AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With that, I slump back into the seat, staring out the window as a headache blooms in my temples.
“The officer didn’t want to help because of who you are?” I watch his finger tap tensely on the steering wheel.
“Bingo.” My sarcasm echoes around the front seat.
When the horn beeps and I hear Patrick mutterfuckas his fist reverberates off the wheel, I’m more shocked than I am scared.
“They shouldn’t have treated you like that. I shouldn’t have either. Shit, this town has done you dirty, Cassandra. I have. I’m a fucking asshole. You didn’t deserve it then, and you don’t deserve it now. This isn’t your fault.”
His eyes pin me, and I can’t help but meet them. “I know that.”
“Good.” He nods slowly, his knuckles white as his bicep bulges under the strain he’s placing on it. “I’m going to come back and make sure everything is secure.”
Just like that, a little piece of me wants to put all my eggs in Patrick’s basket. I want him to fix this because I’m too tired to. I want to rely on someone, and even though I know it’s hopeless to trust him, my eyes begin to droop.
“Rest, Cassandra.” His hand covers mine, and I savor the warmth.
The motion of the car lulls me to sleep.
12
PATRICK
Driving past the lane to my family’s house and out to Butch’s old place is risky because the visibility is high, and someone is probably watching.
But I’d done it earlier this morning after Cassandra dropped her car off. I wasn’t taking the chance that she wouldn’t go file a report and told me she would just to appease me. Bringing her was the only option, so bringing her home was, too. I couldn’t very well dump her off on the side of the road because someone in my family might see me over here.
Cassandra’s words bounce off the sides of my mind, about how I was a coward for not wanting to walk into the station with her.
Fuck, I really am. I have to stop it. Stop this. I’m either in or out. Either explore whatever this might be, get her to forgive me so I can get closer to her, and damn it to hell, whatever the rest of the town thinks. Or leave her alone completely.
I’m crossing the boundary I set up for myself and will take whatever consequences are thrown at me.
She’s been sleeping for most of the short drive out here, and she looks so at peace that I almost want to keep driving so that she can rest. I have a feeling she’s been running on fumes and fear since last night, and I want to be a safe space for her.
But we’re here, and I need to see the damage left behind. I want to fix it for her.
“Cassandra …” Brushing her cheek with the pad of my thumb, she rouses.
“What?” She’s dazed, those long lashes kissing her cheeks in prolonged blinks before they focus.
“We’re back at your father’s house. I want to let you sleep, but I also want to go inside and see what needs to be patched up.”
As I open my door and unfold my legs from the driver’s side, I hear her say, “You don’t have to come in. I get it, you’re only going to help so much.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been a pathetic coward up until this point. Actually, I’ve been one for a long time where you’re concerned. Let me make it up to you?”
Green eyes hold my stare, and I get my answer when she turns for the front door without saying no. I grab the bag of supplies she left in the back seat and then join her, stepping in front of her when it’s clear she can’t walk up the steps to open the door.
The screen is crooked on its hinges, though I’m pretty sure it was always like that, not from the break-in. The porch sags beneath our feet, and even though I was just out here feeding the animals, I hadn’t realized how much the house needs a total revamp. Or a teardown because it might be beyond repair.
Walking in, I clock the overturned lamp, broken glass from a living room window, and a couple of other things that are turned over. Cassandra stands, staring at that glass like she’s reliving it all. The urge to carry this woman’s fear is overwhelming and should be a red flag.
See, I do this. I meet a woman and think she’s the most incredible thing in the world. I fall hard and fast and have been told that I love to love. It’s why I’ve refrained from getting into a relationship for half a year. I haven’t looked at another woman since calling off my engagement. I can’t trust my judgment, and I’m terrified that I’ll never know if it’s right when I find the woman I’m meant to spend forever with.
But standing here with Cassandra? I want to say fuck it all. I want to be her everything, and we’re nothing to each other. It’s the most overpowering sensation I’ve ever felt in my life.
“You got some plywood, right? I’ll patch that window and call a friend, a contractor who can come out and replace the window. It’ll probably take a few days, but I’ll try to seal it as tight as I can. Won’t be too cold for another couple of weeks, so it won’t be too bad.”
