by Missy Jane
“That’s her,” she whispered in my ear.
The slight scent of the woman’s perfume reached my nose and I didn’t need further clarification. This was Hank’s other woman.
“Hank, I wish you had called me sooner so I could have arranged dinner,” the woman said.
She stepped toward him but didn’t invade his personal space. He smiled at her but it was nothing like the way he looked at me. When he just shrugged and headed for me the pain in my chest started to fade.
“We’re going to grab a bite to eat once we leave here, Gloria. I just couldn’t keep this place a secret any longer. It was killing me.”
Gloria nodded and the smile never left her face as Hank put his arm around me. My gut eased further.
“Everyone, this is Gloria Hudson. She’s been an immense help to me in organizing everything for this place. Welcome to the new home of the Elle J. Woodard Foundation. It’s a private enterprise to help battered women escape their dangerous situations.”
My jaw dropped as Megan squealed and Sean grinned. The air in my lungs froze and all I could do was look around in shock.
“Oh, this is so awesome, Elle. It’s named after you,” Megan said.
Hank tightened his arm around my shoulder, hugging me to his side. A good thing since most of the feeling had left my legs.
“What?”
It was all I could think to ask. After working myself up to the worst possible conclusions, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening.
“This foundation is the new project I was telling you about, baby. I was thinking maybe you’d like to help run things here.”
I pulled away and stared at Hank with my mouth still open. His grin started to fade and I vaguely heard Gloria offer Sean and Megan a tour. Soon Hank and I were alone in the front room.
“What’s wrong? Are you mad I named it after you?” he asked.
I shut my mouth and shook my head as tears started sliding down my cheeks. Relief at what was really happening flooded my system almost too fast to process. I sniffed and wiped my eyes with both hands before trying to answer.
“N-no. I’m not mad. I-I’m overwhelmed. How can you be so damn good to me?”
He sighed out a laugh and pulled me into his arms. “Oh, Elle. I told you I love you. Isn’t that enough reason?”
I hiccupped and gave a slow nod. “I love you too, you know?”
He kissed me slowly before hugging me tight to his chest again. “Yeah, baby. I know.”
We stood that way for a full minute before he let go. I finally took a good look around what I had originally thought was an empty room. There was a table with pamphlets and flyers on it just inside the front door. A few folding chairs were set up in the center of the room with others lining one wall.
“So…we good?” Hank asked.
I looked up at him and nodded. “Yeah. I think we are.”
He smiled and kissed me again before taking me by the hand and heading for an open doorway. “Good. Let me show you the rest of the house.”
It was a very nice, spacious four-bedroom house. Three of the rooms were furnished to accomodate two people each and the fourth held a single full-sized bed.
“This one’s for you,” Hank said. “In case you’re ever here late and just need to rest for a bit.”
He had decorated it in my favorite colors and I was speechless. The kitchen had brand-new appliances but wasn’t stocked just yet. The dining room held a long table with enough room for twelve. There was a washroom with an industrial-sized washer and dryer set. The backyard sported two picnic tables and a wooden playset.
“The plan is to house women here transitionally until they either get on their feet or move on with family,” Gloria said.
“I’m still trying to secure funding,” Hank said. “I’m hoping to have enough put aside for at least two years to start.”
“I can’t believe you’ve done so much without me even realizing it,” I said.
Megan laughed. “You are easily distracted, you know.”
“Very funny.”
She just grinned and gave me a hug.
“So, now that the tour is over, you ready to eat?” Hank asked.
“Yes,” I said.
We said our goodbyes to Gloria, who was finishing paperwork, and headed out the door. I was almost giddy in my relief that all my fears had been unfounded. Hank helped me into the truck and kissed me before shutting my door.
We held hands as he drove to the restaurant, not needing conversation to pass the time. Megan and Sean were already there.
“God I could eat a whole pizza just by myself,” Megan said.
Sean patted her on the ass and I laughed.
“Don’t tell me you want her to fatten up her ass too,” I said.
He grinned but was too smart to reply. She slapped him on the arm anyway.
“My ass is perfect just the way it is. But if tonight’s pizza adds a pound or two it will just be more perfect.” Megan said.
“That’s right, babe,” Sean said.
Hank and I just laughed.
Megan and I found a booth near the back of the busy restaurant and sat down while Hank and Sean went to the counter to place our order. The food was great but the service was spotty. We frequented the place because it was in Megan and Sean’s neighborhood.
“So, what was that all about in the truck, huh?” Megan asked.
I laughed at the look of anticipation on her face and pulled a napkin from the dispenser to wipe crumbs off the table. “If you’re thinking he proposed, you’re wrong. He did tell me he loves me though.”
She squealed before slapping a hand over her mouth and looking around. Our men were still at the counter.
“Oh my god. I knew you didn’t have anything to worry about.” I raised a brow at that and she laughed. “Well, okay I wasn’t one-hundred-percent positive. But I was pretty sure. So, what now?”
I shrugged and balled up the napkin.
“Nothing new, I guess. I’ll stay at his place like I have been and deal with this new place he started. God…I can’t believe he did that for me.”
Tears threatened again and she took my hands in hers, squeezing them for comfort.
“I know, right? He is so seriously awesome, Elle.”
I laughed and took back one hand to wipe my eyes. “Yeah. He is.”
“Well, ain’t this cozy?”
We pulled apart and looked up to find Declan and two of his friends glaring down at us. I couldn’t see past him to the front counter where our men were.
“What the fuck do you want?” Megan asked.
I turned to face them fully and moved as far back on the bench seat as I could, putting my legs on the seat so he wouldn’t try to sit. That wound up being a serious mistake.
“I just want to talk to my girl here, that’s all,” Declan said before grabbing my ankles and pulling me toward him. He grabbed my arm and yanked me off the seat before I could protest while his friends blocked Megan in the booth.
“Motherfucker! Let go of her. Elle!”
Declan dragged me through the crowded restaurant where Megan’s yells blended with children’s screams of joy and anger, the beeping of various video games and sounds from the kitchen. I didn’t have a chance of stopping my forward momentum. None of the other patrons seemed to notice, or care, that I was being dragged out the emergency exit against my will. Too many people stood between us and the front counter where I could just make out Hank’s back.
“Look all you want, sweetheart. He ain’t coming.” Declan pulled me through the door and into the humid night air.
I dragged my feet but didn’t fight too hard to get away just yet. I knew his moves and struggling just pissed him off more. I was so sick of it, sick of him and his abuse, sick of being afraid. This was the final straw.
He pulled me to where his car was parked on the road behind the restaurant and finally released me. He held his arms out and tensed as if he expected me to run but I just
turned to glare at him under the streetlight.
“You are such a fucking idiot,” I said. “Do you have any clue how long you can be put away for kidnapping?”
True confusion crossed his face and I wondered how he’d lived so long.
“Kidnapping? I didn’t fucking kidnap you.”
“No? You just forced me against my will out of a public place in front of my best friend. What do you think she’s going to tell the cops when they get here?”
“What? No. No…”
He sputtered for a few seconds and I thought maybe he would just jump in his car and leave. But then he turned his ugly scowl my way and I knew he was ready to fight.
“That fucking bitch better not call the cops.”
“Or what? What the hell could you possibly do to me that you haven’t already done, huh? You gonna beat me up? You gonna bruise my face? Come on, motherfucker. You think you’re so fucking tough? Come on!”
I put up my fists and set my feet apart as if bracing to fight. The shock on his face almost made me laugh. I’d only stood up to him once and that had been the last time before I’d left. But the past few months with Hank had been too wonderful, too hard-earned for me to let them go so easily. I didn’t deserve to be hurt by this asshole and I knew that now. It was time he realized it too.
“You can’t be fucking serious. You can’t fight me, Elle.”
“No? Why not? You seem to think it’s okay to hit me. Why the fuck can’t I hit you back?”
He took a step back and ran both hands through his hair, frustration clear on his face. “It’s not like that anymore. I don’t want to do this. I just…I just want to talk to you.”
“Then talk, but it isn’t going to make a difference. I’m never going back to you.”
He dropped his arms and glared at me. “Because of that asshole Hank.”
“No. Because of me. Because I deserve better than you’ve ever treated me. Because you killed any love I ever had for you and I don’t even like you anymore. It’s over, Declan. Get over it and move on.”
As understanding and acceptance seemed to show on his face a police siren pierced the night air. I looked past him to the restaurant and finally noticed there was a crowd mulling outside. We were at the back and could only see the side of the building. All the excitement seemed to be at the front.
“But I still want you, Elle,” Declan whined. “I still need you.”
“For what? What could you possibly need me for when you barely paid any attention to me in the first place?”
He didn’t seem to notice the siren or the commotion happening a few yards away. I decided to keep him talking and distracted.
“I love you,” he said. “I know I lose control sometimes but that’s ’cause you just know how to drive me crazy.”
My attention snapped back to him at those words and I closed the distance without even realizing it. I slapped him hard across the face. He wasn’t expecting it and fell against his car.
“Ow! What the fuck?”
“That’s for lying about loving me, because if you did you would never hurt me.”
I moved in while he was still gaping and kicked him squarely between the legs. He dropped to his knees with a high-pitched shriek.
“And that is for blaming me! It’s not my fault you hit me, god damn it. It was never my fault.”
I burst into tears and fell on him with the years of pain and fear fueling my rage. I started hitting him on the back, head, legs, wherever I could reach. I was still crying and possibly screaming. I lost complete control until a pair of strong hands firmly grasped my shoulders and pulled me off.
“Here! They’re over here!”
I turned into Hank’s embrace as he waved a police officer over before tightening both arms around me.
“Ma’am, are you all right?”
I nodded with my face still buried against Hank’s chest and he didn’t let go.
“I think she’s all right,” he said. “I think he’s the one that needs to be checked out.”
I turned my head enough to peek at Declan, who was writhing on the ground with his hands between his legs. There was blood on his face and his shirt was ripped. I had no memory of how that happened.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you now. It’s okay,” Hank whispered.
It took a moment to realize he was trembling and I wasn’t. As the officer checked on Declan while reading his Miranda rights, a huge weight lifted from my shoulders.
“I did it,” I whispered.
“What? What, baby?”
I looked up at Hank, surprised to see moisture in his eyes. I wiped it away with both hands and he turned his head to kiss one palm.
“I did it,” I repeated. “I beat him up. He didn’t hurt me this time.”
Hank smiled weakly before pulling me against his chest again. I wasn’t sure if the quake through his body was a laugh or a sob. “You sure did. I have a feeling he won’t be bothering you anymore.”
I sighed in relief and melted against him just as my name was yelled in Megan’s familiar voice.
* * * * *
We eventually got our pizza but took it home to eat in private. Megan insisted on sitting next to me in Hank’s truck so he followed Sean to their house to drop her off. I wasn’t sure she was going to let me go even then. We shared a few minutes of tears before Sean finally pulled her off me so Hank could take me home. I expected us both to have nightmares for a while.
It turned out not everyone in the restaurant had been oblivious. While Megan was yelling at Declan’s friends, an observant waitress had dialed 9-1-1. She then grabbed the fire extinguisher and threatened the thugs until they left Megan alone. A couple of guys at a nearby table had jumped up to help her and Declan’s friends ran off. Hank and Sean finally walked up about that same time and she told them what had happened. They immediately ran out the front door. Once the cops arrived, Megan was finally able to tell them I had been dragged out the back and Hank was the first to make it around the building. If Declan hadn’t already been on the ground, Hank probably would have killed him.
I shuddered at the thought and glanced at him from my perch on the sofa. He had insisted on doing everything since the moment we walked through the door. I waited patiently as he got plates and two glasses of wine to go with our pizza.
“Here you go,” he said, handing over my glass.
I immediately took a sip as he put a plate of pizza in front of me on the coffee table. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. How are you feeling?”
I set the glass down and picked up the plate. “Not bad. Just hungry.”
He grunted in what I took to be agreement before getting his own plate of pizza. We sat side by side, close enough to touch on the huge sectional, which took up most of his living room. It was kind of funny. Like Megan, he didn’t seem to want to wander too far away from me. I caught him glancing at me from the corner of my eye as we ate.
I had two slices and finished a full glass of wine before finally sitting back with a sigh. My hands rested on my belly until he took one between his.
“I told the officer you would press charges for attempted kidnapping. He was going to try to find other charges too but we have to go downtown tomorrow morning.
I nodded and watched his fingers as he ran them over the back of my hand.
“If you decide not to press charges—”
“That won’t happen,” I said. “I’m definitely pressing charges and filing another restraining order if I have to.”
He nodded and kissed my hand. “Good. That’s good to hear.”
“I’m sorry this is such a mess.”
“No, don’t apologize. I already told you about that. Declan’s actions are not your fault.”
I nodded and for the first time I really believed the words I was agreeing to. “I know. I think I told him that.”
“Told him what, baby?”
“That it wasn’t my fault. It’s kind of hazy, but at the e
nd…I think I told him it wasn’t my fault.”
He smiled and kissed my lips. “I thought I heard you yelling something like that but I was more concerned with keeping you from killing him. He’s definitely not worth jail time.”
“Definitely not.”
He kissed me again and I moaned into his mouth.
“So…you okay now?” he asked.
I shook my head and kicked off my shoes. “Not really. I think I need more than just one kiss.”
He grinned. “That was two, baby. But I’m more than happy to give you more.”
“Okay,” I whispered against his lips.
He released my hand and I wrapped both arms around his neck, pulling him on top of me. His hard chest pressed into my breasts and my nipples peaked at the contact. This was what I’d been wanting. I felt as if I’d waited my whole life for this man. He’d given me a taste all those months ago in Declan’s apartment when he found me packing. Poor Megan had walked in and guilt had stopped me from ever trying to start it back up. But that small taste of passion had shown me what had been missing from my relationship with Declan. Not only care and understanding, but passion and pure unadulterated need. I had never felt needed by Declan and certainly never needed him like I did Hank in that moment.
“Wait,” I panted. “Hang on.”
He pulled back and I pressed both hands against his chest until he sat back with a groan. I barely gave him time to miss me before straddling his lap.
“Oh yeah,” I said. “That’s better.”
He grinned and ran his hands up and down my sides. “Yeah, definitely.”
This time I kissed him. I leaned forward slowly, rubbing my breasts against his hard muscles until he groaned again. Then I started at his forehead and, working my way down, pressed light kisses against his warm skin. He remained passive beneath me and let me have my way, just as he had the first time I’d found myself in a compromising position with him. I thought back to Declan’s bedroom when I’d been frantically packing and Hank had walked in.
“Baby? What’s wrong?” he asked.