Page 7 of Life In General
“Ouch,” she mumbles as she steps back. I take that as my opening and let myself all the way in. “General, no!”
I ignore her protests, and boy am I pissed and glad I did.
My woman has a black eye.
Someone punched her. Someone hurt her. Someone dared lay a hand on my baby’s mother.
I hope they don’t plan on living to see their next birthday because whoever it was is a dead man walking.
“Who the fuck hurt you?” I gently grasp her by her upper arms, trying not to yell but I do. It’s only when she flinches and grabs hold of her right forearm that I notice the bruises there as well.
She’s wearing a loose t-shirt, so I see every dark mark and can spot every circle left by a finger digging into her soft, gentle skin. Dead. Man. Walking.
“Was it him?” I ask as I lead her over to the couch. I see a nest of pillows and blankets she’d built for herself on the cushions, and I would smile at the sight any other time, but not now. I push part of the pile to the side, sit down, and settle her sideways on my lap. “Your ex? Tell me everything. Where does he live?”
Tucking a strand of hair that’s loose from her ponytail behind her ear, she nods and curls into my chest. “He wasn’t happy with you answering my phone. He showed up here at like four in the morning, drunk off his ass, mad that I had blocked his number.” She tucks her sore arm in between us and takes a few deep breaths. “I was half asleep when I opened the door, so I was totally unprepared to see him. He grabbed my arm and got right up in my face and yelled a bunch of bullshit. When I told him about you being the baby’s dad and being back in town, he lost it. I don’t think he meant to actually hit me, he’s never done that before, but he was yelling and swinging his arms while trying to push me away. As soon as he realized what he did, he took off. I haven’t heard a peep since.”
Unable to keep my hands to myself any longer, I wrap my arms around her and hug her as tight as I can without hurting her any more than she already is. “Don’t worry, Cherry. You’ll never have to see him again.”
She shifts a bit, then looks up, eyes wide. “What do you mean? What are you gonna do?”
“First, I’m gonna move you into the house to keep you safe.” She tries to interrupt, but I keep going. “It’s for my peace of mind. I need to know you’re somewhere safe. Does Josh know where you worked?”
“No. We only ever hung out here or at his place.”
“Good.” I gently stand her up, then myself, then start walking toward her bedroom. “Let’s get you packed for a few days. Once I get things dealt with, we can reevaluate what to do next.”
Now, she really tries to argue with me, first about the temporary move, then about what she does or doesn’t need to bring, and finally about how we’re getting there.
I win.
Knowing she can’t be on the back of my bike in her condition, I make the executive decision to drive her car. So, once she’s bundled up, bag hooked over my shoulder, I lock up behind us and lead her outside. After buckling her in, we head for my childhood home. I park the car in the garage, so the dimwit can’t see it if he tries to drive around to find her, and get Cherry all settled into the master bedroom.
“Why don’t you lay down and rest for a bit?” I suggest as I pull the comforter and sheet back. Surprisingly, she climbs in with no fuss. “I’m gonna walk back and get my bike. I’ll be back in a flash.” Dropping a kiss on her forehead—the first kiss I’ve given her since I came back—I watch as her eyes flutter shut.
The entire way, half a dozen blocks each way, all I’m thinking about is how I’m going to find this ass stain and where I’m going to bury him when I do. He messed with the wrong woman.
I lock up the house once I get back, and set the alarm before checking in on the two most precious things in my world. Brittany is still out cold, so I decide to lie down next to her on top of the covers. Not only do I need to be near her, to make sure she’s safe, I can’t take my eyes off her.
If I thought she was beautiful six months ago, it’s nothing compared to now. Her face is a little fuller, her cheeks rounder, and I can only imagine where else she’s filled out more.
Shit. I press down on my quickly hardening dick, trying to wrangle him back in control, but my shifting wakes the sleeping princess.
Rolling onto her side, I’m now face-to-face with a wide awake and smiling woman.
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“It’s okay. I felt the bed move. I’m a light sleeper.”
Not being able to hold back the questions that have been bouncing around in my head, one comes out unintentionally, sending us right into the deep end of what is probably the biggest talk of our lives.
“Why didn’t you call me when you found out you were pregnant?”
“I did call, but a woman answered and said you were too busy to come to the phone.”
And the volleying begins.
“I never saw your call.”