“Honey, I don’t want to scare you, but there is a man sitting outside of your house,” I tell her calmly.
She shrugs matter-of-factly. “Yeah, I know. He’s the one that Caleb always has watching and following us. He’s the reason that Faith is scared to go to school, afraid to go out in the yard and play… she’s just afraid all the time.”
I can’t stand to hear the defeat in her voice. It kills me. I pull away from Faith and lay her down on the cushions where I was sitting. When I see that she is going to stay asleep, I walk over to Olivia and pull her up from the chair. Sitting down, I pull her down into my lap.
She struggles against me but my arms go tighter around her. “Olivia, stop,” I beg her. “You’re so tired, honey. Just let me hold you.”
“I’m too big to sit on your lap,” she tells me and looks away from me with her face red.
I pull her chin toward me so she has to meet my eyes. “Have you looked at me?”
She looks at me with confusion.
“I’m huge. You are tiny compared to me. You are definitely not too big to hold,” I assure her and lean back, pulling her with me.
My arms are around her and she lies stiffly against me. I try to get her mind off of it and decide right then that I’m going to take control of the situation.
“I know you don’t know me. You probably don’t trust me…” I start.
She interrupts. “I trust you. How could I not after last night? He held a gun to you… and you protected my daughter.”
Good. Well, that is one thing less to worry about. And I tell her so. “I am going to take you and Faith out of town for a while. My friend has a lake house and we are going to go there for a few days. We will be back for the court date on Monday.”
She looks startled. “Court date? What court date?”
I stroke my hand up and down her back and I can’t help but appreciate her curves being pressed into me. I can feel my cock harden underneath her but I try to focus on her question. “I got the hearing pushed through quicker. They are going to do a temporary custody hearing. You and Faith are not going to be able to work or go to school this week. Not with him outside and following you. It’s only three days she will miss from school. Just time for me to get you away to protect you and then Ryder can stay here and take care of the investigation.”
She looks at me with hope in her eyes and then just as quickly it’s gone. “I can’t miss that much work.. the money.”
Frustrated, I tell her, “Forget about the money. Look at her, honey.” I point over to Faith. Even in her sleep you can see her swollen eyes and lips from all the crying. “Let me take care of you both. She needs this. You need this.”
I can see her mind going a mile a minute. When I’m absolutely positive she is about to tell me no, she nods her head okay.
I lean in and kiss her forehead. “Okay, let’s pack and get things ready.”
Chapter 4
Olivia
We had to sneak out of my house. Johnny left out the front door and drove away, circling to the neighborhood behind us. Faith and I wheeled a bag out the back door and through the neighbors’ yard. As Johnny loaded up our bags, I helped Faith get into the truck. We went by his house so he could grab some clothes.
Now we are driving down the highway and for the first time in a long time, I feel safe. I can’t think about how much this life I chose is going to mess up Faith. She seems to be doing better now that Johnny is with us. When I look over at him, he smiles, calming me too.
My mind keeps going back to earlier sitting on his lap and letting him hold me. He’s right. He is massive. I found myself curling into him and resting my head on his shoulder while he stroked my back. I tried to ignore his hardness underneath me. Neither one of us mentioned it, but probably both of us knew it wasn’t the right time. I know it’s crazy that I’m going off with this man that I met less than 24 hours ago. But just like I told him… I trust him.
A few hours go by and Faith has already fallen asleep again. She really was tired. We pull up to a beautiful house sitting on the shores of a lake. I get out to grab Faith, but Johnny hands me the keys to the house. “Unlock the door, honey. I’ll carry in Faith and then get the luggage.” I lead him to the front door and open it. I can’t stop the gasp that escapes from my lips. It’s an open room plan, and the whole back wall is windows with picturesque views of the lake. He walks into a room off to the side and I follow him. I watch as he pulls the covers back and lays Faith down on the bed, then covers her up.