Chapter 26 Kat
I’ve never felt more in the holiday spirit than I do right now, curled up on the couch watching silly Christmas movies with Addy and Des. The house is decorated to the nines, with all six trees and two fake little ones we put in Addy’s and my room.
I’d thought six was too many, but I’ll admit I was wrong. I love seeing all the trees in different rooms. Each has a different color scheme to match the room and are different sizes.
It’s magical.
When Nathan gets home, we're going to wrap some of Addy’s presents, but other than that, I’ve really enjoyed just lying around like this today.
The door opens, and I hear Vince call out to us.
“In the theater room,” Des calls back, to which Addy shushes him.
“Sorry,” he whispers back, but I hear the smile on his lips.
Vince pops his head in and looks around.
It’s not dark in here today. Since we were just watching silly movies, we left the lights on and made a little pile of blankets and pillows to snuggle up in.
If Des hadn’t told him where we were, I’m sure he would have overlooked us.
There’s a light dusting of snow on his head and jacket, and I know he’s big and trained to be deadly, but he looks so cute right now.
“Why are you looking at me like that, little beauty?” Vince asks, cocking his head to the side as he walks toward us.
No way, he just called me that, right?
“Here, this is for you.” He holds out an envelope, and I hesitate for a moment, unsure if he means Des or me, but he’s looking right at me, so…
“Thanks,” I mumble as I push up off of Des’s chest and grab the envelope.
“There’s also about twenty boxes by the door, too.” He hitches his thumb back over his shoulder towards the door.
Twenty?!
“What do you mean, twenty? I ordered like three things,” I tell him as I begin to panic. Did I accidentally order something else?
“Nah, most of those are probably mine. I've got about forty more coming, and that’s not even including whatever any of the others ordered.” Des waves him off as if it’s not a big deal.
“Are any of them my presents, Dessy?” Addy asks, and I can hear her excitement even as I look at the envelope.
I wonder who it could be from. The name and return address don’t seem familiar, but that’s not uncommon.
I run a finger along the top, ripping the thin paper and pulling the card out.
A Christmas card.
The front has a little polar bear with a hat and scarf that reads ‘All I want for Christmas.’ It’s cute… until it’s not.
I flip it open and read the two words inside: ‘is you.’ I realize too late there’s something inside, multiple somethings, that fall to the ground and scatter, leaving me looking down at them in shocked horror.
Pictures.
So many pictures, and not just of me but all of us.
There are pictures of our time in Italy, of when I went to the Lawson building to yell at Nathan about my birth control, us out trick-or-treating, cutting down the tree, and a few of us in less public settings.
I pick up one after another, unable to think past the fact that someone is watching us, them, Addy. My breathing is labored, the air too thick, but I can’t focus enough to do anything about it as I continue to sift through the pictures, and there are dozens of them.
Red Xs cover each of the guys, manic scribbles in red, and while there are no words, the meaning seems pretty clear to me.
“Katherine!” Fingers grip my biceps and yank me to my feet and away from the pictures, but still, they're all I see. I stumble as I’m dragged away, moved like a rag doll and pushed into one of the theater recliners.
Vince’s face fills my vision. He’s so close that I can’t see past him, and despite the panic that was all but choking me, something about him is comforting, even if just a little bit.
“Kat, I need you to breathe with me.” I hear the words he’s saying, see his lips move, but I can’t seem to make them make sense.
“Kat.” His voice is hard and demanding, and I want to do what he says, but I can’t seem to figure out how, and with each passing second, I feel it only gets harder.
My head feels light and heavy all at once, and my vision swims.
I’m going to pass out.
His hand grips the back of my neck, and he pulls me toward him until our foreheads meet, sharing the same air, even though I take in so very little of it.
Vince’s fingers circle my wrist, and he moves my hand to rest against his chest, pressing his palm to the back of my hand.
“Feel my heart, Kat, feel the rise and fall of my chest. I’m here with you; he’s not. He will never be anywhere near you again, I promise.” I appreciate that he doesn’t use his name, but he doesn’t have to; we both know exactly who did this.
“Let's breathe, okay? I want you to breathe with me. Can you do that?”
It takes me a second, but he’s patient as he watches me as if he knows I need a moment to get it together. Eventually, after what feels like far too long, I manage to give him a nod, and I’m rewarded with a beautiful, rare smile.
“We’re going to breathe in for five, hold for three, and then breathe out for five, okay?” He doesn’t ask if it’s something I can do, and honestly, I didn’t expect him to—that’s not really Vince’s style.
Again, I nod, and this time he gets right to it.
It takes four cycles of breathing before I start to feel myself calm, and after seven, my head begins to feel less foggy.
“That’s my girl,” he says with so much affection it makes my stomach do a little flip, and my heart skip a beat.
So much for getting myself under control.
Vince releases my neck and slowly moves back, but he doesn’t go far.
“Where’s Des and Addy?” I ask, looking around the room and realizing it’s just the two of us now.
“We didn’t think it was a good idea for her to see you like that,” he says, and he’s probably right. I didn’t even consider that I would probably terrify her with my reaction.
“I’m sor—”
“Don’t you dare.” Vince’s voice is harsh, and I look up to find his eyes just as hard.
“Don’t you dare apologize for what that piece of shit is doing.
This is so far from your fault it’s not even funny, Kat.
We just didn’t want to scare her and knew you wouldn’t want her to see you like that, not to mention the pictures. ”
He’s right, of course, but I still feel bad.
I look down at my hand in my lap, unsure what to do or say now, but Vince isn’t having it. He hooks a finger under my chin and lifts my head until our eyes meet. His thumb rubs over my cheek so gently, and I realize I’m crying.
“We’re going to handle him, Kat. He’s never going to get his hands on you again.” He looks so serious, and I know he means it. I want his words to be true; I don’t want to be the reason they're in danger.
I’m not worth that.
“I’ll keep you safe, all of you. Do you trust me?”
This answer comes easily, and I’m nodding even before I really process his question.
He’s proved to me that I can trust him not only with my safety but with Addy’s already. I know this is his job, and he’s good at it.
There isn’t anyone else I’d want to protect me.