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I tried to swallow as I realized who the note was from. Keith had obviously done this. He was hell-bent on getting revenge for my non-commitment to him. I walked slowly into my bedroom and realized he’d rifled through all my things. I felt completely helpless, and I didn’t want to be alone.
I dialed Damon’s cell. “Hey, Karly. Is everything all right?” he asked, probably wondering why I was calling after having just left.
“Hi. I’m kinda in trouble. Keith ransacked my apartment, and I feel a bit vulnerable. Everything’s strewn about everywhere.”
“Shit, really? Well, come here and stay in the guest room. That guy is an accident waiting to happen. Are you okay?”
“Just shaken. I went to the store to pick up some things, and when I got home, he’d wrecked the place.”
“Thank god you weren’t by yourself last night,” he said.
“I know.”
“Okay, well, just get here when you can. There’s no rush. Bring what you need.”
“Thank you. See you soon.” I hung up the phone and got organized.
I grabbed my largest travel bag and packed some clothes into it. I made sure I had everything I needed to take. I was going to stay in the guest room for a while until this all blew over.
Before I left, I rang a twenty-four-hour locksmith to come and change the locks. I explained that my ex must’ve made a copy of the key before I’d gotten him to give it back to me. I explained the entire situation to the gentleman on the line, and he was more than happy to have it done before lunchtime the next day. The new key would be left with the apartment office.
When I got to Damon’s, my hands still shook with the shock of what had happened. Keith was a loose cannon, but I hadn’t believed he was capable of such a disgusting act. As I knocked on Damon’s door, I struggled to hold back my tears. My home had been infiltrated and damaged. I’d been struck on a personal level. It wasn’t a nice feeling, not at all.
I was greeted by a consoling smile and a kind, warm hug. Thank god he was there for me. I didn’t like to lean on anyone except my parents and Sarah sometimes, but I’d never needed it more than tonight.
“Hey, you,” he said, holding me tightly. It was the safest I’d felt all night.
“Thank you,” I said, enjoying his beautiful embrace.
He let go and then helped me with my bag. I hated bringing my emotional baggage with me. This mess from my past shouldn’t have had an effect on anyone else, especially Alexis. My mind was buzzing. How could I concentrate on anything when the sight I’d encountered at my place wouldn’t stop haunting me? My apartment was in a shambles, and Keith was obviously on the warpath.
“I don’t want any of this to affect you or Alexis. I didn’t know he could get this crazy. Maybe I should ask Sarah if—”
“It’s fine. This building is secure, and we need you, Karly. It’s all right. That guy can’t touch you here. What a fucking jerk he is.”
His words permeated into my soul. He was the real deal, a perfect gentleman, completely masculine with a kind and compassionate side as well. I needed a friend, and he was more than what I’d expected a man to be for me, not like Keith at all. He never made me do anything I didn’t want to do and never complained about me. There was no judgment at all. I felt extremely lucky to be with him in my time of need.
“Looks like you’ll be staying for a while,” he said, looking at my humongous bag overflowing with clothes.
He gave me a wide grin, and then we went to bed, exhausted from the day. We shared a long kiss before we parted ways. I slept in the guest room in case Alexis awoke in the middle of the night. I felt at peace there, safe. I couldn’t remember feeling so loved by any man.
The next morning, bright and early, Alexis walked out holding Clara. “Karly! You’re still here! Are you living with me and Dada?”
“Yes,” I said. “At least I am for now.”
I began making breakfast as Alexis’s smile washed over her face. Her attention on me was short-lived, as a favorite cartoon became the new object of her affection. I was running thirty minutes late, but Damon didn’t seem to mind waiting at all. My alarm had gone off, but I’d pressed snooze. I must’ve needed a big rest.
Damon read the morning paper and topped up his coffee, making me one as well. “That French toast smells divine,” he said, allowing the smell to filter through his nostrils.
Alexis was already enjoying her bagel with strawberry cream cheese. “Mine tastes like how a rainbow would, like strawberry heaven.”
