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“I couldn’t—”
“Treat me like an equal?”
“Minty…” His sigh was heavy and so tired.
I softened my tone again. “I’m every bit as capable of being there for you as you are for me.” Doubts about that burst in my mind, and I dared myself to fail him. I stiffened my shoulders and lifted my chin. “I can take care of you.”
“I know you can. Believe me, I wish you were with me right now,” Luke said. “I’d like nothing more than for you to be at my side. But my father’s emotionally and verbally abusive, and he lacks any sort of filter. Baby, you don’t deserve to hear anything he’d have to say about us.”
“Maybe not, but don’t you deserve to have a supportive boyfriend with you through all this?”
“I can’t let him hurt you,” Luke growled. “I don’t know what I might do if he did.”
I pondered, entertaining a fantasy of going to Luke’s parents’ house, stomping inside and giving his father a piece of my mind. I imagined leaning over his wheelchair—did he even have a wheelchair? Luke hadn’t said—and whispering in his ear, “Shut the fuck up, you nasty bastard, or I’ll suck you off too. Just see if I won’t. And I’ll make you like it.” I snorted.
“What’s funny?” Luke asked with a tired smile in his voice. “Share the joke, please.”
“You wouldn’t think it was funny.”
“Why not?”
“Because you never think it’s funny when I joke about, ahem, certain past traumatic events in my life.” I huffed. “You and Barry have no sense of humor about them at all.”
“And neither should you.” He sounded as if he’d like to spank me.
I returned to the original topic. “Please let me come help you.”
“No, Minty. Stay put.” He gentled his voice. “I want you safe. Are you?”
“Well, I put myself in the cage earlier,” I admitted, and heard the hitching intake of his breath.Fuck.
“You did? Why? Be honest. I’ll know if you’re lying.”
“I just felt safer in there.”
Luke drew another breath tightly. “Are you not safe right now?”
I glanced around the kitchen. “I’m at your place. I’m safe as houses.”
Luke was quiet for a long moment, and then he whispered, “Listen, if you’re not okay, I need you to tell me now. I’ll call Barry, and he’ll—”
“I don’t need Barry.” I neededLuke.I traced a knot in the wood table. “I made a mistake.”
Luke’s breath caught.
“It’s not what you’re thinking.” I told him about the trip to the microfiche department, and the article I’d printed off. “I shouldhave left well enough alone, but some part of me didn’t believe her. I had to see it for myself. He’s really in prison.”
“Baby, I wish I were there to hold you.”
“Me too.” And to hurt me, but just smelling his skin and feeling his heartbeat against my cheek would be enough. “But I’m going to be okay. I’m feeling better now, talking with you.”
Luke’s hesitation came through the line, but I could tell he wanted to believe me when he asked, “You’re sure? Because I—”
“I’m going to be fine. You can count on me. I haven’t forgotten my promises to you. You can trust me.”
Luke went quiet again, and I was about to spout more reassuring nonsense, but he heaved a big sigh. “I have to trust you. I can’t leave my mom here alone with my dad right now. So, I need to believe in you.”
“You can.”
