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“Those things don’t have to happen for you to be traumatized,” I remind her. I told her the same thing when I visited her in the hospital. “How are you getting along with your parents?”
“Mom hovers constantly and it makes me even more anxious. Dad pretends like it didn’t happen. He won’t talk about it at all.”
“People deal with these things in different ways. What about therapy?”
“I’ve done some appointments with an online therapist, but they don’t seem to help.”
It hasn’t been long since she was found, but from experience, I know each damn day can feel like an eternity.
“I wish I had a place where I could feel safe and not smothered.”
Trenton holds out his phone, typing a message in the notes app for me to read.
DO YOU THINK SHE’LL WANT TO COME TO THE CLUBHOUSE?
His hearing must be phenomenal if he knows what she’s saying.
I look at him for assurance. He begins typing again.
I’LL HAVE TO ASK KINCAID, BUT I DON’T THINK IT’LL BE A PROBLEM.
“How would you feel about coming to New Mexico?”
“To stay with you?” she asks quickly, like her plan all along was leaning in this direction.
“I’ll have to iron out the details, but I’m staying at the Cerberus clubhouse with Trenton.”
“Aren’t there a lot of men there? I don’t think I could—”
“I can promise you that there’s no safer place,” I assure her. “And they won’t hover and suffocate you like what’s going on at home.”
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course, Aly. We would never force something on you. You’ve had enough of that already.”
“Thank you.” Her voice is low, filled with emotion.
“I’ll let you know when arrangements have been made and you can decide then. How does that sound?”
There’s another long pause and I don’t know if she’s waiting to answer because she doesn’t want to say yes or if it’s because she wants to come right this minute.
“Okay. Thank you, Grace.”
“When I told you I’d be there for you, I meant it, Aly. We’ll talk soon, okay?”
“Okay.”
I feel heavy, burdened with her pain when we end the call.
“Maybe a change of location will help her heal,” Trenton says, noticing my discomfort. “Her family home is in the same town she was taken from. Right?”
I nod. “Just a couple miles away.”
“So she’s right in the middle of her nightmare. There’s no way for her to get distance.”
“And she’s still scared even though he’s dead, but I understand that. Some days I forget I saw his dead body on that cop’s camera. I can’t imagine staying in Nebraska and being so close to the situation.”
“We’ll get her taken care of,” he promises as he pulls me against his chest.
I settle into the comfort he provides, counting myself lucky to have someone so dedicated to my own happiness.
It doesn’t feel smothering like Aly is feeling right now by her mother. It doesn’t feel like he’ll try to control me even though I know he’s going to be bossy in many situations. I know I’m going to take my safety much more seriously now, and he’s going to be very supportive of that.
“Where will she stay?” I ask, my cheek resting on his chest.
I was technically staying at Misty’s although I haven’t spent much time there since I’ve been in his room every night for the last week.
“We’ll figure it all out,” he promises, pressing his lips to the top of my head. “If she doesn’t want to come here, there are always other resources that we can utilize to get her out of Nebraska. Maybe a change of scenery is all she needs.”
We continue the drive in silence, and with each mile, I feel the urge to help more. Having known what it was like to personally experience what I went through—although I didn’t suffer many of the atrocities that others have had to deal with—I think it gives me a certain edge, a better perspective of what these women feel.
“I want to help her,” I tell him, lifting my head from his chest. “I want to help as many people as I can.”
He smiles at me, his eyes locked on mine, and there it is, the love I’ve been searching in those same orbs since I realized I never got over this man.
“You’re amazing. You know that, right?” He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear and cups my jaw with his hand. “I’m pretty sure Kincaid can find something to keep you busy if that’s the case. These women need all the help they can get.”
I press my lips to his, sighing when he pulls me closer.
I finally feel like I have a direction in life, something to look forward to. I know it won’t be easy. It’s going to come with a lot of pain and tears, a lot of reliving what happened to me, but if I’m able to help ease the fears in other women and help them get back to their new normal quicker, then it’ll be worth it.
