AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Please don’t leave me,” I beg through tear filled eyes.
“I won’t.” He picks me up. I let out a huge sigh against his neck and cling tightly to him. He carries me back into the living room where my mom and dad are still sitting. It’s almost two in the morning, and I know they’ve got to be as tired as I am.
“I asked Lance if he would stay with me tonight if that’s okay.” Once I’m on the couch, he sits beside me and holds my hand.
“Of course,” Mom says, reaching for my other hand. She’s shaking too. “We don’t mind at all.”
“Thank you,” he tells her softly.
Dad extends his hand, taking a deep breath. “Thank you for saving her from him when you did. If you hadn’t, well…I don’t want to think about what may have happened. What matters is that she’s safe now, and we have a lot to be grateful for.”
Lance shakes his hand. “Yes, sir, we do have a lot to be grateful for.”
“We’re going to go try to rest. If either of you need anything, don’t hesitate to come wake us up.”
Each of them hug me, and it seems to last a lifetime. I don’t want to let them go. They were kept safe too, and I’m grateful for that. Lance and I are left alone in the living room. He offers to turn on the television for noise, but I shake my head.
“Lance?”
“Yeah?”
“I was so scared. I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again. I was scared you’d never know just how much I really love you. All I saw was my parents, you, and the baby.”
He doesn’t say anything. He just pulls me closer and wraps his arms around me. I love how he knows that no words are needed. He just seems to know that I want to be held. In his arms, I’m safe. I know nothing can happen, and when I close my eyes, I don’t see the nightmare right away. I don’t trust it enough to actually attempt to go to sleep yet. I may as well stay awake because at the rate I’m going, the sun will be rising soon.
I’m sure this will be all over the news tomorrow. I hope it won’t, but the media is always looking for a story, and I gave them the perfect one. What media outlet wouldn’t be dying to get their hands on it? I wish it weren’t real. I knew there were sick, crazy people in this world, but I never imagined I would encounter one in my life.
Chapter 30
Lance
A week later, my Hilary is almost back to her normal self. I’ve spent the past few nights at her house with her. She refuses to sleep in her bedroom and I can’t blame her. Her dad is already making renovations. He told her she’ll hardly be able to recognize it, but if I know her, she’ll never go in there again. I helped her father move her dresser and a few things into one of the spare rooms. Her nightmares are continuing. She wakes up crying, and I just hold her tightly. I’ve put off life at the gym for the past week. Raegan has come by once or twice to talk with Hilary but the conversation rarely goes anywhere. She’s more or less there for my moral support, and I’ll take it.
Hilary has been cooped up inside for the past week and today I want to change that. I want to get her outside in the sunshine where she belongs. I want to see the smile on her face that I miss so much. It’s killing me to know she’s still hurting as badly as she is. I can’t imagine exactly what she’s going through, but I’ve had my fair share of demons.
She walks out of the bathroom with her hair sitting on top of her head in a bun and she’s twirling that one strand around her finger. That’s my girl. I wrap my arms around her. “Let me take you somewhere today. Get you out of this house.”
She looks up at me with her saddened eyes. “I don’t feel safe leaving.”
“He’s gone, Hil. He’s never, ever coming back.”
She sighs and closes her eyes. I imagine she’s thinking about the decision. “Okay.”
I squeeze her body tightly against mine and kiss her forehead. “I love you. Get ready and we’ll take a drive or something.”
She nods her head and disappears into the spare room. I decide to let her mom know the progress I’ve made. She’s elated. The smile on her face soon spreads to mine. We’re going to get our Hilary back. She won’t stay down for long.
***
It’s a little after five in the afternoon, and we’ve had lunch, gotten ice cream, and sat at the park. It’s almost just like before the Travis incident. She’s let me hold her hand, and she’s laughed at some of my corny jokes. I just want to see her back to her old self. I revel in her smile. Garrett texted and told me that he’s fighting tonight. I thought about asking Hilary if she wanted to go, but it may be too soon. The last place we saw him before the incident was after my last match and I’m not ready to pour salt into the wound. I’m afraid of regression when we’re just beginning to make progress.
For me, this past week brought a lot of things to my attention. I already knew life was short. Losing my mom was one of the worst things that ever happened to me. The fact that I could have lost Hilary still terrifies me, but it didn’t happen. It’s just another reminder of how short life is. I’m not ready to lose anything else anytime soon.
“Hil?” I ask, quietly pulling her hand into mine.
She looks at me with curious eyes. “Yeah?”
“I want to ask you something. I know things are still tough for you and this may not be what you want, but I’m a risk taker and I’m just going to go for it.” I hate when I babble. I sound like a damn idiot. She raises her eyebrow in curiosity so I decide to continue. “I love you, and I know you love me. What would you think about me getting a place for the two of us?”
