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He didn't leave her side while she finished her punishment. And there was no doubt in her mind this time that she'd been disciplined.
When her two minutes were up, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she wept against his shoulder.
"I'm s-sorry."
"I know,tesoro. It's been a stressful few days." His arms tightened around her. "But you can't take it out on everyone else. We're your family, and we all care about you. Luca would have understood you being upset if you hadn't thrown a tantrum."
Sighing, she shifted so she was snuggled closer. "Why do they believe him?" she asked after a long silence.
"Your parents?"
"Yes." That, at the core, was why she was so upset. But it was easier to blame the team for screwing up than to admit her own parents had betrayed her.
"I don't know. I wish I did." Rocking her gently, he brushed his lips over her hair. "Sometimes it's hard for people to accept something horrible about someone they've put so much faith in, despite the evidence."
"I get that. But they're my family." Her breath caught in her chest when a new wave of tears started. "What am I supposed to do without them?"
"You'll lean on your other family. The family downstairs, who loves you and is going to stand by you through all of this."
"It still hurts."
"I know." His arms tightened around her, and the aching in her heart began to ease. "I wish I could make it stop."
Tilting her head up, she pressed a kiss to his jaw. "You can." At least for a little while. He had that power, to make her forget about everything while they were together.
"Later,tesoro.When your apologies are made and we've talked it all through."
Trying to ignore the sting of his refusal, she tucked her head under his chin again. "Okay," she agreed quietly.
"I'd give everything I have for you to never have gone through this."
The pain in his voice just added to the guilt she already felt. "They were my choices. And they had consequences. I'm just grateful to have my sisters and all of you to help me through the next steps."
"That sounds dangerously close to you saying you deserved what he did to you."
The ice in his tone made her shiver. Once, when Teagan and Ro had finally convinced her to let the men help her, she'd made the mistake of trying to excuse Branson's treatment. She'd explained why he'd hit her and even gone so far as to say she deserved it. That was the first time Jason had threatened to spank her. And he'd made it clear if she so much as hinted at anything like it again, he'd paddle her raw.
Heart racing, she shook her head. "No, I just mean… I don't know." She sighed. "I didn't deserve it. But I made decisions in my life that led me to him. And I ignored all the warning signs."
"This isn't your fault. It's his." Frustration echoed in every syllable. "Stop blaming yourself."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are. I want you to talk to Teagan when we're ready to get back to our regularly scheduled lives. She has resources, people you can talk to. I'm not going to let you spend the rest of your life with even the smallest shred of doubt in your mind about who is at fault here. Understand?"
The words came easily when she felt so thoroughly chastised and put in her place. "Yes, Daddy."
"Good girl." How one simple phrase had the power to make her feel so warm and peaceful, she didn't know. It was her own personal miracle. "Ready to go downstairs?"
Heat flooded her cheeks at the prospect of facing Luca again after her outburst, but she nodded. "As I'll ever be, I suppose."
"I'll be right there with you,tesoro."
Her churning stomach calmed at his declaration. She could do anything with him beside her.
Chapter 8
As he'd promised, Jason stood just behind his girl as she stammered out her apology to Luca.
