I open the door to find Slade standing there. My heartbeat pauses with fear, and my hand raises to my chest. He’s visibly drunk, leaning to the side and leering at me.
“There you are,” he says, pushing his way inside. He’s slurring a bit, but he's still understandable. “I called you.” I squeeze the edges of my robe tighter by my throat and take a step back, away from him.
“Slade—” I start to tell him to leave.
He reaches out and grabs one end of the sash that’s keeping the robe in place, tugging on it suggestively.
“You wore this for me,” he says, giving me a lascivious look up and down. “I knew you wanted me. I knew it.”
I shrink back a step, ripping the sash out of his hand. “Slade, I don’t want you. You need to leave.” My voice is hard and loud.
“I don’t think so,” he says, moving to trap me up against the wall. “You're a little slut, you know that? Get ready to spread your legs for a real man.”
His breath smells like straight whiskey. I squirm to get away from him, growing panicky.
“Get out, Slade,” I say through my teeth. “It’s over!”
“Like hell it is,” he says, trying to put a hand on my breast. When I push his hand away, he growls. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You think you’re too good for me? Everyone in town knows that you let Graves do whatever he wanted to you.”
I grit my teeth. I want to tell him to fuck off, but I don’t. “I’m never going to let you touch me like that, Slade. Get that through your thick head.”
“You bitch!” Slade growls, trying to wrap his hand around my neck. My blood heats with anxiety as my hands ball into fists.
“Leave her alone,” Hunter’s strong voice echoes with a threat.
Slade and I both look at Hunter, who has at least put on some pants. I’m relieved as hell, but Slade is pissed. He takes a step away from me, and toward Hunter.
“Hunter, Slade, stop!” I say. Hunter is making that face at Slade, the face that says Slade is a dead man walking. “Hunter, don’t,” I plead with him. Not in my house. I swear to God, I can not take it.
“She’s mine,” Slade says, ignoring me.
“Slade, we’re through!” I say, my voice rising.
Slade looks at me, a malicious smile twisting his face. “You fucking stupid bitch,” he sneers.
He takes a wide step forward and throws his hands against my chest, pushing me back into the wall. I hit the wall so hard that my teeth rattle, my back slamming against the hard surface before I fall to the floor.
I’m dizzy from the impact. I almost miss Hunter swinging at Slade, almost miss the sickening crunch of bone. His fist hits Slade’s face so hard that Slade goes down immediately. One punch, and the piece of shit falls limp to the ground.
“Hunter!” I say, my heart racing out of my chest.
He shakes out his fist, looking at me. “Are you alright?” His green eyes are full of concern.
“I’m okay, I think,” I say, gingerly picking myself up. Hunter reaches out and helps me, taking my hand in his and bracing my body against his chest. I hold on to him and look at Slade, who’s barely moving. “Is he okay?”
“Who the hell cares?” Hunter says with distaste, kicking Slade’s body to check to make sure he’s alive. Sure enough, Slade groans pitifully although he still doesn’t move.
Slade’s face is totally busted up, his nose definitely broken. There’s blood all over his face, and both his eyes are already black. Yup, that nose is definitely broken.
My heart won’t stop racing and I grip onto Hunter at the sounds coming from Slade’s lips. I don’t want him to wake up. I don’t know what he’ll do when he does.
Hunter pulls away from me some to cup my head in his hands, and he looks at me and then back down to Slade. “We need to call the police, Vi.”
I stare back at him, with my heart clenching.
“You need to tell them everything.” His gorgeous green eyes stare into mine and my heart breaks in my chest. I know what he means, and I don’t want to.
I’m terrified to. Slade’s family holds a lot of power in this town. I don’t know if they’ll believe me.
“I’m here for you, Vi. Don’t give him another chance to hurt you.”
Chapter 26
Hunter
Vi’s walking like she’s going to her own execution. She keeps taking deep breaths and looking around like the world is judging her as we walk along the sidewalk headed to the police station.
Not a soul in sight is judging her. When the police showed up, she barely spoke a word, like she was afraid they wouldn’t believe her even with him knocked out on the kitchen floor and me there to back up her story. She didn’t wanna talk, but she did press charges.
She said if she didn’t, he could do it to someone else.
Everyone knows what happened, and not a damn person is faulting her. But that’s not the way she sees it, and it breaks my heart. I can’t make her see things clearly, but hopefully a little time will help.
The air is bitter cold and I wanna shove my hand in my pocket, but there’s no way she’s gonna want me to let go of her hand. I give her a tight squeeze.
She’s gotta go in to give her official statement. And then hopefully that fucker will just plead guilty so my Vi doesn’t get dragged to a hearing. She doesn’t even wanna talk to Sheriff Caswell, there’s no way she’s going to want to tell a jury what happened.
As we get closer to the glass double doors, her pace slows and I have to wrap my arm around her waist to pull her close. She pushes me away though, shaking her head and closing her eyes just a few feet from the station.
I hold her hand tighter and pull her into my side. “It’s gonna be fine, Vi. You’re gonna be alright.”
She nods her head. “I know, I just don’t like it.”
“You ready?” I ask her, my hand on the doorknob.
“Yeah,” she says then takes a deep breath and walks in. The warmth of the building is a relief, but it’s not comforting.
The secretary behind the desk recognizes Vi and says, “You two head on around the corner,” she gestures to the right side of the counter, “the sheriff’s waiting for ya.”
Violet squeezes my hand tighter, but she doesn’t slow her pace.
As soon as we get into the office, Vi heads over to the box of tissues on the sheriff’s desk. I shake his hand while he eyes her, taking a tissue and blowing her nose. It’s pink and running a bit from the chill outside. She tosses it into the trash can and grabs a spare before nodding at the sheriff.
“Good to see you Violet,” he says.
She gives him a weak smile and says, “You too,” and finally takes the seat next to me.
“Let’s make this quick,” he says.
“Yes, let’s,” Violet says with her back straight. She’s putting on a facade in front of Sheriff Caswell. I notice it, but I don’t mind. If she’s gotta wear her armor around other people, that’s alright. She’ll learn to let them in eventually. Just like she did for me.
The sheriff opens a drawer and shuffles through some papers while Violet stays stiff in her seat, I don’t even know if she’s breathing.
“I’ve written it all up, so this should be easy,” he says, pulling out a folder and setting it on the desk as he leafs through it.
Finally he looks up, and seems to take notice of her.
“You’re doing the right thing.” Sheriff Caswell looks Vi in the eyes, but she looks down. She’s got the spare tissue in her hand, but she’s not crying. She’s not showing her pain. She’s ripping little shreds off it though.
“Thanks,” she says, still looking down at the desk.
“Have you thought of anything else that you need included in the report?” he asks her, folding his hands and resting them on the desk.
Violet shakes her head and responds with a soft no, and then clears her throat and answers confidently, “No.”
“Alright then, take a look at the report here,”
he says as he taps the stack of papers on the desk repeatedly until they're in a neat pile in his hands.
“Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to add,” he says, handing her back the sheet to read through it.
She lets it sit on the desk, leaning over to see everything that’s written.
I take a glance, but I don’t read it all. She told me what happened, and I wanna break that motherfucker’s hands. Reading it all over again is only going to piss me off.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders as she turns a page and leans into me unconsciously.
I see the sheriff give a small smile at the sight, but it’s gone just as fast as it came.
She pushes the papers toward him across the table and sighs.
“It’s all there.”
“I’m gonna need you to sign,” he says, holding out a pen for her and clicking it. “And then you are free to go, Miss Shaw.”
She signs easily and breathes deep, placing the pen on top as though that finishes this chapter in her life. And I hope it does. She doesn’t need this shit.
“Thank you for coming in, Violet,” Sheriff Caswell says as we stand from the seats. “I’ll make sure justice is served.”
Vi nods her head, swallowing thickly. “Thank you, Sheriff.” Her voice is confident, just like it has been, but I can see her defenses are up.
The secretary, Mrs. Summers, is standing a few feet outside the sheriff’s office at a coffee machine when we walk out. I give her a nod and walk past her, but she turns to us like she’s got something to say, halting us in our tracks.
She grabs Vi’s wrist and hand with both of her hands and leans forward saying in a hushed voice, “I just wanted you to know, I heard what Slade did.” The old lady pats the back of Vi’s hand. “I’m glad he’s finally got what he's had coming to him.” Vi swallows visibly and doesn’t respond; she looks tense and unhappy. “You’re a brave girl.”
Mrs. Summers finally releases her hand and Vi takes a deep breath, then gives her a tight smile as she says, “Thank you.”
“Have a good day, Mrs. Summers,” I say, wrapping my arm around Vi and leading her to the front.
She doesn’t breathe until I open the door to leave. I fucking hate how she’s shaken up still.
“You alright, Vi?” I ask her. “You know everything’s gonna be alright.”
She looks up at me with wide eyes. “Yeah, I’ll be alright.” She leans into me and I wrap my arm around her back while I open the door.
She’s gonna be alright. I’ll make damn sure of it.
“Come on over to my new place with me,” I say to her as we walk back to my car down the block. I don’t want her staying at her apartment. I don’t want to leave her alone, and I’ve got a lot more space at the house on the lake. I want her to see it. I can already picture her on the front porch swing, sitting next to me, right where she belongs.
She huffs a sad laugh and says, “Then I’ll really be known as the harlot.” I take her body language in as she holds herself defensively.
“Don’t talk about yourself like that.” I can’t help the bite in my words. “You’re nothing like that. I don’t want you thinking that either.”
“I’m not,” she says bitterly, “that’s what they’d say.”
“Why do you let them get to you? No one thinks of you like that-” she cuts me off.
“You don’t know what it was like,” she says and her voice cracks. “You left me, and everyone knew what we’d done.”
“They can get fucked for ever thinking any less of you. And I know for a fact, everyone I’ve ever met fucking loves you. They all told me I was a lucky fucker that you even gave me the time of day.”
It’s true. I mean every word I say.
“And they were right.” I brush my thumb along her bottom lip and she parts them for me. I barely breathe the words, “I am a lucky fucker.”
“I don’t want them to talk about-” she whispers and I cut her off.
“They won’t. I’m back now. And I’m here to stay.” The hope in her eyes shines bright. “Stay with me, Vi,” I pause for a moment before saying, “I love you. I’ve never stopped loving you.”
“I love you too, Hunter,” she whispers before kissing me and holding me with a force that won’t be denied.
Tonight when I make love to her, I’m gonna take my time and make sure I give her every bit of pleasure I can. It’s all for her. For the rest of my life, it’s all for her.
Chapter 27
Violet
I put the final finishing touches on my hair and makeup and look in the mirror, smiling. The bags under my eyes are almost completely gone, from some combination of more sleep and more happiness.
Thank God for that.
The bed groans as I sit down, slipping my shoes on. It’s date night tonight, just as soon as Hunter shuts down the garage. We’re going to the drive-in theater, because Hunter loves it. He says the experience is romance encapsulated.
I’m happy with pretty much anything he wants to do.
I pick a bit of lint off my bright yellow dress and sigh. The one thing that’s detracting from my happiness is the situation with Slade.
The sheriff called a few minutes ago to update me. Apparently Slade pled guilty to third degree battery and public nuisance complaints. I guess he'd tried to weasel his way out of it, but the redheaded waitress from the diner told the sheriff how she had seen Slade forcing me outside and hurting me in the process. I should have been excited when the sheriff told me, but honestly I just want it to be over.
At least it’s not the talk of the town, I think.
The town gossip right now is all about how I got back together with Hunter. How we were high school sweethearts, how I waited for him and only him all these years…
I roll my eyes at the busybodies in our town. They mean well, but of course they’ve got like eighty percent of their facts wrong.
Hunter honks the horn, which makes my lips curl up again. I grab my purse and rush out of the house, and he’s there in his truck.
He gets out, looking so handsome my heart swells, and opens my door for me like a gentleman. I can’t believe after all these years he’s mine again.
“Hey handsome,” I say.
Hunter chuckles and kisses me.
“Hey yourself,” he says. He grabs my ass as I get in the truck, making me squeal. He closes my door then goes around to his side and gets in.
“Do you mind if we have a detour on the way to the drive-in?” he asks, pulling the truck out onto the road.
“I don’t know,” I tease. “Will there be sex on this detour?”
He glances over at me, smiling.
“We’ll see.”
I sit back contentedly. He drives to our old high school, which I find a little surprising.
“What are we doing here?” I ask.
He puts the truck in park, and leans over to get something out of the glove box. He drops a thick stack of letters in my lap. I remember the stack with the twine ribbon, and my heart stutters.
I look at him. “Are these… are these the letters you wrote me?”
He nods, silent. I look back down at the stack, biting my lip. I pick up the first one and start to read it aloud.
Vi,
I’m so sorry that I left like I did. When I imagined leaving, that’s not the way I thought it would go. I always thought…
Nevermind. It doesn’t matter what I thought, does it?
What matters is what I did. I wanted to hold your hand after class and explain to you how wrong it would have been for me to keep you waiting. …I don’t think I did it right. My heart still doesn’t feel alright. I wish I could go back there. With you.
I met some of the guys that will be in my unit, Xander and Chris. They seem pretty alright. At least I hope they are, because we’re supposed to protect each other’s asses in battle.
It’s hot and sandy here, just like I expected. It’s November, but the sun is blazing. No snow, that
’s for sure. You like the snow too much. You would hate it here.
Still, I wish I was with you. I guess… I don’t know if you’ll ever see this, but I should say it. Just in case.
I love you.
They’re calling us to assemble now, so I’m going to go. I’ll write again soon.
H
By the time I’m done reading, my eyes are flooded with tears. I set the letter down to swipe at my tears. I look at the date on the letter.
“It’s four years ago, almost to the day,” I say. I raise my eyes to Hunter. “You wrote me from the beginning.”
He nods. “I had to write you. I had all these feelings… and no one to tell them to.”
I don’t have any more words for him. I launch myself into his arms, kissing him hard. He responds gently, kissing me back.
Eventually he pulls back, brushing my tears away with his fingers.
“This might be a stupid question, but do you want to read my letters together? I was thinking we’d read one each day,” he says.
I kiss him again, although the contact is lighter this time. My heart swells in my chest, feeling like it’s going to burst if I get any happier.
“That is a stupid question,” I say, smiling. “Of course I want to read them with you.”
“Yeah?” he asks, grinning. “Is that all?”
“Forever,” I say. “I want forever along with that, too.”
“Hmmm…” he says, pretending to think it over.
I laugh and smack him. He knows he’s lucky to have me, just like I'm lucky to have him.
Chapter 28
Violet
“Yes!” I shout. “I mean… yes, I would like the position. When do I start?”
“Probably next week, but let me talk to the substitute art teacher first. I just wanted to be the one to tell you,” Mrs. Brown says.
Thanks to Krissy, I got the job as Hallow Falls’ primary school’s new art teacher! I never thought it would happen.
Promise Me: A Second Chance Romance Page 13