Chapter 44
I woke up groggy and disoriented, reaching out for my man and finding an empty spot instead. Pushing myself up slowly, I stretched. It was too quiet. I frowned slightly. "Remy?" I called sleepily.
No response.
Throwing the blanket back, I padded toward the bathroom still half asleep. The door was cracked slightly open. And when I saw him, my breath caught instantly.
Remy stood shirtless at the sink, one hand braced against the counter while the other wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with a rag. His cheek was already swelling and dark bruises stretched across his ribs and back.
My hands flew to my mouth. "Oh my God."
His head snapped toward me. "Baby—" he straightened too fast and winced. "You're supposed to be resting."
I stared at him in horror. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing," he said way too quickly.
"Remel."
He sighed softly then looked away, tossing the rag into the sink.
I stepped closer carefully. "You went over there and fought him, didn’t you?"
His silence answered me.
Tears instantly burned my eyes. "Remy…" I whispered brokenly.
"He was smirking like the shit was funny." His voice stayed calm, but I could hear the anger buried underneath it. "…I snapped too."
I looked over the bruises again and my chest tightened painfully. This was exactly what I was afraid of. Not just Boss hurting me, but hurting him too.
He noticed where my thoughts were going because he reached for me despite clearly being in pain. "Hey." He cupped my face gently. "Don't do that."
"You could've gotten killed!" my voice cracked.
"But I didn't." He stroked his thumb beneath my jawline gently. "And he knows now how I'm coming behind you."
I shook my head quickly. "This is getting out of control."
His eyes held mine. "I know." His forehead dropped gently against mine.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered,
"Ssshhh. It's not your fault. I don't blame you."
"I blame me." I lifted my head. "I should've stopped seeing him at the first red flag and just left his ass with Monroe."
He gripped my hands in his. "Don’t spiral, baby. And don't blame yourself for a grown ass man's action. You had a job. You did it and he took it too far."
My eyes scanned his face as sadness and guilt gripped me by the throat. "I don't want Melo and your family to see you like this."
"I don’t either," he admitted. "But I'll take a few blows for you," he cracked a smile.
My lips trembled as a watery smile crossed my lips. "I love you."
"I love you more."
I slid into his arms, our hearts beating heavy against one another. I had no idea how to fix this or how to stop Boss, but I knew I had to protect Remy and Melo. I wouldn't let them suffer because of me. Eventually I pulled back, wiping underneath my eyes. "Sit down, let me clean you up."
A small smile touched his lips. "Yes, ma'am."
He sat on the toilet lid while I grabbed the peroxide and cotton pads from beneath the sink. Quietly, I stood between his knees and cleaned the cut on his lip. He hissed softly.
"I'm sorry," I whispered immediately.
"It's okay, baby."
My eyes lifted to his. Even bruised up and swollen, he was still looking at me like I was something precious. That made my chest ache even more. He was risking so much for me. I wasn't sure if I deserved it.
"You shouldn't have done this," I murmured dabbing gently at the corner of his mouth.
"And let him keep scaring you?" He shook his head slightly. "Nah."
Silence settled between us again, soft but heavy. I dabbed on a little ointment on his lip then squatted down to inspect his ribs. My touch was feather soft as I touched it gently. "Do you think they're broken?" I asked softly.
"No. I'm sure it looks worse than it is," he answered quietly. "I used to play sports in high school. I've had worst injuries."
I lifted my gaze to him fighting back tears.
"Don't." He cupped my face in his. "I'm okay, beautiful," he reassured me gently.
Sniffling I nodded.
"C'mere. Let me show you how okay I am." He pulled me up gently prompting me to sit on his lap.
"Babe—" I resisted.
"Don't fuss, I can handle it."
Slowly I straddled him, my arms resting softly on his shoulders.
He pulled me closer, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist. "See. Your man can still handle all this thickness, injured and all," he smiled.
"Shut up." I fought back a smile. "I feel horrible for all this."
"I know," Remy exhaled slowly. "But you didn't tell me go over there. I did that willingly and would do it again even if it got worse." He stared into my eyes. "We're in this together, right? Ain't that what I said?"
"Yes," I whispered.
"And I meant that." His hold tightened around me. "Now kiss my war wounds so I at least feel a little bit better," he teased.
With a light chuckle, I cupped his face in my hands tenderly and gently kissed all over it, my lips pressing against his last. No tongue. Just our warm lips pressed against each other as we breathed each other in.
When we pulled apart, I felt slightly better. "Can I feed you?" I asked.
He smiled slowly. "You wanna cook for me?"
"Yeah." I nodded "I'm not Chef Remy, but I can make a pretty good breakfast."
He chuckled. "Okay, baby."
We went to the kitchen. I grabbed bacon and eggs out the fridge and frozen potatoes. Remy sat down and placed a quick call to his parents to check in. His voice was as calm and even as it always was not hinting at the slightest at what was going on.
When he got off the phone I turned towards him. "Your parents are going to hate me."
"They won't, babe."
I didn’t believe him. Things were still unsettled after the restaurant fiasco. This would certainly push things over the edge. I stayed silent as I cooked while Remy checked in with his managers, shifting right into his other role effortlessly.
Watching him do that made my guilt rise even higher. No matter what was happening around him, people still depended on him.
His son.
His family.
His business.
Me.
And somehow, he still kept showing up for everybody.
The kitchen slowly filled with the smell of bacon and butter. Normally that would've made me happy and comforted because it reminded me of mornings waking up with him and Melo.
Today it just made me emotional.
I plated the food quietly before carrying his over to him. "Here you go, handsome."
His eyes dropped to the plate before lifting back to me with a soft smile. "This looks good, babe. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
He reached for my hand when I tried to move away. Gently, he tugged me between his legs. "You're not eating?"
"In a minute."
His hands rested on my hips while he looked up at me quietly. "You're still in your head."
I looked away. "I'm trying not to be."
"Gianna."
That tone always made me fold. My eyes came back to his reluctantly.
"I don't know how many times I gotta tell you that you don't have to carry everything alone until you believe me." His thumb rubbed slowly against my hip. "I need you to understand that."
Emotion climbed back up my throat so fast I almost hated him for being so good to me.
Because the more he loved me, the more terrified I became of what this situation could cost him.
"I know," I whispered softly.
He held my gaze another second before finally letting me go. "Memorize that. Now sit down and eat with me before your food gets cold."
I nodded and grabbed my plate before sitting beside him at the island.
I forced the food past the tightness in my throat and tried to pretend that everything was normal. Just another Saturday morning with me and my man eating breakfast together while sunlight poured through the windows.
That was the hardest part of this situation because I could feel it in the air that we both knew that this shit was far from over.