Page 19 of It Was Always You

Again, there was a knock at the front door. Frowning, I placed my tea on the table and went back to the door, this time looking out the peephole first. I saw no one. Fear overtook me, and I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I took a minute to try and calm myself and latched thedeadbolt.

Walking into the living room, I could see a couple people down on the beach. I locked the sliding door. Elliott had installed another lock for me on both the sliding doors for added protection, so I locked those as well and pulled the curtains across the doors and windows. I loved all the windows and doors in the daytime but felt severely violated by the time darknessfell.

I shut off the lights and walked into the bedroom. Going to the sliding door, I latched both locks and pulled those curtains closed as well. I turned on the bedside light and changed into my tank top and shorts when I heard another knock on the frontdoor.

My heart was beating rapidly in my chest. "What the hell?" I mumbled tomyself.

The knocking turned into pounding, and then whoever it was started rattling the doorknob. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Parker, the pounding getting progressively harder and moreerratic.

"Harrison." His throaty voice hit me right in mycenter.

"Parker, it’s Tatum." I could hear the shake in my voice and knew he could hear it aswell.

"What’swrong?"

"Parker, can you come over? I'm scared. Someone is pounding on my frontdoor."

"I'm on my way. Whatever you do, don't answer the door. Stay where you are until you hear from me." And like that, he wasgone.

Sitting beside my bed, I pulled my knees into my chest and listened to a Friends rerun. I was trying to put all my concentration on the TV when suddenly, the pounding on the doorstopped.

I was about to get up to go and look out the front of the house when I saw a shadow on my bedroom curtain. My heartbeat was so rapid, I was having a hard time breathing and felt as if I could passout.

I sent Parker a text and let him know that the person was at the back of the house when lights shone through my front bedroom window. Thank God, he’shere.

My phone chimed. "Stay put until I textyou."

I waited, still sitting on the floor. It seemed like forever before my phone started toring.

"Come to the front door and let me in. Whoever it was isgone."

I got up off the floor, still shaking, and ran to open the front door. Parker stepped inside, took one look at me, and wrapped his arms around me. I felt myself melt into hisembrace.

"It’s okay. You’re okay." Parker held onto me as I began tocry.

Parker was out on thedeck while I made a pot of coffee and poured us two mugs. When I stepped out the back door, I noticed Parker relaxing on one of the lounge chairs. I placed our mugs on the table and sat down on the lounge chair across fromhim.

"You doing okay?" he questioned, taking a sip ofcoffee.

"I’m doing better now." I nodded. I didn't want to tell him the truth. I didn't want to tell him that I was terrified and falling apartinside.

"Do you think it washim?"

I looked up into his eyes and hesitated before answering him. "I don't know?Maybe?"

"Then you think there is apossibility?"

I shrugged and wrapped my arms around myself. The breeze coming off the bay was cool, but with the increase of stress and anxiety I was going through, I was freezing. I didn't know what Dean was capable of. I had never pushed him thisfar.

"Are you cold? Want to sit over here with me?" he asked, patting the cushion between hislegs.

"I'm okay. The coffee will warm me up." There was nothing I wanted more than to curl up with him on that chair and feel how warm and strong he was. I wanted to know what it would feel like to be in his arms again. I could feel him watching me, and I hoped that the look on my face didn't give away what I was thinking or feeling at thatmoment.

"So, when did you want to tell me the truth about what has gone on?" Parker looked me directly in the eye. "I know you haven't been completely honest with Elliott," hechallenged.

"Of course, I was. I told Elliott the truth," Ilied.

"Tatum, I know you, and so does Elliott. He isn't stupid. I know you're hiding something else. What about the bruises on your arms? You didn’t tell him about those. Where did those come from?" The intense look he was giving me was making meuncomfortable.

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