“I promise if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.” I nodded my head, figuring it was only a matter of time before Mitch would start asking questions that mattered. “Was that the first time he hit you?”
Well, straight to the point. I bowed my head, my hands shredding the napkin in my hand, “No, I lost count.”
I heard Mitch draw in a deep breath, but I didn’t raise my head. “Why did he hit you the last time?”
“I think my questions were much easier than these.”
“You don’t want to answer, Scarlett, you don’t have to.”
I didn’t speak. Did I want to tell Mitch? Would he think differently of me if he knew how long I stayed? That it was years before I got the courage to leave. “I… I fell asleep. Before Manny had left, he told me I needed to get all of the dishes done. When he came home, there were two bowls in the sink from the soup that Levi and I had for dinner.”
“So he beat you? For a fucking dirty bowl?” Mitch growled.
The napkin was shredded into tiny pieces in my lap, and I knew the tears were ready to fall. I never told anyone the reasons why Manny beat me, let alone that he beat me. I always told people I had fallen down the stairs or was in a car accident. I know they didn’t believe me, because how many times could a person fall down the stairs? “Yes,” I whispered. I was so ashamed to even talk about this.
We sat there, neither of us talking, the sounds of the restaurant buzzing around us. Mitch finally moved, loading up the tray with the empty wrappers. “Come on, Sparky.” He stood up holding his hand out to me.
I scooted out of the booth not taking his hand and headed out the door. I didn’t look at Mitch, but I knew what he was thinking. It’s what everyone thought. I was stupid.
I walked to the car, my head hung low, not watching where I was going. My bruises had all healed, but it still felt like they were there. They were never going to disappear.
“Scarlett,” Mitch called. “Wait up.”
“Just take me home, Mitch. I don’t want to have this conversation anymore. I know what you’re thinking.”
Mitch grabbed my arm and spun me around. “I’m thinking what anyone would be thinking right now.”
“That I’m stupid for staying.”
“Fuck, no! I think whoever the hell this douchebag is, needs to die. What he did to you isn’t your fucking fault, Scar.”
I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face. “You don’t mean that. You don’t need to lie.”
“Scarlett, listen to me. Get all of that bullshit out of your head thinking that you’re stupid.”
“I stayed with him for six years, Mitch. For six years I let him beat me, and I never left.”
“Because you were probably fucking terrified.”
“I was. I didn’t want him to hurt Levi.”
“Did he?” Mitch growled.
I shook my head no. “I left. I knew that he would hurt Levi if I didn’t go.”
“So you finally left. That’s all that matters.” He wrapped me up in his arms, holding me tight while I fell apart. Everything that I had been feeling and wanting to say the past six years finally came out. I couldn’t remember the last time I had cried. I bottled up every emotion for the past six years, and now they were all pouring out of me. I broke apart in Mitch’s arms, and I didn’t know how I would ever be put back together again.
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Chapter 15
Mitch
Scarlett was sleeping in the passenger seat, her hands under her head and her legs curled underneath her. I don’t know how long we stood in that parking lot but it was now after midnight, and we were parked outside of Scarlett’s apartment. I knew as soon as I would try to lift her up she was going to wake up and that was the last thing I wanted to do.
She whimpered in her sleep, wincing as her arm batted in front of her. She had only been sleeping for ten minutes, but she was already dreaming.
This was not how I expected my night with Scarlett to end, crying herself into exhaustion. I slid out of the car, rounding around the front and opened Scarlett’s door. Her eyes cracked open as the brisk air swept into the car and she slowly looked around.
“We’re home.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head against the seat. “Please tell me that was all a dream and I didn’t cry all over you in the parking lot of Jim’s Wieners.”
“I’m afraid so, Sparky.”
“Oh, Jesus. Just leave me here to die of embarrassment.”
“No can do. I’m sure Levi will miss you.”
She cracked one eye open. “He knows how to make Pb and j. He’s a smart kid,” she laughed.
I held my hand out, and she shook her head. “You just going to stay in my car until I take you and Levi out tomorrow night?”
“You still want to go out with us tomorrow?”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because I’m a fucking wreck. I have no idea where that came from tonight at the restaurant, but I’m sure that won’t be the last time that happens.”
“You just need to talk about it, Scarlett.”
“And you’re going to be the one who listens?”
“Look. I’ve told you before, I have no plans of going anywhere. You can cry, yell, or talk and I’ll still be here.” She put her hand in mine, and I pulled her out of the car and wrapped my arms around her.
“I don’t think you’re normal, Mitch,” she whispered.
“I don’t think normal is what you need.”
“I’m starting to think that you’re right.” She rested her hand on my chest and tilted her head back. “Something tells me you’re just what I need.”
“It’s about fucking time you start realizing that.” I threaded my fingers through her hair, pulling her closer and brushed my lips against her mouth. She whimpered at the light touch. “Tell me to stop, Scar.”
“I like when you call me that,” she breathed out.
“I shouldn’t want you like this.” Her body melted into me, and I was hanging on by a thread. All I wanted to do was bury myself in her and never come out.
“I should be running the other direction from you, but I just can’t.” Her eyes were glazed over with desire and she licked her lips, crumbling my restraint. I slammed my lips down on her mouth, taking what I had been craving. Her sweet moans were driving me crazy as her hands roamed over my chest, pulling up my shirt.
Her fingertips skimmed my stomach, and I could have come right there just from her touch. I pulled gently on her hair, tilting her head back more and her back arched, pressing her soft, full tits up. I pushed her against the car, grinding my hips against her, my dick begging to be let out. “Stop,” Scarlett gasped. Her hands still roamed over my body, but she pulled her head back. She looked up at me, her lips swollen and wet and her face flush. Her breathing was shallow, but there was a small smile on her lips. “Slow down just a bit.”
“I think we might be skipping a couple of gears, Sparky.” Her smile spread across her lips, lighting up her eyes and she tossed her head back laughing.
“I wouldn’t have put it that way, but yeah.”
I pulled my fingers from her hair and took a step back. I knew Scarlett was going to be mine, and I didn’t want to rush it. “You still want to go out with me tomorrow night?”
“Is Levi really invited?”
“Yeah. The way I see it, I’m dating both of you. I need to impress Levi as much as I do you.”
“I think you impressed Levi when you started talking Transformers with him.”
I reached up, brushing her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. “And what about his mama? Have I impressed her yet?”
She leaned into my hand and closed her eyes. “Hmm, you’re doing a good job, but I’m a bit harder to impress.”
“I guess I’ll just have to step it up.” I cupped her cheek, leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. I knew the seco
nd my lips touched hers again that I was never going to be able to get enough of her. “I’ll be here at four tomorrow. I figure we can grab some dinner and then play some mini golf.”
“You do realize that Levi is four, and you are likely going to spend the whole time chasing after his golf ball, right?”
“I figured.”
“OK, just so you don’t have some crazy idea that we’re actually going to play mini golf. He’s likely to get bored after three holes and play in the water hazards the rest of the time.”
“As long as I get to spend time with you two, I don’t care.”
“You’re too good to be true, Mitch,” she whispered.
“I’m not, Scar. I’m just what you deserve.” I brushed one last kiss against her lips and took two big steps backward. “I need at least five feet in between us or I can’t be held responsible for what I do.”
Scarlett laughed and wrapped her arms around her middle. “Did you want to come up or should I just send Frankie down?”
As much as I would love to go up to Scarlett’s apartment, I knew I would be tempted to push my way in and not want to leave. “Just send her down. I’m sure she’s ready to go home.”
Scarlett stepped away from the car, leaned into me and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Night, Mitch,” she whispered.
She walked up the sidewalk to the apartment and disappeared behind the door. “Holy fuck.” I put my hands on top up my head and looked up into the sky. “Holy fuck.” That was all that kept running through my head.
I knew that I had broken down Scarlett’s walls tonight, but knew I still had a long way to go. As much as I wanted to pump my fist in the air and shout, I didn’t. There was so much more to Scarlett that I hadn’t seen yet, and I couldn’t wait to kick down her walls one brick at a time. That last sweet kiss she gave me, gave me the most hope.
She had touched me without me making the first move, and that just made me more determined to make Scarlett mine.
_____________
Chapter 16
Scarlett
“I should have grabbed a couple of extra balls,” I mumbled to myself as I watched Mitch fish Levi’s ball out of the small pond by the third hole. We had been here over a half an hour, and we had only finished two holes so far. If we kept going at this pace, we would be done around midnight.
“Mama, I lost my ball,” Levi called. Did I mention this was the second ball he had lost? Perhaps mini golf was not meant for four-year-olds.
“I’ll run back and get you another one, big man.” Thank goodness the little office was just on the other side of the hole. I just hoped they would give me another ball.
“No need to,” Mitch said standing up. He wiped his arm on his shirt and then pulled three more balls out of his pockets.
“Yes! I want the yellow,” Levi said as he snatched the ball out of Mitch’s hand.
“What do you say, Levi?” I scolded.
“Thank you, Mitch.” Levi beamed up at him, a huge smile on his face then walked back over to the beginning of the hole. Even though Levi was whacking his ball like a madman, he was having so much fun. The three lost balls were worth it if I got to see him smile that big.
“How long until you think he loses another ball?” Mitch asked as he stood next to me. Levi set his new ball down and lined up his putter with the ball like Mitch had shown him.
“I think the bet we need to make is what time do you think we’ll get out of here?” Levi swung, completely missing the ball and launched his putter into the bushes. Mitch and I just shook our heads because this wasn’t the first time he had done that.
“He got good distance on that one,” Mitch laughed.
“I guess that’s one way to look at the glass half full.”
Levi crawled into the bush and pulled his putter out. “I don’t think I’m a good golf person, mama.”
“Nonsense,” Mitch said, kneeling down in front of Levi. “You just need a bit of practice, buddy, and maybe not smack the ball so hard.”
“But it’s fun to hit the ball hard, and that’s the only way to make it get in the hole,” Levi insisted.
“For some shots, you need to hit it hard, but not all of them. Let’s go by your ball.” Levi stood by his ball, and Mitch stood behind him. “Alright, line up, but don’t hit it yet.”
Levi put his putter behind the ball and looked over his shoulder at Mitch. “Now can I smack it?”
Mitch laughed and shook his head. “No smacking, bud.” Mitch reminded. Mitch picked up the ball and held it in front of Levi’s nose. “Treat it like an egg. Would you want to hit an egg?”
“No. Then you’d get all full of slimy egg,” Levi laughed.
“Exactly. So, hit the ball like you would an egg.” Mitch set the ball back down and backed up. “Firm, but softly,” he coached.
Levi lined up his putter, stuck out his little tongue and slowly swung the club back. He stopped in midair, looked up at Mitch and smiled big. “Are you sure I can’t smack it?”
Mitch shook his head, fighting back trying not to laugh. “Just try it this way once.”
Levi nodded his head and glanced back down at the ball. He lined up again, slowly swung backward then smacked the hell out of the ball. “Sike!” Levi yelled at Mitch.
Mitch busted out laughing, tossed his putter to the ground then chased Levi around the green. Levi’s giggles filled the air as Mitch pretended that he wasn’t fast enough to catch him.
I watched them run around, and I felt something inside of me I hadn’t felt in a while. I felt happy. Happiness wasn’t a feeling I was used to. Levi came streaking past me, a huge smile plastered on his face. I spun around and watched him duck behind a tree. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Mitch bend low and scoop me up in his arms and spin me around. “Having fun?” I asked, putting my arms around his neck.
“This is right up there with racing. I couldn’t ask for a better night.” He winked at me. He brushed a kiss on my lips, too quick for my liking. “Levi, I got your mama!” Mitch called.
Levi peeked around the tree, his eyes going big when he saw me in Mitch’s arms. Levi never saw me like this with Manny. Hell, he hardly ever saw Manny. If Manny wasn’t working, he was at the bar or sleeping. I didn’t know what Levi would be thinking. “Put my mama down,” he laughed, charging out from behind the tree.
Mitch turned tail and ran back to the second hole and over the little bridge. “I’ll never surrender,” Mitch called. Levi’s giggles followed us as we ran past a group of teenagers who were gawking at us like they had never seen anyone have fun before.
“I’ll save you, mama,” Levi hollered. I looked over Mitch’s shoulder and saw Levi running as fast as his little feet would move with a huge grin on his face. My heart hurt. I had never seen Levi ever look this happy before. What the hell had I been thinking to stay with Manny for so long? I had figured I was staying to make Levi’s life easier, but when in fact, I was actually hurting him. Levi deserved to be happy, and for once I couldn’t help but think that I deserved that too.
“Leave your putter, bud,” Mitch called as he sprinted past the little office out front.
Levi swung his putter, smacking the side of the building, surprising the hell out of the surly teenager who was leaning against the counter. “Where are we going, Mitch?” Levi asked as he caught up to us. I thought Mitch would set me down, but he carried me the whole way to the truck, setting me down so he could pull the keys out of his pocket.
“I thought maybe we could get some dinner, have a picnic at the park and then you could play at the playground for a bit.” Mitch beeped open the locks on the truck and opened Levi’s door.
“Can we get pizza?” Levi asked as he climbed up.
“How about we let your mama pick where we eat? That’s the gentlemanly thing to do.” Mitch winked over his shoulder at me then buckled up Levi.
“But I want pizza,” Levi pouted.
“I think y
ou’re gonna turn into a pizza one day,” Mitch teased, tickling Levi.
“Pizza, pizza,” Levi chanted as Mitch stepped back and closed his door.
Mitch looked over at me, and I felt my heart melt a bit more. “We’ll eat wherever you want, Sparky.”
“Pizza is good. I like it just as much as Levi does.”
Mitch nodded his head but didn’t move to get in the truck. “You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now.”
My cheeks flamed at his words, and I had to agree I really wanted him to kiss me too. “There’s always later,” I said coyly.
“Damn straight there’s always later. Get in the truck, Sparky.” Mitch winked, trailed his arm around my waist and rounded the truck. I stood there by the door, trying to get a grasp on what I was feeling. I looked through the window and watched Mitch hop into the truck, and he put the key in the ignition. He looked out the window at me, a goofy smile on his face.
“You getting in, mama?” Levi called as Mitch rolled down the window. Mitch laughed, his eyes full of laughter, shining back at me and I did the only thing I could. I got in the truck.
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Chapter 17
Mitch
“We can head back to the shop and watch a movie if you want,” I said as we sat in the parking lot of the park, the truck idling.
“Hmm, I think Levi is going to need to go to bed soon.” Scarlett glanced in the backseat to see Levi smiling back at her, but I could tell he was fading fast. We had a busy day, and I think it was finally catching up to him.
“Can we please go to Mitch’s, mama? He has the new Transformer movie I want to see. I promise I won’t fall asleep. Please, mama.” He clasped his hands in front of him as he begged.
“Please, mama,” I mimicked, giving Scarlett my best puppy eyes.
“You’re both evil,” she said pointing at us.
“Does that mean we get to go to Mitch’s?” Levi said earnestly.
“Yes, but only for a little bit.” Levi cheered from the back seat, and I shifted the truck into drive and headed in the direction of the shop.
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