Break Away (36 page)

The group had completely surprised me. I’d been expecting a bunch of injured and broken old war veterans, but most of them had been around the same age as me. Some of them had obvious injuries, while others were hidden, like mine. I thought that being in a room surrounded by military men and women would be daunting, but instead I felt accepted. There was a bond between all of us; a common thread in our pasts that linked us to one another. I hadn’t planned on talking or sharing anything at that first session. I thought I’d simply sit back and listen, but for the first time ever, I actually
wanted
to talk about it, so I did. They had all listened, nodding along in understanding because they’d been where I was. It was reassuring to know that I wasn’t alone in my torment and that there was hope to be had for someone like me.

Normally, when I was forced to talk about my time overseas, I felt like I couldn’t be completely honest about the things that I’d seen and done, because “ordinary” people couldn’t handle it or wouldn’t understand. But with people who had seen and experienced the same horrifying things that I had, I didn’t have to sugarcoat it or wash over the details. I’d been burying all that stuff deep inside me, giving it a permanent home where it played in my head over and over again, tormenting me day after day. Saying those things out loud had severed the hold that those memories had on me, helping me to regain control and release me from the demons that had been haunting me since my first tour overseas. I felt free.

I wasn’t stupid enough to think that I was cured—I was far from it—but for the first time I felt like I was on the right track and was beginning to heal. I would continue attending group meetings and maybe even some individual sessions, and hopefully, someday the darkness inside me would fade.

We were nearly home, when Nate turned into downtown Charleston instead of crossing the bridge to Folly Beach.

“Mind if we make a quick stop?” he asked, parking the Camaro on the side of the street near a cluster of stores. “I put something aside for Amy’s birthday next week, and I wanted to get your opinion before I buy it. It’s my first time getting her a gift, and I don’t want to mess it up.”

“Okay, but I’m not exactly an expert on shopping for woman, so if she hates it, that’s your problem.”

I followed him into a small jewelry store and let out a whistle when I glanced around at the glass cases filled with sparkling stones and polished metal. Nate was not messing around with this gift.

“It’s my birthday, too, ya know… Amy and me being twins and all… so, uh, what are getting me?” I teased.

He rolled his eyes dismissively and gestured me over. “Just shut up and come look at this, would ya?”

The necklace he’d picked out was a small diamond pendant on a silver chain. It was simple and beautiful, and I knew my sister would love it.

“Damn, that’s actually nice. I was expecting something in the shape of a car or like some cheesy locket with your face inside, but you have surprisingly good taste. I’m impressed.”

“You think she’ll like it?” he asked nervously.

“Yeah, man. She’s gonna love it.”

While I waited for him to pay for the necklace and have the clerk gift-wrap it, I began strolling around the store and nonchalantly browsing the cases. I wasn’t paying much attention to anything that I was looking at until a ring in one of the displays caught my eye. It had an old, antique look to it that made it stand out from all the big, shiny baubles that all seemed identical to one another. This one had a single gleaming diamond in the center and intricate detail on the sides, mounted on a delicate platinum band. It reminded me of the earrings that Olivia often wore, the ones she said belonged to her mother and had been passed down in the family. I couldn’t help but think about how perfect that ring would look on her tiny little finger.

“Stunning, isn’t it?” One of the clerks appeared on the other side of the case and pulled out the ring. “It’s an antique from the 1920s, with a one and a half carat single cut diamond accentuated by exquisite filigree detail along the sides. Truly one of a kind and positively stunning.”

She handed it to me, and I held it up, admiring the way the diamond reflected in the light. There was only one place this ring belonged.

“I’ll take it.”

***

“This can’t be all you have,” Dex said curiously, eying the few measly boxes of my belongings that I’d packed up to bring to his place. “Where’s the rest?”

“That’s it,” I shrugged. “I only grabbed a few things when I left Steven’s, and the rest is in a storage unit in New York.”

He scowled at the mention of Steven’s name, crushing his fists angrily at his sides. “I still can’t believe they just let that bastard go. He could have fucking killed you.”

“But he didn’t,” I said, wrapping my arms around him reassuringly. “We knew he would likely get released on bail, and the important thing is that he won’t bother us ever again.”

Steven’s father had bailed him out and hired some big shot attorney to represent him. I knew that there was a good chance he would get off easy—money had a way of making things disappear, and Steven’s family had plenty of it. Dex was furious about the whole thing, but I was surprisingly okay with it. A few days after it happened I got a call from Mr. Chambers, Steven’s father, who apologized for “the incident,” and assured me that Steven was being “dealt with,” and I wouldn’t have to worry about him ever again. He’d also offered me compensation—in the form of $50,000—for the “pain and suffering” his son had caused me. I politely responded that he could keep his money, and all I wanted was for Steven to stay away from me.

“Yeah, well if I ever see his face again, he’ll wish he was behind bars,” Dex scoffed. “I let him get away once, but I damn sure won’t give him another opportunity.”

“I know you’ll keep me safe, babe.” I stood on my tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his lips. As his mouth moved against mine, I could feel his tension slowly begin to ease. When his body was relaxed against mine, I pulled back and looked up at him. “Now let’s get these boxes in the truck so we can go home.”

“I like the sound of that,” he smiled, smacking my ass playfully as he moved to pick up one of the boxes.

It took all of ten minutes to load my stuff into the truck. As I was locking the front door of the apartment for the last time, Nate pulled into the driveway with his Camero, stuffed to the brim with bags and boxes.

“What’s going on?” I asked him.

“Didn’t Amy tell you?” he grinned. “I’m moving in.”

I glanced at Dex, expecting him to be furious, but he didn’t even seem surprised. “You knew about this?”

“Of course I did,” Dex said. “It was my idea. I wanted to make sure that Amy and Sadie were safe here.”

“Actually, I believe your genius idea was to install an alarm system,” Nate corrected him. “I’m the one who suggested that I move in with them.”

“But I’m the one who came up with the plan to re-connect the two apartments and make more space for you guys,” Dex replied smugly.

“Enough!” I laughed, shaking my head at them. “I’m just glad it all worked out.” As excited as I was to move in with Dex, the one thing that held me back was leaving Amy and Sadie behind. Now that I knew Nate was moving in with them, I felt a million times better about everything.

As promised, Dex had cleared out space in his closet for me, and even bought a new dresser for me to use. Of course, my sparse collection of clothing barely took up any space at all.

“I’m going to take you shopping,” Dex told me as he lay on the bed and watched me unpack. “You deserve to have a closet overflowing with nice stuff. Beautiful things for a beautiful girl.”

I smiled, “You don’t have to do that.” I hung up the last of my clothes, crawling over to him on the mattress and straddling his hips. Lowering my mouth to his neck, I trailed my lips over his skin and tasted him with my tongue. “I have everything I need right here.”

Immediately I felt him harden beneath me, and heat pooled between my legs as he reached for my hips, pulling me against him. “I want to take care of you,” he said.

“You already do.” I dragged my tongue over his earlobe, breathing a soft moan that caused him to shudder beneath me.

“I want you to feel at home here,” he choked out, slipping his hand underneath my shirt and sweeping his warm palm up my spine.

“I’ll feel at home as long as you’re here.”

“What if I—”

I sat up, rocking my hips along his length, sending desire shooting through my veins. “What if you… what?” I teased, completely aware of what I was doing to him.

“Aw, fuck…” he groaned, clenching my body against his rock-hard arousal. “What if I… arranged to have the rest of your stuff sent down here from New York?”

I froze, looking down at him. “Really? You would do that?”

“Of course, baby.” He brushed my messy hair out of my face. “But only if you want me to.”

I smiled, nodding. I’d never had a permanent place to keep all my mother’s things and the stuff from my childhood. I liked that I finally did, and that what we had was permanent.

“Good,” he said. “Now that we’ve settled that…” He flipped me onto my back, grinding his hips into me as he pressed me into the mattress. “I’ve got other plans for you.”

My shift that night at the Seaside ran late, thanks to a rowdy bachelorette party that kept us busy behind the bar, and it was well past one o’clock in the morning when I finally got back to Dex’s. I hated coming home so late. Even though Dex had been doing a lot better lately with his nightmares, I still worried about him sleeping on his own and not being there to pull him out of it. All I could think about on my way home was finding him flailing and screaming in bed, a look of terror on his face.

Unlocking the front door, I quietly slipped inside and put my purse on the counter. I didn’t hear any noise coming from the bedroom, but sometimes he suffered through them in silence, barely making any noise. Tiptoeing through the house, I slowly opened the bedroom door and crept inside.

I let out a sigh of relief when I found him sleeping soundly. His handsome face so peaceful, his powerful body relaxed and still. My heart swelled with happiness. I was so proud of him. For few minutes I just stood there, watching him. Admiring the beautiful, amazing man in front of me. Sometimes it was hard to believe that he was mine.

“Quit watching me sleep and get your sexy ass into bed,” he grumbled sleepily. His eyes were still closed but he stretched his arm to the side, leaving a space for me to climb into.

I undressed quickly, crawling under the covers and tucking myself into him. I realized in that moment that there was nowhere else I would rather be, and nowhere else I would ever want to be.