“Oh hush you....though you are right, my parties are fabulous, okay, I’ll do it.”
“Thanks mom.”
I went over and gave her a hug before sitting down next to Carrie.
I studied her for a minute while brushing her hair with my fingers, so fucking gorgeous and perfect and mine.
Something inside me unfurled and I felt my heart smile, just before my lips did.
She was okay, I think for the first time the enormity of the situation settled in and I was just grateful that she was okay, it could’ve been so much worse.
“I’m going to protect you little lamb, always.”
I kissed her brow as my mom left the room, I hoped the Captain agreed to me taking her home otherwise I’d be camping out in his house for the next week or so and my bed was so much more comfortable than hers, either way I’m not leaving her, not ever again.
Chapter 40
Josh
I had lamb tucked away in my bed; I’d convinced the Captain that since he was going to be busy for the foreseeable future that it made more sense for her to come home with me, there was always someone here.
She wasn’t sick as much as she was shaken up, she’d eaten without argument this morning after a restless night where I’d kept watch over her while she tossed and turned.
I knew she was going to be okay when she gave me shit about my breakfast choice of oats and fruit.
Now she’s upstairs asleep while I’m down here going over the guest list with mom.
“Joshua, are you sure about this?”
“Yep.”
“It just seems so...extreme.”
“Mom, someone kidnapped dad, dragged him off somewhere to murder him, they’ve used his love for you to trap him, telling him that you’re the one he’s going to meet, you have that person at your mercy, is there anything you wouldn’t do to that person short of killing them?”
She’d drawn in her breath from my first sentence.
“Son, sometimes your mind scares me, I get you, I get what you’re saying, I can’t even begin to imagine, it’s just you kids are so young to have to think this way, you should be going out for ice cream and to the movies, things like that, not dealing with rapes and murder.”
“You play the hand you’re dealt mom, besides, Carrie and I have a more mature relationship I guess you can say, we know what we mean to each other, we know who we are together so we don’t have to do the dance, we’re young yes, but we’re far from stupid.
She’s the girl I’m going to spend the rest of my life with we’re going to go to college but we’ll be going together, where I go she goes and vice versa, anyone who doesn’t understand our relationship doesn’t need to, it’s no one’s business but ours.
As to what I’m planning here, it’s for Carrie, she’s been fucked with her whole life, no one’s going to fuck with her again, not while I’m in the picture and I plan to stay in the picture.”
“I just feel so sad for you though, that you have to start your lives together like this, it’s such a dark place.”
“Mom you’re looking at it wrong, she survived where others didn’t, she wasn’t touched, this is a good thing, because if they’d touched one hair on her head you’d be visiting me on death row, so count your blessings that things are as they are.”
She brushed her fingers through my hair, something she hasn’t done in a while.
“Don’t worry mom, we’ll be fine, I promise.”
Carrie
Fuck this shit; I’ve been listening to everything that’s been going on around me though I haven’t said anything.
I know that that bitch Patricia used Joshua’s phone to send that text, that her and Rodney were planning to set me up to make it look like I was cheating on Joshua, they’d placed a strip of nails in the way to flatten my tires to trap me.
I know that Travis had been the one to take me because she’d gone to him first, stupid bitch.
Travis was behind bars without bail while Patti and Rodney had been released on bail.
I’ve had lots of time to think and get pissed the fuck off.
I’m not too fond of people messing with me and getting away with it.
Travis was out of my reach but the other two were fair game, and I know just where I wanted to start.
I waited until Joshua was out of the room for a good ten minutes, I knew I didn’t have much time, he’s like a general when I’m sick, watching everything I do, making sure my every need is met. Along with the crazy I got the sweet, it was nice.
He’d taken such good care of me since bringing me home with him.
I snagged my phone from the bedside table and called Vanessa’s cell that bitch owed me and she knows it so I was pretty sure she’d do anything I asked.