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“I was afraid it would be,” Veronica admitted. “But it was… nice. Thank you. I know this was your idea.”
“Actually, it was mostly Connelly’s. My idea was to turn it into a girl’s night with everyone.”
A warm flush spread across Veronica’s cheeks at the mention of Connelly. It brought back memories of their afternoon together and made her think of everything she wanted to do to him when he got home.
“He’s a good man,” she said finally.
“He is,” Alexis agreed, chuckling softly as she rinsed the wine glasses. “A tad overprotective, but then again, aren’t all great men?”
“Is Shane overprotective?”
Alexis snorted. “That’s like asking if water’s wet. He can’t help himself.”
Veronica laughed, the sound echoing around the now-empty room as she helped Alexis wash the remaining dishes. It felt nice, natural even. A moment of normalcy.
“Can I ask you something?” she blurted and turned to face Alexis. “How are you so... okay?”
Alexis paused, and for a brief moment, Veronica thought she might have crossed a line. But then Alexis drew a deep breath and looked toward her sleeping sister on the couch. Rebel was tucked into a tight ball behind Ellie’s legs, and Alfie was snuggled into her arms like a teddy bear, only his fluffy ears visible from under the blanket draped over them.
“Ellie says I’m not. And maybe she’s right.” She finished drying the last wine glass, slid it into the holder on the wall, and then set the towel down. “I just... I guess I don’t want him to win, you know? If I let what he did to me consume me, it’s giving him exactly what he wanted. He wanted to destroy me before he killed me. He didn’t get the chance to kill me, and I refuse to give him the rest of what he wanted.”
“Does it help to know that he’s in jail? The men who...” She swallowed hard as the word ‘rape’ stuck in her throat. “Hurt me were never punished, and I’ve always wondered if I would feel differently if they’d been caught.”
Alexis hesitated a second too long.
“Wait.” Veronica stared at her in shock. “He has been caught, hasn’t he?”
She shook her head. “No. He’s still out there somewhere.”
“But I thought... Didn’t Ash arrest someone?”
“Jaxon Thorne.” She touched the thin scar on her neck. “He hurt me to hurt Shane, but he’s not the one who raped me. I still don’t know who it was.”
“Aren’t you terrified?”
“Every day,” Alexis admitted, a grim smile on her lips. “And every morning, when I wake up and realize it wasn’t just a nightmare. And every night, if Shane’s not home and I’m alone in the darkness. And every moment in between when my heart jumps at the sound of footsteps that aren’t there. But I refuse to live in that fear. I’ll be damned if I let him steal any more of me than he already has.” She glanced at her sleeping sister again and smiled as Ellie’s soft snores filled the quiet room. “But having Ellie in my life makes it easier. And Shane.” She met Veronica’s gaze. “You have Connelly now. And me. And all of Redwood Coast Rescue. It’s time to stop letting the assholes who hurt you steal your life.”
Veronica bit back the tears that threatened to spill. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It’s not,” Alexis replied, her voice soft and understanding. “It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do.”
Veronica nodded, though she found herself unable to respond immediately. The honesty Alexis showed was humbling. Maybe it was the solidarity in their shared trauma, or maybe it was just the kind of person Alexis was— raw, sincere, and brave.
“Thank you,” Veronica murmured after a long silence, the words sounding inadequate in her own ears. But what else could she say?
Alexis smiled warmly, reaching out to touch Veronica’s arm in a comforting gesture. “Hey, what are friends for?”
Friends.
Wow.
She actually had friends again.
Headlights flashed through the window, and they both turned toward the front of the house.
“That’s probably your man,” Alexis said. “Let me wake Miss Snores-a-Lot, and we’ll get out of your hair.”
It took both of them to pull Ellie, who was more than a little tipsy, to her feet.
