Chapter 9
“Why did you call this family meeting, Reese?” his mother asked, looking from him to Leah as she entered Reese’s home.
Leah glanced at the individuals as they came in--Reese’s mother, Rachel, Daniel, and Rita. She figured Lil Danny was with his maternal grandparents.
Leah turned to them. “Thanks for coming to our home.” Saying that made her feel good inside because she now truly accepted this house as theirs?hers and Reese’s.
Reese was standing beside her, and he reached out and took her hand in his. His hold was strong and comforting. It had been her decision to call this meeting, and he was letting her have the floor. However, as usual, he was giving her the support she needed.
“Please have a seat, everyone. There is something I need to tell you. It’s something I wish I had told you long ago, but I haven’t had the strength to do it until now.”
Rachel must have heard the anguish in her voice because she leaned forward in her seat and asked in a concerned voice, “What is it, Leah?”
Leah closed her eyes and fought back the tears that threatened to fall. This was the first time since her return that Rachel Singleton had called her by name. It was as if her name had become too distasteful for the older woman to say. When Reese’s hand tightened on hers, she knew he’d noticed as well. She reopened her eyes and saw three people looking at her intently. And with Reese by her side, she found the strength to continue.
“I want to tell you about that night I left town five years ago. I ran away because I…I had been raped that same night by Neil Grunthall.”
Ignoring the shocked gasps, she continued, “I knew if I’d told Reese or my father what had happened, they would have found Neil and killed him with their bare hands. I could not let that happen.”
She paused momentarily and then went on. “Reese and Neil never got along. Most people knew that. A lot of people even wondered why Dad had hired him in the first place, with Neil being a drifter. However, those who truly knew Dad understood. He was a man who always gave a helping hand to anyone who needed it. To Dad, everyone deserved the benefit of doubt.”
She drew in a deep breath, knowing all eyes were on her. “Dad finally fired Neil one day, but I didn’t know it. That same day, I went to the construction site to look for Reese. I wanted to let him know I’d accepted his marriage proposal, and that I had been accepted at that cooking school in Corbitt. I arrived at the construction site thinking Reese and the workers would be there. They weren’t. But Neil was there, gathering up his stuff.”
Tears fell down her cheek as she recalled that day. “I asked where Reese was, and Neil told me that he was downstairs in the basement, finishing up something. Stupid me, I went to the basement looking for him.”
She swiped away more tears. “When Neil got me alone in the basement, he raped me. I will never forget the shame I felt being taken like an animal on that dirty floor. I felt humiliated, disgraced, and dishonored. I…I…”
Unable to continue, she turned to Reese and began crying openly against his chest. Suddenly, she was pulled from Reese’s embrace and enclosed in Rachel’s strong, motherly arms while the older woman held her and said words to comfort her.
After a few minutes, Leah slowly stepped back. She had to get through this, and then she could forget it ever happened. “I had to leave town. I knew Reese or my father would go after him, and then they’d be hurt, or imprisoned for hurting Neil. He even showed me a gun he intended to use if they came looking for him. So I had no choice but to leave. There was no way I could get Reese or my dad killed or in trouble because of my stupidity.”
“We didn’t know,” Rachel said, wiping away tears as she returned to her seat on the sofa. Leah noticed Daniel and Rita’s misty eyes as well.
“I didn’t tell anyone what had happened. Not even Jocelyn. I left town that night and allowed everyone to think the worst about me. I settled in California, but what happened followed me. After years of looking over my shoulder, I finally admitted to myself that I needed help. I enrolled in a rape victim assistance program–RVA–and met other women who had gone through the same thing. That program truly helped me. And I learned that some of the women, like me, still couldn’t stand to be touched by a man.”
To make sure they fully understood what she meant, she added, “Until last night, I had not been able to let a man touch me intimately.”
To some, revealing that might have been too much information to share, but she didn’t think so. She needed Reese’s family to understand the full impact of the implications of what she’d said. Leah glanced at Reese.
“It was only because of Reese’s love, patience, and support that I’ve been able to get through some pretty difficult times. He stuck by me these past six months, and was there every step of the way when other men would have walked away–thinking I had too much baggage.”
She switched her gaze from Reese to his mother. “Ms. Rachel, you’ve raised an awesome son. And Daniel and Rita, you have a wonderful brother and brother-in-law. Today, I only feel strong enough to share what happened that night with all of you because of Reese, the man I love. The man I have always loved.”
Reese pulled her into his arms and kissed her, not caring that they had an audience. When he released her, Daniel stood to pull her into his arms and held her tight. When she felt his body trembling, she knew Reese’s brother was barely holding it together for the girl he’d once thought of as a little sister. “I would have been right behind Reese and your father in going after Neil, Leah,” he whispered, although she was certain the others had heard him.
Then a teary Rita came and gave her a huge hug, followed by another emotion-felt one from Rachel Singleton. Then, the three together gave her a group hug with Reese, standing in the center of the living room, hugging and crying together. It was like their tears washed away five years of anger and misunderstanding, replacing it with love.
For the first time since returning to Newton Grove, Leah finally felt she had come home.