In His Eyes
Page 16
“You’re you, Ryan. Because someone like you deserves someone like him. And that’s all there is to it.” Vicky shrugged and took a long sip of her coffee.
“Boom,” Alana muttered, and we all giggled.
GRACIE BEGAN TO clap when we heard a knock on the door.
“Who is that, Gracie? Is that Joshua?” I clapped with her, standing from the mountain of stuffed animals Gracie had circled around us.
“Yuh-Yuh!” she squealed, and leapt to her feet, running to the front door and knocking back. They played a little game back and forth for a minute before I opened the door.
Before I had the chance, Gracie leapt into Joshua, and he pulled her into his arms, closing the door behind him. She planted a slobbery kiss on his cheek, causing him to laugh and not even bothering to wipe the wet spot from his face.
“What’s up, Gracie? How’s my girl doing?” He kissed her forehead before turning his attention to me, as I stood staring in awe at his actions.
“And there’s my beautiful woman.” He pulled me against him with his free arm and kissed my lips. I ran my fingers over the thick scruff on his face.
“I’ve missed you. Both of you.” He kissed me once more and looked over at Gracie, who was simply staring at him.
Looks like I wasn’t the only one in awe of this man.
“We’ve missed you too.” I pressed into him, unable to get close enough.
“Are you ready for your surprise?” he asked, rubbing his hand along the small of my back.
“I’m ready.” I smiled, glancing around him, knowing he didn’t bring anything in with him. For a quick moment, I pictured a ring in his pocket, but I knew it was too soon for that, and I refused to allow myself to dwell on that kind of surprise. Even though the butterflies in my stomach at the mere thought of it had a different take on it.
“Are you ready for a surprise?” he asked Gracie, and that peaked my curiosity.
“Pize,” Gracie repeated, and once again I was amazed at her vocabulary recently. She seemed to be repeating everything she heard. Thankfully, now she lived in a situation where that was okay to do. I didn’t have to worry about her picking up words, or venom, I didn’t ever want her to repeat.
“Okay, go to Mama, and y’all sit down. I’ll be back in one second.” Gracie reluctantly climbed into my arms as I stared at Joshua.
“Just go,” he mumbled in my direction before giving me a quick wink and closing the door behind him once again.
“Okay, okay.” I relented and sat down on the sofa with Gracie, waiting for Joshua to return.
“What is he up to?” I asked Gracie, who was busy playing with her toes.
We waited for a few minutes, and I fought the urge to peak out the window to see for myself what was going on. Just as my patience was running out and I decided a quick look wouldn’t hurt, I heard the door knob turn.
I waited as he came through the door, his backside appearing first, taking me by surprise. I stood to my feet, Gracie still sitting on the sofa but staring just as well. Then I realized what he had in tow.
A Christmas tree. A real tree.
And not a tiny tree, a huge one. One that I would be surprised would even fit in my apartment.
“Oh, Joshua,” I mumbled, placing my hand over my mouth. I had wanted to get a tree for Gracie and for me, but I couldn’t find a place that delivered, since a tree obviously wouldn’t fit in my tiny car. And I didn’t want a fake one, fake ones were never any good and they had memories attached to them, so I didn’t want any part of them.
“I figured you guys needed a Christmas tree.” He gave me that heart stopping grin he was so good at as he sat the tree in the corner and held up his index finger. I watched as he stepped outside once more and came in with boxes of ornaments. He sat them down as I walked in his direction. I was so surprised at his thoughtfulness; although I shouldn’t be, he made quite the habit of it.
“I love you,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck, and feeling my feet lift off the ground as he pulled me close. It was the first time I’d said it first and I knew it wouldn’t be the last. It was way easier than I’d anticipated.
“I love you too, baby.” He squeezed me tight and groaned as he held me.
Swoon.
“Pitty,” I heard Gracie’s voice next to us, and turned to see her staring into the box of ornaments. She was amazed at the glitter and shine. And as I stared at it, I was too.
“You remembered?” I glanced up at Joshua and then back down at the box of white and silver ornaments. They were decorated just like a tree I had seen in one of the shops the night we went to see the tree lighting. I dropped to my knees and rummaged through the box. They were all there. The silver snowflakes and white reindeer. The soft white lights and white bows dusted with glitter.
“Of course I did.”
Of course he did.
He squatted down on his knees beside me and grabbed a silver gift bag, with tissue sticking out of the top, handing it over to me.
“What’s this?” I stared at him, curiously, before taking it from his hand.
I pulled the tissue from the bag and tears immediately filled my eyes. I pulled a silver snow globe ornament out and held it in my hands. When the glitter settled on the bottom, I saw a little girl inside, holding her hands out, blowing the snow, and along the bottom, it was personalized.
“Gracie” was engraved in fancy script, along with the year.
“It’s beautiful,” I mumbled as Gracie took notice.
“Oh, pitty,” she gushed, touching the globe gently.
“It’s very pretty,” I repeated before pressing my head on Joshua’s shoulder.
“Thank you.” I lifted my face toward him as he kissed my forehead.
“I saw it and thought she needed it. I thought maybe both of you did.” He switched positions and sat on his bottom, pulling me into his lap.
“I think you’re right.” I’d always loved snow globes, and my parents got them for me every year when I was a child. I cherished them, until Aaron decided to break them during a drunken rant. When I shared that memory with Joshua a few days ago, he’d held me and comforted me. And now this. It amazed me the way he could take something painful and create something beautiful.
Then again, that was kind of his thing.
I COULDN’T SHAKE the eerie feeling I’d had all day. It effected my productivity at work also. So much that three different people asked me if I was feeling okay. I tried to brush it off, but the truth was, I didn’t feel okay. I felt physically ill. I hated that another stupid dream about Aaron had that kind of power over me.
These dreams seemed to haunt my sleep almost every night for the past week. And the fear was leaking into my everyday life.
I glanced in my rear-view mirror and made eye contact with Gracie, who had been occupied with her copy of her new favorite book of Bible stories for kids. It was a gift from Kate. She’d let me know that it was one of Joshua’s favorites as a child, and she just knew that Gracie would love it too. We spent each night before bedtime reading a story. Gracie would listen and never interrupted or got bored. And then each day, she would insist on taking the book with her to and from daycare. Surprisingly, she never ripped the pages or was even rough with it. She cherished it, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I listened as she “read” out loud. I could only understand a few words here and there, but she was content, and it made for a peaceful drive home most days. It also helped to settle the nerves that had demanded my attention most of the day.
I pulled into my designated space in the parking lot and put the car in park, taking the keys out of the ignition.
“Mamamama!” Gracie yelled from behind me as I gathered all of my belongings, hoping to only make one trip. A cold front moved in and the wind was brutal, and I didn’t want any part of it.
“Hold on, honey. Mama is trying to figure out what I did with my—”
A loud thump hit my driver’s side window, causing me to j
ump. And when I raised up and looked to my left, my worst fear was standing on the other side of the glass.
Aaron.
It was my nightmare in front of me. Only this time, it wasn’t a dream.
I thrust my hand to the lock, but it was too late, Aaron pulled the driver’s side door open and grabbed me by the crook of my arm, squeezing tightly as he leaned in close.
“What do you want?” I mumbled, and the screech of Gracie’s voice rang in my ears. The stench of alcohol wafted in the cold air, the brisk wind driving it into my senses.
“To teach you a lesson,” he growled in my ear, and I knew I needed to protect Gracie.
I needed to fight. I had to fight him, at least enough to loosen his grip, so I could get him away.
But the next moment, I realized I didn’t have to fight. Not anymore. My battle would be fought for me.
I felt his presence before I had to make a move.
Aaron was pulled away from me and I watched in awe as Joshua slammed him to the concrete and thrust his fist into his face.
Once. Twice. Three times.
I jumped out of the car, unsure of what to do. I did the only thing I knew and stood in front of the back door, creating a barrier between Aaron and Gracie.
Another man, one of my neighbors I’d seen in passing, stopped his truck, jumped out and pulled Joshua off Aaron.
Joshua’s chest heaved and his fists shook with anger as the familiar man held him in a tight bear hug.
“Get up! You think you’re going to come around and put your hands on her. You’ve got another thing coming, I promise you that.” His lips were pursed, the vein in his neck was pulsing. Aaron slowly stood to his feet, his balance unsteady, wiping the blood from his lips.
The neighbor whispered something in Joshua’s ear and then loosened his grip, dropping his own arms down to his side, leaving Joshua free to maneuver.
“Joshua, don’t, please. I don’t want you to get in trouble,” I begged, my voice shaky, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear.
He looked in my direction and gave me a nod before taking a few steps closer to Aaron, who didn’t seem so strong in this moment. He looked weak, almost cowardly compared to Joshua. He was standing straight, his chest bowed out, his head held high.
Joshua stood directly in front of Aaron, who was staring up at him, bloody and obviously scared. Joshua let out a couple of deep breaths, his fists clenched before he spoke.
“I’m going to let you walk, but only because she asked me to.” He nodded sideways in my direction.
“But let me assure you, that if you ever show your pathetic face anywhere around either of them, you won’t be so lucky.” Joshua pressed his finger in Aaron’s face, all while he bowed his head lower, refusing to make eye contact as he continued. “And trust me, I’ll always be around. So, don’t think you can show up and won’t deal with my wrath. Because you will, I guarantee it. I’m not going anywhere. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll walk away and never look back.”
And that’s exactly what Aaron did. With slumped shoulders, and wearing a look of defeat, he turned on his heel and walked away without a word. Joshua crossed his arms over his broad chest and watched, waiting.
But Aaron didn’t look back, he slid into his luxury car and pulled out of sight.
I waited until I knew he was gone before I could move. I looked over my shoulder and saw Gracie reading her book, completely oblivious to everything that had just went on.
“Thank you, Jesus,” I mumbled, grateful that she didn’t witness any of that. I never wanted her to see any violence, not anymore. I didn’t want her to grow up thinking it was normal. But I couldn’t be angry at Joshua for protecting us.
He saved us.
“I’m sorry.” Joshua turned and walked closer to me, pressing his shaky hands on my shoulders.
“Thank you,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek against his chest.
“I guess I haven’t really learned the whole turning the other cheek scripture.” He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.
“I love you so much, and I’m so grateful you were here.” I pulled back, just enough to look up at him. “Speaking of, why are you here?” We weren’t supposed to see each other for a couple of hours.
“I don’t know. I just had a feeling in my gut and I left the shop early. I couldn’t get here fast enough.”
“I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t been.” I shook my head, trying not to let the different scenarios play out in my mind.
“You don’t ever have to find out. I’ll always protect you, Ryan. Even if he’s foolish enough to try anything like that again. I’ll always be here. I love you.”
“My protector,” I whispered, kissing his chest.
“Always.” He squeezed me tight, before pulling away. “Let’s get you inside, your freezing.” He kissed the top of my head before opening the back door to get Gracie.
Always.
“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” KATE beamed, pulling me into an embrace as soon as we walked through the front door.
“Merry Christmas!” I repeated, unable to prevent inhaling dramatically as she held me. She smelled like a gingerbread house, and it was heavenly. Joshua had warned me that she would bake almost every Christmas dessert imaginable and would make sure we were sent home with samples of each one. Part of me was so excited I could hardly contain myself. The other part of me that worried my jeans wouldn’t fit by the New Year.
“Oh, Ryan. You look stunning. Red is definitely your color,” she gushed, as she pulled away and looked me over.
“Oh, thank you.” I lowered my gaze, still struggling with taking her compliments. Or anyone else’s for that matter. But I had splurged on a new dress, wanting so much to make a good impression, knowing I would be around a lot of new people.
“I mean it, dear. Just gorgeous.” She put her hand over her heart dramatically and let out a sigh.
“Right?” Joshua chimed in, sliding Gracie’s coat off and holding it in his free hand, while Gracie decided to stick her finger in Joshua’s eye.
“Eyes.” She spoke with authority and poked her finger in his other eye.
“Yep, that’s my eye.” Joshua laughed and grabbed her chubby little hand before giving it a quick kiss.
“Gracie, be nice,” I scolded her sweetly, and then giggled at Joshua’s twitching eyes.
“Sobby.” She tilted her head before reaching up and planting a slobbery kiss on Joshua’s eye.
“All better.” Joshua gave Gracie a huge grin as she turned her attention to the Christmas tree in the corner, immediately determined to get closer. Joshua knew exactly what to do, placing her on the floor and then holding her hand as she walked closer to the tree.
“Gracie looks adorable, Ryan. I love that little dress she has on.” This time she placed both hands over her heart and simply stared at Gracie and Joshua in front of the tree. I glanced at the two of them and was pretty sure we shared the same expression.
We were both in awe of those two together. They shared such a comfortable relationship from the very beginning.
“Listen, I hope you don’t mind, but it’s possible I might have gone a little overboard for Gracie. I just kept finding so many things that she would love,” she whispered, and leaned in close.
“A little?” Jack bellowed from behind us, his boisterous voice startling me.
“Oh now, you hush. You were just as bad as me.” She giggled, patting his face with her dainty, manicured hands.
“Well...” he began to defend himself, “we haven’t had a new baby in the family in years, she deserves to be a little spoiled.” He chuckled as the doorbell rang and he turned his attention to the front door.
Family.
Tears began to well up in my eyes at the mention of the word, but Kate was so intuitive, she put her arm over my shoulder and leaned in close.
“You are our family now, Ryan. Both of you,” she whis
pered.
“Thank you,” I mouthed, unable to speak. Knowing if I did, the tears would fall freely, and now wasn’t the time or place. It was Christmas. A time of joy and laughter. I wouldn’t let my overdramatic emotions run the show right now.
“No, honey. Thank you.”
It was so strange how I felt so much comfort and love around them. They took me in and didn’t hesitate to treat me as if they’d known me all my life. I didn’t understand this insta-love or insta-family that I’d been lucky enough to get, but I was so thankful for it.
And watching Gracie with Joshua took it to a whole other level. She really did love him, which made me love him even more.
A couple of hours later, everyone was scattered between the living room and kitchen while Gracie sat with Kate on the floor, opening yet another present. Kate had previously decided she would wait until most of their company left to give Gracie her gifts, but she was so excited for her to open them, she’d already let her open four packages. I wasn’t sure how many more there were, and by the way Jack chuckled each time, I could only assume there were plenty more. With each gift I would assure Kate that buying her those things weren’t necessary, but my comments were only met with her shooing me with a wave of her hand.
“Aunt Kate, do you mind keeping an eye on Gracie while we take a walk? I need to make some room for your red velvet cupcakes.” He rubbed his flat stomach and wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“Of course, go, go.” She waved to us and turned her attention back to Gracie.
“Are you sure?” I whispered to Joshua, watching him grab my coat from the rack.
“Trust me, she’s fine.” He looked over at them, while he held my jacket for me. He began to zip my jacket for me and I slapped his hand away, shaking my head. He kissed my nose and then grabbed his own coat from the rack before opening the front door.
“Oh my goodness, it got really cold.” I shivered, folding my arms against my chest, walking down the sidewalk, the twinkle of Christmas lights shimmering all around us.
“I’ll keep you warm.” Joshua draped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close.