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“Mommy!” Kian shouted, and when I looked up this time, I could see him banging his little fist on the window, his face as white as a ghost. His franticness caused Reed to start screaming, and for the first time since I’d left our family home behind, I felt…lost.
“I’m coming,” I told them both, taking another step. Each one was wobbly, but I managed to make it halfway to the car before footsteps gained my attention. I didn’t bother looking up, too intent on getting to the boys as Kian’s shouting wasn’t stopping.
“Peyton?” a deep voice called. “You okay?”
I breathed deep as I moved my gaze off my car and to the man standing on the driveway next to mine. “I…” I wanted to say I was fine. I wanted to tell him to mind his own business, just like he had with me days ago when I’d gone to check on Bailey. But…the sound of my boys screaming because they couldn’t get to me was breaking my heart. “I fell and…” I trailed off as I pulled my hand from my arm and held it up to him.Where the hell was all of this blood coming from?
“Fuck,” Rafael cursed, but within seconds he was over to me, his large hands wrapping around my arm, one just above my elbow and the other on my wrist. “Where did you fall?”
I jerked my head toward my front door. “On the wall. There’s a brick that sticks out.”
“Stay here,” Rafael ordered as he pushed me against the wall. I did as he said, not having the energy to tell him that I could manage this. I couldn’t, not right in that second, and although I didn’t know this man, there was something in my gut that told me I could trust him.
If there was one thing I’d learned over the last seven years since Travis and I had been together, it was to listen to my gut. It had told me to get as far away from him as possible, it had warned me that he wasn’t the man he portrayed himself as, but I’d ignored it. I hadn’t listened to my instincts.
It was different now though.I was different.
“Damn, that’s sharp.” I turned my head to look at Rafael who was touching the brick that was protruding from the wall. “It’s like a damn blade. How long has it been like this?”
“Since I moved in,” I told him, clearing my throat and feeling like the world was spinning beneath my feet.
“No wonder you’re bleeding so bad.” He shook his head and made for me again, this time grabbing just my wrist and leading me to my front door. “Go inside.”
“No.” I shook my head, trying to move past him, but his height—over six feet—and the width of his body stopped me immediately.
“Go inside, Peyton.” His tone changed, getting deeper and more demanding. “I’ll get the boys.”
“They don’t know you,” I told him, trying to fight him, but the longer I stood here, the more my stomach turned, my shaky legs begging me to take a seat.
“Look at me.” I tilted my head up so I could look into his eyes. The dark brown was more than just a dark brown, it was ringed with gold and then dispersed with honey flecks. I’d never seen eyes like that before.Captivating. “Go inside. I’ll get the boys.” He said the words slowly, almost as if he needed them to sink in, then a second later spun around.
I stood there, watching as he beelined it for the car. Kian wasn’t trying to break through the glass window anymore, but even from here I could see the tears that had streamed down his face. It didn’t matter how much I liked to believe that Travis hadn’t impacted our oldest son, it just wasn’t the truth. Kian had seen more than I’d ever known, and now it was manifesting.
Gripping my keys in my hands, I took one last look as Rafael opened Reed’s door. I could hear the deep tone of his voice from here, but couldn’t make out what he was saying. Kian turned to look at him and I took that as my opportunity to unlock the front door.
I dipped down to gather the bags of groceries but halfway down I realized that was a mistake as I went lightheaded, so I climbed over them instead and headed right for the kitchen. The house I was renting wasn’t anything close to the one I’d lived in since Travis and I had gotten married.
Where the old house had been cold and uninviting, all woodwork and cold surfaces, this was the opposite. The wooden flooring was stained a beautiful dark oak color and I’d covered it in as many rugs as I could. The walls in the hallway were a mixture of greens, warmth exuding from everywhere as it led to the stairs that were covered with pictures of the boys. A door to the left led into the living room, the one on the right a makeshift playroom, and at the back was the open-plan kitchen and dining room.
It was less than a third of the size of the old house, but that was why I loved it so much. It was my little slice of heaven.
“Peyton?” Rafael called.
“In here,” I said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. The long oak table had three chairs on one side and a bench on the other.
Little footsteps rang out followed by a few sniffles, then seconds later, Kian ran into the kitchen with a box of macaroni under his arm as he beelined it right for me. “Mommy!” He dropped the macaroni on the floor and dove at me, his little arms trying their best to wrap around me.
“I’m okay,” I told him, kissing him on the top of his head as Rafael appeared in the doorway with Reed in one arm and two bags of groceries in the other. He placed the bags on the dining table, his gaze not meeting mine as he tried to put Reed down.
“No, no, no!” Reed demanded, using one of the five words he could say clearly as he held on to Rafael tighter. I wasn’t sure if Rafael was as shocked as I was, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he just turned back around and headed out of the kitchen.
“You’re hurt,” Kian said, pulling back as Rafael entered again and put two more bags on the table. He swiped my keys off the table and left again; there was only one more bag left to bring inside at this point.
Glancing down at Kian, I tried not to see the terror in his eyes, but it was impossible to miss. My softhearted boy was so concerned about me and…dammit, I could feel tears brimming, threatening to come to the surface and fall.
“It’s just a little cut.” I placed my hand on the side of his face and pressed a kiss to his other cheek. “I’ll fix myself up and then I’ll be okay.”
“Like before?” Kian asked, his brows furrowing. My heart hammered in my chest, my pulse thumping in my ears so loud that I could barely hear anything else. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something…anything…but nothing came out. “Like when Daddy would hit you and you made the ouchies better? Will it be like that, Mommy?”
