CHAPTER FIVE
S ummer hadn’t stopped shaking and Teddy was reluctant to let go of her. As soon as he’d closed the door to her apartment, he’d taken her over to the couch and sat down while she remained cradled in his arms. She was currently perched in his lap, her face buried in his shoulders. Still goddamn shaking. He was trying his best to soothe her. But right now, he felt helpless. All he could do was hold her and hope it was enough.
That asshole ex of hers was going to pay. Teddy had been too lenient on him downstairs. His fist should have been in Colt’s face the moment he dared to touch Summer. That and the filth he was spurting to her was unforgivable. What gave him the right to speak to her like that? Prick.
The most concerning thing though was that he’d never seen Summer react like this before. Not to anything. He liked to think he knew her pretty well. They’d grown up together. Spent an ungodly amount of time with each other. Seen each other at their best and at their worst. But this? This he’d never seen. Something was up. Something had changed.
It was a while before Summer spoke. When she did, her trembling was just beginning to subside. Nonetheless, Teddy kept a tight hold of her. His touch seemed to have calmed her, so he wasn’t about to let her go.
“I’m sorry,” she croaked into the crook of his neck.
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.” His hand unconsciously began stroking her back. “How you feeling?”
She lifted her head, and he got his first look at her since he’d carried her inside. She looked almost ... scared. “I-I’m okay.” She quickly ducked her head again and went to crawl off his lap, but he didn’t let go.
“Dollface, look at me.” When she kept her head low, he tried again. “Please. Look at me, Summer.”
Slowly turning her attention back to his face, he watched her throat muscles work as she gulped. “I’m okay, Teddy. Thank you for ... y’know. I’m really sorry. I know it’s busy and the last thing you needed tonight was to—”
His finger went to her soft lips to halt the nonsense she was sprouting. “Summer. Like I said before, you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t ask for that asshole to harass you. This is on him. Not you. Understand?”
She nodded but looked no less upset. In fact, her beautiful eyes began to swell as they filled with water. Tears cascaded over her flushed cheeks, and Teddy felt his heart constrict. He was helpless again. Pulling her back into him, he let her sob into his shirt, continuing to stroke her and offer her words of comfort. He hoped like hell he wasn’t making things worse. Crying women had always been his weakness. But a crying Summer could bring him to his knees.
Teddy didn’t know how long they sat there. It could have been minutes or hours. But he vowed to stay there for as long as she needed him. When the tears eventually dried, he decided to try and talk to her again.
“Tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours, dollface.”
When she didn’t immediately reply, his heart began to sink. But then she surprised him. “I was scared. I know it’s stupid, but I thought ... I thought ...”
His stomach twisted. He didn’t have a good feeling about where this was going. “What did you think, doll?”
She was quiet for so long Teddy thought she wasn’t going to answer. When she finally spoke, her words made his fists clench. “I thought he was going to hurt me.”
His mind went back to that bruise on her arm. “Who hurt you, Summer?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but the anger inside him was bubbling to near boiling point.
Every single muscle on her body tensed. That’s when he knew. Some asshole with a death wish had dared to lay a hand on her. His Summer.
“I-I ... Can we not do this tonight ... please? I’m tired. So tired.”
Luckily for Summer, Teddy was a patient man. He might not get all the details tonight, but he would make sure he did eventually. Sooner rather than later.
Tightening his grip on her, he pulled himself up and off the comfortable couch cushions and strode toward the bedroom. It was time for her to rest. As he lay her down on the white sheets, she gripped his shirt, preventing him from pulling back.
“Will you stay?” Her voice was nothing but a whisper.
“Sure, doll, if that’s what you want. I can sleep on the couch.”
“No.” She wiggled up onto her elbows. “In here. Can you stay in here with me? Please.” He watched her take a deep breath before she met his eyes again. “You make me feel safe.”
Whoever the person who hurt her was, he was a dead man.
He swallowed down the lump in his throat and reached for the wrist that was still clinging to his cotton shirt. “If that’s what you want Summer, that’s what you’ll get. Now, let’s get these shoes off, yeah?”
Slowly dropping her hand, her head slumped onto the pillow. She already appeared visibly calmer from the knowledge that he wasn’t going anywhere. Teddy tried hard not to read too much into that. She was just shaken, and he was familiar. That was all.
Focusing on the task at hand, he removed Summer’s shoes and then, at her request, her jeans. Soon, she was in nothing but a tank top and bright red panties.
Now is not the time to drool. She’s scared. She literally just had a panic attack in your arms. She needs you to take care of her, not check her out.
The idea of Summer scared was enough to curtail his libido. Thank God. Once his own boots were off, he left his clothes on and joined her under the quilt. She came willingly into his arms and rested her head on his chest. Everything about it felt right. This was where she belonged.
“You’ll always be safe with me, Summer,” he whispered into her hair.
Feeling her snuggle deeper into him, he felt himself smile into the darkness.
***
“Y ou know she’s staying , right?” Ivy was not being subtle. She hadn’t shut up about Summer since he’d arrived at Dotty’s diner.
Pushing his now-empty plate aside, he leaned back into the squeaky red booth and eyed his sister. “And?”
“And ... stop pretending you don’t give a shit.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted a brow at her. “And what exactly makes you think I do give a shit?”
Ivy huffed and braced her hands on the steel-top table. Clearly already exasperated with him. She hadn’t seen anything yet.
“Don’t act dumb, Teddy. It really doesn’t suit you. You’ve been in love with Summer Willis since fifth grade.”
Love? Who was Ivy kidding? “You been reading those romance books again, sis?”
He felt her glare on him as he smiled up at a tired-looking Dotty who had chosen that exact moment to come over and clear their plates. The older woman took her time, and Teddy was thankful. It was the quiet before the storm if he was reading his sister’s face correctly.
He was right. Once Dotty was out of earshot, Ivy laid it all out for him. “She’s just as gone for you too, y’know? But you’re both just so darn stubborn. So stubborn you’re gonna miss the chance to actually be happy. Do you know how dumb that is, Teddy? Are you really gonna let your pig-headedness stop you from being with the woman you’ve spent your whole life loving? Huh? Are you? And don’t even pretend she’s not the reason you came back to Bluestone. Or bought her granddaddy’s bar.”
Teddy had stopped listening right after she’d said that Summer was gone for him too. Was that true? Or even possible? He thought back to two nights ago. The feeling of rightness that filled him as Summer lay curled up next to him all night. He’d snuck out in the morning, not wanting to embarrass her, but now he was beginning to think he should have stayed. Made sure she was okay. Seeing as she’d been avoiding him ever since, it was probably safe to assume he had done the wrong thing. Damnit. He was such a dumbass.
“Fuck.” He scrubbed his hand roughly through his hair.
“What?”
“I think I fucked up.”
“Um. Yeah! So ... you gonna tell her how you feel? Finally?” Ivy took another sip of her coffee, still not taking her eyes off him.
“I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the other night. At Mickey’s. I spent the night with her but ... I left in the morning without waking her.”
Ivy spat out the gulp of coffee she’d just taken. Brown spray was now covering half the table.
“Jesus, sis. Drink much?”
“Teddy!” she screeched, bringing more attention to their table than he was comfortable with. “You can’t just say shit like that and expect me not to react. Jesus. What the hell is wrong with you?!” Her voice dropped as she leaned over the table. “I can’t believe you slept with Summer and sneaked out the next morning. That’s fucking low. How could you do that to her? I ought to kick your ass on her behalf. Not to mention for all of womankind too.”
Oh. He realized his mistake. Quickly. “Shit. No. Not like that. We didn’t hook up, Ivy. She was upset. That asshole ex of hers Colt decided to corner her at the bar. After I kicked the douchebag out, I took Summer upstairs and looked after her. She was feeling a little ... uh ... fragile ... and asked me to stay. So, I did. To sleep. Nothing more. But the next day, well, the last thing I wanted to do was embarrass her ... so I left.”
He was happy to see that his sister no longer looked homicidal as she relaxed back into her seat. But she wasn’t exactly thrilled either. Nor was he. Saying out loud what had happened drilled home just how much he’d messed up.
“You need to talk to her. Like yesterday. And apologize for leaving. Blame it on being a dumbass man, I don’t care, just say something. Hopefully ... she’ll forgive you. You should know that right now, I reckon she’s feeling way more embarrassed about you sneaking out than she is about breaking down.”
Fuck a duck.
He needed to fix this.
***
I t was Summer’s day off and she wasn’t at her apartment. Teddy knew because he’d checked. He’d also checked Laney’s, and she wasn’t there either. He’d not had any luck finding her in the shops or cafés around town. Which meant only one thing. She’d gone to their spot.
It had been years since he’d gone back there. Only venturing out one time when he first arrived back in Bluestone. Being there without Summer just hadn’t felt the same. They’d discovered it together when they were kids, and it had been their retreat when life got tough. Hours had been spent there, talking, laughing, they’d even snuck beers out there.
Taking his truck, he braved the dirt roads past Moonrock Ranch, where he and Ivy had grown up, and toward the old Monroe plantation.
He parked up and started the ten-minute hike across the fields. For once, he was thankful for the drier weather. A few weeks ago, this would have been a much muddier trek. Spring had most definitely arrived, a fact he was more than aware of as his skin began to heat under his jacket.
It took a moment for Summer to notice him. When she did, he didn’t miss the frightened jolt or the slight shake of her delicate fingers.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Teddy sank into the crisp grass beside her.
“What are you doing here, Teddy?” She sighed, not taking her eyes from the view in front of them.
You could see for miles up there. The mid-afternoon sun beating down on the palettes of green. If he looked closely, he could even make out Moonrock.
Taking in a deep breath, he let the fresh air fill his lungs. “I came to find you.”
“Why?”
“I fucked up.” He chanced a glance in her direction; she was still looking ahead of her. “I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving your apartment the other morning, but ... I was wrong. I’m sorry, Summer.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Teddy. And I really don’t need you feeling sorry for me. I know I freaked out the other night ... but if it’s all the same to you, I’d really rather just forget it, okay?”
Yeah right.
Like he could forget how she trembled and sobbed in his arms. Not to mention, his body had already memorized the feel of her warm skin plastered against him as she clung to him all night long.
He stayed quiet for a bit. She was obviously on the defensive, and he had no intention of riling her up. He just wanted to fix this. Make it right. And get some answers.
They sat quietly for a while, taking in the view. Once he was certain she’d relaxed a little, he decided to answer her previous question. “Why don’t we start by you telling me who hurt you ... and then I’ll decide whether to forget it?”
Teddy felt her glare burning into the side of his face. Nope. Still prickly. “Sure, Teddy. I’ll get right on that. But before I do, are you gonna tell me why you left the Navy? You know, the only job you’ve ever wanted? The one you gave up everything for?”
It was his turn to tense. Not even his sister knew the details of why he left. It wasn’t a pretty story. Life wasn’t always sunshine and roses. Not that he needed to tell Summer that. But still, he wasn’t exactly in the mood for a heart-to-heart.
“Don’t try and change the subject, Summer,” he bit out, sounding harsher than he wanted.
“You want me to cry on your shoulder, Teddy? Hear all my secrets? Well, tough shit. It doesn’t work like that. You want me to open up to you ... then I damn well expect you to do the same.”
She’d turned her whole body toward him now and sat crossed-legged in the grass. He decided to shift too and face her. There was no way he was ready to lay everything bare for her, but he could share just enough to get her to open up. He already knew there would be no other way. Ivy was right; Summer was insanely stubborn. Just like him.
“Okay. Fine. I left because on my last mission I was captured. I was a POW. Fifteen days in total. The longest fifteen days of my life.”
“Shit. Teddy. I’m so sorry.” Going to her knees, she did something he wasn’t expecting, something very un-Summer-like. She threw herself into his arms and held on to him for dear life.
Immediately wrapping his arms around her, he let his head fall into the crook of her neck. He breathed in the familiar notes of vanilla and ignored the tightening of his chest as he did. They stayed like that for a while. It gave him time to get his thoughts in order. He hated talking about what happened. Not that he’d spoken to very many people about it. His commander, his team, and a Navy-issued shrink were the extent. But even that had been hard.
He cleared his throat when she eventually pulled back. He tried his best to push down all the messy emotions threatening to spill over. He needed to stick to the facts. “Four of us were captured. Only two of us made it out alive. After that ...”
I had a breakdown. I still can’t sleep without seeing my teammates’ blood-stained faces. I thought about giving up in more ways than one.
The words sat in his throat. There was no way he could say any of them out loud. As if sensing his struggle, Summer took pity on him.
“It wasn’t the same,” she finished his sentence for him. “I get it now. I’m so sorry that happened to you, Teddy. Truly, I am. And if you ever need to ... you know ... talk. I’m here. Always.”
He was surprised and relieved that she wasn’t pushing him for more. “Thank you.” As raw as he felt, he hadn’t forgotten his reason for sharing. “Do I get to hear your story now?”
He patiently waited while Summer shifted uncomfortably on her butt. She was purposely avoiding his gaze, choosing to focus instead on picking at the material on the end of her sleeve. She was quiet so long, he was worried he needed to prompt her again, until she whispered a name.
“Ben.” Teddy already hated him. “We worked together. At first I thought he was a nice guy. I mean, he worked for an aid agency for God’s sake. You’d think that in itself would weed out the assholes.”
“But he wasn’t,” Teddy unnecessarily added, already knowing the answer.
“No. He wasn’t. And by the time I realized how not nice of a guy he was, we were already dating. Had been for a while.”
Swallowing down his anger, Teddy reached out and curled his hands around hers, which were now trembling.
“One night ... we’d just gotten back to our room after a really long day, and he was mad. Really mad. I’d never seen him like that before. He started accusing me of flirting with one of the other workers, saying I’d embarrassed him. I didn’t know what on earth he was talking about ... and you know me ... never one to shy away from a fight. Well ... I never used to be.”
Now her whole body was shaking, and he couldn’t take it. He hurled her into him again, this time, positioning her onto his lap. The need to hold her was undoubtedly stronger for him than it was for her, but he didn’t care. He knew what was coming, and he needed to be holding her when he heard it.
Once she’d snuggled her head into his shoulders, she carried on. “I called him a jealous asshole, among other things. Let’s just say he didn’t take it well. He pulled me by the hair and slammed me against the wall. Then slammed me again. Over and over. I was so shocked. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I can’t even remember saying that much after that ... other than telling him that he was hurting me.”
Bile rose up from Teddy’s stomach. She’d been in a relationship with this man. She’d given him her trust and he’d abused it. The son of a bitch had laid his hands on her. While she’d been alone, in the middle of nowhere. Goddamnit. How long had she been stranded with this abusive asshole?
The other night at Mickey’s made sense now. That motherfucker had scarred her. Messed with her head and made her feel less than. Teddy wanted nothing more than to hunt him down and give him a taste of his own medicine. But before he did that, he needed to hear the rest.
“What else? What happened after that, doll?”
He hadn’t felt or heard her cry, but the tears seeping into his shirt alerted him to the fact she was. “I-I ... I was an idiot. Once he’d calmed down, I tried to leave, but he ... he begged me to stay. Literally, on his knees, begging. At one point he started crying, saying all the right things, like how he didn’t mean to hurt me, he’d never do it again, begging me to give him another chance. All that crap.”
“So you stayed.” It wasn’t a question, but she answered it anyway.
“Yeah. I stayed. And he did it again. And again. The fourth time, I left. Managed to transfer out. I was fine for a while, but then ... he found me. Followed me to my next assignment. And the assignment after that.” Teddy’s grip on her tightened. “He’d send me messages too, crazy messages. Threats, insults, pleas to take him back. You name it, he said it. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to change my fricking phone number.” He heard her voice crack. “When he managed to get another few bruises in, I decided enough was enough and I quit the agency altogether. Came back here.”
“You quit because of that asshole?” Teddy’s blood was boiling.
“No. Well, yes and no. I was ready to leave; I guess he was just the last straw. The kick I needed to get out. No pun intended.” She managed to force out a short laugh, but there was nothing funny about the situation.
“His last name?”
“Huh?”
“His last name, dollface, what is it?”
Drawing back, her hazel eyes flashed in defiance. “Oh no. Don’t you dare, Teddy McCallen. I did not tell you all that so you could go all Rambo on me. The last thing I need is you getting locked up because of that asshole.”
Holding up his hands defensively, he couldn’t help but smile at the light that had returned to her eyes. “Rambo is not my style, doll, and I promise you that I’m not about to get myself locked up. I just want to know his name, that’s all.”
A cute little snort escaped as she shook her head at him. “That’s all, my ass. No frigging way.”
Looks like he wouldn’t be getting any more information from Summer. Oh well. No matter. It wouldn’t stop him from finding the bastard.