Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
I stared at my hands around the mug. The trembling had stopped somewhere while he’d been talking. “I told you some of my story. But there’s more. The worst part of his abuse wasn’t the hitting. Not the photos he used to keep me in line. It was later, when things got bad enough that I actually thought about… not being here anymore.” The words came out quiet, barely above a whisper.
“He knew I was at that point. He could see it. And instead of pulling back, he pushed.” My voice dropped further. “He wanted to see if he could push me to take that last step. I think he genuinely wanted to see if he had that kind of power over me.” Rip’s face had gone very still. “The really horrible part,” I said, “was that I stayed. Even knowing what he was doing, knowing what he wanted. I stayed and I begged him to let me stay.” I laughed, a short, humorless sound. “To this day, I can’t tell you why, other than I had no way to make it on my own without him. He’d isolated me from my friends and what little family I had. Sure, I could leave. I could get a job. But where would I go?”
“You got out. You’re alive and you’re here.” I could listen to Rip speak all day. But hearing him validate my effort, to praise me for simply staying alive made my eyes sting. “That’s what matters, Jade.”
“I barely made it.”
“’Barely’ counts, honey. Any scenario that gets you here where you’re safe counts.”
We sat in companionable silence for a while after that. When I finished my coffee, Rip refreshed both our cups and the conversation turned lighter until the faintest sliver of light peeked through the window next to where we sat.
Rip’s hand lay flat on the tabletop between us. I looked at it for a long moment. Then I reached across and put my hand over his. His fingers curled around mine without hesitation. His skin was rough and warm, the scars of his knuckles raised under my palm, and I shivered slightly. The dark outside the kitchen window had started to go gray by the time Rip squeezed my hand and stood.
I watched him open the cabinet beside the range and find the skillet. He knew this kitchen better than I did, which made sense. He was here every morning. I got up and looked in the refrigerator and found eggs and a half an onion in a Ziplock bag and a block of cheddar that was mostly intact.
We didn’t talk much while we cooked. He worked the griddle for pancakes, and I cracked eggs into the bowl and grated cheese and diced what was left of the onion.
Ada came through the kitchen doorway at ten past six with her hair still in its sleep braid and her hands already wrapped around a to-go mug she’d brought from her apartment. She stopped in the doorway and looked at us both.
“There’s coffee,” Rip told her, glancing up at her briefly.
Ada crossed to the coffeemaker. “I see that.” She topped off her cup, took a sip, and settled herself onto the stool Rip had vacated earlier. “You two are up early.”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I said.
Ada looked at me over her mug. She wore a warm expression as she looked from me to Rip and back while I folded the cheese into the eggs and Rip flipped the pancakes. Both of us plated the food into serving dishes before moving to the island to eat.
We ate in companionable silence. The light through the blinds went from gray to pale gold, cutting horizontal lines across the counter.
“It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.” Ada smiled up at me as the sunshine streamed across the table. “Did you guys have plans for today?”
Rip shrugged but glanced at me before he answered. “Figured I’d see if Jade wanted to go for a ride later this morning.”
I inhaled sharply, looking up at him in surprise. That’s when it dawned on me that Rip had reached past me for the syrup twice, and I hadn’t tensed either time. His arm passing near me had barely registered. Then I smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Great!” Ada said, her eyes wide with delight. “That sounds like so much fun.”
I looked up at Rip again. He smiled at me, grinning as he lifted his chin. “Go get ready. Meet me out back.”
After breakfast, I went back to my room to shower and change. As I opened the door, I noticed a letter in my mail basket. Someone always delivered our mail as soon as the post ran. The letter had the county court seal in the upper left corner.
I knew what it was before I opened it. My hands slowed as I read through the notice. The court date had been set for a month from now for the restraining order Lana Thompson had filed on my behalf to keep Eric away from me. The emergency order would stay in place until the hearing was completed. Then the judge would decide what happened next. It would require me to be in the same room as Eric.