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One of the things she loved most about Lock was his willingness to listen to her. He never once belittled her or made her feel as though her thoughts and feelings were wrong. Even the many times she’d spiraled in the direct aftermath of being kidnapped, he’d validated her feelings, held her through the worst of the breakdowns, and built her back up again. So many times she’d woken in the night sweaty, with tears on her face and muscular arms holding her while Lock whispered words of love and comfort in her ear.
She couldn’t have gotten through it without him there to prop her up when she crumbled.
Kelsie didn’t have that. She was scared, traumatized, and alone.
“It doesn’t seem fair,” she said, playing with the hair at the base of his neck.
“What’s that?” He held her close with those large hands splayed across her back.
The sense of safety and security she found in his arms meant the world to her. He’d never hurt her and would rain hell down on anyone else who tried. And with the backing of the Handlers, she never had to worry about herself or any of the women she now considered family.
Two months following the most traumatic events of her life, she’d healed physically. The bruises faded, the stitched wound closed nicely, leaving a scar she hid beneath makeup, and the pain disappeared. Seventy-five percent of the time, she didn’t have any lingering emotional upset either, but when she did?
Lock was there.
Always.
Who did Kelsie have?
“I’m happy.” She shrugged. “So happy. It’s a bit of a ridiculous amount of happiness, really. I have so much support and love. It’s what’s gotten me through and helped me heal. Kelsie doesn’t have that. It doesn’t seem fair.”
“She has you,” Lock answered simply. “You and the ol’ ladies.”
“Yeah. Now, but she’s been alone for the past two months.”
“That wasn’t your choice,” Lock said. He cupped her face, ensuring she saw how serious he was. “She chose to leave, baby.”
“I know, but…” She shrugged.
Three days after being admitted to the hospital, Kelsie vanished. According to the physician, she’d checked out against medical advice and left no indication of where she’d gone.
The news devastated Brenna. All she’d wanted was to help the woman she’d been held captive with, even going so far as to prepare the guest room in her house for Kelsie to stay when released.
But no one had heard a peep from her until five days ago when she was readmitted to the hospital with a belly full of pills, barely clinging to life.
“If only I’d—”
“No.” Lock kissed the sentence right off her lips. “There is no if-only. You did everything you could. She wasn’t ready then, baby, but she had the hospital call you, so she is now.”
“But it was almost too late.”
“Almost doesn’t matter. She’s alive, getting help, and will be here in a few hours so you can mother-hen the crap out of her.”
The shelter’s interior wasn’t entirely finished, but Kelsie would be their first client. Brenna worked her ass off to design the perfect room customized to the younger woman. She’d obsessed from the moment the hospital called until this very moment. Kelsie requested no visitors, so Brenna hadn’t been able to see her in the hospital but had agreed to pick her up at noon. When asked, the physician said it would be fine for her to bring Lock along, which hopefully meant Kelsie wasn’t as reactive around men. Still, Harper and Brooke would accompany her instead of Lock to be safe.
Of course, he’d been nothing but understanding even while he tended to be on the overprotective side these days and hated when she went anywhere alone. That was getting better with time as well. They both began therapy, him to make sure he didn’t fall back into destructive patterns and her to process the trauma. They even attended together at times to keep them strong and communicating properly.
God, she was one lucky woman.
“Have I thanked you recently?”
“Hmm.” Lock cocked his head with a playful smile on his lips. “For what? I do so many amazing things.”
Brenna didn’t take the humorous bait. “You do. Every day. I’m so damn lucky to be loved by you,” she said, her expression as serious as she’d ever been. “And I love you so much, Lock. Sometimes, it feels like I’ll never be able to tell you how much. Like it’s exploding out of me. Like—”
He kissed her hard. As happened every single time, she melted beneath the onslaught.
“You thank me all the goddamn time. And like I tell you every time, stop doing it. I love you, and you deserve to feel it every fucking second of every fucking day. Okay?”
