Chapter 18
Rebecca
Hours after he’d fallen asleep, I was still lying in bed staring up at the ceiling as I battled through the pros and cons of moving in with Thatch. I’d already gone through a similar struggle when I first discovered he’d been shot.
Seeing his wound caught me by complete surprise.
It had me questioning everything about my relationship with Thatch, but then I remembered the night he’d brought dinner to the house.
Cat’s eyes had lit up as she rushed over to him with a bright smile on her face and admired his freshly-shaved beard like he was a dear old friend.
It was a brief moment, but that said it all.
Thatch was loving and compassionate, and even though he had his secrets with his club, I knew I could trust him. Cat knew it, too. I could’ve thought of a hundred reasons why I should walk out that door, but all I came up with were ones to stay.
I ran into the same issue when I tried to think of why I shouldn’t move in with him. I’d start with the cons, and it wasn’t long before the pros would take over. I had no idea how long I’d lain there contemplating it all when I finally dozed off.
I woke up the next morning with Thatch giving me a gentle nudge as he whispered in my ear, “Hey, babe?”
“Hmmm?”
“There’s someone at the door.”
I didn’t bother opening my eyes as I told him, “It’s probably just Celeste. She’ll come back later.”
“You sure?”
“Mmm-hmm.” I rolled over and placed my head on his chest, then nuzzled closer. “I like waking up in bed with you next to me.”
“You could wake up to me every—”
Before I could finish my sentence, a woman shouted from downstairs, “Rebecca? Catherine?”
I shot up in the bed in a panic as I gasped. “Joyce?”
“Trevor’s mother?” Thatch asked as he eased out of bed and started putting on his clothes.
“I think so.”
I held my breath as I sat there listening for her to call out again, and I grimaced when I heard her shout, “Rebecca! Are you awake?”
“It’s her.” I turned to Thatch as I shrieked, “She’s in the house.”
“What the fuck?” he growled. “Don’t you have a restraining order on her?”
“Yeah, I do.” I jumped out of bed and put on my robe. “She has a key. I’ve been trying to get the locks changed, but the locksmith I use has been backed up for weeks. Oh God! What if she gets to Cat?”
“Not gonna let that happen.” He motioned his hand down the hall and ordered, “Get Cat and stay upstairs.”
With that, he walked out of the room.
I rushed down to Cat’s room and was relieved that she was still sleeping. I closed her door and prayed she wouldn’t hear when Joyce shouted, “Who are you?”
“That’s none of your concern, ma’am.”
“Where are Rebecca and Cat?”
“Also, none of your concern.”
“Of course, it’s my concern,” she argued. “Rebecca is my daughter-in-law, and Cat is my granddaughter. I need to speak with her.”
“She has a restraining order on you, ma’am.” Thatch’s tone grew fierce. “You no longer have the right to speak to her.”
Ignoring him completely, she called out to me again. “Rebecca! I know you’re here. I know you’re up there listening to me!”
“I’m not telling you again, lady. You gotta go.”
“Trevor’s dead!” Joyce cried.
Her words hit me like a Mack truck.
I’d wished him dead a thousand times, but even though he’d hurt Cat and me terribly, I’d never truly meant it. I just wanted him to leave us alone and let us get on with our lives.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t breathe.
I could only stand there and listen as she sobbed. “They killed him! They killed him in that Godforsaken prison. They killed my boy!”
Trying his best to be understanding of her anguish, Thatch told Joyce, “I’m sorry for your loss. I know this has to be tough for you, but breaking in here and carrying on isn’t the way to handle this.”
“You’re him,” she spat. “You’re the man she’s been seeing.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It most certainly is!” Joyce turned her attention back to me as she called up the stairs, “So, this guy’s the reason you gave up on Trevor? He’s the reason you stopped caring if he lived or died! Trevor never gave up on you! He loved you and Cat right up until the minute they...”
“That’s enough.”
There was a scuffle below, and then I heard Joyce snarl, “Get your hands off me!”
“You got three choices here, lady. You can walk out of here on your own, I can toss you out myself, or I can call the cops. You have about two seconds to decide.”
“Fine,” she huffed out, “I’ll go.”
I could hear her footsteps as she charged through my living room. When she opened the front door, she shouted out one last time. “I know you’re happy about this. I know you wanted him dead! Well, you got your wish! He’s gone, but he’ll always be Cat’s father! Nothing will change that!”
Without saying anything more, she stormed out and slammed the door behind her. I didn’t move. I simply stood there completely motionless in the hallway, waiting for my racing heart to stop pounding in my chest.
I don’t know how long I’d been standing there when I heard, “Momma, is Daddy really dead?”
“Oh, sweetheart.” I quickly turned and knelt down, then wrapped Cat in my arms and hugged her tightly. “I’m so sorry you had to hear all that.”
“Gran said Daddy is dead.”
“Yeah, sweetie, she did.”
“Is he?”
“I’m not sure.” I hugged her a little tighter as I replied, “But I think so.”
“Oh.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “Does that mean I don’t have to go see him at the prison anymore?”
She was too young to truly understand death, but she knew it meant not seeing her father again.
It broke my heart that she was still so worried about that.
It was a reasonable concern. She didn’t know Trevor—at least, not like a daughter should know her father.
He’d been locked up for the past four years and only recently became interested in getting to know her.
The whole thing was so terribly sad. Cat deserved a father who’d love and adore her, protect her at all costs, but Trevor had failed her miserably. I squeezed her as I answered, “No, sweetie. You won’t have to go see him anymore.”
“Okay.” She inhaled a deep, cleansing breath, and as she let it out, the tension in her little body started to fade. She took another moment, then looked up at me and asked, “Can I have some Sugar Smacks?”
“Sure, sweetheart.” I released her from my embrace, then said, “Go make yourself a bowl, and I’ll be down in a minute.”
When she started down the hall, she spotted Thatch and stopped dead in her tracks. For a brief second, I feared that she might have been startled by the sight of him, but then I heard her say, “Hey, Thatch.”
There was no fear in her voice.
Only adoration.
It was the same thing I heard in his voice when he replied, “Hey, Cat. You okay?”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “I’m gonna get me some breakfast.”
“Breakfast sounds good. I might have to get me some, too.” He motioned his head towards me and told her, “I’m just gonna talk to your momma for a minute first.”
“Okay.”
As soon as she started down the stairs, Thatch walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me in a big hug. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I rested my head on his chest. “Thank you for dealing with her. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t here.”
“Glad I could help.” He kissed me on the temple. “I’m gonna get one of my boys over here today to change those locks.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can—”
“It’s not up for discussion, babe.” He looked down at me. “I told you, I take care of what’s mine, and that means doing things like getting the locks changed when they need changing.”
“Okay, fair enough.” I took a step back and looked up at him. “Do you really think Trevor’s dead?”
“I doubt she would’ve come here like she did if he wasn’t.”
“Probably not.” Thatch followed me as I walked back to my room and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Is it bad that I’m relieved he’s gone?”
“No, babe. It’s not bad at all. The guy was a monster. Anybody would’ve been relieved to see him gone.”
“So, what do I do now?”
“You take a shower, get dressed, and come downstairs. I’ll make us some coffee and a bite to eat, and then we’ll take things from there.”
I could feel my heart swell in my chest as I sat there looking up at Thatch’s handsome face. I had no idea how he always found a way to make me feel like everything would be okay—even when it felt like the world was crumbling at my feet. “Okay.”
He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, then turned and started for the door. He was just about to walk out of the room when I called out to him, “Thatch?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, babe. Now, get that fine ass of yours in the shower, so I can go make us some pancakes.”
Then he headed downstairs.
I did as Thatch said and took a long, hot shower, and it did wonders to help clear my head. By the time I’d gotten dressed and started downstairs, I felt a little more prepared to handle the day ahead—or so I thought.
When I stepped into the kitchen, I found both my parents sitting at the kitchen counter drinking coffee with Thatch.
Cat was wedged between them, listening to every word spoken as she devoured a stack of pancakes.
As soon as my mother spotted me coming towards them, she smiled and, in her most chipper voice, said, “Good morning.”
“You gotta be kidding me.” I huffed. “Everyone is just dropping by today.”
Ignoring my aggravated tone, Mom smiled and announced, “We’re just having a little coffee and getting to know your friend, Thatch.”
“Yeah, I see.” I continued over to them. “I’m sure he’s thrilled about that.”
“It’s been fine,” Thatch assured me.
“Yes, we haven’t tormented him too much.”
“Well, thank goodness for that.” I poured myself a cup of coffee. “I didn’t realize you two were coming by this morning.”
“Oh, and why not?” Dad replied. “You’re the one who told us to come.”
“What?” I thought for a moment, then groaned, “Oh, shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. I forgot all about the party.”
“Well, that’s understandable.” Mom’s eyes were filled with worry as she said, “Cat told us about what happened with Joyce.”