Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Eloise
“Where do you think you’re going, Ellie Bellie?”
I clutch my towel against my chest as I try to pass Marcus in the hallway. I hate him. He’s disgusting. The moment I was placed with this family, I knew he was going to be trouble. While the social worker was still sitting on the couch, I saw him smirking from the hallway.
I’ve been here a month, and I try to avoid him at all costs. He’s sixteen, and I’m not even thirteen. Boys are the farthest thing from my mind, but this idiot has his eyes on me.
He won’t let me pass. Instead, he chuckles and reaches out to tug at my towel. “Whatcha got under there, Ellie Bellie?”
I grip it tighter. “Leave me alone,” I beg.
“Just being friendly. You don’t have to be such a bitch.”
I purse my lips and lower my gaze. I just need to make it to the bathroom, and then I can lock the door and take a shower. I always plan to shower in the afternoon after school to avoid running into Marcus. He shouldn’t be home yet. He’s usually at soccer practice until later.
He grabs my towel again and manages to jerk it out of my grip.
I cross my arms. I know what he wants to see. He’s a pig, like all boys and most men. I can feel his gaze on my chest without lifting my head.
He laughs. “You should tell Karen to buy you a bra, Ellie Bellie. Your boobs are getting bigger every day.” He reaches out so fast that he manages to pinch my growing bud before I jerk free and run into my bedroom.
I slam the door, trying not to scream, but a noise of frustration escapes my lips anyway. A knock at the door makes me jump.
“Eloise?”
I cry out, opening my eyes as I take in my surroundings. My heart is racing from the stupid dream. It’s been ten years since Marcus tormented me, and I still have nightmares about my stay in that house.
Movement across the room makes me sit up quickly. It’s Cannon. His brow is furrowed as he approaches me. “Are you okay? I heard you yelp.”
Shit. I wish I could wake up like a normal person instead of jolting out of slumber, my mind filled with unpleasant memories. I’m safe here, but my subconscious mind hasn’t gotten the message.
I hug the doll against my chest, where I’m sitting on the mattress.
I’m clutching her like I gripped my towel all those years ago, covering my chest, trying to avoid anyone noticing my boobs.
It’s not that they were ever large. They were average in high school.
But the rest of me was not average. My face drew people’s attention, then they lowered their gazes to check out the rest of me. My figure, and of course, my chest.
Even before I was blackmailed and trafficked to fucking James Westin I never slept well.
I stopped sleeping deeply when I grew boobs.
Before that, it was usually adults who did a double-take when they saw me.
Having grown-ups tell my foster families I was pretty was annoying, but it was so much worse when it was boys who thought I was pretty.
I shake off the thoughts. “I’m okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Cannon lowers next to me and puts an arm around my shoulders. “No need to apologize. I bet you have more than your fair share of bad memories that creep up on you.”
I nod and lean into him.
“Want to talk about it?” he asks.
“No. Not this time.”
“Okay, but you can dump them on me anytime you want.”
“Thank you.” I inhale slowly and tip my head to look at him.
“Did you sleep well until the dream?”
“Yes. Thank you. Better than I have in a long time. I think my brain recognizes I’m safe and that it’s okay to zonk out.”
He smiles. “Good. You are safe, and you may sleep as often as you need.”
“Is June going to come over soon?” I ask to change the subject.
“I told Blade I would let him know if you were still up for it when you woke up.”
“I think I’d like to see her,” I admit. “I don’t know how much we’ll have in common, but I’ve never had an actual friend. I hope she’ll like me.”
“She’s going to adore you. She’s very sweet and kind.” He rises and then reaches down to hold out a hand.
After setting the doll on the mattress, I take his hand, and he pulls me to my feet.
I look back at the mattress. “We can put it back on the bed if you want.”
“The mattress? It’s fine where it is. Whatever makes you comfortable. I can understand why the bed feels high and scary after all the time you’ve spent sleeping closer to the floor. Plus, the windows make you feel less claustrophobic.”
I rush into his embrace and wrap my arms around him.
I’ve never met anyone who understood me so well or even tried to get to know me.
Cannon is one of the good guys. I’m reminded of this every time he speaks.
I may not have had much contact with good guys, but I did know a few growing up.
There was always the occasional sympathetic teacher or father figure in a foster family. Not often, but sometimes.
Cannon holds my hand and leads me to the bathroom. I’m confused until he takes the pink bows from this morning out of my hair, picks up my brush, and carefully works through the waves.
I’m choked up as I watch our reflection in the mirror. He takes his time, never snagging my locks, and when he’s done, he opens the drawer, finds lavender bows that match my second outfit of the day, and clips sections of my hair back from my face.
He meets my gaze in the mirror, smiling, proud of himself. “There. How’d I do?”
I hold his gaze for a long time. “Is this one of those Daddy jobs?”
“Definitely.”
“No one’s ever fixed my hair before.”
“Not even when you were young?”
“I can’t remember, but usually they cut it short. Often, there were several kids in the home. No one had time to fix all of our hair.”
“Well, there’s only one Little girl in this house, so there will always be plenty of time for this Daddy to fix your hair every day.” He leans forward and kisses the top of my head. God, I love it when he does that. I hope he always does.
I try to remain calm when there’s a knock at the door thirty minutes later.
As much as I want to meet June, I’m nervous.
I’m not used to socializing. I haven’t done anything like this since I was very young.
I must have laughed and played with other kids in elementary school, but by the time I got to middle school, most of the laughter had left me.
I clutch Cannon’s hand tightly as he opens the door.
The couple standing in the hallway surprises me. I don’t know what I pictured, but for sure, the man is older than I expected. Or, on second thought, maybe he’s not that old. He’s just got a prematurely white beard. I bet he’s under fifty.
I guess Cannon is about six feet tall. This man is taller.
Probably six-three. He’s a brick, like Cannon.
All the guys who work for Black Blade Protection are probably buff.
I’m aware he was one of the people who rescued me yesterday, but I didn’t get a good look at him.
I hardly even saw Cannon before he had me safely in his SUV.
The woman next to Blade would be June. I know from Cannon that she’s thirty.
That’s a bit intimidating since I’m only twenty-two, but I feel much calmer seeing that she’s dressed very similarly to me.
She’s wearing a dark pink dress and matching tennis shoes.
Her brown hair is pulled up in a ponytail with a pink bow.
“Come on in,” Cannon says, stepping back. “Eloise, this is June and Blade.”
June has one arm behind Blade, but when she steps forward and releases him, I see she has a brace on.
June smiles warmly at me before wrapping her good arm around me.
I’m kind of surprised, but I hug her back. Mostly, I’m just not used to people…caring about me.
When she releases me, she clasps my hand with her good one. “I’m so sorry about what Pete did to you.”
“I’m sorry for what he did to you, too,” I reply. “Thank you for coming to rescue me. No one’s ever done anything so selfless for me.” I try not to choke up.
She hugs me again.
Cannon clears his throat. “How about Blade and I go into the kitchen and make you girls some snacks. Maybe you two would like to go into the pink room and talk for a while?”
My nerves creep up again. I don’t have a clue what to say to June, but I want to be normal. I want to learn how to interact with other people.
She’s still holding my hand as I lead her toward the bedroom I’ve been using. As soon as we step inside, heat crawls up my neck. I forgot about my mattress being in the corner and all the dolls and books surrounding it.
“That’s so cool,” June says excitedly. She lets me go to skip over to my odd corner. “I love this idea. How fun. Maybe I can talk Daddy into fixing me a reading space like this.”
I’m taken aback as my worries evaporate.
June glances at the ceiling. “You could add one of those sheer curtains and let it drape all around you. It would feel like you were in a fairy tale. And lights! Twinkly lights!” She giggles as she turns to me. “Sorry, I got carried away.”
I inch forward slowly. “It’s okay. Those are fun ideas. The curtain might make me feel claustrophobic, but the lights would be so pretty.”
“Does your Daddy… I mean Cannon. Does he let you sleep here?”
I nod. My Daddy… Could Cannon be my Daddy? It’s so hard for me to wrap my head around. The idea of being Little. It’s foreign to me, and yet it feels right. Like it fits me.
I take a risk and tell her, “The bed is too high up. I was afraid I might fall.”
June doesn’t even flinch. “Then this is an excellent idea.”
I’m already at ease with her. She’s so kind. June doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.
“I love your outfit, by the way. Lavender is so pretty on you, and the sparkles.”
“Thank you.” I glance down at my shirt, reminding myself that the rhinestones spell out the words good girl. Apparently, this doesn’t make June flinch.
“You have so many books. I guess you like to read a lot.” June squats down to pick one up.
I flush again and wring my fingers as I join her.