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I search his eyes to see if he’s lying to me. The look in his eyes is telling me that he’s not lying to me.
“I met Amara when we were fourteen. She was my first and only till now.”
“What about the club bunnies? Luciana said that they’re there for the men to enjoy.”
“They’re not for me to enjoy. I’ve never touched them.”
“What about the one that was near you tonight? Luciana said her name was Chelsea.”
I try to keep the jealousy out of my voice, but it’s hard. I saw what Chelsea looked like, she was really pretty and I can see why men would want her.
“Chelsea has been trying to get me to sleep with her since I got here. But I’ve never touched her.”
I frown at him. I want to believe him, but I saw some of the other men with the bunnies too. Then again, Romano has never given me a reason not to trust him. So I need to believe him.
“Promise?”
“I promise you, Simone. I have never touched anyone after Amara. And you will be the only one I’ll be with from now on.”
I wrap my arms around him, I can barely touch my fingers together as I hold him. I love how protected I feel in his arms. I’ve never felt safe before. Not like this.
Chapter Eight
Romano
While Simone and Lucy pack up their stuff, I call Caitríona and let her know that I’m bringing them back with me. She’s really happy that they decided to come and live on the property. They’re getting the cottage that’s closest to mine ready. I want to ask Simone if she’d like to live with me. But before I do that, maybe she needs to live on her own for a bit. The waiting is going to be really hard. But I think it’s the best way, she needs to know that she’s strong and can do this. Her parents took away her voice, I want to give it back to her.
“Okay, I’m ready,” Lucy says as she comes out of the bathroom.
“If you forget anything, they’ll get it to you. Perks of living in a small town.” I chuckle.
Lucy comes over to me and whispers, “Please be good to Simone. She could’ve left me when Thomas and Robin left. But she stayed with me, and even when my father was hitting her? She stayed for me.”
Anger is bubbling up in me when Lucy says their father beat Simone. I will find that man and show him what it feels like to be beaten. Fucking coward beating his daughter. He’ll be lucky to be able to walk when I’m done with him.
“I’m ready too,” Simone says, coming out of the room.
“The women are getting your house together, it should be ready by the time we get there. They’re really excited that you’re coming to live with all of us.”
“I don’t know how to thank all of you for everything.”
“I keep meaning to ask you, why did you pick Lake Renegade?”
“I thought it sounded nice. Lucy got excited about there being a lake. So we decided to stop here first. And if I couldn’t find a job, we would try somewhere else. When we got here, I saw Precious Risings Bakery. It felt right. And when I went in and talked to Rosaura, she hired me on the spot. All she asked is if I’ve worked in a bakery before. I never thought we’d be this lucky.”
I hug my Simone tight. “I’m really happy that you chose Lake Renegade.”
“Hey! I helped too!” Lucy raises her eyebrow at us.
I grab her and add her to our hug. I love the giggles coming from both of them. With every smile and every laugh, they’re helping my heart heal.
“Okay, let’s get you checked out and to your new home.”
“Yes! Will we be living near you?” Lucy asks as we get into the elevator.
“Yep. And near Francesco and Mitchell.”
“Oh! That’s fun! I love Saoirse, she’s adorable,” Lucy cheers. “And the otters! I can’t wait to get to know them more.”
