“I know,” Delaney says with a cheeky grin. Her brow furrows as her features turn somber. “I’m so sorry you went through all of that. I can’t imagine what the last few years have been like. Have you been out here all alone ever since?”
I nod, looking away from her.
“Alister…”
I shrug, not wanting to admit to her or myself how lonely I’ve been.
Delaney takes a deep breath, puffing out her cheeks as she blows it out. She flops back down on the pillows, and I watch her generous breasts bounce. When I look up, her eyes are narrowed on me, though a smirk curls up the corner of her lips.
I lay down next to her, needing to be closer. My girl is silent for long moments, and I wonder what she’s thinking. I can’t believe she was so understanding, so forgiving of my past. I know I have a lot of healing left to do, but for the first time since everything went down, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Iwantto get better. I want to be the best version of myself so I can love Delaney the way she deserves.
“My brothers got tangled up with the Romanos,” Delaney murmurs.
I nod, not wanting to say anything and spook her before she tells me the rest of her story.
“I was working on a plan to leave, to get out from their controlling household. Remember I told you I was a waitress working overnights?” She waits for my nod. “My brothers didn’t know about it. I was saving up for my own place. That night, though…” She pauses, swallowing thickly.
I tighten my hold on her. “I’ve got you, baby.”
“I was sneaking back into the house, but I saw my brothers were up and had company. Instead of going in the back door, I tried the kitchen window, but I was grabbed by some mafia goon and dragged inside.”
I growl, already picturing my fist going through that fucker’s face.
“Save your growls until the end, please,” Delaney deadpans.
I try to smile, but I can’t. Not with all the red clouding my vision.
“Anyway, back to my brothers. They were meeting with a guy named Angelo, who is some high-ranking captain or something. Long story short, my brothers gave me up to the mob, but they didn’t want me. Too fat, Angelo said. But I knew too much, so I had to be silenced.”
“Sold you? Too fat? Jesus fucking…” My words fade into a growl. “Do you remember how you ended up in the ocean?”
Delaney closes her eyes, nodding slowly. “I passed out while I was at home. I have flashes of memories here and there of being on a boat. Cold, so cold. Water and wind and constant rocking back and forth. I fell off the boat, and my brother, Derek, just… left me. Said it would be better if I was dead, but if I manage to swim away, I should disappear for good. I floated in the dark waves, surrounded by nothing. Until you.”
My heart races in my chest, pumping adrenaline through every cell, every muscle in my body. I’m ready to tear a motherfucker’s head off. No way will this sin go unpunished.
“But I’m here now,” she whispers, soothing her hand up and down my chest before resting it on my pounding heart. “And you’re here. That’s all that matters. We have each other now. Right?”
The vulnerability in her voice brings me back from the edge. There will be time for retribution, but for now, Delaney needs to see a gentler side of me. One I only seem to have around her.
“We have each other,” I confirm, kissing her nose and cheeks.
I reach down and pull the covers over us, encouraging her to snuggle up next to me. We hold each other for an eternity, our hearts beating together as one.
CHAPTER NINE
DELANEY
Idry and put away the last of the dishes from breakfast, humming to myself as I waltz around the kitchen.
Ever since Alister and I shared our painful secrets, I’ve been light and bubbly. I feel like I could spread my wings and soar through the heavens. I’m free, and I’m right where I belong. With Alister.
I thought I was protecting the man who saved me by keeping my family history out of the picture. Seeing him break his heart open for me and tell me about his scars, both inside and out, jarred something deep in my core. This is love. Sharing your partner’s burdens, holding them through the pain, and reminding them they’re safe and they survived so they could be right here.
It was so healing, so life-giving, that I knew I had to tell Alister everything about me. I wanted to heal with him, to give him the chance to pick up my broken pieces too.
Today marks two weeks with my gentle giant, though it feels like we’ve been together forever. We’ve fallen into a routine of getting up early and watching the sunrise. We make breakfast together and either eat on the wrap-around deck upstairs or at the table if it’s too chilly. I clean up while Alister checks on things and does the rounds, as he calls it.
I aim to have lunch ready around twelve-thirty every day, and then we go outside and work on things together. I’ve been helping Alister repair the stairs this week. He said he neglected them for too long, but it was the new number one priority on the island. I didn’t ask him why, but I have a sneaking suspicion those stairs were not very useful when he had to carry me up from the shore.