Chapter Six
Tex
I’m sure I blacked out, but I know I didn’t beat that piece of shit half as hard as he deserved. He’s lucky he’s still alive.
Marley hasn’t said a word since I picked her up from Kit’s. She just stares out the window, watching the blur of Christmas lights as we head up the mountain and toward my rental in the woods. It’s not a huge place, but it’ll do fine to hold us in for a few days while I figure out the next step.
I knew that fuck was bad news. I could see it on him the second he walked through the door with that stupid fucking grin and that gross bowl haircut. I should’ve killed him right then, saved everyone the trouble.
I tighten my grip around the wheel as we pull up to the rental I’ve got for the next two weeks. The front porch is strung with red and green lights, and the Christmas tree still shines through the front window. I didn’t expect these touches, but the owners went all out with the Christmas theme.
Without a word, I slide from the truck and make my way around to Marley’s side, noticing now that she’s crying.
“I can walk,” she squeaks.
“I know you can walk, but I’d like to carry you. The snow is like four feet high here. You’ll get your legs all wet. I think you’ve had it hard enough for tonight.”
She hesitates but eventually nods, and I lift her into my arms, carrying her to the porch before settling her down while I unlock the door.
“I’m sorry about this,” she says, shivering before the door pops open.
I help her inside. “Don’t you ever be sorry about anything. I’m the one who’s sorry. I… I was following you.”
“Kind of figured. I was going with that or this whole thing is a delusion. Still on the fence, really.”
I take her jacket and hang it on the hook next to the door, then walk her to the couch, settle her in with a blanket, and make my way to the kitchen for some tea. “You still love chamomile? I see there’s some here.”
She nods once and cuddles the blanket up closer to her chin.
Her eyes are heavy and I can tell she’s feeling the ache of everything that’s happened deep in her bones.
I’ve felt that kind of pain before and it’s not fun.
Your body remembers the trauma, whether you want it to or not.
“You don’t have to do all this, Tex. I,” she exhales softly, “I think I do this to myself.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I mean, Richard has acted like this for a while now and I let him. I let him treat me this way.” She sighs.
I turn the stove on to heat the water in the kettle that’s resting on the back of the stove, then pull a mug and some Christmas cookies out from the pantry.
They’re the shortbread kind with the colored sugar crystals that Marley loves.
“He’s a grown fucking man. A man that you trusted.
He claimed to love you. You didn’t let him do anything.
You trusted another human. That’s what relationships are about. He took advantage of you.”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs and stands from the couch, wrapping the blanket around her frame. “It’s my fault.”
I hold her shoulders and look toward her. “You didn’t do this. How long has this been going on?”
She shrugs. “He doesn’t do it all the time. Most of the time we have a lot of fun. It’s just… the stuff in between gets crazy. He has a temper, and I set it off.”
I sigh loud enough that she knows that the last statement was ridiculous. “So, he’s been doing this the entire time you’ve been together?”
Her eyes are soft and sweet, and her pink lips part. I have no fucking clue how anyone on Earth could ever hurt this woman, let alone someone who claims to love her.
“Not immediately,” she says, voice shaking, “but after we moved in together… yeah. He’s never done it in public like this, though.”
My jaw tightens. “You agree you’re done with him now, right?”
She nods slowly. “Yeah. I can’t do this again. I’m humiliated.”
“Good. Then pull out your phone and text him. Tell him it’s over.”
I’m not sure if I’m pushing too hard or not, but I can’t stand the thought of her still being with this guy in any capacity.
“I texted him in the truck, before we left Kit’s.
” A tear falls down her face, but I catch it before it reaches her chin.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s like I’ve been in a fog.
I mean, I really believed he loved me.” She laughs as she says, “How did I believe that? He was hurting me and I believed he loved me.”
“You’re a good person, with a good heart, and you believe the best in people.
It’s what makes you so beautiful. I’m sorry someone took advantage of that.
” I pull her against my chest, holding her head gently as she cries.
“I don’t know what I have to do to make this all right again, but I’m going to fix everything. ”