Chapter 7
SEVEN
BIRDIE
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Mom greets me the next morning.
I slept like a baby, probably because Lane stayed with me the whole night.
I’m not sure I even moved most of the night.
It wasn’t until Lane kissed my throat, muttered he’d see me later, and placed the pillow he used in his place that I fell back to sleep.
When I woke up, the sun was shining brightly through the sheer curtains, and my nose was buried in Lane’s pillow.
The spicy scent of leather, cardamom, and Lane had my legs clenching together, which, of course, triggered the pain in my ribs and abdomen.
The over-the-counter pain reliever had worn off sometime during my slumber, and I needed another dose, stat.
I rolled out of bed, grabbing the bottle of water that magically appeared on my nightstand, as well as the bottle of medicine.
It didn’t matter that my bladder was protesting.
I tossed the pills back, chugged some water, and then went about my business.
Secretly, I hoped it would kick in before now.
Surprise, it didn’t, and putting on a pair of sleep shorts never hurt so bad.
“Good morning. Sorry I slept so late.” I glance at the clock on the stove, another shock hitting me when I realize it’s nearly noon.
“Not a problem, honey. Lane said to call him when you woke up,” Mom says with a smile. Meanwhile, I can feel the color blossom on my cheeks and neck. Jesus, I’m twenty-two, nearly twenty-three. I should not feel like I’ve been caught red-handed sneaking Lane into the house.
“Uh, about that.” I bring the cup of coffee to my lips.
It’s so hot even with the cold creamer. The beauty of Mom having a pot of coffee on at all hours of the day, much like the Johnsons.
My mom and their mom always have coffee, snacks, and then lunch ready for the employees who help them out.
Speaking of, Mom is usually out in the field by this time, with a big straw hat on her head, a basket to collect flowers, and an apron to keep her extra cutters.
“I’m not worried about Lane sleeping in your bed. I figure it won’t be long until you’re living with him at his house. So I’ll take you while I can.” I nearly choke on my coffee. Which would suck, considering burning your throat is ten times worse than burning your tongue.
“Mom, I don’t think that will happen. I have Rocky and Tully coming.
She’s moving to Arrowleaf and will be the new girl in town.
What kind of friend would I be if I abandoned her as soon as she got here?
” Alright, sue me. The idea of living with Lane is amazing.
Falling asleep in his arms and waking up in them, well, it would be chef’s kiss.
Except I’m not even sure how to bring that up, and I’ve already said I wouldn’t leave Tully.
“Honey, you act like Tully is going to move into the house. She’s not, and you already know Lane isn’t going to say no to you. My granddog is easy, small, behaves, and sleeps most of the day away.” Yet again, Mom is right. She always is.
Tully is renting—yes, renting—because she refuses to take any type of handout whatsoever.
The place she’s staying at is on Mom’s land.
It was once a greenhouse. Mom said it was too pretty to house only her flowers, a relic of sorts.
Mom renovated and turned it into a pretty cottage.
She kept the original blueprint of the greenhouse since it was pretty big.
The windows, sink, and anything she could repurpose, she did.
They settled on a price over the phone two days ago, and everything was signed and sealed.
“I know. Ugh, we’ll see. Is everything okay? You’re usually not here during the day,” I ask, still standing because it’s currently the one position that doesn’t hurt.
“As a matter of fact, it’s not. Why don’t you sit down and talk to me.
” Mom’s eyebrows lift to nearly her hairline.
My stomach drops. She knows. God, how does she know?
Lane wouldn’t. He might go after my attacker, but what he wouldn’t do is sit around, have coffee, and gossip about me to my mother.
Yet I find myself doing exactly as she asks.
There’s no way to hide the wince or the fact that I’m taking my sweet time pulling the chair out, only to take a deep breath when my ass finally hits the seat.
“Mom.” I look up. She’s got tears forming in her eyes.
“Who? Who hurt my baby, and don’t lie to me.”
“Sherman Junior, my former boss’s son.” I swallow my own emotions. I did not want to have to talk about the situation again so soon. “How do you know?”
“Baby girl, there was a reason your dad left and never came back. I shielded you from it until I was strong enough to get help. Thankfully, you were young enough, or maybe you weren’t.
I prayed you didn’t see or hear anything.
I hoped to break the cycle. Yet here you are, coming home out of the blue, which I’m not mad about in the least. I saw the signs.
It’s why I didn’t put up a fuss when you said no to going to Lane’s birthday party.
” I push my coffee mug away, the caffeine sitting like lead in my stomach.
“I never knew, ever. I was going to tell you, swear. I’ve been trying to process it, mulling over how to even begin to explain this situation,” I tell her truthfully. Only I’d have waited until there was a status update on my case and my body was somewhat healed.
“Were you dating him?” I shake my head vehemently while trying not to throw up in my mouth.
“No, I had never laid eyes on him a day in my life until he attacked me. I still don’t know why he chose me.
Maybe it was targeted, or maybe it was a case of him being born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
You know, the type who’s never heard the word no a day in their life.
” Mom stands up, the chair screeching across the tile floor.
“Please tell me you filed a police report. He didn’t go further, did he?
” She’s white-knuckling the back of the chair.
Suddenly, it all clicks, the reason Mom doesn’t let anyone from the male species get close to her.
My father did the worst besides beating her.
He hurt my mom in a way that most don’t overcome.
“Oh, Mom, you never told me.” I bring my hand to my mouth, covering it to hide my trembling lips.
“And I wouldn’t have. I’d have taken it to my grave. I also know when it happens, you need counseling, friends, family. So, you have to tell me, sweetheart. Did it go further?”
“No, I fought back hard enough, screamed loud enough that I was able to escape. The investigation is open. I’ll be honest. I don’t think Sherman Junior will get anything except a slap on his hand.
They have the money and prestige from their name alone.
” I watch as Mom takes a deep breath and holds it in for a moment before exhaling.
“Thank Christ. As far as your attacker not getting what he deserves, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.
Lane Johnson looked like he was ready to slay all your dragons when he left this morning.
” And that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
Lane won’t do either of us any good if he’s the one sitting behind bars while Sherman and his son get off scot-free.