by J. H. Croix
“Because she,” Greg tightened his hold around Emma’s neck, “doesn’t get to just leave me. I told her she’d pay and now she’s paying. Don’t do anything stupid because I have no problem hurting her.”
“Yeah, we know that asshole. We know all about guys like you. Gotta beat women up because you don’t feel like a man unless you do,” Jared said, baiting him.
Greg’s face reddened. Trey heard tires on gravel and figured Darren had arrived. Greg started to say something to Jared, his eyes shifting away. Trey made his move, swiftly slamming his fist into the arm that Greg held around Emma. Greg’s grip broke loose, and he swore as he attempted to keep his hold on Emma. Emma scrambled away. Trey threw him to the ground as soon as Emma was freed.
The gun tumbled from Greg’s hands as they fell. Greg tried to reach for the gun, but Jared grabbed it before he got his hands on it. Greg didn’t give up the fight just yet though, grappling with Trey and managing to land one punch on his shoulder before Trey slammed him hard and pinned him to the ground. Darren came around the corner of the house with Charlie on his heels.
***
Emma clambered to her feet, panic pounding through her. She lunged toward Trey and Greg who were scuffling on the ground. A hand closed over her arm, and she tried to break away when she heard Jared’s voice, low and clear.
“Easy, Emma. I’ve got Greg’s gun, and Trey’s got him,” Jared said, his hold on her arm firm. “You’re okay.”
Darren and Charlie came running into the backyard. Between Jared’s words and their presence, the ferocity of her fear began to ease. The next half hour passed in a jumble. Trey came to her, turning her to face him. His eyes skated over her face, a light touch on her forehead where she’d collided with the truck door when Greg dragged her out. “Did he do this?” Trey asked, his hand gently cradling her face, his eyes dark with concern.
She shook her head rapidly. “No, no. I ran into the door when…”
Trey swore softly and began to swing away, only to stop when he saw that Charlie and Darren were taking care of Greg. Trey turned back and pulled her close, wrapping her in his arms. His nearness eased her panic, her chest loosened, and she was able to breathe fully.
“I’m okay,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “Are you okay? I couldn’t tell…”
Trey leaned back to look at her. A tear slid down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb. “I’m fine. I’m just glad you are. You have no idea what went through my head when you screamed and hung up.”
Emma took a shaky breath and started to reply only to pause when she heard Jared clearing his throat audibly.
Trey glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah?”
Jared gestured in the direction of Darren who was radioing in to the station with an update while Charlie cuffed Greg and walked him to the cruiser. “Think he needs to check in with us. Can you handle that now?”
Trey nodded, shifting to Emma’s side while keeping an arm sung around her shoulders. They followed Darren and Jared to the front of the house.
Darren took statements, including one from Greg’s wife, Barbara. Emma was shocked to realize that she had been there all along. Barbara stood beside the rental car staring at the ground. She was tall and slender with light brown hair and brown eyes. She stood with her shoulders curved forward, as if she wanted to curl inside herself and hide.
Emma walked over to her while Darren was talking with Trey and Jared. “Hi,” she said simply.
Barbara looked up, her eyes guarded. “Hi. I, uh…I didn’t know Greg was going to do this. He just said he had to pick something up from you. He made it seem like you two were still friends after your divorce. I guess I should have known better.” Her voice held a bitter edge.
Emma remained quiet, recognizing that the woman who stood before her was yet another woman who ended up in a relationship with a violent, controlling man. And just as she had, along so many others, this woman stumbled along just trying to survive, never quite sure what was true and what the safest choice was. It felt like every step, every choice was a random roll of the dice with a prayer each time that the die didn’t land on something that led to an explosion.
Emma put a hand on Barbara’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I get it. Have you thought about what you’re going to do now?”
Barbara shrugged, a sharp laugh following. “When he called me about coming to bail him out, he said he’d had a few too many beers and got pulled over driving back to his hotel. I had no idea it had anything to do with you. He pretended like this whole trip was a fishing thing and you just happened to live out here. I kind of wondered, but honestly, him going on vacation without me meant I didn’t have to worry about him. And now? I don’t know what to do. I won’t be bailing him out again. I have a plane ticket home. I’ll see if I can change it and leave sooner.”
Emma thought of so many things she wanted to say, but she stayed focused only on one. “If you need any help, I’ll help. I managed to divorce him, so I’m sure you can too if that’s what you want.”
Barbara looked at her carefully. “Why would you help me?”
“Because I know what it’s like to be where you are,” Emma said simply.
Chapter 17
Emma came awake slowly. The first threads of light were seeping through the shades. Trey’s arm was thrown across her, his palm warm against her side where it rested just below her breast. Her mind rolled back to yesterday. After the police left, Darren called later to report that Greg was being held on three charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with no option to be released before trial due to his blatant violation of the conditions of his earlier release. Emma hadn’t wanted to stay at her own house, mostly because she couldn’t settle down there. It was as if Greg’s presence in the house and yard had tainted it. Trey brought her to his house after a quick call to Risa, so she could prepare Stuart for the fact that both Emma and Trey sported a few bruises.
It was so…comforting…to just be with Trey, Stuart and Risa. After dinner, she’d gone to bed early, emotionally and physically exhausted from the afternoon. She’d fallen asleep to the soft rumble of Trey’s voice as he put Stuart to bed across the hall. Now, she lay still in the early light of morning to the feel of Trey spooned behind her, the heat of his erection pressing against her bottom through the thin cotton of her panties. Desire curled like smoke around her. She shifted her hips against him. His soft chuckle against her neck stoked her.
“Ignore it. Just being near you seems to have that effect,” he whispered.
“I don’t want to ignore it,” she replied softly.
“Emma…after everything you went through, you don’t need me acting like a randy teenager. Let me just hold you.”
She rotated swiftly in his arms, shifting up to tear her t-shirt off, kick her panties away and straddle him. “No,” she declared, pushing him back and shoving his boxers out of the way. She paused to look at him in the dim light. His chest rose and fell in a swift breath. Without waiting, she leaned forward and drew her tongue in a long stroke up his cock.
His breath hissed through his teeth. “Dear God, Emma…” he choked out.
She took him in her mouth, savoring his thickness, bringing him fully inside. His hips flexed against her as she drew back up his length, maintaining suction. She dallied and toyed with him, alternating with licks, strokes and suction. Trey abruptly sat and tugged her up over him. “I need you now,” he ground out, holding her hips poised just above the tip of his cock.
She was soaked with desire when he surged into her. She thrust her hips down to settle on his shaft, holding still for a long moment, relishing his fullness. Yearning whipsawed through her when she rose up, she clenched around him, unable to control the pulses that started to build. His head arched back in release once she began to ripple around him. She fell forward, collapsing onto him, tremors coursing through her.
He shifted to tuck her to his side, brushing her hair out of her eyes. Emotions rocketed through her co
lliding with the aftermath of the passion that shimmered between them. She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt his hand brushing her tears away.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice low in the gray light of morning.
She thought for a moment and realized she was probably more okay than she’d been in a long, long time. It was just so much to hold. At her subtle nod, Trey shifted again, leaning up to kiss her softly.
***
Emma took a sip of tea and waited. Stella sat across from her, twirling her hair, which was damp from the rain pouring down outside. After watching the sunrise with Trey and being treated to a home-cooked breakfast by Risa, Emma had watched clouds scuttle in while Trey drove her to work. The beautiful morning shifted to gray and rainy. The rain had yet to let up since then. Though Trey had attempted to persuade her not to go to work today, claiming she could use the rest, Emma knew she’d feel better if she stuck with her routine. Though the encounter with Greg yesterday had been nerve-rattling and terrifying, she felt a strange sense of relief. Greg had finally upped the ante enough to face real consequences. She craved a sense of normalcy and simply wanted to go to work without the ever-present worry about Greg. Though the situation had only escalated recently, he had finally tipped the scales by materializing her fears. When Emma had insisted she needed to go to work, Trey had merely given her a long look and then nodded firmly when he met the insistence in her eyes.
As usual, Stella had the last appointment for the day. She let the bedraggled lock of hair loose and lifted her eyes to meet Emma’s. “So you might want to know I’ve practiced at Parker’s house twice now.”
“Oh?”
Stella nodded. A blush crept up her neck, staining her creamy cheeks. “I might have to admit he’s a decent guy,” she said sheepishly.
Emma schooled her face into a bland expression. For Stella to admit any change of heart about anyone was huge. “It can be hard to know what to think of people until you spend some time with them,” Emma said carefully.
Stella shrugged and reached for her tea, holding the warm mug in her hands. “I haven’t gotten the nerve to ask him about what happened with Byron last year, but I don’t think he had anything to do with it. He’s just…nice. His mom’s really nice too. She makes snacks when I go over. I practice on her piano while he plays the drums.”
The simple experience of being invited to a boy’s home after school was something Emma knew Stella had thought was too much to hope for. Whatever came of it, the fact that Stella could relax her well-honed defenses enough to even consider Parker might be something other than a complete jerk was a stepping stone for her.
“I’m glad you decided to try,” Emma replied with a small nod.
“Try?” Stella asked, tilting her head.
“Try spending time with someone who you weren’t so sure about. That’s not easy for anyone.”
Stella nodded and looked out the window. “So the home study worker says she’s gonna approve Janie to adopt me.”
“We kind of expected that, right?”
Stella nodded, turning to look back at Emma, her eyes uncertain. “She says once she has the paperwork done, my worker can schedule my adoption hearing right away.”
“And what do you think about that?”
Stella looked back out the window, her shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath. When she turned back, her eyes were clear. “I guess I thought I’d be all freaked about it, but…I’m not. That’s kinda weird for me. I remembered what you said once.”
“What’s that?”
“You said I could decide not to worry about something. I thought you were stupid then, but now it makes sense. Like I was all weird about getting adopted for a while. But I’m with Janie, and I don’t want to be anywhere else. And she’s more like a mom to me than my own mom ever was. So when we decided to go through with this, I kept waiting for the freak show inside to start and it just hasn’t. So I decided it’s okay not to worry.”
Emma wanted to reach over and hug her. She was so pleased to see Stella’s progress. Since she couldn’t do that, she smiled and lifted her mug of tea in a faux toast. “Whatever works for you.”
Stella grinned, lifting her own mug in return before taking a gulp of tea. “So will I graduate from therapy when I get adopted?”
Emma shrugged. “That’s up to you. We all have issues to learn from and revisit. You might decide you don’t want or need therapy and stop. Then life might happen, and you decide you could use it again. I don’t set the rules on that.”
Stella nodded and gave Emma a hard look. “What happened to your forehead?” she asked abruptly.
Emma had made it through the entire day thus far without anyone commenting on the bruising on her forehead. She’d been careful to keep her bangs over it. She should have known Stella would notice.
“My forehead met my truck door,” Emma replied. It was the truth minus the fact that it had happened because Greg had introduced her to it.
Stella scrutinized her and then shrugged. “Just want to make sure you’re okay and all.”
Emma nodded and smiled ruefully. “I’m okay. And I’m glad you asked.”
The conversation moved on, and Stella left not long after. Emma sat in the quiet for a few minutes after she finished up her notes. She glanced out to the parking lot and saw her sister’s truck pulling into the lot. Hannah was picking her up since she didn’t have her truck today. Emma dashed through the rain and quickly climbed inside. Hannah glanced over, her eyes landing on the bruise on her forehead.
“You okay?” Hannah asked.
Emma had already filled Hannah in on yesterday’s events, but figured she’d get more questions. “You’re seeing the worst of it. How are you?”
Hannah chuckled. “Okay, so we’re moving on. I’m fine. I told Susie and Tess we’d meet them for an early dinner at Sally’s. Hope that’s okay,” she said as she turned onto the road.
“Of course it’s okay. Seems like we usually end up at Sally’s when it’s raining.”
Later on, Emma sat in a booth with Hannah, Susie, and Tess listening to Susie complain about her latest spat with Jared, which had something to do with spreadsheets. Her tirade ended with, “…and then he goes and does something really awesome like rush up to your house the minute Trey called him yesterday. And thank God he was there.” Susie paused for a breath, swiped a wayward curl out of her eyes and looked at Emma. “I ran into Trey’s sister at the store today. She told me all about what happened. I’m just glad you’re okay and that asshole ex of yours is finally where he needs to be. So now that you can no longer use Greg’s shenanigans as an excuse, are you going to admit Trey is amazing and stop acting like you can’t have a relationship right now?”
Tess choked on her sandwich, and Hannah chuckled. As usual, Susie got right to the point. Emma flushed. She’d been holding her feelings for Trey at bay for weeks now. But yesterday and this morning had made it harder for her to hide from what her heart knew—that she wanted Trey more than anyone she’d ever wanted and the only word for what lay between them was…love.
“Yoohoo,” Susie said, waving at Emma from across the table.
Emma face was hot. “Maybe it hasn’t been obvious, but I haven’t been trying to avoid Trey the last week or so. And even if you won’t admit it, I think I was right to worry. It was just luck Greg didn’t really hurt Trey. And it wasn’t exactly good he ended up throwing a punch at Greg. Knowing Greg the way I do, I’m relieved he didn’t find a way to insist on having Trey charged.”
Susie rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Even if Darren hadn’t been briefed on your history with Greg, he wouldn’t have fallen for some dumb story like that. Trey’s the good guy.”
“Okay, okay, okay. I was just worried. That’s all. But I can promise you this, I’m not making any excuses to avoid Trey now. Good enough for you?” Emma asked, arching an eyebrow at Susie.
Tess laughed. “Well, it’s good enough for me. Unlike Susie, I know these thi
ngs take time. I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, her voice softening as she reached over to squeeze Emma’s hand.
Susie nodded firmly. “Good enough for me. By the way, Risa thinks you’re perfect for Trey. I don’t know her too well, but she’s in town pretty often. She’s protective of her older brother, so if you’ve got her on your side, you’re in the clear.”
Hannah shook her head. “Dear God, Susie. You never cease to amaze me with your information gathering skills.” Hannah shifted her gaze to Emma. “And I second Tess. I’m just damn glad your okay. We’ve all been worried and tried to keep a lid on it, but the last few weeks haven’t been easy. Jared stopped over last night and filled us in. Things could have been much worse, so I’m glad everyone’s okay.” She looped her arm over Emma’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze.
Tears welled in Emma’s eyes. The relief at no longer dragging her past behind her like a hidden weight was huge. That combined with the knowledge that she had friends and family like this elicited a wash of gratitude. “Thanks y’all. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” She took a deep breath, the press of tears subsiding.
“There’s that southern in you,” Susie said with a smile before waving the waitress over. “I’m buying us another round.”
***
As Hannah swung the truck into Emma’s drive, Emma burst out laughing to see Trey and Stuart waiting on the small front porch.
“I should have guessed he’d be here. I told him he didn’t need to worry now, but he can’t seem to help himself,” Emma said.
Hannah shrugged and turned the truck off. “That’s not such a bad thing.”
Emma glanced over at her sister who looked so similar to her it was unsettling sometimes. She wondered if it would have felt differently if they’d known each other their entire lives, but that was a question she’d never be able to answer. Hannah’s eyes were a mirror for her own, just a slightly darker shade of blue.
