by Karen Ferry
I let out a small chuckle as my cheeks heat up.
“I think you’d like Kristian.” I stop to gather my thoughts, nibbling on my lip. “There’s a gentle side to him I never expected to discover.” My smile falls as my mind wanders back to Rose. “And a vulnerability you don’t see often in men.”
Lost in thought, I hardly notice Thunder until he’s right by my side, nudging my arm. With bated breath, I raise the bucket higher and breathe slowly—but no less jubilantly—when he lowers his head and starts to eat the grain.
“Good boy,” I whisper, watching his ear flicker back and forth as he munches. “It won’t be long until you trust me completely. I just know it.”
My phone vibrating in my pocket catches my attention, but I ignore it until the horse has finished his breakfast. Gently, I rub his neck and grin when he lets out a heavy sigh before I leave his stall.
I pull out the phone from my back pocket and my blood chills in my veins when I check the screen—there’s a missed call from Cat’s mother, Sophie.
With jerky movements, I hit redial and put the phone to my ear.
“Laura, so glad you’re phoning me back,” Sophie sighs in my ear. The wariness in her voice makes alarm bells go off in my head.
“Is Ailith okay?” I ask as I take off towards the house.
“Well, yes and no,” she starts, making me frown.
“What do you mean?”
Spit it out, damn it!
“Okay, I don’t want you to worry, Laura, but Ailith had a bad night. Lots of nightmares, and it took a while for her to fall back to sleep.”
I grip the phone tighter as sadness settles in my heart. She hasn’t suffered from them for such a long time.
“Why didn’t you ring me?” I ask.
“Once she settled, I didn’t want you to rush down here in the middle of the night. She’s not too bad, considering, but maybe it’s best you come fetch her early. I think she wants to go home.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I breathe, as I open the door to the kitchen.
“Good. And, Laura?”
“Yes?”
“She kept whispering stuff about her father,” Sophie whispers then.
With a shaking hand, I touch the scar on my cheek briefly.
“What stuff?” I force the question through my lips.
She hesitates for a couple of seconds, making me wish I could reach inside the phone and shake her.
“While crying,” she starts softly, “she kept shouting, Leave Mummy alone, Daddy! You’ll hurt her!”
I swallow the thickness in my throat and bend over, sick to my stomach.
“Laura,” Sophie’s soothing voice pulls me away from my thoughts, “whatever happened before you came back here, I just want to say I’m sorry. Truly sorry. And to offer you a listening ear if you should ever need it.”
I take a deep breath and clear my throat. I already know I’ll dismiss her offer, but her kind words still mean a lot to me.
“Thank you. Give me half an hour, and I’ll be there. Bye.”
“See you soon.”
As I end the call, I rush upstairs to wake up Kristian. As I round the corner, I run smack into a hard, naked chest, and I shriek as I come close to falling back on my arse.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Kristian chuckles as he wraps his arms around me. I try to wiggle out of his hold, adrenaline coursing through my body, and look up at his face. The amusement in his eyes vanishes as he takes in my tear-stained face.
“What’s wrong?”
My head spins as I disappear down, down, down to the abyss that is my past. The deeper I fall, the less I seem able to see the man in front of me clearly.
“Ailith,” I whisper brokenly.
As if from afar, I watch Kristian’s jaw tightening and his brows knit together in a deadly frown.
“What’s happened?” he growls.
His tight hold on my arms brings me back to the present, and I blink a couple of times, trying to banish the shadows of the past away.
“I have to go fetch her, but Mum has my car,” I mumble and then give up fighting his embrace. I slump and melt into his arms, resting my cheek on his warm chest. As my heartbeat settles down, I breathe in his scent.
“We’ll take mine. Just give me thirty seconds to get dressed, and we’ll go.”
His prompt answer is all I need to hear to feel sanity return. No questions, no demands, just an offer to help me—it means more than he can possibly know.
“Thank you,” I burrow deeper into his arms, my breath hitching, before I take a step back and look up.
“Anytime,” he murmurs. Briskly, he leans down to kiss my lips, and I sigh in gratitude. Without another word, he leaves me to do as he promised. He gets dressed in no time, and then we’re on our way.
23
Kristian
Unease at Laura’s silence sits heavy in my gut. I feel helpless, and I hate the feeling. She’s only said a few words since we left the farm, giving me directions to Ailith’s friend’s house, and if her hand wasn’t intertwined with mine, resting on my lap, I’d be worried about her state of mind.
I’d probably think that we were taking a step back, instead of forward, in our relationship.
But I still hate the silence.
“I was so in love with James.”
I spin my head in her direction.
“What?”
For the first time since we left, she glances at me.
“Ailith’s father,” she starts on a loud breath. “I was completely lost in him from the day I met him.”
I grind my teeth, feeling a sense of irrational resentment towards the man already.
“I thought you said he wasn’t your soul mate?” I turn on the indicator and go easy on the brake before I take the next turn.
“He wasn’t.”
I wait, anxious to hear more, but dreading it at the same time.
Her fingers flex in my hand.
“I’m going to tell you a story, Kristian.”
Puzzled, I glance at her, but she stares straight ahead.
“Once upon a time,” she starts, “there lived a young woman on a farm, who had the world at the ends of her fingertips. She was outgoing, friendly, but she could also be a little arrogant.”
A huff escapes her lips, and I squeeze her hand, silently encouraging her to go on.
“One night, she was at a party, and she met a man there. He was charismatic, with a worldly air about him, and he struck up a conversation with her. They seemed to have a lot in common, and when this man walked her home, he asked for her number. The woman thought that she had met a real gentleman, so she gave it to him. She hadn’t lost her heart to him already, of course—she knew men, and she wasn’t shy about her past—but this one wasn’t like the others, and he intrigued her.”
I blink, wondering where this story is going.
“Anyway, they embarked on a passionate journey together, and, little by little, the man and woman fell in love with each other. And only three months after they’d met, the man proposed to her—can you guess her answer?”
Her question throws me for a loop, and I chance another glance at her. Her eyes are fixated on our hands, and the sadness in her smile makes my gut churn.
“She said yes, didn’t she?” I ask gruffly.
“Yes, she did. Her parents weren’t too pleased with it, seeing as the couple hadn’t known each other for that long, but they saw how happy their daughter was, so they kept their doubts to themselves. The couple threw the wedding of the year, or so the story goes, and six months after their first meeting, they had the pleasure of calling themselves husband and wife.”
Laura’s dark chuckle makes me grit my teeth.
“The woman hadn’t lived with a man before, but she was so excited to start a life with him. She agreed immediately when he declared that they were to live in London, because of his job. It was so far away from her parents, but she was happy. The man had promised her the world, and
now he was, to her, fulfilling his vow. She was at a crossroads in her life, and she had grown bored of village life.”
“It’s only natural that she would feel like that. What happened then?” I ask.
“Well, the couple moved, the woman told her parents and friends goodbye, and all seemed well. At least for a while.”
“And?”
“The man was a banker, and he worked long hours. The woman realised that his job could be very demanding, but she understood, for the most part, why he was a little temperamental when he came home. She tried to please him, wanting to ease his life, so she made sure dinner was on the table each night. She made sure his clothes were clean and ironed, and since she didn’t have a job of her own, she thought she might as well try to help out at home as much as she could.”
I drag my teeth over my lips, wondering where all this is going.
“Eventually,” Laura sighs next to me, “life became a little boring for the woman. One night, her husband came home later than usual, and she was angry that he hadn’t phoned her. She started arguing with him, but the man laughed at her. He said nasty things to her, taunting her about being nothing more than a country girl who didn’t have enough of a brain to find out what to do with her own time. Saying that if she weren’t such a gorgeous woman and such a good shag, he’d never have married her.”
My mouth dries up.
“What the fuck?” I whisper.
As if she hasn’t heard me, she continues the story.
“The woman got angry and slapped him across his cheek—but little did she know what such an act would set off in her husband.”
My knuckles turn white on the wheel in front of me.
Her voice falls flat, toneless, as if this is somebody else’s story.
“The man seemed surprised, at first, but then his features turned ugly—menacing—and he grabbed his wife and punched her in her stomach.”
“What the ever loving hell?!” I explode. “He did what?”
Laura places her hand on my arm, digging her nails in.
“Sophie’s home is just up there,” she says, her voice back to normal. I follow her other hand as she points to a red house not far from us, and I slow down the car.
As I turn the ignition off, I hunch over the steering wheel and glance at the woman next to me. Her eyes seem lifeless—detached and cold.
“What happened next?” I whisper.
She avoids my gaze as she unhooks her seatbelt and opens the door. Afraid I won’t get the answer I need, I touch her face, stopping her until her eyes lift to meet mine. On a small sigh, she wets her lips before she answers.
“He raped her. That night, he raped his wife for the first time.”
I pinch my eyes closed in agony as she leaves me alone in the car. I can’t believe it. How the fuck can any man treat a woman like that? Rage fills me, egging me on to punch something—anything—but knowing that Laura will return with Ailith soon stops me.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Laura’s story wasn’t about anyone else but herself. I open my eyes and watch as Laura knocks on the door, her head held high, and I lean my head back as I will my temper to settle down.
Everything about Laura makes a lot more sense now, and yet…she remains a mystery. How much history does she have left to tell me about?
Dread settles in my gut as I watch Ailith in the doorway, clinging to Laura as she hides her face against her mum’s stomach. I swallow the lump in my throat as Laura picks her up. I get out of the car and wait for them to reach me. The other woman—Cat’s mother, I suppose—picks up Ailith’s bag and follows behind them to the garden gate. I can’t tear my eyes away from Laura as she appears to whisper in her daughter’s ear. I rub my face, feeling poorly equipped to handle this situation, before I open the door to the backseat.
“Thank you,” Laura murmurs to me as she places Ailith in the car.
“Don’t mention it,” I grunt.
I bite my tongue at the way she flinches, but it’s too late to take them back. I’m still fired up inside.
I take the bag from the woman and give her a tired smile in thanks.
Wanting to get both my girls home, I open the door and push the bag onto the passenger’s seat beside me. As I turn the ignition, I glance back at them. Ailith is curled up in her mum’s lap, her face hiding in her hair, and the sight of her small hands clinging to Laura makes my chest twinge with sadness.
Ailith doesn’t seem like an eight-year-old anymore. It’s like she’s withered, a mere shadow of the bright, bubbly girl I have come to know the past few weeks. My eyes trail up Laura’s face—the tears on her cheeks don’t surprise me, but I wish I could do or say something that would help her.
Sighing softly, I turn back and buckle my seatbelt, and then I take them home.
I fire off a quick text to Alex the minute Laura has taken Ailith inside.
Me: Can’t come in today.
Alex: WTF, man? You’ve got a solid afternoon booked with clients.
Me: My girls need me today, Alex.
Alex: GIRLS?!
I grit my teeth, annoyed at what he implies.
Me: Laura and Ailith, her daughter. Look, I don’t have time to explain, but just trust me, okay? I can’t leave them alone today.
Roughly, I grab Ailith’s bag and open the door. Tension coils in my stomach as I slam it closed harder than necessary, but I try to shake it off as I walk to the house. I don’t have to wait long for Alex’s reply.
Alex: Fine. I’ll cancel your appointments, but you better come in tomorrow and explain.
Me: Thanks. I owe you one.
Alex: Fuck yes, you do. Big time.
I take a deep breath as I open the back door. I turn towards the kitchen but back away when I don’t see them there, and then I stop at the foot of the stairs, wondering what the hell I do now.
“Laura?” I call softly.
“We’re in Ailith’s room,” she calls down.
I take the stairs two steps at a time, passing Laura’s room and walking to the end of the hall where I think Ailith’s bedroom is. As I stop in the doorway, I breathe a small sigh of relief when I find them lying on the bed, Laura’s front to Ailith’s back, their hands interlaced, and I quirk an eyebrow at Ailith when her eyes flicker in my direction. I don’t hesitate, but walk closer to the bed and then crouch down, keeping my movements slow. The wariness in her eyes is so foreign to me—it’s not something I thought I’d ever see in a child so young—and it cracks my heart.
“Hey, girlie,” I whisper.
“Hey.”
“I heard you had a rough night.” Slowly, I raise my hand and wipe some strands of hair away from her face. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she sniffles, only making me shake my head.
“No, it’s not. But…” I chance a glance at Laura. Her eyes are wide open, following my every move. Resolved to take care of them, I look back at Ailith and smile slowly at her.
“What do you say about us having a Disney marathon?”
Her brows knit together.
“Like, watch movies all day?”
I nod.
“Exactly.” I point to the TV and DVD hanging on the wall opposite her bed. “You must have some of them, yeah?”
And if she doesn’t, I vow silently, I’ll go to the nearest town and buy every single one.
She bites her lips as she mulls over my suggestion.
“Well, yes. I have Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Narnia, Hercules, The Little Mermaid, and…”
“Okay,” Laura interrupts her gently. “Which one do you want to watch first, sweetie?”
Ailith leans up on her elbow and looks back at her.
“Definitely Beauty & The Beast.”
I chuckle, happy that her spark is returning and raise my head at Laura.
“Do you have popcorn?”
She nods, eyes softening, and I straighten my back.
“Excellent. You can’t have a movie marathon without it.”
I wink at Ailith when she giggles at me. “Where is it?” I ask Laura as I start to move back to the door.
“Wait, please.”
I turn around, puzzled that she’s getting up from the bed. The lingering kiss she places on top of Ailith’s head makes my heart swell.
“I’ll go make it for you. Why don’t you stay here and get the movie up? Ailith will help you.”
“Are you sure?” I ask her softly.
She stops in front of me and looks up at me. Then she glances at Ailith who seems busy with the stuffed toys on her bed, and when Laura’s fingers touch my cheek briefly, I gasp softly at her open display of affection.
“I’m sure. You’ll only mess up Mum’s kitchen, and she won’t like that.”
I grin down at her.
“Okay, then.” I tilt my head at Ailith. “Is that okay with you, girlie?”
The smile she turns my way eases my concern.
“Yes, Kristian.”
“I won’t be long,” Laura murmurs and then leaves us alone.
Thinking quickly, I hold my hand up to Ailith.
“One second. I forgot to tell your mum something.”
I run after Laura, calling her name softly to make her stop.
“Hang on.”
“What is it?” she asks as I come to a stop in front of her.
Without answering her, I lean down and frame her face in my hands.
“You okay?”
Her eyes warm as she nods.
“Yes, Kristian. I’m okay.”
I wet my lips and touch her lips briefly. I need to show her how much I care for her.
“Good,” I whisper. “Now, go get me some popcorn, woman.” I grin as she rolls her eyes at me. “I’m starving.”
“I’m not your woman,” she scoffs, laughter dancing in her eyes.
I quirk an eyebrow at her.
“That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart.” I kiss her gently, only this time I trail her lips with my tongue, teasing her, before I lean away. “You’re the only woman I see now. There’s no one else for me.”
