my cheek against the top of her head, she sniffs, wetness coating my neck as the last of her tears fall.
“You keep saving me,” she mumbles, as if she can’t believe my promise.
“Because you are worth saving, Ri.”
I stayed the night and slept with Ria in my arms. I felt that this was where I was meant to be, where I wanted to be.
I”ve only had one woman in my life who I would consider a girlfriend. But it was never love. I”ve always been too busy in the military or starting up our clubs, and a relationship has never been a priority for me. But finally, I am holding the only woman I have ever truly wanted, spending my free time building Minnie Mouse playhouses, taking ballet classes and shopping for diapers and I’ve never been happier.
Fuck, this is what I want.
I want this life; I want Ria; I want her girls and all the pink shit that comes with them. But I’m scared to tell her. Scared I’ll frighten her and come on too strong. She’s said she’s scared to let me in. That she’ll lose me, but she won’t. I know she”s it for me. I just need to prove that to her.
I know her divorce isn’t finalized, and it’s early days, but truthfully, I’d have made her mine when we were teens. I was just too scared to act on it then.
She rolls out of our embrace and onto her side. Her hair fanned out on the pillow and her skin glowing in the morning sun, showcasing the dusting of freckles on her nose. God, she”s perfect. I feel my morning wood pressing against the sheets, but I need to let her sleep. Last night wrecked her emotionally and I want to do something for her.
I slip out of bed, careful not to wake her, put on my boxers and head downstairs. Nugget greets me at the bottom of the stairs, and I let him into the backyard. I decide on coffee and pancakes for breakfast and raid her cupboards and fridge for the ingredients. I find a packet of MM’s and chuckle. Lexi and Ria’s favorite. I mix the ingredients and start on the pancakes as the coffee brews.
I’m pretty impressed with my culinary skills as I plate them up and spray some whipped cream on them along with a few MM’s sprinkled on top. I take a fork and have a quick taste test.
It looks like Lexi made them, but I know Ria will appreciate the effort. I hunt for a tray and as I turn to place the breakfast on it ready to take up, I am greeted with her leaning against the kitchen doorway, only wearing my black t-shirt from the day before. She’s all tousled hair and toned, tanned legs, and fuck me, she is the definition of sex on legs.
“Mmmm, whipped cream, my favorite,” she hums.