“It’s not. . .he didn’t touch me or anything,” she whispered.
“Well, that’s a relief,” he said. “But there are other things I’m imagining, baby, and I need to know if they’re true. But in the midst of all that shit and that’s a lot of shit to deal with in one freaking day, you manage to make me laugh. And that, as well as a whole lot of other stuff I don’t have time to go into is why I love you. Loved for you for over ten freaking years, just buried it deep. But it never went away. You’ve been mine since you were sixteen, our lives just took different paths for a while, but you were always with me. Now it seems my grandfather might have had something to do with that. So please, will you just tell me.”
She stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll tell you. All of it.”
He closed the lid of the toilet and sat then pulled her onto his lap.
“Um, you don’t think we should go downstairs to talk?”
“Nope.” He needed this done and he wasn’t giving her time to change her mind or try to soften the story.
“Okay. In all the ways I’d imagined I’d tell you this it wasn’t while sitting on the toilet. With a bare butt.”
“Usually the way one would sit on a toilet, I’d think,” he teased her to ease the tension even though he wasn’t finding anything humorous about this situation. But he felt her relax slightly. He ran his hand up and down her back.
“Babe,” he prompted when she remained silent for a while.
“I’m scared to tell you,” she whispered. “Over the years I thought about this moment. About what I would say. About how you would react.”
“Well, I can help you with that last part.” He drew her back so he could stare down into those deep, gray eyes. “I can’t guarantee I won’t lose my shit. That I won’t punch another wall. What I can tell you is no matter what you tell me, I will not leave you. Ever. You’re in me now. You’re my love. My girl. Might have lost my mind earlier and stormed out, took me less than fifteen minutes to realize I’d fucked up big and come back. That was fifteen minutes too many. Ain’t going anywhere and neither are you.”
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Right.”
He could tell she didn’t quite believe him still. But he would show her.
“It was about two months after you left. A Saturday night. Sylvie was staying over with a friend. Brad was out. And every Saturday I could, I tried t
o go to our place.”
Their place was a pond on his grandfather’s estate. He’d lived with his grandfather after his parents were killed in a helicopter accident. His grandfather hadn’t exactly known what to do with a five-year old boy. Jed’s grandmother had died of cancer years ago. Jed had mainly been raised by a nanny. It hadn’t been a terrible experience. He’d been given whatever he desired. But it hadn’t been a warm, loving household. All of the men in Jed’s family had served at one time and his grandfather had been happy at his decision to enlist. Jed had mainly enlisted so he had a shot at building something for him and Daisy.
“I was sitting there, thinking of you when I heard someone approach. I turned and there was Bobby. I didn’t know him that well. We’d barely even talked. I said hello. He smiled back and said, hello, sexy. Then he walked up and sat beside me. Too close. I tried to move away and he flung an arm over my shoulders. He said he’d been watching me, waiting to catch me alone. Told me I was hot and I deserved better than you.”
That fucking asshole. Hitting on his girl. But he bit back his growl of anger. He needed to hear the rest of this.
“I told him to let me go. To leave. That I loved you. He wouldn’t leave, though.” A sob escaped her and he stiffened.
No, please God, no.
“He wrapped his arms tight around me and kissed me. I tried to fight back but he had me pinned. Then he whispered at me that this might be a job, but he was gonna enjoy fucking me. He was going to rape me. I tried to fight. But he was stronger. He was determined. He had me on the ground, was tearing at my clothes.” She let out a sob and he pressed his lips to the top of her head, his eyes closing. Tears threatened.
Keep it together.
Fuck. Fuck him. Fuck Bobby.
“Sh, baby.” Anger burned so bright inside him that it was an inferno. Much as he didn’t want to know what happened, she needed to give it and he had to take it. For her. He had to take some of that poison away and shoulder what pain he could.
She went still. Quiet. He knew she was back there and that wouldn’t do. He needed the story. But damned if he wanted her reliving it while she told him. He tipped her back, gently grasped hold of her chin. “Baby girl, look at Daddy. Look at Daddy.”
“I can’t,” she whispered brokenly.
“You can. Look at me.” She stared up at him. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re with me. Jed. Daddy.”
“Daddy,” she repeated.
“That’s right, baby girl.”
“My bubble bath will get cold.”