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Suit
  • Текст добавлен: 14 сентября 2016, 23:16

Текст книги "Suit"


Автор книги: Jettie Woodruff



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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

“He’s just going to keep calling, you know?” Izabella assured me.

I shot her what I hoped to be an evil smirk and held the button in on my phone, shutting it down.

Izzy got all serious on me, her face matching the gloomy tone. “Is he good to you, Gabby? Are you happy?”

I didn’t respond to Izzy’s question right away. I stared straight ahead, contemplating my answer.

“For the most part, yes.”

“What does that mean? For the most part?”

“Paxton can be a little overbearing sometimes, but he’s a good provider. He’s a good daddy, and he puts us first.”

“I don’t even know what that means, Gabby. I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. Let’s not talk about that.” I didn’t want to talk about Paxton with Izzy. That conversation could wait until another time. Maybe I would even sneak one of those prepaid phones so that I could talk to her. But not now. Not today. I was too high on life to think about anything but the moment. We were together again. Me and Izzy. Our mother, no doubt, smiled down on us. Live in the moment. Those were famous words, preached my entire childhood. That’s what I did. I lived in the moment with my twin, forgetting everything else.

Our next right led us to a dirt road. Driveways wound toward a section of scattered mobile homes, and the dark clouds followed us. Patches of green grass grew through deep ruts, but we bounced over them. I imagined the same two or three cars traveled that road, all commuting to one of the nearby towns. It wasn’t near as bad once the road came to a fork a few miles on in. We took the next right for at least seven to eight miles.

Paxton would be enraged. He’d kill me.

“Do you have any idea where we are?” Izabella asked through a giggle, shoulders bouncing up and down. It felt good to hear her laugh. Free. Like a free bird.

“I did see a sign back there that said River Ledge Road. Does that count?” I asked in a teasing manner.

Izabella pointed up ahead to the next right. Another back road, this one running along the river. It didn’t seem to be well traveled, either, but it was pretty. Very pretty. I scanned the country road with its tall, thick trees swaying with the wind and shading our path. Even the temperature had cooled with air from the impending storm.

“Remember this?” Izabella asked. I knew what she was going to do as soon as she removed her seatbelt. Her window came down and her body went outside the car, arms out to the wind. I laughed like I did when I was a kid. Like I did when I was Clyde and Izzy was Clyde, too. When our mother was crazy and we were all free birds. Crazy together.

“Come on, stick your head out the window,” she called from above. I cackled the silly laugh again and lowered my window.  I moved only my hand went out at first, surfing up and down the waves of wind, and then I stuck my head out. This was the kind of stuff our mother used to do. She would put the car in a low gear and drive with her feet while Izzy and I hung out the windows, arms gliding through the air like birds. Free birds. We couldn’t have been much older than Ophelia—four, maybe five years old.

My eyes closed as I remembered how happy we had been. How liberating. I ignored the gut feeling again and dropped the car into low gear.

“No way! Are you serious?” Izzy questioned, head popping down for me to see her happy face and sparkling eyes. I didn’t even think about it. I slid up to the windowsill just like my mom had, flipping my sandals to the floor and pulling my dress around my waist. The road straightened and we were barely moving, but it felt like we really were flying, especially with the gusting wind.

“Remember how she used to make us close our eyes and think about being happy? Visualize our future?” Izzy questioned.

I briefly closed my eyes, both arms floating with the wind, and then glanced back at my twin. “I got mine, Izzy. All my life I wanted a good-looking guy with his shit together. Someone who worked hard for his family. And two kids. I wanted a little boy and a little girl. I got girls. That’s what I used to wish for. I just wanted a family.” It was the truth. My entire childhood was spent wishing for a home. A real house and a real family with a mom and a dad. Mine may not have been what I planned out in my head, but it was mine. For now.

“Well, that’s not fair. I got the shaft. I used to wish I was rich and famous.”

I giggled and reached for her hand. We couldn’t touch, but the pull still existed between us, a pull that only a twin could understand.

“I’m glad you came,” I sadly admitted. Not that it mattered. There was no way I could tell Paxton about her anyway. That’s what was on my mind when I saw the turn and the guardrail up ahead. I tapped the top of the car and sighed a heavy breath, moving back in to take over the driving. I wished with all my might it could be different, that Paxton would accept her and she could be in my life.

I don’t even know if Izabella saw it coming. Her eyes were closed and her voice had grown loud, singing the chorus to a childhood memory.  Everything else happened in slow, but fast motion. I couldn’t stop it. My eyes went to the bend in the road and then to the pedals. I couldn’t reach them. The tail of my dress caught on something. I screamed for Izzy right before we drove off the side of the road. The car just sort of glided like a bird, missing the guardrail completely. Like we drove off the cliff on purpose, a true Thelma and Louise.

And then darkness.

I love you my little Clydes.

Chapter One

 

 

My head felt fuzzy, like something bubbling inside. A continuous beep rang in my ears and someone called out a name. Gabriella.  Gabriella? Why was the light so bright? Nothing made sense. Where was I? Dead? Did something happen. Did I die?

“There you are. How do you feel?”

My eyes opened to bright white lights. An out of focus doctor and two nurses hovered around me. A deep throb was felt behind my eyes, and my mouth was dry. My mind tried to decipher the commotion, failing with every thought. Where I was, how I got there, and what was wrong with me.

“Mrs. Pierce. Keep your eyes open for me.”

Pierce? Pierce? No, that wasn’t right. I wanted to tell him that Pierce was wrong, but my dry mouth took precedence over the misunderstanding. “Can I have a drink?”

Refreshing cool water was brought to my lips and with all my strength, I sipped.

“Can you tell me what happened, Mrs. Pierce? Do you remember how you got here?”

“My names, Delgardo.” I corrected. Who the hell was Mrs. Pierce? Wait a minute. Who the hell was Delgardo? My eyes closed while my head reeled, trying to make sense of what was going on. Nothing came to me. Not one.

“That’s her maiden name,” a voice said from behind the doctor. I opened my eyes again. With great strength, I raised my head to a man in jeans, T-shirt, and a backwards ball cap. With one eye, I noticed a brace, running from my ankle to my hip. Metal bars, running up both sides. I wiggled my fingers on my left and felt one there, too. Same thing. Basically just wrapped. It went from my wrist, clear past my elbow. My head was bandaged and my left eye was swollen shut. I was no doubt in a hospital.

I studied the guy, staring at me with almost a glare. Like he was mad at me. I didn’t know him either.

“Yes, that’s right, Gabby. Stay with me.” the doctor coaxed while holding a penlight in my eye. I knew he wanted me to follow it, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the willpower. My head fell back to the pillow with not an ounce of strength to hold it up. Flashes went through my mind. The wind. The clouds. The laughs. The wreck. I was in a wreck.

“Nobody calls her Gabby. She wouldn’t answer to that,” the stern voice assured the nice doctor. My first thought was to search him out again with my eyes, but the weakness I felt wouldn’t allow it. I closed my eyes, needing a minute, or a thousand. I had to reflect on my state of mind. Figure out where I was and what happened. Unlike a puzzle, nothing fit. None of the pieces matched. I didn’t think about who I was, or where I came from. I didn’t think about anything. I let it go. Turned it over to the darkness. Again.

I thought I’d had napped for a couple hours, but later found out it had been three days. Pain shot down my neck and my head felt dizzy when I tried to turn my head. The room was dark with the same, beep, beep, beep. The positon of the sun told me that it was late evening, but I didn’t see a clock. A hospital room. I was in the hospital. Everything hurt. My entire body felt like it had been ran through the spin cycle in my washer. An audible moan slipped through my dry lips when I tried to move.

“How do you feel?” a nurse said from my side. Her voice soft and sweet. The room was dark and quiet. Nobody but the nurse and me.

“Like I was hit by a truck. Was I?”

“You were in a car wreck. From what I understand, you rolled it a couple times. You’re lucky to be alive.”

“Was I alone?”

“You were alone. Eighty miles from home,” a deep voice said from the door. The same man with the backwards ball cap stepped in from the hall. This time without the hat. His eyes bore into me while his breath blew steam from a cup of coffee. My eyes narrowed to the man, focusing like hell, trying to place him. Nothing about him was familiar to me. Nothing at all. The guy gave the nurse a look and she cowered like a scared kitten. Her eyes moved to the floor when he looked at her, expression telling her to leave. Even without words, I read it loud and clear. So did the nurse.

“I’m going to get things ready. Dr. Mirage wants to get another CT scan.”

“Is it bad? What’s wrong with me?” I was more concerned with my condition than jerk. I knew without knowing that he was my husband.  Not only was I broken, I was married to a dick. Trying to make sense of everything had me whirling with thoughts. One second I would be trying to place who my mother was, and wondering what my name was the next. Searching deep into my mind for answers that didn’t seem to come.

“The doctor will be into talk to you shortly. You’re a very lucky girl,” she said again as she smiled, dismissing herself from my room. An uneasy feeling fell over me once I realized I was alone with him.

His head tilted to the side and he smiled at me, but not a nice smile. He was angry with me. Maybe we had a fight or something before the accident.

“Pretending that you don’t know who you are won’t save you.”

“What? Save me from what?” I questioned, eyebrows taking a sharp dive to the bridge of my nose. He did some sort of clicking thing with his tongue and sipped his coffee. His haunting eyes glared at me through steam, the smirk never leaving his face.

Steam rose from the cup when he set it on my stand and turned to me. I watched him lick his lips and come to my side. My eyes shifted from his cool expression to his fingers. I stared down at my shoulder when two fingers slid down my arm to the tips of my fingers. Silence except for the beeping and the loud thump in my chest occupied the room. I stared at his face unable to speak while he held the tips of my fingers in his hand. The pillow behind my head kept me from moving away from him when he lowered his lips to mine.

“Keep it up. I’m actually enjoying the fuck out of this. Just thinking about starting over makes my dick hard,” he said with admittance to my lips with soft warm words. My lips stayed in a thin, straight line while he kissed me. A grunt fell from my chest when I jerked in pain, trying to move away. Something pulled me to him. Something besides the cologne, and I knew without a doubt, he was my husband. Good Lord! I was broken and stupid.

“Please tell me I’m not married to you,” I said, pleading eyes boring into his while I tried to use my broken hand to sit up. My so called husband just stood there, not even offering to help. I struggled on my own until I reached the control for the bed.

“Oh yes. I own you, Gabriella Pierce,” he said while assuring me with some sort of creepy, power trip, tone. Hoarse and raspy. What the hell?

“Wait. You own me? You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking. I don’t even know your name.” Unbelievable. If this guy thought for one second I was about to bow down to him, he had another think coming. No way.

Again he moved closer to my lips and I let him. By instinct, my eyes lowered to my lap. He lifted my chin with one finger and kissed me again. Pain moved down my neck to my spine. Once again I let him kiss me with a warm, soft kiss. Fire and ice, burning my lips.

“I own you, I own the girls, and I own the house. I pay for it. You work for me. I pay you, and … the name’s Paxton. You can call me Paxton. Of course I’m sure you already know that, but hey. Let’s play games, shall we?”

This wasn’t real life. People didn’t really act like this. Who in the world did this guy think he was? My mind blurred with thoughts, but no memories. I didn’t know this guy from the nurses. His hand caressed my tender ribs, and his lips once again met mine. My breath caught in my lungs when his thumb brushed back and forth over my sore body. My hip and my side. I’m not sure if my lips parted on their own or if he did it, but there was definitely tongue.

“Hello, Mrs. Pierce. How are you feeling?” a different doctor from before asked, interrupting the kiss. I was so confused. One second this guy was a threat, and the next he was intoxicating. Why couldn’t I just remember? Paxton took a step back, leaving me with a kiss to my forehead. That hurt, too. Everything hurt.

“I would say I’ve been better, but I don’t know if that’s the truth or not.”

“Yes, Dr. Mirage and I spoke. Unfortunately, I’m not a neurologist. I’m your orthopedic doctor. You’re a lucky girl.”

“So, I’ve been told. How long have I been here?”

“You’ve been in an induced coma for nine days. You suffered a ruptured spleen, a couple broken bones, and a serious head injury. Your brain was swollen severely. That’s why you’ve been in a coma. Your brain needed the time to recover. Like I said. You’re very lucky. All of this is going to heal. You’re still here and that’s all that matters,” the doctor said while his hand waved down my body, demonstrating all that needed to heal. Everything.

My memory was working just fine from coma on. I remembered all the things that Paxton said he owned. My head snapped to him, and I grimaced in pain. Gah. Stop doing that. Dark green eyes stared back. A look of pure spite was perceived from the look in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was a smirk, or spy-like. Like a predator, waiting for me to slip so he could catch me.

“You said girls. What girls?” I questioned with my eyebrows turned in sharply.

Paxton crossed one arm over the other. “Our daughters, Rowan and Ophelia.”

“Hi, we’re here to take you down for another scan,” a male nurse said as he entered with a girl carrying a chart. My chart. My orders.

“We’ll talk later, Love. Go get better so we can go home,” Paxton said with a wink over the brim of hot the coffee cup.

My eyes rolled to his while my bed was wheeled out. This was all wrong. It didn’t feel right. Rowan? Ophelia?

“I don’t know that man. I don’t think he’s my husband at all,” I whispered to the nurse above my head.

The guy nurse knelt to my ear from above as wheeled me down the hall. The smell of men’s cologne reaching my nose before his words met my ear. “Let’s get a good look at your brain. See what’s going on there.”

I held the air in my lungs when I realized he wasn’t about to get in the middle of that one. Why would he? He only wanted to do what was on his orders. Do his job and clock out. I was on my own until I could figure out what to do.

Paxton was gone when I returned to my room. Thank God. I needed time to figure things out. Figure out what to do. Where to go. Surely I had parents somewhere.

The trip for the scan of my brain exhausted me. It left me feeling like I had been run over by that truck again. I let darkness takeover once again, dozing to the monotone beeping. There were no visons of a past, no recollections of who I was or where I had come from. Nothing but unconscious darkness.

The next time I woke the window revealed darkness. I felt irritated, but wasn’t sure why. Maybe because the neurologist never came like he said he would. Maybe because I hurt. I hurt everywhere. Even my eyes. Maybe the agitation came from seeing him. Why? Why was he there? Why couldn’t he just go away? I gave him a dirty look and hit my call button.

Paxton nobly walked to my side. “I can help you. What do you need?”

I shoved his hand away from mine. With all my might, I tried to move. Just rolling to my side caused excruciating pain. Pain like I had never felt in my life. At least not that I remembered.

My voice raised, yet it was faint. “I want out of this bed, I want to know what’s wrong with me, and I want you to go away. That’s what I need!” Faded words was all that I could muster. It even pained me to raise my voice. My muscles didn’t work, and the ones that did, hurt too much to move.

“Seriously? Tears? Give me a fucking break,” Paxton said, arrogant tone and all.

I wanted to tell him off, tell him to go fuck himself. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but they never formed in my mouth. The pain wouldn’t let them.

“What can we do for you, Gabriella?” Another new nurse asked. She moved around me, checking vitals and the drip in my I.V. while she spoke.

“I have to pee, and I need something for pain.”

“You have a catheter, but I can give you something for the pain. Tell me where the pain level is, one to ten.”

“Ten, more than ten. Oh, God. Give me something. Please,” I begged. My neck and shoulders hurt every time I moved my head, but I couldn’t help it. I was in unbearable pain, and nothing else was on my mind. I just wanted it to stop.

“Where’s the pain, Gabriella?”

“I don’t know. All over. My head, my neck, my back, my leg. It hurts everywhere. And it still feels like I have to pee.”

“Let me get you some Dilaudid. I’ll be right back.”

I squirmed as much as possible while I waited for relief, holding a flat hand over my face. Trying to squeeze the pain from my temples didn’t work at all.

“Shhh, I’ve got you. Just relax.” Soft words were whispered into my ear and Paxton’s warm body blanketed my chest. His hands moved around me and he held me close to him. “Stop fighting it, Gabriella. You’re only making it worse. You’re okay. I’ve got you,” he said in a quiet tone while leaving soft kisses around my neck. It’s stupid, but it did feel like it helped, like maybe some of the pain was lifted.

Tears slid down both of my eyes and he kissed them away, shushing me with soft words. Confusing emotions flooded my body while I wept in the arms of a man I didn’t know. I didn’t know what to say, what to feel, what to do, nothing. I knew nothing.

Paxton pulled away and kissed my lips with one sweet peck. His thumb brushed a tear from my eye when I settled, letting him be my rock. What else was I supposed to do? It wasn’t like I had anyone else coming to my rescue.

“That’s better. Have I not always taken care of you? Hmmm?” he asked, head tilting to the side with a smile. His fingers brushed hair across the bandage on my forehead in a carrying manner. Soft words matching the gentle touch.

I mocked his quiet tone. “Is that a trick question?”

Paxton snickered and stepped away for the nurse.

Instant relief was felt when she flipped a needle and injected it into my IV. I was loopy within a minute, feeling no pain whatsoever. Unless I moved of course. I floated on a cloud, high above the birds.

“Dr. Mirage said we could take the catheter out. We’ll use the bedpan throughout the night and then try to get you up in the morning.”

My heavy eyelids flew open and I assured her that wouldn’t be happening. “No way. Leave it in. I can’t get up.” There was no way I would be able to stand. I would fall and break the rest of my bones for sure.

The nurse filled in the report, hanging at the foot of my bed while she talked. “We’ll see where we are tomorrow. Let’s not worry about that yet. Dr. Mirage wouldn’t steer you wrong. He’s one of the best.”

I could hear her words, but they were mystique. Each word, echoing in my ears. Did she say mirage? That’s what this was. A mirage. Delusion. I was hallucinating. It was the only logical explanation.

I jerked from pain when the nurse lifted my knee. She didn’t bend the left one, but nonetheless, it hurt like mad when she moved it out. I thought my hips were crumbling into pieces. One fist squeezed the covers hard and one squeezed Paxton’s hand. I felt the foreign object being ejected from my body and a little more relief was felt.

The nice nurse patted my bare leg, explaining her plan. “Hang in there for a second, sweetie. We’ll try to put you on a bedpan. I’ll be right back.” She covered my nakedness and left me with Paxton.

For a second I thought I was hallucinating on top of hallucinating. Paxton slid my gown up my hips and trailed his fingers down my stomach. I had to be hallucinating. There was no other justification. This didn’t happen in real life.

Paxton smiled a mischievous smile, moving in and out of focus, and spoke with curvy words. “Nine days without shaving is a long time. Maybe we should take care of that,” I heard him grunt some sort of animal-like, lust noise at precisely the same moment I felt his fingers slide inside me. Seriously?

I did manage to speak without moving. “What are you doing? Stop it.” I couldn’t move. I was higher than a kite for one, and two, it hurt too much to even try. All I could do was lay there and let Paxton touch me. This guy was deranged. Something wasn’t right upstairs.

“That’s not the only thing, nine days is a long time for,” he said in a gravely tone, right on my lips. He didn’t move his fingers or stop the invasion until the two nurses came with the bedpan. I don’t know for sure if I used it or not. I crashed again. I crashed hard, trying with all my might to make it all go away. This wasn’t my life. This couldn’t be my life. Not this man. Not Paxton Pierce. Not me.

I vaguely remember asking for more pain meds during the night, and I vaguely remember Paxton taking care of me. He laid in my bed with me and held me to his body while I wretched in pain. His lips kissed my head and his hand caressed my sore ribs.

The sun was bright and shining when I woke the next time. A glare on the sparkling white floor caught my eye, and then his. He was always there. Why? Why didn’t he leave?

Our eyes locked and we held a glance while I sat myself up more. Paxton stood and moved my cup of water to my lips. I sucked on the straw, welcoming the cold liquid.

I turned my head away when I had enough and accused him of what I knew. “I know what you did. You touched me.” The memory was faint, but I knew it happened. I felt his hand between my legs. With everything in me, I knew it was real.

Paxton set the cup back to the table and laughed. Full blown gut laugh. Even his eyes lit up. I turned my head when he leaned in for a kiss, causing him to miss. He placed it on the corner of my mouth. “Like I said. I own you and I own your pussy. I touch it whenever and wherever I want. Don’t forget that.”

I stared up to him, feeling completely off. This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be right. “You’re a psycho. I’m not leaving here with you,” I said with great assurance while I tried to back away.

“We’ll talk later. I have to run by a jobsite. Get some rest,” Paxton said with a caring tone and a kiss to my forehead. I watched him leave, staring after him in I’m not sure what. Shock? Disbelief? I was terrified. This man was bad. This wasn’t right. There was absolutely no way I was married to Paxton Pierce. No way in hell.

I was brought a tray of rubbery eggs and a cup of coffee shortly after Paxton had left. I tasted the cold toast, and snarled my nose at the eggs. Gross. Just like the nurse had promised the night before, I got up. Against my will, through all the pain, I walked on crutches a few short feet to the bathroom. The length of a football field was more like it. That’s what it felt like.

“We’ve been giving you a stool softener. Are you okay to sit here for a minute while I change your bed?”

I held the cold bar with my hand, trying like hell to deal with the pain. It was mostly in my chest and my right hip, the one with the blue brace, sticking straight out in front of me.

“I can’t,” I huffed. No way in hell was I doing that. I could barely sit there. Just peeing took the rest of my energy.

“Okay, just sit there and relax. We’ll get your bed changed and get you something for the pain.”

Needless to say, my resting on the toilet in the awkward positon brought forth number two. The nurse was right outside my door, humming to a familiar tune, but I didn’t want her. I fought through the pain to wipe myself, too embarrassed to ask for help. That decision was regretted along with the one to walk to the bathroom in the first place.

I was in so much pain. Not quite as much as the night before, but close. As much as a hot shower sounded amazing, I couldn’t do it. It was too much.

“You would feel much better if you let us help you shower. Maybe put a little makeup on for that good-looking husband of yours.”

“He’s not my husband,” I said out of anger, assuring the stupid nurse with an insolent tone.

“I’m sorry. I know this must be hard for you. That was inconsiderate of me.”

Well, damn. Her smile and soft tone attenuated my attitude. My stiff posture relaxed and I recanted, but only on the outside. The inside was still angry, confused, and fed-up. I didn’t want to do it anymore. I just wanted to wake up and know. Know everything. None of this was right. I didn’t feel like Gabriella Pierce. The gospel tune nurse Julie hummed sounded more familiar than this.

My shoulder felt like it was popping out of socket when I slowly raised my arm. I scratched my itchy scalp and I withdrew again. My hair felt disgusting and I suddenly felt dirty, but I was in too much pain. I couldn’t do it. The debate on whether to shower or not lasted for two seconds before I even made a decision.

“I’ll take a shower, but I need something for the pain first.”

“Good girl,” the nurse said with a pat to my shoulder. Thank God the shower had a seat right in the center. The embarrassment that I felt before was long gone. I didn’t mind a bit that she did the washing. Everywhere. The only thing that mattered was the pain. It was too much. I needed to lay down. As much as I wanted to brush my teeth, a quick drive by once over was all I could manage. At least it was better than nothing.

My hospital bed felt amazing. I was clean, my bed was clean, and I was ten times more comfortable than when I was up. As soon as my muscle spasms stopped, I relaxed and closed my eyes. My breaths whistled between my teeth and my hand gripped the railing on my bed, praying for comfort.

“Are you sure my hip’s not broken?” I asked through painful gasps. Julie moved my leg as little as possible, situating it back into the brace, securing it with straps.

“It’s not. You have a fracture right here,” she directed with her finger, just below my knee. “Your ankle has a fracture, too,” she explained.

I half listened, feeling the pain medication kick in. I gave up as soon as she covered my legs, dropping my head to my pillow. My hand pressed in on my right side, trying to ease the pain in my ribs and chest. The light above my head went out, and Julie told me to rest. I didn’t reply. I couldn’t reply. I hurt.

Nothing was in my mind. I wasn’t frightened anymore. I didn’t think about my two little girls, my husband that I didn’t know, or the accident that I couldn’t remember. The only thing that I could think about was the pain. The pain took precedence over everything. Every thought.

My silent cries did nothing but plug my nose. Tears ran down my eyes and I sniffed, trying to ease the pain.

“Shhh. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you, baby,” I heard the acquainted soft voice of Paxton. The bed railing went down and his body moved in beside me. Right to the bed. I didn’t even bother to open my eyes. What was the point? Paxton laid on his side and pulled me to him. My upper body was turned into him, my head resting on his chest. I don’t know if it was him, the angle of my body, or the pain meds, but the pain did subside. For whatever reason, I did feel better in his arms. Comfort maybe.

No words were spoken between us. Paxton held me tight in his arms and kissed my forehead. That’s it. He did what any decent man would do for his wife. He took care of me.

Time didn’t seem to matter when you didn’t know who you were or where you belonged. I woke later in the same positon. Paxton’s chest. The rise and fall of his deep breathing told me he was asleep. A deep delta sleep. My eyes opened, but I didn’t move. Other than the pain I felt in the back of my knee, I felt at peace.

I looked up without moving my head when I felt the kiss to my head. “Feel better?”

A deep breath fell from my chest and I tried to move. Paxton didn’t let me. His strong arms were no match for my weak body.

“You smell better and you had a nice nap. I would say that’s a start. Wouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know you. I don’t think this is right,” I said, matter-of-factly in his chest.

“I’m not sure that I believe that, but I’ll play. Sounds interesting.”

“You’re such an ass. I bet our kids hate you.”

“They love me. You love me, too. You just don’t remember yet, but you will. There’s a lot you’re going to have to learn. You want a play games? You’ve gotta play by the rules, doll,” Paxton said as he slid from my bed, delicately moving me from his chest.

I squirmed my way to a sitting positon with the help of the bed. I didn’t know what to say. How the hell did you reply to something like that? The rules? What the hell? I chose to steer around that one. Avoid it altogether. “Where’s my mom?”

Paxton poured water from the pink pitcher to my cup. “How the fuck would I know? Drink.”

I sucked cool water from the straw when he held it to my lips only because I was thirsty. Not because he insisted. “We’ve been married for six years and you don’t know where my mother is?”


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