I walk to him and look up. I don’t remember him being this tall.
“You have to stop growing,” I try to joke the uneasiness between us away. “I know I’m unreasonable in my demands of you, but it’s one thing to help someone, and a totally different story when you give them a home that’s supposed to be my safe haven. She made it clear she wanted you and that she would have you. I felt like I was in the way.” I sigh and drink in the ink curling in his neck.
“So you left me unprotected,” he whispers. My eyes snap up, not sure what he means. “You didn’t have my back.”
My mouth drops open and I stare, not sure if he’s serious.
“Huh?”
“Don’t grunt at me, woman.” A slow smile curls around the corner of his mouth. “You left me to fend for myself. I know how to save and kill. How the hell do you expect me to fight off a woman?”
I narrow my eyes and I hope I look threatening. “I hope she gave you hell, Damian. You made her think she could. What was I supposed to do?” I huff. “Scratch her eyes out? I’m not into cat fights.”
“You could’ve shot her,” he offers.
“Seriously,” I scoff, “you bring them home and I shoot them. What a great pair we’d make.”
“An unbeatable pair,” he says, and he steps closer. My bravery fizzles to nothing but a puff of smoke. “I love it when you get all angry.” He reaches for me and I melt into his touch when his hand cups my face. “Can this woman you’re living with cook?” he asks.
“Yeah, she whips up bread from scratch.”
“Then eat.” He leans down and brushes his lips against my temple. “You’re fading away. I won’t have you starving.” He takes a cell out and holds it to me. “Phone me when you’re ready to come home.”
I take it and swallow back the tears. He came to tell me he’d always be there. He walks out of the room and a part of me wants to run after him. He’s giving me space so I can find myself. Damian has my back while I get to be with Annie. I sigh and then I wonder why I feel like crying. I should feel at peace now.
Damian~
I just had to see her up close. I drive back to the motel I’m staying at. I won’t leave until she tells me to.
The month we’ve been apart has not changed a thing. It has only made me miss Cara.
Leah was the last woman I loved. I don’t think I’m capable of loving someone again. But if there’s a possibility of a future with a woman by my side, that woman will be Cara.
There are so many reasons why it has to be Cara but the main one is because of her inner strength. Every day that she wakes up, choosing to live, is a day that she won the battle. She’s fighting back. She’s not letting what happened beat her down. She’s doing what Leah couldn’t.
Cara~
I stare at the cell. It has one number on it - his number - and I know if I phone it, I’ll hear his voice. I know if I ask, he’ll come get me.
I haven’t told Annie, but I think she suspects something is up. It’s been five days since he came. Five days of tossing and turning, and tonight is no different.
I sneak outside and close the door behind me so I won’t wake Annie. The stars are clear and the nights are getting warmer. I walk a small distance from the house so the porch light fades some, making the sky clearer.
There’s a slight breeze, ruffling my hair and the nightgown I have on. Annie insists every woman has to have a nightgown. She makes them so big that I feel lost in them. They just hang straight down from my shoulders, and most nights I get twisted up in them.
The cell vibrates and I shriek, dropping it. I stare stunned at the glowing screen. My heart races as I pick it up. It shows that I have a message and I press the button to open it.
‘Go inside.’
I read it over and over and over until the words blur. It vibrates again, and my fingers get all twisted to press the right button.
Go inside before I kidnap you.
My head snaps up and I look frantically around. He’s here. He sees me. It’s dark out and frustration spills into me. He can’t be this close and I can’t see him.
I press reply and type as fast as I can.
Where are you?
The response comes seconds later.
Not at home with you.
I press my forehead to the cell and moan. This is torture. The cell vibrates.
Now if we were home, I’d be breathing in that moan.
My breathing hitches and I glance around again.
“Damian,” I whisper, not that I’ll wake Annie. She sleeps like the dead.
There are no sounds. Even the crickets have gone quiet. I strain my ears to listen for him. I close my eyes to try to feel where he is.
And then I feel his warmth and I take the step back, right into him. My body melts, and I reach for him as he moves around me.