by J. E. Parker
I turned and pointed to the line of people that I knew would be standing near the shelter’s front door by now.
Hendrix, Evan, Clara, and Hope were all there, standing in a single line.
“Every single one of them will stand between you and him.” I bent at the waist slightly and leaned towards her. “And trust me when I tell you that nothing will get past those two men. They may be dumber than rocks”—I smiled—“but they’re ruthless when it comes to protecting the women they care about.”
“But they—”
Knowing full well what she was about to say, I cut her off. “The moment you move into the shelter you become a part of our family. And, sugar, around here we’ll do anything for family. Even stand between you and whatever demons you face.”
I waited a few moments before continuing.
“So, what’s it going to be, sweet girl? You ready to make your grand escape?” I smiled and extended my arm. “Because if you are, then all you’ve got to do is take my hand.”
To my surprise, she didn’t hesitate like most victims did.
Sliding her hand into mine, she whispered, “I’m ready.”
I pulled her inside the gate in one quick movement.
In another surprising move, she barreled into me and wrapped her frail arms around my torso. Laying her head on my chest, she began to sob. I wrapped my arms around her in return and rested my face against the top of her head. “It’s okay, Ashley,” I whispered in a calming tone. “You’re safe now.”
Lifting my head, I looked towards the building. “Evan!” I hollered. “Get the gate!” He was already on the move. Hendrix was right behind him. Clara and Hope both headed straight for Ashley and me.
“What do you need me to do?” Hope asked as she stopped a few feet away from us.
“Bed,” I choked out. “Get her a bed and intake package ready. Ask Carissa to help you.”
With a nod, she turned around and took off back inside.
Tears of relief flowed down Clara’s face as she raised a hand and placed it on the middle of Ashley’s back. Her shoulders jerked, and every muscle in her body grew taut. It didn’t take a genius to see that she was reliving her own hellacious past.
You see, like me, Clara had been hurt at the hands of someone who’d promised to love her, to protect her. Like me, she’d been abused in the worst ways possible. But also, like me, she escaped with her sons, Liam and Declan, before it was too late.
Hendrix appeared to my left. “Can you call Maddie on speaker?” I asked, my arms still wrapped around a sobbing Ashley. As much as I needed to call her, I wasn’t letting go of Ashley for anything. At that moment, she needed me to hold her together while she fell apart and that’s what I intended to do.
Hendrix would have to dial the phone for me.
Nodding, he pulled out his cell phone. After tapping on the screen a few times, he lifted it in the air. It rang three times before she answered. “Hey, handsome. Where are—”
“It’s me, Mad.” I blew out a breath. “I told Hendrix to call you for me.” Laying a cheek on top of Ashley’s head again, I squeezed her tighter while Clara continued to rub her back in soft, comforting strokes. “I got her.” My voice shook with each word. “Her name is Ashley.”
A few moments passed before I heard Maddie sniffle. She was crying too. “I knew you could do it.” Her confidence in me made my chest swell with pride. No one had ever been confident in me before. Not until Maddie. “Now get her inside and get her something to eat.”
“Will do. Love you, Maddie. I’ll call you later.”
“Love you too, blondie.”
With a nod to Hendrix, he turned off the speaker and pressed the phone to his ear. My attention returned to Ashley. “Ready to go inside? We need to get some paperwork filled out, and I’m under strict orders to make sure you’re fed.” I lowered my voice a few decibels and smiled. “She didn’t say it had to be healthy food though so you can have a gallon of ice cream if you want. Doesn’t matter to me.”
Ashley hiccupped. “Ice c-cream,” she stuttered, “s-sounds good.”
“Alright.” I glanced over at Clara. “Let’s go get some ice cream.”
With that, we headed inside.
11
Shelby
Three Hours Later
I was standing in my small bathroom, staring at my reflection in the floor-length mirror hanging on the back of the door when my cell phone rang. Huffing out a breath, I turned around and grabbed it from the back of the toilet where it sat.
“Mason’s Mule Barn. Head ass speaking. How can I help you?” I answered.
“Shelby Mason!” Maddie screamed in between bouts of laughter. “What the heck is the matter with you?”
I smiled. “Funny, Hope asked me the same thing the other day. And now I’m going to tell you the same thing I told her… that is one hell of a loaded question, girlfriend.”
Still laughing, she choked out, “You’re such a doofus.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I spun back around to look in the mirror. “Now, what do you want? I’m busy right now.”
“Ooooh, that’s right,” Maddie cooed, “I’d forgotten all about the fact that you have a date tonight.”
Bull-friggin-crap.
She didn’t forget.
“Sure you did.” I tilted my head to the side, examining my reflection. “Besides, it’s not a date. Not even close.”
“Mm-hmm,” she hummed. “So what are you doing right now?”
Blinking at my reflection, I remained silent. That didn’t deter her though. Why would it? Maddie was like a bloodhound. If she caught a whiff of something juicy, she’d chase the scent until she found what she was looking for.
“No, wait,” she continued. “Let me guess.” Running water filled the background on her end. “You’re standing in your bedroom trying on outfits, aren’t you?”
I puffed out an exaggerated breath. “No!” I bit down on my lower lip and scrunched my nose. “I’m in the bathroom trying them on. I don’t have a mirror in the bedroom.”
She burst into a fit of laughter. “Oh my God!” She gasped for breath. “I didn’t expect you to admit it!” More laughter. “I can’t breatheee!”
I was so going to kill her.
“Would you stop laughing and help me?” I started digging through the pile of clothes I’d hung over the shower curtain. “I don’t know what the hell I'm doing here.”
Sucking in a lungful of oxygen, Maddie calmed some. “Okay—” she giggled “—I’m going to make this simple.” She cleared her throat. “Wear the light blue sundress that I gave you.”
I paused. “A dress? Won’t that make it seem like…” My voice trailed off for a second. “Like I’m trying too hard? I mean, this isn’t a date.” Maddie snorted, and I didn’t have to see her to know she was rolling her eyes. “It’s not!”
“M’kay, cupcake, whatever you say.” I sat down on the closed toilet seat. “But seriously, wear the blue dress. It’s casual, and it makes your eyes pop. Plus, it looks fan-freakin-tastic on your curves.”
Standing back up, I plucked the blue dress out from the pile of mostly casual tops and jean shorts. Carefully holding it out in front of me like it was a coiled snake prepared to strike, I furrowed my brows. “Are you sure?” Because I sure as hell wasn’t. “I’m so lost.”
Feelings of doubt swamped me. I was so out of my element it wasn’t funny.
Maddie’s voice turned butter soft. “Shelby, just take a deep breath.” I did. “It’s just dinner. It’s not a job interview; it’s not a marriage proposal. It’ll be fine,” she assured me. “Just try to relax and enjoy yourself.”
At her words, I froze.
The entire situation had suddenly become as clear as mud.
“Maddie,” I said, my voice laced with uncertainty, “why would I need to enjoy myself?” I wasn’t trying to be a smartass. I genuinely had no idea what the hell I was doing. “I only offered to make him supper to pay him back for helping me out
last night. He wouldn’t let me pay him cash so I had to do something.”
Maddie remained silent for a few beats. Then, “Shelby, I love you to pieces, but I don’t believe any of that.” I sucked in a ragged breath. “And I don’t think you believe it either.”
I didn’t.
God help me, I didn’t.
“I think you like this guy.” I totally did. “And though you may not realize it, I think he likes you too.” How she figured that I didn’t have a clue. “I saw the way he looked at you at the diner.”
I rolled my eyes. “What do you mean the way he looked at me? He was just being a flirt!”
“He was,” she agreed. “But there was something more there too. The way he looked at you—” She stopped speaking.
Did my piece of crap phone lose connection again?
“Maddie?”
“I'm here,” she replied in a hushed tone. “Just trying to think of a way to say this without sounding completely nuts.”
“Um…” I walked to the bathroom door and peeked out to check on Lucca. He was fine; still sleeping on the pallet I’d made on the floor by the sofa. “Just say it, buttercup. I won’t ever think you’re crazy. I mean look at me.” I laughed. “That would dang sure be the pot calling the kettle black.” Maddie remained silent. “Seriously, Mad, just tell me.”
“Okay,” she paused. “The way he looked at you, it was like...” She blew out an exaggerated breath. “It was like he could see the next sixty years of his life in your eyes.”
I rubbed my free hand down the side of my face. “Okay, I take my previous statement back because you’re obviously nuts,” I whispered, dropping my hand to my side. “Like really nuts.”
Maddie didn’t take offense at what I was saying. “Call me whatever you want, but I saw it. Even Hendrix saw it.”
Tilting my head to the side, I closed my eyes. “What did you see? I mean what do you think y’all saw written on his face?”
She waited a few seconds before answering. “I don’t know how to frigging describe it, but it reminded me of the expression a person makes when they’ve finally found something they’ve been searching for.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I saw it, honey,” she reiterated with a firm tone. “I just hope you’re ready for it because that man wants you.” I waited for the panic; waited for the fear to strike. Neither did. “And I have a feeling he’s going to be the sucker punch you never saw coming.”
“I’m not ready for something like that, Maddie.”
She growled through the phone. “Yes, you are. You’re just to dang stubborn to realize it!” Silence filled seconds ticked by. “Anthony isn’t him, Shelby.”
Leaning back against the bathroom wall, I dropped my head forward. “I know.”
And I did know.
Still, it didn’t make letting go of the past any easier, especially not when I still carried a daily reminder of what the bastard had done to me on my skin.
“I need you to promise me something.” Maddie’s voice broke through my tumultuous thoughts. “I need you to promise me that you’ll give it a chance.”
“Give what a chance? Anthony?”
I wasn’t so sure I could do that. Sure, I could fix him dinner and have a conversation with him. I could probably become good friends with him. Hell, if I was being honest I could probably even sleep with him.
But create an emotional attachment?
I doubted it.
“No. I want you to promise to give life a chance.”
“I am giving life a chance,” I retorted.
“No you’re not,” Maddie snapped back in a gentle tone. “Shelby, you may be living, but you aren’t living.” That made zero sense to me. “And I think it’s high time you took your life back.” Wrapping my free arm around my belly, I leaned away from the wall and stood straight. “I’ve already told you this a million times, but I’m going to tell you again—please don’t let that bastard take more from you than he already has. Don’t give him that power.” I opened my mouth to speak, but she kept going, cutting me off. “If you truly want to defeat him, then reclaim everything he tried to steal from you.” My hands began to shake. “Carve out a new life for you and Lucca, one where that son of a bitch doesn’t lurk in the shadows, continuously tormenting you.”
“Maddie—”
“Go be happy, Shelby.” If she didn’t shut up I was going to cry, and I never cried. “If you find that Anthony makes you happy then run with it.”
I swallowed around the lump lodged in the base of my throat. “I don’t even know Anthony. He could be a lunatic for all I know.” A small smile spread across my face as a funny thought entered my head. “Or he could have a small penis. Who knows?”
And just like that, the tension building inside of me eased.
“You are ridiculous!” Maddie hollered.
“What? It’s a legitimate concern!”
At least I thought it was. I mean I had no intentions of going anywhere near his penis but still. It was fun—not to mention hot—to think about.
Briefly, I wondered if he was big or small.
Thick or penciled.
Was he—
Christ! What the hell is the matter with me?
Maddie was cackling so hard I worried she’d puke.
“Somehow,” she wheezed, “I don’t see him having a teeny little weenie.”
“What. The. Fuck!” Hendrix’s voice boomed in the background.
Oh shit!
Falling back against the wall, a wave of laughter burst free from my chest.
Hendrix is going to kill me and Maddie both.
“Crap!” Maddie gasped in surprise. “I’ve got to go. Call me when Anthony leaves because I need to know his score.”
Wait a minute…
“What,” I choked, “score?” It was a miracle I could still speak.
“How good of a kisser he is, doofus!” Her voice sounded more distant, and I knew Hendrix had probably ripped the phone out of her hand. “I want to know, on a scale of one to ten—”
The call abruptly ended.
Still chuckling, I pulled the phone away from my ear and sat it on the small bathroom countertop. Then I looked at the blue dress that I still held in my hand.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I made a quick decision.
“To hell with it.”
I yanked off the simple white tank top and grey sweats I was wearing and dropped them both to the floor. Then I pulled the dress over my head without giving myself enough time to second guess my choice.
The material was lightweight, buttery soft, and hugged all my curves. I ran my hands over my body, smoothing the fabric before turning around and looking in the mirror.
“I’ll be damned.”
Just like Maddie said it would, the dress made my eyes pop and the things it did for my body? Well, you wouldn’t hear me voicing any complaints any time soon. I just hoped that Anthony liked it. I mean would he find me—
Wait. Why did I even care what Anthony thought?
This was just supper. It wasn’t a date, and, as Maddie said, it wasn’t a marriage proposal. I didn’t need to get worked up about it, and I damn sure didn’t need to worry about what he would think.
Did I?
Feeling my head begin to pound at the question, I scrunched up my nose and stared at myself in the mirror. “You’re an idiot, Shelby,” I told myself. “A complete and utter fool.”
My thoughts were suddenly cut off when someone started knocking on the front door.
Knock, knock, knock!
“Well”—I looked in the mirror one final time—“try not to embarrass yourself too much.”
With that, I walked to the front door.
12
Anthony
I’m a calm person. My emotions are steady, constant.
It’s rare that I ever get worked up and, when I do, it’s usually because of something pertaining to my job. Outside of that, there isn’t
much that affects me.
But when I walked up to Shelby’s door at five minutes until six, I was a damn mess. My hands were shaking, my stomach was rolling, and a line of sweat coated the length of my spine.
I was more nervous than I’d ever been in my life.
This was supposed to be casual.
It was just supposed to be two people plus one tiny person sharing a meal.
But, to me, it wasn’t like that at all.
To me, it felt like I was auditioning for a once-in-a-lifetime role.
A role that I wanted more than my next breath, even if I didn’t understand why.
With my fisted hand hovering inches from the door, I inhaled deeply. “Get your shit together, Moretti,” I whispered to myself. “Don’t blow it, you fucking idiot.”
I knocked on the door three times.
Knock, knock, knock.
Footsteps sounded through the house seconds before the door was pulled open.
My breath caught in my chest as I waited to catch sight of her.
One second later, there she stood, the most beautiful woman in the world.
Shelby was barefoot, wearing only a light blue summer dress that hugged every one of her plentiful curves like a second skin. Both her toenails and fingernails were painted metallic silver and coated in glitter. She wore no make-up or jewelry. Her hair was hanging wildly in loose waves over her shoulders and chest.
“Jesus Christ,” I murmured as I dropped my right hand to my side. “Do you have any damn idea how gorgeous you are?”
Shelby’s eyes widened, and a small smile tilted her lips heavenward. “I’ve been told that a time or two,” she teased. “But I sorta like hearing it from you.”
It was my turn to smile. “Yeah?” I licked my lower lip as I stared into her sparkling eyes. “That’s good for me then because I plan on telling you every day for the rest of my life.”
Stepping back, she gestured for me to come inside. “Getting a little ahead of yourself there, stud muffin. Pretty sure you’ll be sick of me within a week.”