Fall has hit Placid City. Jason and I have been together a little more than two months and the world is a happy place for me. Katherine started back to school a few weeks after we completed the nursery and Dad went back to work at the end of September. Mom and I are, secretly, thankful that he’s back at work. We love Dad to pieces but he was starting to get a bit grouchy being at home all the time.
I haven’t seen Tommy since our encounter at the bistro after the gender reveal. I never responded to Tommy’s text message and he hasn’t tried to contact me since then either. Dad and I agree that it’s probably for the best. We have already talked to an attorney about seeking custody upon Addison and Kylie’s delivery. Since dad was injured, he has been unable to work the overtime that he wanted to be support us with, so Jason has offered to pay the attorney fees to help me gain full custody and limit Tommy to supervised visitation if he even wants to see the girls.
Lately, I’ve been bouncing between Jason’s house and my parents’ house. Katherine moved in a couple of weeks ago and her and Mike share his room. Jason has rearranged his room to accommodate me and my things. I’m starting to feel like I’m moving in with Jason. Slowly, more of my things end up at his place and rarely does any of it come back home with me.
This morning, I lay next to Jason as he sleeps. I look at my sleeping boyfriend and wonder how I got so lucky. He isn’t the biological father of these babies that grow under my heart but he has not missed an appointment since attending the gender reveal. He talks about “his” girls all the time and how excited he is that they will be here soon.
As I continue to look at him, his hazel eyes flutter open. He stretches his arms over his hand and arches his back to loosen his muscles before wrapping his arms around me. “Good morning beautiful. How did you and my girls sleep last night?” He asks before kissing my forehead.
I smile and let out a yawn, “Not well. The girls had me up to use the bathroom more frequently than normal. I swear, they love utilizing my bladder as a makeshift trampoline every night. I’m going to be exhausted before they are even born,” I pout.
Jason rolls to his side and encourages me to roll on my back. He pulls my t-shirt up to expose my very round and very hard belly. He plants a kiss on the top of my belly and begins to talk to the girls. “Addison. Kylie. Are you listening in there?” Almost like they are responding, my belly ripples as they start to turn around. “Good. Now listen girls, your mama needs her rest. You two need to do your acrobatic routine during the day instead of in the middle of the night. Do we have an understanding?”
There is no more movement from the babies. Jason looks up at me and smiles, “Well, I think they have your stubbornness. They have decided to go to sleep and rest up so they can practice their routine tonight,” he says with a smile on his face.
I laugh as I begin to get out of bed. Jason groans because we can’t spend the day together like we usually do. He has to go to the office for a few hours this morning. Since I don’t like staying in his house alone, I am going to go home. My mom is out of town with a friend and dad is at work but if I have to be alone, I would rather be alone at home than here.
“Abigail,” Jason calls out as I make my way into the kitchen after my shower. “Can I ask you a question and you stay open-minded about it?”
I glance over at him as I sit down to eat the eggs and toast that he made me. “Sure Jason. You know you can talk to me about anything and I’ll be open-minded,” I answer as I take a bite of my toast.
He grabs his cup of coffee and sits down at the table next to me. “Well, I was thinking that you’re here more than you are at home. I think it would be more practical to turn the guest room into a nursery for Addison and Kylie. Before you say anything, I’ve already talked to Mike and Katherine about it and they are excited about having a nursery here for the girls.”
I put my toast down and stare at Jason. I am trying to make sense of what he’s asking. “Jason, I would love to have a room here for the girls but once they arrive they will need stability and I don’t want my girls being bounced from one house to another. I want them to know what home is and not call two places home,” I explain.
Jason is empathetic. He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips. “Why don’t you all move in here and call this place home? Your mom could still see the girls every day, especially when you go back to school, and they would have their Uncle Mike and Aunt Katherine here every day. And, they would also have me. I my not have helped in their conception but I love them as much as a father can love a child.”
Is Jason asking to be their dad? Does he really want to be their father figure and love them and support them and raise them? “Before you speak, Abby, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I want to be their dad. I want to walk the floor with them at night when they can’t sleep and to teach them to walk and talk. I want to teach them to ride a bicycle and drop them off on their first day of school. I want to be their dad. The man they come to when someone breaks their heart or when they have a nightmare.”
My eyes are becoming misty and a smile is creeping across my face. What Jason wants is what I want for my girls. To hear him confess that this is what he wants is almost too much for me. “I love you, Jason. I don’t know what to say other than yes. As long as Mom and Dad are okay with this arrangement, I would love to move in here.”
Jason gets up and wraps me in his arms. “I’m so glad you agreed. I know that you have to be worried about our future but I can assure you, Abigail, I am not going anywhere. I can never stop loving you. Every day that passes I love you more and those babies. Do not ever doubt my love for you.” I smile up at him and nod my head in understanding.
* * *
Jason drops me off at my parents’ house before heading to the office. He helps me in the house before kissing me. “I’ll only be at the office for a couple of hours. I just need to file some client records away and grab the files that I need for the rest of the week. When I get back, we will talk to your parents about you moving in with me and then we can go shopping for the nursery at home.”
I smile at him as he walks out the door. I lock the bottom lock behind him and head down to my room. Once inside, I place my iPhone in the dock and turn my iTunes on. Katherine’s favorite Britney Spears song plays through the speakers. I begin to shake my hips to the lyrics of ‘Toxic’ as I make my way down the hallway.
Just as I enter the kitchen I hear a loud thud at the front door. My enter body jumps at the sound. I turn around to head back to the foyer to investigate the sound. As I turn the corner, I am met with another loud thud and the door flies open sending shards of broken wood in every direction. My heart begins to beat at record speed as I am face to face with Tommy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tommy’s eyes are wild and full of anger and hatred. I keep urging my feet to move but I am paralyzed by fear. He is just standing there in front of me with his hands balled up in fists. The only sound I can hear is the beating of my erratic heart. My feet begin to move. I’m stepping back, slowly, toward the sound of the music; toward my room. With every step back I take, Tommy takes a step forward. He’s got sweat pouring from his face. His breathing is getting faster and deeper. “You promised me you would wait and give me another chance. You gave me hope for us. I was changing for you,” he growls at me.
I don’t know what to say. My hands instinctively go to my belly. I cover my girls. I have to find a way out of this. I’m alone. Mom is out of town and Dad is at work. Jason will be here in a few hours but I don’t stand a chance with this maniac for that long. “Tommy, I’m sorry. I know you were trying. I should have given you another chance. I should have waited. Please forgive me,” I plead. I don’t mean any of it. The only thing I’m sorry for is ever meeting him.
He steps closer to me. “It’s too late for sorry. I’ve been watching you, Abigail. I saw that asshole bring you flowers. I watched him take you to the restaurant. I saw you go home with him just days after finding out we were carrying
my girls. I’ve watched you settle into a domesticated life with another man. Did you think I was going to allow another man to play house with my woman and my children?”
My heart is racing. I have to find a way out of here. I’m not safe. Tommy eyes are black and lifeless. I turn on my heels and make an attempt to reach my room. Follow the sound of Britney Spears, Abby; if you can make it to your room you can call for help, I keep telling myself. My attempt is in vain when Tommy grabs me by my ponytail and pulls me to the ground. My tears wet my face but my screams are ear piercing. I reach back and grab his hand with mine and try to pulls his fingers off my hair. I dig my nails into the top of his hands and begin to scratch.
He releases my hair and punches me on the side of the face. I barely acknowledge the pain. It feels like a slight sting but I can taste a metallic liquid in my mouth. Blood! I taste the metallic warmth of my own blood in my mouth. I barely have time to register the blood in my mouth and the swelling of my lips before Tommy has me by the hair again lifting me into a standing position.
He slams me against the wall next to the kitchen. My head crashes into the drywall leaving a hole in it. My head is aching but I can’t focus on that right now. I need to concentrate on getting away from Tommy and saving my girls. He wraps a hand around my throat and lifts me until my feet are dangling inches above the floor. I wrap my hands around his as I try to pry his hands off my throat. I can’t get air into my lungs. Everything is fading around me. “Because of you and these fucking babies,” he says as he punches me in the stomach, “I have a criminal record. If you hadn’t been stupid enough to get yourself pregnant I would have just left your ass instead of sticking around when the sight of you made me sick!” He yells at me.
The world is starting to go dark. I can’t give up, I have to do something; anything to save my babies. I move my hands from his and find his face. I dig my thumbs into his eyes using the pad and nail of both thumbs. I hear him scream in agony as he lets go of me. Once I hit the ground, I stagger to my feet. No time to catch my breath. I have to get out of here. I run toward the broken front door. I find my voice as soon as I hit the front steps. “Help me! He’s trying to kill me!” I scream as I make my way across the lawn.
I’m almost to the street when Tommy catches me by that damn ponytail. I’m forced backwards as I feel a burning sensation on my side. This is not the time to get a cramp, I think to myself. I fall to the ground, on my back. Before I know it, Tommy is on top of me. His arm falls down on me over and over again before I have time to react. With each downward motion of his arm I feel a burning sensation. I finally see it; a knife. With every downward motion, he’s plunging a knife into my stomach.
I grab his arm, trying to prevent that knife from coming back down to my stomach. My girls are there. I can’t allow him to continue to bring the knife down on them. Panic is being replaced with anger. I am angry that he is trying to kill my babies. With all I have, I push up and knock him off of me. The knife falls out of his hand.
I try to get up but he grabs me by the ankle and I fall forward. I try to keep my weight off of the babies by supporting my fall with my arms. Tommy flips me around and gives me another hit to the face. This time, he makes contact with my nose. I feel a gush of blood running down into my mouth. The blood is running down my throat as he places his hands around my throat again. The world is turning dark. I have no more fight left in me. I fought as hard as I could but, in the end, I was too weak to survive. Without my body as an incubator, my girls will suffer the same fate as me. No more love from my parents. I’ll never see Mike or Katherine again. A tear rolls down my face as I think of Jason. I’ll never see Jason again.
Just as I’m about to lose consciousness, I hear squealing tires and police sirens. The pressure around my throat is gone and I am left gasping for air. Every part of my body hurts. I try to stand up but I don’t seem to have the strength to push myself up. I try once more to get up on my own but I am met with strong arms. I know these arms. I can’t see the person who has me but I know who it is. These arms have never let me down before. “Abigail, baby you’re okay. I have you. You’re safe now,” Jason says to me. “Can we get some help here? She’s bleeding and is pregnant with twins!” Jason shouts to whoever is listening. I don’t care who is around. I’m safe. My guardian angel is here. I can finally stop fighting and rest.
“Abigail, please don’t close your eyes. I need you. You have to fight. Just a little longer. I’m so sorry I left you alone. Please stay with me! Damn it, we need paramedics here now!” I hear Jason scream as the darkness swallows me.
Thank you for reading On the Edge. Keep a lookout for the sequel, On the Edge of Death, releasing summer 2014. Abigail’s story is far from done.
Author’s Note
I am a domestic violence survivor. I, like the character, was abused as a teenager by my (ex) husband. Though many things are different between my personal life and that of Abigail, the fear is one in the same. Girls who are less confident in themselves and harbor little self-esteem are at an increased risk of experiencing domestic violence. An abuser feeds off of weakness. Though it’s been more than a decade since I left my abuser, I am still plagued by nightmares and I am left, irrevocably, changed. If you or anyone you know is experiencing psychological, emotional, physical or sexual abuse by a significant other please seek help. Teachers, police, victims’ services and family are there to help you. No one deserves to be abused.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 www.thehotline.org
Photography for cover courtesy of Shannan Lucckesi of Lucckesi Photography. Cover modeling courtesy of Courtney Deaton.
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