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Katie and I spent the entire day out shopping and playing with Lennon in the park. I know she did it to get me out of the house while Reed was working, but I didn’t mind. Soon, I’m going to have to make it clear I can be by myself and not fall apart. For now, however, I’m just going to go with the flow. Mitch’s bruises and cuts are fading on the outside, but they’re still very present on the inside. They’ve scarred me as much as the scars left where he stabbed me. The doctor assures me those will shrink over time. I just hope the ones inside shrink over time, too.
I wave goodbye and notice Mr. Johnson’s truck in the driveway. I smile because that means Reed is home.
Reed is home.
That sounds so damn good. An unfamiliar feeling rises inside of me. Joy. It’s been so long since I’ve experienced it that I can’t name it right away. I open the door, feeling better than I have in a very long time.
Immediately, the scent of hot buttered popcorn hits me.
“What’s this?” I ask, when Reed stands in front of me holding a huge tub of popcorn and a goofy, but really sexy grin on his face.
“My baby doesn’t feel like going out to the movies, I figured I’d bring the movies to her.”
My baby.
Those two words bring a shiver of fear. I fight it down, reminding myself that this is Reed not Mitch. The two couldn’t be more different. Reed would protect me at all costs—even to his own determent. I know that, even if I am afraid to acknowledge it. Quickly, as I look at his smile, a warm feeling blooms in the pit of my stomach.
“How did you know to have the popcorn ready?”
“Katie snuck and called me while you were in the restroom at the Sip-N-Go,” he supplies.
“Oh, I see how it is. Teaming up on me with my best friend,” I laugh. He shrugs. I close the door, locking it automatically. Then, I take my jacket off.
“Hey, whatever works.”
“Let me go change and I’ll be right in. What are we watching?” I ask, even though it doesn’t matter. Just having alone time with Reed is all that matters.
It’s been three days since my nightmare and without really discussing it, Reed has spent every night since sleeping in the same bed with me. He doesn’t make a move sexually. He just holds me, keeping my nightmares at bay. I’ve come to look forward to the nighttime and having his arms around me. His lips kissing me goodnight by grazing my forehead and sometimes my eyelids. I’m so damaged. Most days, I feel weak and really dirty. Reed doesn’t see that in me. He makes me feel as if I have worth. I don’t know how to explain to him that it means everything to me that he does that. I figure if I try, I’ll just sound silly. So, I say nothing.
But I feel it.
“It will be the early streaming of The Rock’s latest movie. You still like his action flicks, right? Even if they come off over the top? I mean, literally every movie makes him look like he can do anything—just because he’s the hero of the film.”
I stop and turn to look at him. I swallow and let a small piece of my armor slide away—just for a moment. “He’s okay, but he couldn’t hold a candle to you, Reed. You’re my real-life hero. You always have been.”
I see the stunned look he’s wearing, and I immediately feel embarrassed. I turn quickly, my face burning. I go into the bedroom, my body trembling. It’s so freaking silly, and I’m upset with myself. I let my head rest against the door and breathe deeply to steady my heart rate. It’s not easy opening myself up. It’s just not. I feel good that I found the courage to do it. It gives me hope that someday I might be normal again.
I don’t waste time putting on my yoga pants and an old black and gray flannel shirt. They’re soft and feel good against my skin—especially in the area that is healing from my wounds. I also take a minute to freshen up and run a brush through my hair.
When I get back to the living room, Reed is already on the sofa, holding the large tub of popcorn. I grin as I walk over and sit down beside him, bringing my legs up under me. On the coffee table are two sodas, but it’s what is beside them that makes my heart flip in my chest. There are two packs of cherry Twizzlers. They’re the giant packs, too—just like the kind you only find at the theater or special order. This means, he put in extra effort…
