12. Lily
12
Lily
My head felt like a million little men were playing the drums inside. I rolled over and looked out the window. The view was different. The room was masculine, with dark wood furniture. I closed my eyes for a second, and the night before came rushing back—the attack, then Kat having to go back to Ft. Lauderdale. I’m in Jacob’s house, in his huge room, in his bed.
I glanced over to find his side neat and still intact, obviously not slept in. My head shifted on the pillow, and I got a scent of his cologne. The bed smelled like him. I heard a giggle come from outside the bedroom. Tommy’s up. I went to sit up, but I did it too quickly, and shooting pain rushed through my head.
A couple pills and a glass of water were on the bedside table. I reached over and popped the pills into my mouth, followed by a swig of the water. Another giggle came from the living room. I knew I had to get up and take care of Tommy.
I slowly sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My arm brushed against my side, causing pain. I pulled up my shirt to see a large black-and-blue spot on my side.
My feet pushed into the plush carpet, and I used the bedpost to help me stand. Once I was up, the world spun for a second before I got my balance. When my vision was no longer fuzzy, I headed for the open door and followed the sound of laughter down the hallway. I felt like I was walking through a giant maze. I thought the condo I was staying in was large.
I faintly remembered arriving the night before and Jacob leading me to a room and helping me get ready for bed. My face heated as I remembered him helping me change into a shirt and shorts of his. The shorts were double rolled at the waist so they would stay up.
When my vision got hazy again, I stopped and held on to the wall while I waited for my sight to clear. A memory from the night before of Jacob running his hands over the scars on my body came back. At first, I’d thought he was disgusted by the sight of my body. But he wasn’t. He was angry that someone could have done that to me.
I slowly continued my journey down the hall toward the noise. When I rounded the corner into the living room, my feet were stuck in place. Jared and Jacob sat on the floor, surrounded by toys. It looked like every toy from the condo was there.
Jared had a kid’s cowboy hat on his head and was brandishing a fake gun. Jacob wore a police hat. The two brothers were in character, talking back and forth. Tommy was giggling as the two brothers argued over who was in the wrong. Tommy spotted me before the brothers and ran over to grab my hand. “Come on, Mom, we’re playing cowboys and cops.” When Tommy tugged me forward, I lost my footing and fell to the ground. My little boy and the two men were next to me in a second.
“I’m sorry, Mommy!” Tommy burst into tears.
I sat up, reached over, and pulled my son into my arms. My elbow hurt from the fall, but I hated to see tears in my son’s eyes. I took a couple of deep breaths. “Don’t cry. I’m fine.”
“But I made you fall.”
“No, honey, I just tripped.”
Jacob raised his eyebrow, and I shook my head.
Jared reached down and pulled Tommy out of my arms. “Hey, buddy, let’s go look at the space rock Jacob has in his office.”
“But my mommy’s hurt.”
Jared looked at him softly. “Nope. She’s going to be okay. Let's give her some time to get better. Jacob will help her, and we can go play.”
Tommy finally nodded, and the two left the room.
“Are you sure Jared is going to be okay with a five-year-old?” I asked.
Jacob let out a laugh. “Jared raised Jax and me from little babies. He’s really good with kids. Now tell me what really happened. I know you didn’t trip.”
The room still spun a little, but I’d experienced that before. It wasn’t my first concussion, and sometimes the next day, my vision would still be off a little. My side hurt as well. “I can’t move too fast. The room is still spinning.”
Jacob reached around and gently pulled me up off the floor. “Then why did you leave the bed?”
I rested my head on his shoulder. “I heard Tommy. I don’t want you to have to take care of him.”
He didn’t say anything until he placed me back in bed. He ran his finger down the side of my face. “Tommy and I were having fun. Now relax and get better.”
The clock next to the bed read ten a.m. “But we are all late for work.”
“We aren’t going to work. Jax got back late last night. He’s going into the office this morning. When I told Jared what happened, he came over immediately. Kaylene is taking care of things for him. And if you feel up to it, she’ll come over tonight for dinner. I told her to wait and see how you’re doing.”
I couldn’t hold back the tears, but they weren’t from pain. Over the short time I had been in Houston, I found some of the best people in the world.
“Now lean back and take a nap.” Jacob set a phone next to the bed. “I had Henry stop and get you a new phone this morning. Neal ran your credit and contacted everywhere you had credit cards. We canceled everything.”
My eyelids were heavy. I couldn’t hold them open much longer. I fell asleep to the sound of Jacob’s voice.
* * *
Jacob
“I’m hungry, Jacob,” Tommy said. The boy was absolutely amazing. Lily did a great job raising him. He was polite and asked for everything. I didn’t know what she meant when she asked if I really wanted a five-year-old in my house—he was a joy.
It was well past noon, and my stomach growled. Jared had left an hour before to run to the office. He said if I needed anything, he would be right back, and I knew he would, but I had everything under control. “Okay, buddy. Let’s cook lunch for your mom.”
Tommy glanced down the hall. I hadn’t thought twice when we got home the night before about putting Lily anywhere other than my room. I’d slept in the room next door, with Tommy across from mine and all of our doors open. I didn’t know how he would sleep in a stranger’s house, but he’d fallen asleep quickly. In the morning, I heard a noise coming from his room. When I got to the door, he was trying to make the bed. He’d said his mommy always smiles when he makes the bed.
I picked Tommy up and set him on the counter so he could help. “What does your mommy like?”
“Peanut butter and jelly.” I had a feeling that was what Tommy liked, or she told him she liked it because they had nothing else.
“Okay, let's make some peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.”
I grabbed the jelly and reached for the bread.
“Can I ask you a question?” Tommy asked.
I set the jelly and bread on the counter and went to grab the peanut butter. “Sure. Anything.”
“Did my dad hurt Mommy again?”
My jaw tightened as I thought back to the email Greg had sent me the day before. It wasn’t that I was hiding the emails from Lily—I’d planned to tell her, but then my crazy ex-wife showed up and caused a scene. I didn’t think she needed any more stress added to the day. But I didn’t think the attack was Greg, especially since Neal traced the IP address back to Ft. Lauderdale. “No, buddy. Somebody wanted your mom’s money.”
Tommy looked around. “Will you protect my mom if my dad comes again?”
I wished the boy’s biggest problem was deciding which toy he was going to play with, not wondering if his dad was going to come after his mom or even him. The night before, when I saw the scars on Lily’s body, I wanted to kill her ex. I couldn’t wrap my head around what type of man would hurt a woman like that. I’d read the reports and medical records, but seeing it in person left a different feeling. If I knew she would go for it, I would lock her and Tommy up in the condo and not let them out, but that wasn’t rational thinking. “I swear that I’ll do everything in my power to protect her.”
“Okay.”
I finished making the last sandwich and grabbed Tommy off the counter. I handed him one of the plates, and I carried the other two.
Lily’s eyes were just opening when we entered the room.
“We made your favorite, Mommy,” Tommy said, as he handed her the plate and climbed in bed next to her. I sat on the corner of the bed and handed another plate to Tommy.
Lily smiled at her boy. “You did make my favorite.” Her smile was breathtaking. Her right eye had turned deep purple. The doctor said it would take a few days before the swelling would go down and that she would have a headache until then.
She bit into the sandwich and closed her eyes. Her pink tongue ran across her lips and picked up some jelly. “Thank you, guys. This is amazing.”
Tommy puffed out his chest. “I helped make them.”
She leaned over and kissed her son’s head. “That’s why I can taste the love.” She smiled before she took another bite.
Tommy inhaled his sandwich quickly.
“Hey, buddy,” Lily said, “if you're done, can you take your dish back to the kitchen and watch cartoons for a few? I need to talk to Jacob.”
He nodded and headed out of the bedroom. Lily leaned her head back against the bed frame, clearly she had been putting on a show of strength for her son.
I grabbed the plate out of her hands and set it to the side. “How are you feeling?”
“My head is killing me. But I really do want to talk to you.”
I got off the bed, walked to the bathroom, grabbed a washcloth, and ran it under cold water. Lily watched as I crossed the room. She scooted over on the bed so I could sit next to her. I dabbed the cloth across her forehead. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I know I said thank you earlier, but I really mean it. Tommy and I will be out of your hair soon.”
“Open your eyes, Lily.”
She slowly opened her pretty green eyes.
“No rush. I like Tommy, and I like having you in my bed.”
She blushed a deep shade of red.
Lily was the first woman I’d had in my bed. I never wanted the tabloids to shoot a picture of me bringing a woman to my house. So if I did sleep with someone, it was usually in a hotel room, but she looked perfect right where she was.
“I was angry with you last night before the incident.”
I wished Kat would’ve let me tell Lily about the emails. “So much happened yesterday. Do you really think you needed to hear about an email from your ex?”
“Yes. I need to know if he’s coming after me.”
“The email was just him flexing his muscles. Neal tracked it down, and he’s still in Ft. Lauderdale.”
“I want to see it.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled to the email. “Here.”
Lily slowly read through the email, and when she got to the part where Greg described how he kept her in line, her breath hitched.
I took the phone away when she was done and placed my fingers under her chin. “I promise I’ll do everything in my power to find him and keep you safe.”
Lily nodded and pressed her head to my chest.