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I couldn’t finish typing the rest of the words. I wanted to know straight out how bad he hurt her but still couldn’t bring myself to flat out ask everything I wanted to know. I’d told her she would tell me when ready but I just couldn’t help myself right then.
As a minute passed I thought she’d fallen asleep or didn’t want to answer and was about to say goodnight and let it be when her message came through.
Teal - Yes, he physically abused me. I have pictures to prove it.
My world came off its axis. I wasn’t sure how I would ever look at those pictures if she showed me and not find the man and kill him. My breathing was fast and out of control with rage and sadness for her. My finger clenched tight. I sent her another text.
Kace - We’ll get him, Teal. We will make him pay and get him out of your life.
Teal - There’s more but I can’t talk about it right now. It scares me to think about him finding me to do it again.
God, I needed to hold her. She felt like she was a million miles away instead of right down the hall. That thought came tumbling out in another message. My control was slipping.
Kace - I wish I could hold you right now.
Why did I say that? Now she was probably even more freaked out than she already was. But I wanted to do just that, more than I wanted my next breath. When her text came back all the oxygen left my lungs and I was scrambling out of bed.
Teal - Me too. Come back and do that.
That was how I found myself for the rest of the night. I’d rushed to get some clothes on and sprinted down the hall to her place. Once she let me safely inside we turned on a movie and I wrapped her in my arms on the couch where we had both finally fallen asleep.
Cocooned in each other's embrace and warmth, I felt peace settle over both of us and the nightmares I knew we both had, never emerged.
If we could only stay like this forever.
ChapterTwenty
TEAL
The early lightof day shone through the cracks in the blinds.
A slight snore and warm breath tickled my ear as I breathed in the man next to me. My hand had fallen to his tight, sculpted chest and I froze at the feel of it.
Awareness, lust, and desire rushed through me. It was a feeling I never had before, nor did I have a clue what to do with it. Just as I was about to pull my hand from his body, pain sliced through my lower belly and I gasped.
What was happening? Was I going into labor?
My body jerked and I doubled over in agony, the move waking Kace. His body went on alert in a split second as if he was ready to fend off the enemy.
“Something is wrong. It hurts sobad, Kace,” I cried out.
It wasn’t time for me to have the baby. I was just over a week away but I had ignored the pains that had been plaguing me during the previous evening and through the night. I’d just wanted to spend time with Kace and soak up the way he made me feel.
He may have messed up but he had done more for me than I could have ever imagined someone would and the emotions he brought out in me were ones I couldn’t ignore. But I had ignored what my body was telling me and now I was scared about what was happening.
“Honey, take a deep breath. I’m going to help you up and then we’re going to head to the hospital.” Kace softly rubbed circular motions over my back.
I couldn’t go to the hospital. It was a workday and I needed the money. I’d been fretting and worried that I wouldn’t have a job after I had my little one. They assured me I would but what if I couldn’t find someone to watch the baby or didn’t have enough money for that?
“I can’t, we have to get to work. Kace, I need the money and—” My words were cut off by what I was now assuming were contractions. But how? Why now? I screamed.
Breathing through the pain, it finally calmed once again and I tried pushing to my feet. Kace put his weight under my arm and pulled me up with him and that’s when all hell broke loose. Well, something broke, that was a fact.
My water.
I stared down at the puddle all over my floor, but I didn’t have time to be embarrassed because another contraction was already coming. I didn’t think it was supposed to happen this way. Kace balanced my weight and reached for his phone on the coffee table.
“What are you doing, we need to go,” I rushed to say. I may have not wanted to go to the hospital but right then it was becoming clear I had no choice in the matter.
