AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"That's right," he confirms. "I joined the Army right out of high school. I was planning on making it my career, but fate had other plans."
"Oh?"
"I caught a bullet in my abdomen a few years ago and was forced to retire."
"Oh my God," I gasp, reaching out for his hand. My stomach drops and all the air drains from my lungs. Even though I know he survived, obviously, since he's sitting right in front of me, panic creeps into my heart and floods my body.
Drake rubs his thumb over my knuckles, bringing me back into the moment.
"I'm alright now, angel. Don't you worry about me."
I can't help the blush that spreads across my face at his endearment for me. I'm far from an angel, but I don't mind him calling me one. I like the way his eyes go soft when he says it.
"Still. That must have been so scary. I'm sorry you had to experience that."
Drake smiles at me and squeezes my hand. "It hurt like a bitch, that's for sure. I was lost for a little bit after my surgeries, not sure what to do with my life. My mom and grandma convinced me to come back home, and well, you know how Mable is when she gets an idea in her head." He grins, and I can't help but return it. "What brought you and Carson out here?"
The smile drops from my face. I try to slip my hand from his, but Drake covers it with his other hand, holding me gently but firmly. I hoped we wouldn't have this conversation so soon, or possibly ever. I want to forget about the life I had before moving here.
I open my mouth to tell him something vague, like I relocated for a job at an accounting firm, but one look in his deep blue eyes, and I find myself doing the exact opposite. I can't believe I'm going to tell him the whole truth, yet I know there's no stopping it. What is it about this man?
"I found out my husband had been cheating on me pretty much the entire time we were together," I say in a rush. Drake growls and tightens his hold on my hand. I squeeze him right back. He's the only thing anchoring me right now. Maybe that's why I find myself telling him everything, even the awful, painful details Indie doesn't know. "I had just given birth to Carson when I discovered the truth. When I confronted him about it, he…" I take a deep breath and close my eyes. "He was rough with me. Slapped me around. Said I was frigid and that he did me a favor by marrying me and giving me a kid. And then he said he was leaving me for the other woman."
"Dead motherfucker," Drake grunts, his voice low and deadly.
I haven't opened my eyes yet. I can't. It's the first time I've said all of that out loud. Now that I've started, I can't seem to stop. "Indie knows he cheated and left me, but I didn't tell her he hit me and bounced my face off a wall. I didn't tell anyone aside from the officer I talked to down at the station when I filed a restraining order. I was so embarrassed I let my life become a cliché. Carson and I stayed in a hotel while the bruises healed, and then I told Indie about the cheating and convinced her to move out here with me."
My heart drops when Drake pulls his hands away from mine. I shouldn't have said all of that. I shouldn't have unloaded all of my garbage onto Drake. He's been nothing but kind, and now I've ruined…
I don't get a chance to finish that thought. Drake slips into the booth right next to me and pulls me into his arms. I don't know what comes over me, but I start sobbing. He holds me through it all, his shirt soaking up my tears and snot. Once again, I'm completely falling apart in Drake's presence, but I can't stop the tears.
"I've got you," he murmurs before kissing the top of my head. "I've got you, sweetheart. You're safe now."
All I can do is nod and cling to him as tears stream down my face. When I'm all cried out, Drake hands me a few napkins to clean myself up. I'm absolutely mortified—for the second time—at having a full-on meltdown in front of him.
"Sorry," I whisper. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I swear I'm usually in control of my emotions."
"There's no shame in letting go of that control and feeling what you need to feel," he says softly. "I'm humbled that you trust me to be here for you. Thank you for telling me all of that."
I stare at him in disbelief. Seriously, who is this guy? He'shumbledthat I snotted all over him? Is he for real?
Drake cups my face and presses his lips to my forehead, giving me the sweetest kiss. I almost start crying all over again, but I manage to swallow back my tears.
"I have to ask… is Carson's dad still part of the picture?"
"No." I shake my head emphatically. "We got divorced as soon as possible. He gave up his parental rights to Carson. As much as it killed me to have him abandon his son without so much as a second thought, I'm also grateful. I would have fought him tooth and nail to make sure that monster never got the chance to hurt Carson."
Drake nods and tucks some of my hair behind my ear. He holds my gaze, his eyes searching mine, picking me apart, and letting me see all of him as well. He wants me to see his truth and that he'd never hurt me. I believe him. I trust him, as crazy as that sounds. I must trust him if I just purged my soul to the man after knowing him for a little over a week.
"Can I kiss you, angel?" he murmurs, holding the side of my face and running his thumb back and forth over my cheek.
I nod and part my lips for him, unable to do anything else.
Drake rests his forehead on mine and breathes me in. The moment is so fragile, so tender, so everything I've been missing in my life.
And then his lips are on mine.
I gasp at the contact, a current of electricity zapping through my body. He groans softly and presses my body closer to his with a hand on the small of my back. I fist his shirt and draw him impossibly closer, needing more of his touch, his mouth, his strong, grounding presence.
