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"Oh, Evie." In an instant, she found herself in Ro's arms again. "You poor thing."
"It's fine. It happened, and I got out. You two." Taking a deep breath, she reached for Teagan's hand and gripped it tightly. "You gave me the strength I needed to get out. I guess, now, I just need to decide if I'm strong enough to move forward."
Several moments of heavy silence passed before Ro gave her a hard squeeze. "Okay, this discussion calls for wine. And hair dye."
Evie's tummy fluttered at the mention of hair dye. "Oh. Is that a good combination?"
Ro shrugged and climbed off the couch. "Probably not. But it's just hair. We can always dye it back or grow it out."
"Right," Evie mumbled as Ro ran for the stairs. "It's just hair." She looked at Teagan, who just laughed.
"This was your idea, Fancy. Too late now. I'll get you that wine."
* * *
An hour later,she was feeling delightfully tipsy as Ro slathered a pale pink dye onto her hair. Teagan had chased the men away for a few hours so the sisters could, as she had said, 'do some girlie crap together.' After significant grumbling and a warning from Luca about her bossy ways, the men had finally left to go into town and pick up some supplies.
Tipping her head back, Evie groaned at Ro's gentle touch. "Can I ask you something, RoRo?"
Teagan snickered. "RoRo?"
"Leave her alone, Tea. I think it's cute. What's your question, Fancy?"
"How did you know you wanted to be with O? Especially with all the spanking and stuff."
"I just did." Ro sighed, and Evie's heart ached at the depth of love in the sound. "My mom says that The Mother pushed us together, knowing we were always meant to be. All I know is—it's going to sound cheesy—he called to me, his soul to mine. His strength made me feel safe in ways I hadn't before. And there was a tenderness under the stubborn, hard-ass exterior I hadn't expected. We complemented each other perfectly, even when we were butting heads. So when he spanked me, I knew he did it out of love and concern, not out of a desire to control me or change me. That was important to me. I don't need to be changed, just... redirected, sometimes."
Evie blinked back tears. "That's lovely."
"Keeping you out of prison didn't hurt," Teagan put in, laughing and ducking when Ro swatted at her. "Well, it didn't!"
"No, it didn't. My mother would lay down and die if she knew how much I enjoyed playing damsel in distress." This time, her sigh was deep and lustful. "But the heart wants what the heart wants."
Evie glanced over to where Teagan was leaning against the counter, watching them. "What about you, Tea? What was it about Luca?"
It was unusual, and rather delightful, to see color blooming on Teagan's cheeks. "He didn't take no for an answer," she replied dryly.
"There has to be more, Tea." Feeling playful from the wine, Evie pouted prettily at her sister. "Please?"
"Jesus. Jay is going to have his hands full with you." Teagan finished off her wine and poured herself another glass before answering. "He didn't let me push him around. That was new for me, and it made me respect him. I realized, at some point, I couldn't be with a man I didn't respect." Looking down, she swirled the wine in her glass. A small smile softened her normally stony features. "And he loves me. Really loves me, as a person. Not as a paycheck or another means to an end. It's the first time I've felt… cherished, I guess would be the right word."
"That's what it is." Evie straightened in her chair, ignoring Ro's admonishments to stay still. "Jason makes me feel safe, but that's not all of it. When he looks at me or touches me, it's like I'm the most precious thing in all of creation. I want that feeling to last forever."
"It's not all warm fuzzies," Teagan said, studying her with the flat, cop eyes that always gave Evie a little chill. "He's going to be hard on you at times. Even our sweet Jay has his limits."
"I know. But I've seen how it is with you two. There's no… uncertainty. You know where the boundaries are, and when you step over them, you do it knowing full well what will happen. That's a big part of what was so scary with Branson. I never knew what was going to set him off. And there was no set way to do things. Even when I did exactly as he said, he'd change the rules on me or find reasons to terrorize me anyway. It was about power and control. Not love."
"Just be sure to talk to him, okay?" Ro gave her hair a little tug. "More than any of us, you need to communicate your needs and limits. If he wants something you're not comfortable with, you're allowed to say no."
"And that, in itself, is a gift. I know you're concerned, but I actually have given this a great deal of consideration. I accept that I may not know exactly what I'm getting into, but I trust Jason. Maybe not as much as I would have before Branson, but more than I believed I could after him."
Ro gave another heavy, dreamy sigh. "That's so romantic. I'm so happy for you guys!" Once again, Ro's arms were around her. She'd almost gotten used to her sister's complete disregard for personal space. Pulling away, Ro grinned at her. "Let's rinse that hair, and you can see the new you."
"Oh, God." Evie felt the color drain from her face. "I don't know if I can."
"Don't be silly." Tugging on her hand, Ro pulled Evie up out of her chair. "It's going to be perfect."
Despite her reservations, her hair was rinsed and dried and styled while Ro chatted away about everything under the sun. When she was done, Ro dragged her back into the bathroom and covered her eyes while she situated her in front of the mirror.
