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Kace’s breath caught, his fingers gripping the pile he’d pulled from the manila envelope as he looked at the first picture. He was so still for a moment that I wasn’t sure he would continue. As he slowly flipped through each one, I could feel the anger rolling off him from where I sat, but that wasn’t the only emotion he possessed.
There was pain etched across his stubbled, clenched jaw.
Memories flooded my brain and I could practically feel each punch, kick, and hear the cruel words being thrown at me as my body took one beating after beating.
“He was careful to hide it at first, but then he didn’t care anymore and would just make sure I couldn’t go anywhere so nobody would see anyway.” I hadn’t meant to speak out loud; my thoughts had just come tumbling free.
The pictures fluttered to the floor and I sucked in a gulp of air as Kace came over to me, his knees hitting the floor in front of me.
My heart broke.
But not for myself.
Tears trickled down Kace’s face and at the sight, although extremely sad, healed a part of my heart I thought was dead forever.
He was crying for me.
“Baby, it kills me to know what you went through. As enraged as I am right now, I don’t think that is what you need.” Both his hands took mine and held on. “I just want to make sure you never feel anything like what I just saw again.” His voice was rough and shook with emotion.
The vulnerable side of Kace was both heartbreaking and endearing. While I hated to see him hurting it touched me that the big, powerful man could feel so much. But how did he see me?
“What is it?” he asked, picking up on the turmoil running through my head.
I bit my bottom lip, drawing a trickle of blood and pain. I was so scared to ask the questions that I needed the answers to. Inhaling deep through my nose, drawing in air, I closed my eyes and reached deep for courage.
“Do you see me differently or think I’m weak?” I whispered, my voice catching as the words came free.
He stood, pulling me up out of the chair and we stood facing one another. His hands left mine and he softly planted them on each one of my cheeks.
“Teal, you are the strongest person I know. You have been through so much, from losing your mom so young, the pain and hurt your dad inflicted on you, and the abuse from a husband who was supposed to cherish you, and yet you broke free from it all.”
His thumbs made tiny, soothing motions as they brushed back and forth on my cheek and I closed my eyes and just let it seep into me.
Every word, every feeling, and the power of his touch.
“And you saved me.”
My eyes popped open. I’d thought I had heard him wrong. What was he talking about? How could I have possibly saved him?
“After what happened to me I never thought I would care about someone again that way or even more. You showed me how to overcome my past. How to be brave.” His hands dropped and it was his turn to close his eyes. Then they opened, his brown globes, sparkling with what?
“And you taught me what reallovewas.”
Love?
“Yeah, baby. I am falling deeply and it’s for you. Don’t say anything, we will take it slow. Just know how much I feel for you.”
In my heart, I knew what he was saying was what I felt too, but I was still scared. But I needed to be near him.
“Will you hold me tonight while I sleep?” I don’t know where that had come from but I knew it was what I needed the second the words fell from my lips.
Kace’s eyes widened with shock but he recovered quickly. “Anything you want.”
That was how I had found myself later that evening laying in my bed, fully clothed, facing Kace as we held hands and talked throughout the night.
This of course in between bottle feedings and rocking my sweet boy back to sleep, which Kace was a part of each time.
And as the early morning sun rose and bright light trickled through the blinds, I’d woken to Kace’s arms around me from behind as we lay close in my bed, his touch speaking to my heart and soul.
