My Sweet Paige

by Mallory Funk

  He tries to hit me again and I dodge it. That seems to get into his head that I wasn’t giving up without a fight.

  This time when he goes to strike me, he hits me in the side of the rib. I can’t stop the pain the comes over me. He takes advantage of this, hitting me again in the stomach. Once I fall on the floor, I try to crawl away and reach into the waist of my pants. I had hidden a knife, and the dumbass never checked me when I got into the car. Since the gun was no longer in his hands, I knew that he couldn’t just straight out shoot me.

  He grabs my ankles and pulls me down to where he was, straddling my legs. “Think you can run from me, bitch?”

  “Fuck you.” I spit in his face. I could see the rage in his eyes, but I couldn’t bring myself to care or be afraid in that moment. He put his hands on my throat and starts to squeeze. Once I realize what he is doing, I had my hand to the waistband of my pants grabbing the knife that was there. He is too focused on hurting me to notice my movement. I jab the knife right into his side. Immediately, he grabs his side where I stabbed him and looks at me while he loosens his hold on me. I scramble up to where I was sitting and look at him. I give him a smirk. As he is about to get up, the police come running in the door.

  “Nobody move!” one of them yells.

  “Paige Johnson?” another one asks. When I nod, I can see their sighs of relief. I knew then that they had been called by my family.

  One of the officers grabs Shaun and reads him his rights. No one even cared that he was bleeding. One cop had dragged me out of there and put a blanket over me. It wasn’t until then that I realized that my shirt was torn from fighting with Shaun.

  I shiver when I see cops go inside and check out the place. One cop takes me to his car. They are going to drive me to the hospital even though I wasn’t bleeding from any stab wounds like Shaun.

  At the hospital, it is brought to my attention that I have bruised ribs and one hell of a black eye. There was a bruise along my side and on my stomach from his hits. I also had bruises around my throat from him choking me. They tell me that they are going to do more tests and that I would be there for a few hours. The cops also tell me that they will be waiting around in order to get my full statement.

  It wasn’t a few minutes after the doctors left that my family came running into the room. I could see a mix of relief and anger on their faces.

  “Thank fuck,” Noah says as he comes into the room.

  “Fucking hell, baby. Don’t you do anything that stupid again,” Trevor says as he enters the room and sits on my bed. He grabs my hand and kisses me on the forehead.

  “What in the fuck were you thinking? What if we couldn’t find you? What if we didn’t get to you in time?” Sam asks getting mad. He starts talking louder and louder with each word.

  “I-I lo-ve yo-u to-o,” I rasp. My throat hurt, and the doctor told me that my voice would we sensitive for a few days and to limit how much I talked.

  I see their eyes soften and then harden when they look at my throat.

  Just then, the cops come in for my statement. I tell them that Trevor can stay. I can feel his hand tighten in mine when I am telling the story. The police inform me that Shaun will be charged with kidnapping and attempted murder. They take pictures of my injuries and when they get to my stomach, I see Trevor pale from the corner of my eye.

  They also tell me that Shaun had a large sum of money that he had stolen from his brother. There was luggage in the bedroom for me and himself. He also had drugs that would have been used to sedate me. They told me that they had found pictures of me from the last few months with my friends and family- lots of us sitting around at home, a bunch with me at work, at lunch, and shopping. It gave me chills to think that he was watching me that closely and I never noticed. This whole time he was waiting to make his move, he was watching my every move. They had found a journal with entries of everything I did, ate, or liked. He had become obsessed with me.

  Once we were done, I was exhausted. The doctors had done tests and it showed heavy bruising. Nothing was damaged or broken. They gave me pills for the pain and told me that I was able to go home. I wasn’t allowed to work for a while which I had already assumed because I knew Trevor wouldn’t have let me anyway. Once I was set to go home with my discharge papers, Trevor wheeled me to the car in a wheelchair and then carried me in, no matter how much I protested. I knew it was because he loved me and hated to see me in pain, but I also knew that I wouldn’t be able to put up with any babying for a long period of time. I guess that’s the problem with having ten people around who care about me. I knew they would do anything for me, but I also knew that they wouldn’t let me do anything with how much pain I am in.

  I couldn’t keep my eyes open on the drive home or when Trevor carried me upstairs. I felt a warm cloth on me, and I knew he was cleaning me up since I was too tired for a bath or shower. I wouldn’t be able to stay awake long enough for the water to run. I only opened my eyes long enough for him to give me some pain pills and some water before I was half asleep on the bed again. I heard a small chuckle when I sagged against the bedding. Then I felt him strip me out of my clothes and put a shirt on me. I automatically knew the shirt he put on me was his because if smelt just like him. I felt his soft lips on my forehead and him telling me how much he loved me before I drifted off to sleep. I was home and I knew I was safe. I had no doubt that he was going to tell everyone what had happened, and I didn’t have a problem with that. Knowing Shaun couldn’t get me because he was in custody, and wouldn’t be able to get out anytime soon after everything that happened, helped me finally sleep soundly.

  Chapter Twenty

  Trevor

  I kissed Paige on the head and told her I loved her before I left the room. I knew she was sound asleep. She could barely keep her eyes open. It was only the early evening, but I knew that the events of the day combined with the impact of the pain pills had made her tired.

  After I heard what that fucker did to her and his plan to take her away so that no one could find her, I couldn’t help but see red. He was going to take my girl and the chances of me finding her were slim. I’m so glad that the cops had gotten there when they did.

  Once I get into the living room, I see everyone sitting around talking amongst themselves. Once I step into the room, everyone quiets. I blow out a breath and sit down. Courtney hands me a glass of whiskey. Fuck, did I need that.

  I knew everyone’s eyes were on me and that they were waiting to hear Paige’s side of the story. I told them I would tell them all once I got Paige into bed.

  “Fuck.” I rub a hand over my face. I can’t believe how close I came to losing my girl.

  I blow out another breath and start to tell them everything that Paige had said, and then let them know about everything the cops had found inside the cabin. By the time I finish, everyone looks angry. I tell them about her bruised ribs, how she couldn’t work for a while, and how she needs to limit her talking because of her bruised throat from him choking her.

  I want to kill the fucker for putting a hand on my girl. Knowing that they caught him, and we won’t have to be on high alert anymore, was the only thing that calmed me.

  I see Paige’s brothers and my own brothers clenching their fists and their jaws. How close we came to losing Paige or never seeing her again terrified us all. I hope she knows how much everyone if going to be hovering around her. She won’t have a moment’s peace now.

  “I need to head on up to bed. I’ve got to be with Paige.” Everyone nods their heads at me, and I see a glimmer of understanding in Derek’s eyes. I know he would feel the same if it were Tara.

  I go upstairs, strip down to my boxers, and climb into bed. Carefully, I put my arm around her. I know that I will barely be getting any sleep, but I just need to hold her to convince myself that she is real, and that I didn’t lose her.

  Paige finally wakes up at six in the morning. She had only woken up when the pain woke her, so I would give her more pills and a small snack- n
othing too hard on her stomach- before she fell asleep again. I woke up every time she had moved in the night and I only left her side to eat. I was pretty thankful now that she had a T.V. in her room so that I could watch it while I was with her. There was no way that in the next few days I would leave her side. I had already told my brothers that I wouldn’t be at work. Of course, they understood. They would do anything for Paige and were just as scared as I was about losing her.

  “Morning my love,” she chokes out. I knew her voice was going to be rough for a few days.

  “Morning, beautiful. Let’s get you into the bath before morning coffee.”

  She looks down for a moment and nods her head. I know that she feels gross because she fell asleep before I could wash her up and take care of her last night.

  I kiss the top of her head and get up. “Wait here while I run the water.” I head into the bathroom to run the bath and grab some of her bath salts that she uses to relax. While it’s running, I go to grab her before she can get up and place her on the sink. She jumps a little, probably forgetting the fact that she wasn’t wearing underwear. I hand her a toothbrush and once the water is high enough for me to shut it off, I turn the faucets off and turn around to place her in the tub. When she lifts off my shirt that she is wearing, I suck in a breath. Fuck, I hate the sight of those bruises on her belly and side. They look terrible and I know that he had to of hit her pretty hard to leave marks like that.

  Paige frowns at me and shakes her head as if to say “don’t, I’m fine.” I blow out a breath, pick her up, and put her in the tub. I climb in behind her so that I can wash her up. I am very careful to not hurt her, and I take my time washing her hair and body. When she hums appreciatively, I let a small smile go.

  Once I am done cleaning her, I stand her up slowly and let her out so that I can dry her off. We head to the bedroom and she tells me that she wants to wear shorts and a tank top. Being that it’s hot outside, I grab those for her. I know she will only say a few words so that her throat can heal. She tries to protest, but I carry her downstairs onto the deck so that I can start the coffee and make us a cup. I know she never normally waits this long for her morning coffee, but I also knew that she needed the bath.

  Once I get the coffee pots started and make our cups, I sit behind her on a lounger. She lays herself against my chest and stretches out her legs. We sit there and drink our coffee in a comfortable silence. One by one, everyone comes out onto the deck bringing chairs around the lounger. They all know that the lounger is the only spot comfortable for Paige to sit right now. Everyone gives her a hug and a kiss on the cheek telling her how glad they are that she’s okay.

  This morning, I am feeling more grateful for my life with Paige. I had never seen her parents when they lived here, but I knew she wasn’t close to them. If she hadn’t have moved here, then I don’t know where I would be. Fucking a different woman every weekend. Not caring about them or what they look like. All I wanted was a warm pussy to sink my dick into. I never knew how lonely I was until Paige came along with her sweet smile and her sass. She always keeps my brothers and I guessing what will happen next.

  I have witnessed the crazy side of Paige where she displays her competitive spirit. I can’t help but chuckle every time I think about how she drew that turtle. She was so convinced that she had it right, and by the way she was going on you would have thought that she was a world-famous artist.

  I have seen the sweet side of Paige where she becomes my sweet Paige. The one who took in her friend’s friend in a heartbeat, no questions asked without having any idea what this girl was like, all because she had no place to. All that Paige needed to know was that she needed a place to stay to get away from that ex-boyfriend, and she went running to help.

  I have seen the sassy side of Paige; where she tends to be sarcastic and has smart ass comments to make. The Paige that loves to roll her eyes and give you that mischievous grin that tells you she knows exactly how crazy she is making you. She loves to bug you and tease you when you get close to her. It’s her way of saying she sees you as a friend.

  I have seen the sexy side of Paige that always seems to drive me wild. I don’t think I could ever get enough of her. I always have to be touching her when we are in the same room. I can’t ever seem to help myself. What makes her sexier is that she doesn’t even know what she does to me. She is completely unaware of how stunningly beautiful she is.

  I have seen the business side of Paige. The side of her that runs her salon with class, having the full respect of her employees. She takes charge of her business, but also maintains friendships with her employees and clients.

  There is a certain smile she gives everyone when she is happy to see them or loves them like she loves our family. Her brothers, my brothers, and the girls have all become a family in the last few months. I never thought the day would come where my brothers and I would expand our circle, but here we are. Our family has extended by five, and I don’t think I have ever seen my family this happy.

  We have all had our fights and disagreements, but we also have unconditional love for one another. Throughout the months, we all have had our share of issues. We also don’t all know each other’s secrets, but we all do know that we will love each other no matter what; no matter how many times we get on each other’s nerves.

  I am shaken out of my thoughts when I hear yelling.

  “Obviously, I am the best-looking brother. I am the oldest and I’ve got all the good genes,” Cole says with a smug look on his face.

  “You are the oldest by four minutes. I hardly think that means you are the best-looking brother,” Liam says rolling his eyes.

  “Of course that’s what it means.” Cole looks at Liam in disbelief.

  Sam gets up and grabs Paige and myself some more coffee. I know that he is only doing it so that I don’t have to move Paige off my chest. I haven’t missed the worried looks everyone sends her way. All I can offer them are small smiles. I know that Paige won’t say anything or let anyone know how much pain she is in, but everyone can see the pain in her eyes and the way she moves. She isn’t fooling anyone.

  After we have coffee and breakfast, I bring Paige to bed. I know that for the first couple days, that will be all she will want to do. She won’t have the energy for much. I settle beside her and turn on some action movie. I don’t really pay attention since I am quite tired myself from waking Paige up for her pain meds and just being generally restless. I couldn’t help but wake up a bunch of times so that I could make sure she was still asleep beside me. I know it will be a long time before that will pass. Waking up and finding her gone was the worst moment of my life and I hope to never experience it ever again.

  Epilogue

  Paige

  It has been a few weeks since the attack. Most nights I end up having nightmares, but I have Trevor to help me through them. He has barely left my side this last month. Sometimes it’s sweet and it makes me want to hold him that much tighter. Other times, I just want to strangle him in his sleep. He ended up moving all of his stuff in my house and now our room is a mixture of my stuff and his. It actually looks like we both live there.

  Derek ended up moving his stuff in shortly after Trevor did. I know Courtney is feeling like a fifth wheel, but she will never admit it. She hasn’t mentioned anything about her and Cole, and I don’t know how I feel about her keeping such a huge secret from me. Every time I see Cole, it looks like someone took his puppy away. He still makes the same jokes and everything, but I can see the sadness in his eyes when he looks at my best friend. I know she isn’t going to give him the time of day unless he pushes, and I don’t see him ready to push yet. I ended up telling Trevor about them. He promised he wouldn’t say anything when I told him that Cole had sworn me to secrecy. When he realized that I wouldn’t keep a secret from him let’s just say that he showed me how much he appreciated it that night. Twice.

  The girls and I were at the grocery store stocking up for the BBQ we were having that night
. The guys were bringing the alcohol, and we were buying steak, shrimp, and all the stuff to make sides.

  Stopping in the aisle with all the premade cakes, there is a woman piling at least seven cakes in her cart. I arch an eyebrow. They are all different kinds. She probably had every different flavour they have- from vanilla cake to cheesecake to lemon meringue pie.

  “That’s quite the selection. Special occasion?” I ask her as I am looking at the leftover cakes.

  “Oh! Just my birthday, but I can’t decide what I want and then I thought, why should I have to choose?”

  “I like your thinking woman!” Courtney tells her.

  “Why are you buying your own birthday cake?” Tara asks as she tilts her head to the side.

  I look at her, and she seems to hesitate her answer. Then she blows out a big breath.

  “Who else would buy it for me?” she asks quietly looking down at the floor. I glance at my friends and they seem as confused as I do.

  “Friends? Boyfriend? Husband? Parents? Siblings? Pick one,” Courtney says eyeing her.

  She shrugs. “I don’t have any of those, so I guess it’s up to me.”

  Our jaws drop at her admission.

  “None?” Tara whispers. I look at her and see she is on the verge of tears.

  She shakes her head. “It’s been just me for the last six years,” she says in a small voice. I don’t like how defeated and sad she looks right now.

  “Well, you are not buying cake for yourself and sitting alone for your birthday. We have plenty of family to share, so come home with us, girl. Get your drink on and make some new friends! You may even find yourself a family.”

  She finally looks up at us. I see a lot of hope in her eyes that breaks my heart. Jesus, this girl has been alone for six years with no one to count on but herself. I couldn’t imagine going through life alone.

  “Okay, I like daiquiri’s… can we get the stuff for that?”