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Chapter 29
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The danger was surrounding her. She could feel the shadows closing in. Cautiously, Greer slid back until her back hit the wall. Her head turned to scan the atrium and glowing red eyes were right in front of her and the maniacal laugh penetrated under her skin. She locked her muscles, ready to run, but she couldn’t make her voice or her limbs work. They were frozen and her heart was beating so fast everything inside of her felt like it was going to burst.
She opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was a whimper. Tears ran down her face and she tried to focus her mind to calm down, but nothing worked. Then she felt it.
The covers were moving, and a weight was depressing the mattress. She burst alive and scrambled to the edge of the bed. Familiar hands stopped her movement and his voice came to her ear.
“It’s okay, Greer. I won’t let anything happen.”
She stayed tense, but the hand smoothing her hair away from her face started to work its soothing magic.
“I got you, nothing will happen to you here. Go back to sleep.”
Beckett breathed a sigh of relief when Greer fell back into a deep slumber. A couple of hours after they had gotten home, Vivian came out of Greer’s room and found him in David’s study. They had both been waiting for Vivian.
Her eyes were red, but the intensity in them as they pinned him to his chair gave him pause. “Tell me what happened to my daughter.”
The cops had already been to the house and gone, with the promise to return the next day to take Greer’s statement. Everything in Beckett wanted to shout at them that they already knew everything from him, even if they asked questions he didn’t know the answers to.
The anger and disappointment growing on his dad’s face as he told the detectives what he knew only added to the anger directed at himself. He knew as soon as the detectives left, he would face even tougher questions from David Dawson. Questions he would answer truthfully. It was time he admitted his feelings for Greer and how he had let her down. It was time he manned up and admitted how much of an asshole he had been. It was time for him to protect Greer, instead of her protecting him.
Beckett understood she had kept things to herself to protect her mom, but in the process, she had been protecting him. She could have thrown him under the bus so many times, but she’d held her tongue. And because of her innate selflessness, she was the one hurt.
When the detectives left David turned to him.
“We will wait for Vivian to talk about this further, but know that I am so disgusted with you right now. What I have heard so far is not the man I have raised you to be.”
He held his dad’s disappointed and angry stare. “I know, Dad.” His voice cracked, but he swallowed back the emotion bubbling in his throat.
After about a half-hour of waiting in silence with his dad, Vivian came through the open door to David’s office. If he thought facing his dad was going to be hard, he knew the ultimate punishment was facing Vivian. David walked over to Vivian and pulled her into a hug and then guided her to the sofa. Beckett took a seat across from them. He took a deep breath and told them everything that had happened from day one. He had a hard time looking her in the face as he saw the shock, devastation, and finally disappoint cross her face.
The guilt and sorrow he saw on Vivian’s face tore at him. When he was done Vivian turned to David, who had his arm securely around her. “I love you, David, but I can’t do this to Greer. Her happiness has to come first.”
David looked at her with a fierceness and possessiveness that struck Beckett. At that moment, he finally understood the depth of love they felt for each other and as he realized his actions could tear them apart, he wanted to say something, but as he opened his mouth David beat him to it.
“I love you, Vivian, and nothing is going to tear us apart. We will talk with Greer in the morning and do whatever we need to do to ensure she feels safe and loved, but this is our problem, not your problem. Do you understand?”
Beckett felt like an intruder, but he didn’t want to disrupt the scene before him. He could see Vivian’s desire to believe his dad and David’s determination not to lose her.
Slowly and reluctantly, Vivian nodded, but sadly and determinately, added, “I will talk to Greer and then decide.”
“Together,” David growled.
“Together,” Vivian conceded.
When David tipped her chin up, Beckett knew it was time to make his escape. As quietly and quickly as possible he walked out and went straight up to Greer’s room. There was no way he was leaving her alone tonight. He couldn’t get her comatose face and glossy eyes out of his head. Eventually, her numbness would wear off, and someone needed to be there when it happened.
When he heard the first whimper, he sat up straighter from his position on the floor, by her door in the hall, and waited to see if she would settle back down. He wasn’t sure she would appreciate him being here, but if she didn’t accept his presence then he would get Vivian.
Silently he opened the door and he could hear her labored breathing, so he crept closer. As he gazed upon her face, he knew she was still sleeping, but her face was twisted and she shifted restlessly under the covers. He decided to get under the covers and sooth her back to sleep. His heart shattered when she panicked and tried to leave. He grabbed her arm and lifted her back under the covers, gathered her to him and spoke reassuring words in her ear. Gradually the stiffness left her, she sank into his arms, and her breathing evened out.
With each of her passing breaths, Beckett realized how much he loved her. Greer with her open heart and assumption that no one owed her anything. He had taken advantage of those beliefs and used her innate sense of right to manipulate her. He swore he would make it up to her. To start he was going to be with her the rest of the night and hopefully keep the nightmares away.
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Chapter 30
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Greer squinted against the brightness of the room. She felt her scratchy, dry throat, the pounding ache in her head, and finally, the sadness in her soul. She was puzzled until the events of last night came flooding back with startling clarity.
Up until she left with Beckett, then her memories became fuzzy like she was fighting through an alcoholic binge. She closed her eyes to block out the stabbing in her heart and made herself concentrate on what else she remembered.
Her insides eased with the memory of Beckett coming back to the railing for her. The protectiveness he had shown when he had carried her to the limo made her insides clench. He had let her hide against his chest, and huddle next to him the whole ride home.
Tears pricked her eyes with the relief she felt when her mom laid down next to her. Greer couldn’t remember the last time her mom had slept with her, but she had needed the unconditional love with no questions asked last night.
The memory of waking up alone, in the dark, made Greer curl into a ball and grip the covers. The panic at being alone in the dark was like fingernails clawing at her insides. The feeling of helplessness and terror still lived in her.
She pushed the burgeoning terror down and focused on the warmth she remembered wrapping itself around her, like a guardian angel. Greer could still hear the assuring rumble telling her she was safe. The demons in her head quieted and her locked limbs gradually relaxed into the comforting arms.
She swore she could smell the clean, spicy smell she associated with Beckett. She turned her head further into the pillow she was clutching and inhaled. Even his smell helped chase away the lingering uneasiness.
Why had Beckett come to her room? What had he been doing in the atrium? And why was she comforted by him? She should hate him, but despite his reasons for doing it, Beckett had been there for her.
Despite his dislike and weariness of her, he had
involved himself. He had saved her. The cold terror returned thinking about hanging over that railing, but she pushed it away. She needed to think.
For her own sanity, she needed to be away from Beckett. And after what she had overheard, he didn’t want her at Oak High. And she no longer wanted to be there. She needed to go back to Public Central. It would give her back her anonymity, and it was the one thing she could do for Beckett.
All she needed to do was talk to her mom. Tears swam in her eyes at how disappointed Vivian would be. Greer took a deep breath and cleared her eyes. Her mom needed to know everything that had led up to being hung over a railing and convince her she couldn’t go to Oak High. Greer picked up her phone, ignored all the unread notifications, and texted her mom.
It was taking everything she had to ignore the heaviness weighing down her body to talk with her mom. There was no way she was going to leave the warmth and security of her bed. But she also didn’t want to sit alone and battle her emotions and memories all day. It was time to start taking baby steps toward her future. And that future meant never setting foot inside Oak High again.
Greer’s anxiety kicked up a notch when David followed Vivian into her room. She tracked him wearily as he pulled out her desk chair and move it closer to her bed. Her mom sat on the bed beside her and took one of her hands in both of hers.
So much of what she needed to tell her mom was about Beckett and she couldn’t do that with David there. What she was feeling must have been evident on her face. He spoke in an earnest plea.
“Greer, please know I am only here to support you. Beckett has filled us in with what has been happening, including his part in it. I am here to help you. You have endured and survived and now it is time for you to tell us what you want and for us to help you achieve it.”
Beckett’s bright brown eyes were a replica of David’s and they were staring at her with the same determination she had seen from Beckett. She could also see the sorrow and sincerity radiating from him as he let her look her fill.
Vivian drew her attention away from David.
“Why didn’t you come to me, Greer?” Greer could see the guilt and worry on her mom’s face and she needed to erase that. She took a moment to think about her words. The time for honesty was upon her, but she didn’t want to crush her mom while doing it.
“All my life you have put me first. You would take vacation days to go on field trips with me. You would go in late to work to get me ready for pictures. You would give up your weekends to encourage me to invite friends over.”
Some of the worry left Vivian’s face, replaced by a small remembrance. “We had some good times, didn’t we?”
Greer nodded. “When you introduced me to David, I knew it was serious. You had never introduced me to another man. In fact, I never even knew you had gone on dates. And I’m sorry to say it had never even occurred to me that you would want to go on dates.”
Vivian broke in. “I didn’t want to go on dates. I didn’t go on dates. You filled me up and I didn’t feel the need for more.”
Greer wasn’t sure she believed her mom. She had spent more than a few hours feeling guilty because she had taken advantage of her mom’s generosity, never realizing Vivian might want something with a man.
It was David who convinced her. He huffed a laugh. “Greer, I can vouch for that. When I came to Tom’s office and saw her outside his office, I knew immediately that I wanted to date her. She looked right through me. My ego was hurt.”
Vivian rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were pink. David looked at her with tenderness and continued. “Tom soon caught on to my need to see him so frequently and hid it from Vivian, allowing me to save a little face. Even if he’ll never let me forget it.”
Vivian rolled her eyes. “Enough. The point is we are engaged and I love him with all my heart, but we don’t have to live together. We can be engaged and live in separate homes. We can move back to our apartment Greer.”
David didn’t move a muscle, but Greer could feel his dislike of Vivian living away from him. She put him at ease.
“No. You need to be here, but I want to go back to Public Central.”
The silence resonated and she softly continued with her plan, “I can move in with Lexi and then I would have a way to and from school.”
Her mom went still and her face paled. Greer felt awful for hurting her mom, but she didn’t know of another way.
David firmly broke the uneasy silence. “No. That will kill your mom. If Vivian agrees, I will get you a car and you will drive from here.”
Both women opened their mouths to argue. David held up his hand. “No.” He looked at Vivian firmly. “I have let you have your way too long with this. I know you are not with me for my money. If you want to work, fine, work. But you will no longer work to support Greer. I am getting her a car. The actions of my son are partly to blame for this situation, and you will let me do this.”
They stared at each other in challenge. Greer knew her mom wanted to say more, but her concern for me was warring with her need to be independent.
“Um, I have saved $2,500. Could you help me find me a used car?”
Mom squeezed my hand. “I’ll pay $2,500 as well. Do you think $5,000 will be enough to find a reliable used car, David?”
David’s jaw worked and Greer held in her grin at his frustration with two hardheaded females. “I will kick in $2,500 as well and yes I think we can get a good car for $7,500.”
They discussed the logistics and by the end of the conversation, a big weight had been lifted from Greer. She was going back to school with Lexi and could leave the Oak High nightmare behind her.
««« »»»
From her discussion with her mom and David, she knew Brittany had been arrested. While Greer was relieved Brittany could be deleted from her worries, she was also grateful she didn’t have to face the rest of the mean girls at Oak High. Now her concern was her conflicted feelings about Beckett.
It was best for her to see him as little as possible. Despite overhearing he was only nice to her because of his fear of losing all of his comforts, she still couldn’t rid herself of her feelings for him. He may have done it for the wrong reasons, but he had protected her at school. She also owed him her life. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind if Beckett hadn’t intervened, she would have been thrown over the railing. She wouldn’t thank him or embarrass herself by forcing him to be around her.
The sharp knock at the door made every part of her body stand at attention. She knew it was Beckett.
“Greer,” Beckett’s tone was guarded.
She thought she was ready to see him, be cordial to him. Despite her self-talk, thirty seconds ago, she still felt embarrassed that she had bought into his turn about.
“Greer.”
This time there was no knock just a harder tone, indicating he knew she was up. Her heart was beating so fast she could barely hear Beckett over her racing blood.
“We need to talk. I know you’re up. Let me in.”
Logically she knew the smart thing was to let him in and assure him that she would stay away from him, but her conflicting emotions kept her paralyzed to the bed. She was so thankful he had been in the atrium last night, but she was also embarrassed, hurt, and mad.
In the end, she just wanted the confrontation done, so she could move on. After Beckett knocked again, she took a deep breath and made her legs go to the door.
For a split second her green eyes met the concern in his deep bronze eyes and then they swept over her. His wandering eyes still made her blood race and made her body alert to every move he made.
Greer turned and walked over to her desk. Her Beckett radar alerted her that he was following her. Her intention had been to sit, but she didn’t want to have to him towering over her. Instead, she leaned on her desk, keeping her gaze on the floor. Before she lost her nerve, Greer blurted the words she knew needed to be said.
“Thank you for getting me away from Brittany last night.” She looked up, t
o see his hands curled into fists and his jaw clenched. She rushed on.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t show up.” Tears sprang imagining her body being pushed over the railing flying through the air with nothing but,
“Greer.”
Distantly she heard his demand, but she was back in the atrium picturing what would have happened if he hadn’t shown up.
Firm hands landed on her shoulders, and just like that she jerked back to reality. She closed her eyes and concentrated on his warm hands grounding her.
“Detectives are going to be here later today. I’m going to be there with you. When that is done then you can start to put it behind you.”
Her eyes snapped open at the word detective and her body started trembling.
“Shit.” Beckett grabbed her and enfolded her in his sphere and some of her anxiety drifted away. Enough for her to realize she was relying on Beckett. With a heavy heart, she knew it was time to let him go.
She and her mom had been thrust in his life and it was time she freed him of his burden. He hadn’t known how to handle this new situation any more than she had, but it still hurt knowing he had pretended to like her.
Inhaling one last Beckett smell she pushed herself away from him and walked to her bed. She sat down and traced the stitching pattern in her comforter. She took two seconds to swallow the lump in her throat and forced the husky words out.
“I’m going back to Public, so you don’t need to be responsible for me anymore. I would like it if we could be cordial to each other, but we don’t have to be friends. My mom is taking this all pretty hard. For her sake, and your Dad’s, I don’t want it to be awkward. And just so you know, David agreed to pay for part of a used car for me. I’m putting in some money and so is my mom, but David said he would put in some as well. I plan on paying him back,”
She snuck a peek up and was surprised to see what looked like pain on Beckett’s face. She rushed on hoping to explain why she had agreed. “I’m still going to work at the coffee shop, so it won’t be right away, but I will pay him a little at a time. It was my idea to ask David for help finding a car and he agreed to pay for part of it. So please don’t be mad at my mom. I just didn’t know how else I would get to school without having to rely on anyone and I knew they wouldn’t let me take the bus.”
Battling Beckett Page 22
