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“Julian Dempsey,” I confess.
Kristie frowns as she tries to place the name.
“They call him JD, he’s?—”
“Reid’s best friend,” she finishes for me. “And they’re seriously all cool with sharing you?”
I consider her question for a moment. “Mostly,” I say with a laugh. “Some are more willing than others.”
“Let me guess, your husband has the hardest time with it?”
Releasing her, I move around in front of her, unsure just how much help she needs or wants right now.
“Do you want me to…” I nod toward her dirty shirt.
Suddenly, I’m ten again and helping my seven-year-old sister get ready for her weekly bath.
She nods once and averts her gaze.
Sucking in a deep breath, I wrap my fingers around the hem of the shirt and pull it up, trying not to focus on the concave shape of her stomach, or her ribs, or the cuts and bruises that mar her tiny body.
“Surprisingly, no,” I continue, answering her previous question. “Mav’s been… He’s been pretty amazing. We’ve actually been married for five years. It wasn’t all that long after you…” I trail off, letting the shirt drop to the floor before I help her step into the tub.
The water is hot, possibly a little too hot, but I figure she’d appreciate it. I know I would if I were in her situation.
“But we didn’t… take things to the next level until recently. Until Reid and JD?—”
“You were married to him for five years and you never… you know,” she says, reminding me of the sweet, innocent girl she used to be.
“KK, you’re an adult now. You can talk about sex with me.”
A humorless laugh spills from her lips.
“I don’t want to be an adult. I want to be a kid again. I want to go back to when it was just me and you. I want to remember what it’s like not to hurt like this all the fucking time.”
My knees hit the tiled floor with a thud and I lean over the side of the tub to hold her hand.
“I know, baby girl. But it’s going to be better. Neither of us might be the girls we were back then, but it’s never too late to start over.
“We have a family now. A real family. One who cares. One with real love, not the bullshit we were brought up to believe was real.”
“I hate him,” she sobs. “I hate everything he ever did. To me, to you, to Mom.”
“I know, sweetie.” I want to tell her that she can’t possibly hate him any more than I do, but I know that comparing like that won’t do us any good.
“We’re going to end him, KK. We’ve already taken Mav’s father down. Ours and Victor Harris are next.”
She pulls back from my shoulder and looks at me curiously.
“It’s a long story, but all of this, everything that’s happened to both of us, it’s their fault.”
“But Victor is Reid’s dad. The way he used to look up to him. Mav too.”
“Like I said, long story. We’re not the only ones who’ve suffered here. They have too. And it’s time it stopped.”
“Wow,” she breathes.
“I know this is all a lot right now but…” I hesitate as I sit back on my haunches and study her.
