“Take all the time you need, baby,” I whisper as my eyes follow her through the trees.
CARA
I’m not angry. It just hurts so much that my own blood wanted me dead. Damian was right when he said he saw someone who was alone in this world when he saw me.
It’s a scary thought… being alone. Now that I can finally stop running, everything I lost rushes to the surface.
My parents. My baby. The hell I’ve been through.
All my loss and horror were for one man’s greed.
There are still so many questions that I know will never be answered. The thoughts weigh heavily on me as I lie awake next to Damian.
Damian.
Why do I keep calling him that?
He’s not Sam to me. Sam will always belong to Leah.
Damian… The man who saved me. The predator who kills. The cleaner who found me beaten and raped… and kept me.
Alex… The man who’s supposed to be my husband. The handyman who loves fixing things.
Who is the real man lying next to me?
I hear him move, and I whisper, “Why did you really keep me?”
It’s quiet for a while, but I know he’s awake. I can feel his energy buzzing around us.
“You had no one and needed to be saved.”
“Because you couldn’t save Leah?”
“No. There was just something about you… even though you were broken, you were still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I couldn’t let you go.”
I absorb what he’s telling me and then turn onto my back. I stare up at the dark ceiling.
“Why are you staying with me now?” I close my eyes, scared of what his answer might be.
“I’ve never met anyone as strong as you. Normally, people are scared shitless of me, but you never backed down, although you were afraid initially. You were at your lowest, and you still stood your ground in front of me. I’ve never seen such strength in anyone. It’s rare. Life just keeps taking blows at you, and you just keep getting up. I admire you, Cara, and that’s why I fell so hard for you.”
“Life hits like a bitch,” I try to joke, and we both chuckle, even though we know it’s not the truth. Life hits hard, so fucking hard.
I feel Damian move closer to me, then he murmurs, “I’m staying with you because you’ve become my life.”
I swallow hard on the emotions welling in my chest. “You didn’t have to save me.” Turning onto my side, I meet Damian’s eyes. “You didn’t have to do any of the things you did.” I lean forward and press a tender kiss to his mouth, then whisper, “You came for me.”
He moves closer to me, and then his fingers brush over the curve of my cheek. “I live you, Cara. I live for you, and I’ll die for you. There’s nothing on this godforsaken planet for me but you.”
“I live you, Alex,” I whisper, and it makes him pull back so he can see my eyes.
“Why Alex all of a sudden?”
“Sam belongs in your past. I’ll never get to know him. I think he died with Leah, and I’ll let her have him to keep her safe wherever she is. Damian is a cleaner who saved my life, but Alex… he’s is my husband, and he pieced me back together. Alex is my family.”
From now on, that’s all he’ll be to me. Alex Jackson… my future.
He presses a kiss to my lips again and then murmurs, “I live you, Nina.”
A grin tugs at the corner of my mouth as I tease him. “Why Nina all of a sudden?”
“Cara’s an eighteen-year-old girl who died in an accident with her parents. I think we should let her rest in peace with them. Karen suffered so much heartache. No one can possibly survive everything she’s endured. I think it’s best we let her go.” He presses a kiss to my forehead. “But Nina, she’s this kick-ass woman who works down at the hardware store, and I really want to build a life with her.”
Laughter bursts from my lips, and I roll onto his chest. “Alex.” My eyes drift over his face. “So you’re okay with being my husband?”
“Hell, yeah,” he growls, his hands slipping over my hips and gripping my ass tight.
I push off of him and tease, “Then you better put a ring on my finger, Mr. Jackson.”
I hear him chuckle as I walk to the kitchen to make myself some tea because lately, coffee’s been messing with my stomach. I think it’s from all the stress, so I’m just taking it easy.
Stirring the liquid in the cup, I glance over our modest home.
I finally have a place I can call home.
ALEX
It’s been a week since we talked. Things feel better between us, and those deafening silences are gone.
I’m leaning against the truck, waiting for Nina to get off from work. I’m forcing myself to think of her as Nina because she’s fought so hard for that name. It will also reduce the risk of one of us slipping up.