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I scanned the street, up and down, looking for the douchebag’s car, but I didn’t see any sign of him. Nothing looked out of place. Just a sleepy neighborhood under a cloudy sky, the lawns covered with multicolored leaves and pine needles.
I parked next to her and flew out of my truck. A second later, I was at her front door.
“Marigold?”
She opened the door. One look at her and I knew.
He’d hit her.
Her cheek was bright pink and her eyes brimmed with tears. I slipped inside, shut the door behind me, and wrapped her in my arms.
Anger simmered hot in the background. But she didn’t need me mad right now. She needed me to hold her. So that was what I was going to do.
Her body shook as she started to cry. Her head rested against my shoulder and she kept her arms tucked against my chest. I just held her, caressing her back without saying a word. She could tell me the details when she was ready.
And then I’d kill him.
After long moments, she pulled away and wiped beneath her eyes. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I gently touched her chin and moved her face so I could see. “Here?”
“How did you know?”
“Your skin is pink, but mostly a gut feeling. I was afraid of that when I heard your voice on the phone.”
She sniffed and gingerly touched her cheek. “He hit me, Zachary. He actually hit me.”
Rage warred with compassion. I needed to keep control of my temper for now, but it wasn’t easy. “Can you tell me what happened?”
She nodded and we went to the couch to sit down. I wanted to haul her into my lap—keep her as close as I could—but I didn’t want to overwhelm her. This wasn’t about me.
“I was supposed to meet him for coffee.” She dabbed the cuff of her sweater beneath her eyes. “I was going to tell him I don’t want to see him anymore and after last night, I felt like I should do it in public.”
“That was smart.”
“But he came here first. He barged in, so I told him. Obviously he didn’t take it well.” She pointed to her cheek.
“Did he leave on his own? How’d you get rid of him?”
“He tried to apologize, like it had been an accident or something. I was trying to decide if I needed to run out the back door when he left.”
“Oh, Marigold.” I nudged her closer and when she nestled against my chest, I put my arms around her again. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
“I feel so stupid. How could I have dated someone who would do that?”
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have.”
“Should you, though? You weren’t seeing him that long and I’m sure he didn’t raise a hand to you before.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“This isn’t your fault. You hear me? You did nothing to deserve this.”
She nodded against my chest.
“What do you want to do? Should I call Garrett?”
