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“Don’t let me find out you’ve been abusing her or there will be hell to pay.”
“No sir, I’d never do that.” David handed him the keys and swiftly rounded the car to open Kiera’s door. He held his hand out to assist her, and his brows drew together at how hard she pulled his hand to step out of the car.
“I guess I’m not very graceful anymore,” she chided herself.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Kiera. We’re not in our twenties anymore.”
He kept his hand at the small of her back as they entered the restaurant and were taken to their table. He’d heard they had private booths, so he’d asked for one. It was actually a little, enclosed room with only their table and a door that closed them in. It’d be perfect for a private conversation, and yet public enough that they would both be on their best behavior.
“This is beautiful. I’ve never heard of this place, and now I wonder why,” she breathed. He watched her glancing around the room at the stunning carved wooden panels. The room was dark with the wooden walls. A single chandelier hung above the table, casting a soft glow over the room. The five candles on the table were white and of varying heights, the base made of brass. A small square glass vase sat in the middle of the table with a collection of white roses, gardenias, baby’s breath, and greens of varying shades to set them off. He watched her eye the flowers then lightly touch the petals. A soft smile formed on her face, and, in the candlelight, he thought she was absolutely stunning.
As if she knew he was watching, her hazel eyes sought his and deepened in color as he watched. They were spectacular.
He reached for her hand, and she instantly took hold and squeezed his fingers. He cleared his throat, and a knock on the door made him jump. “Come in.”
A waiter, dressed in black dress pants, a crisp white shirt, black jacket, and black bow tie entered with menus and water. He took their drink order and quietly left the room.
“Thank you, David; this is gorgeous, and I’m absolutely enchanted by this place.” Her smile reached her eyes, and he was enthralled with the little lines at the corners. They added so much character.
“You’re welcome, Kiera. As soon as we discussed dinner, I knew we had to come here.” He glanced down at his menu, and though his stomach was tight and he was unsure of being able to eat anything, he decided on the Italian rib eye. At least he could eat that for breakfast or lunch if need be.
The waiter delivered their drinks, and they each ordered. He chuckled when Kiera ordered the same thing.
He held his glass up to her, and she tapped her wineglass to his as she offered, “Salute.”
9
“Isuppose we should have that discussion while we wait for dinner.” Her stomach was in knots, but she wanted to be up-front with him and get this out of the way.
“I told you why I left. Why I had to leave.” She cleared her throat and took a quick drink of water. When she looked up, he was watching her. “Nicholas was dangerous. He’d been following me for weeks. He didn’t love me, or even like me, for that matter. He wanted to hurt my father. Punish him for what he’d done. I was collateral damage.”
David took her hand in his and concentrated on her words. She saw his jaw tick a few times, and his grip on her hand tightened, but she merely squeezed back, and he softened his hold.
“In many ways, I think Nicholas hated me because I reminded him of my father. At first, before my parents would come to the house for dinner, which was monthly, he would make sure I had a black eye or a bruise on my cheek or a broken arm—something to remind my father it was his fault.”
Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat. “The second year we were married, I got pregnant. I thought about leaving. I didn’t know what I would do. I had no money, no friends, no job, and I couldn’t go to my parents. There was a secretary who came to the house when Nicholas worked from home. I saw her give me some pitiful looks, and she always made sure to say hello to me. I thought maybe she would help me. I slipped her a note one day, and she told Nicholas. It wasn’t even an hour later. I was in my bedroom, and he raged into the room, grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me against the wall. I hit my head and passed out. When I woke, I had miscarried.”
“Jesus,” David bit out. He took a large drink of his wine and sat back in his chair.
“After that, no one came to the house. I wasn’t allowed phone privileges or guests, except my parents, once a month.” Taking a drink of wine herself, she waited to see if he would say anything further. Nothing. His jaw tightened, and his lips formed a straight line across his handsome face.
She continued. “I went on autopilot. Nicholas stayed away, though I was heavily guarded. After a couple of years, I was allowed short excursions to town to shop. A guard came with me, and I was only allowed four hours. If I was going to purchase anything, the guard would pay for it, so I didn’t talk to the clerk. That was my life. I decided I would just exist.”
Tears welled in David’s eyes, and she watched him swallow several times, but oddly, she wasn’t tearing up. It actually felt like a weight was being lifted from her shoulders.
David composed himself, though he now sat stiffly upright in his chair, his hands on the armrests. When he could speak, he said, “You could have come to me, Kiera. Tried to get to me.”
“My mom told he you’d gone into the Army. I had no way to get to you.”
She searched his eyes and noticed the moment he knew that to be true.
Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing, she continued, “I guess around year nine, my mom told me at dinner one night that you had married. She saw it in the paper. You see, when I could, I’d ask her if she heard about you, where you were, what you were doing. Somewhere deep down, I had hope.” The tears flowed now. “I lost hope that day because you’d moved on.”
A sob tore from his throat. It sounded strained and painful as he tried holding it back. “I didn’t blame you, David. But, I was heartbroken.” She looked over at a painting on the wall and stared for a long time at the Italian soldier in his finery. “Nicholas was enraged that I was crying over you. He beat me in front of my parents. He smacked my mother a few times for saying anything, and he slammed my father into the wall, knocking him unconscious. It was horrible. My mother and I huddled together, each trying to shield the other. They weren’t allowed back at the house for two years. Not until I had Vanessa. My mother begged him and promised she’d do anything he asked of her if she could just see me again and meet her granddaughter.”
David quickly stood up, knocking his chair over, and she flinched back and ducked her head. The horror on his face was instant.
“Kiera, I’d never … I’m not that monster.”
