Chapter 11 Deuce
ONE WEEK LATER
It had not been easy, but I had finally convinced Sevyn to return to my place with me.
She argued about getting a hotel room or maybe even a motel, but I informed her that wasn’t going to happen.
Aside from looking seedy and rundown, the motels were inconvenient because they weren’t wheelchair accessible.
The hotels were much better, but she needed someone to assist her with things like cooking, and she couldn’t live on takeout alone.
Her condo had not been equipped for a wheelchair, but minor things were easy to navigate.
Her kitchen counters hadn’t been very high, but her cabinets were.
The cabinets in my house were easily accessible, and I had the option to move items to lower ones if I chose.
That same setup wouldn’t be available in a hotel room.
My brother, cousin, and best friend had all shown up and helped me remove everything from the house that she wanted.
We didn’t bother taking the furniture since I was sure that the Shields would lay claim to that as well. Sevyn didn’t need or deserve the headache, and I promised her that when the time came, I would assist her in getting new furniture.
I had explained to Blake exactly what was going on, and my best friend had shown up fifteen minutes after my brother and cousin, laden with moving boxes.
We had all packed as much as we could in those boxes and placed them in our trucks.
They transported everything to my place and left with a promise from Frost that he would be paying a visit to Liam.
Although I warned him not to waste energy on that man, I knew my cousin would do whatever he wanted anyway.
I sat with my elbows resting on my knees and my hands clasped as I watched Sevyn work with her physical therapist. Over the last three weeks, she had made great strides during therapy and her everyday movement.
“Come on, Sevyn. You can do this,” I encouraged from where I sat when her shoulders dropped and she appeared to be stressed out.
She looked over her shoulder at me with a glare.
I knew she probably had a harsh word or two to share with me, but I didn’t care.
I was going to stay on her, to keep her encouraged, throughout her trials.
I believed that she had what it took to reclaim her physical mobility and mental health, and I would be her number one champion.
After all, I was the one who robbed her of her life.
I hadn’t gotten around to telling her what happened that night.
Initially, it was because the doctors encouraged us to allow her to regain her memories on her own.
She had done that for the most part, but the details of that night were still sketchy in her mind.
She had no idea that I held the key to her unlocking the last pieces of the puzzle, and I was so torn about withholding that information.
Sevyn meant the world to me, and she was becoming a crucial part of my life with every passing day.
I was afraid of losing that. Without her, I would be empty, forced to recall how I had lost Lena and my child.
Sevyn gave me hope for a brighter future, and she made coping with my grief easier.
I didn’t sit around depressed and plotting revenge.
My attention was focused on helping her heal.
“It’s too hard,” she whined after a few minutes.
“Don’t get stressed, Sevyn. You’ve got this. Take one day, one step at a time.”
“Easy for you to say,” she muttered.
“You wanna enter my boot camp?” I teased.
“Screw you,” she shouted over her shoulder and resumed her intense exercises again.
Sweat dripped down her back and from the sides of her face.
I wanted to go and cradle her in my arms and promise her that I would be her legs and her feet, that she didn’t have to worry about that anymore.
But I knew that wouldn’t do her any good.
She continued working, and eventually, she fell. I knew she was growing tired, but I also knew she would have to push through the exertion to reclaim what had been taken from her.
I stood and walked to where she was gripping the rails, and her physical therapist stood in front of her. He looked at me and shook his head. I knew he didn’t want me to interfere, but I also realized that I could get things out of her that others couldn’t.
Sevyn had grown comfortable in my presence and in my home, and I loved that. She relied on me in a way that I figured she had never relied on anyone else other than her grandmother, including her husband.
I walked in front of her so that she could see me and look into my eyes as I spoke.
“You can get up, Sevyn, and you will. I’m not about to pick you up, and neither is Derek,” I stated, jerking my head at her physical therapist. “So, you can lie here feeling sorry for yourself until you’re ashamed of people walking by and watching you.
Or you can reach deep down and summon the strength to get up. No one is gonna do it for you.”
“I fell, Deuce. It’s embarrassing, and I’m tired and weak.” Her voice came out bitter and exhausted.
“You’re not the only one who fell. Other patients have too.”
“I’m drained, Deuce. I’m mad.”
“Fine, be mad. But use that madness to get your ass up. Be mad at your body for failing you, and kick your ass into submission so that your legs listen to you.”
“What do you want from me?” She sobbed.
“I want you to prove to yourself that you can do this. We already know you can, so it’s not to us that you have anything to prove.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“No, it’s not. I have no idea what you’re feeling or going through.
But I know that I hurt every time I see you go through it.
I hurt that I cannot be your feet or legs or make this easier for you.
You’ve got to keep it real with yourself and stop getting angry because you’re not making the progress at the rate that you want to.
It’s been one month since you’ve been immobile; give yourself grace to heal in time.
It won’t happen overnight. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.
Most people would be crushed by what you’ve been through. Get up, Sevyn.”
I stood, tucked my hands into my joggers, and I walked away and took my seat on the far side of the room again.
She cried for a couple of minutes, and Derek allowed her to.
When she was finished, I saw the determination in her shoulders and the set of her jaw as she worked to get up again.
When she did, she was drenched in sweat but more determined than ever.
I watched as she made it down the ramp with slow, steady, and awkward steps, but she did not give up.
“This is one of my favorite restaurants,” I professed as we pored over the menu at The Oyster House.
“I’ve been here a couple of times. They have great food,” Sevyn declared, toying with her bottom lip as she stared at the menu. “And excellent service. What are you getting?”
She looked up at me with genuine curiosity.
“I was ordering the oyster sampler, which has three different types of oysters for us to try, two of each. The black truffle salmon, lobster mac and cheese, and the clam chowder looks good too. Yeah, I’m getting that.”
“That sounds delicious, and it sounds like you’re hungry.”
“You can sample mine when it comes, if you’d like to order something else.”
She smiled brightly at me, and I felt my heart go arrhythmic on me. I briefly smiled back but quickly lowered my gaze. She cleared her throat before she spoke.
“I guess I’ll try the ceviche and the Mediterranean salad. I love Mediterranean foods.”
“You can’t go wrong no matter what you order. They have the best food.”
We placed our order, and Sevyn briefly chatted with the server about her last experience here.
I couldn’t help but question what I was doing here.
The more that I was around Sevyn, the more she became attached to me.
Though I knew she needed me, I was afraid about letting my walls down, because I had allowed someone in once before, and I failed to protect her.
I couldn’t do that again. It would destroy me.
It was ironic that I had sworn to protect and to serve those of my community, yet I couldn’t protect the person who rode by my side both night and day, no matter how hard I tried.
I knew that Sevyn deserved better than what I had to offer. She deserved better than what she had experienced in life so far. From everything I heard and all I could see, she had been dealt a poor hand from the start.
But it wasn’t easy to walk away from her. It wasn’t just because of the responsibility that I owed to her for altering her life the way that I had, it was because of the growing feelings I had for her.
She hadn’t discussed what happened at the condo with her in-laws since we left.
After we had gotten her settled at my house, she had spent most of the day alone and cooped up in the room.
As much as I wanted to be there for her, she kept pushing me away.
Despite my protective nature, I couldn’t push her too far and risk hurting her more than she already was.
What I wanted to do was find Liam and beat the hell out of his ass. But I knew that was the extreme of my nature. If I allowed it to have its way, my bad temper would paint me in a negative light in her eyes.
“I’m not a whore.”
I couldn’t help the frown that immediately marred my features at that comment. “What?”
“The day we were at the condo, my mother-in—Elaine called me a whore. I’m not a whore.”
I scoffed and narrowed my eyes. “You don’t have to justify anything that woman said, Sevyn. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I know that about you already. You’re a sweet, wonderful girl.”