Because of You

by Lafortune, Connie

  Running into the kitchen I see Mommy sitting in the chair, her head lying on her arms as she cries.

  “Mommy what’s wrong?” I ask while reaching out to touch her.

  She whirls around in her chair, glaring at me. “It’s because of you, Riley. That’s why Daddy’s leaving, because you’ve been a bad girl and he’s never coming back!”

  Feeling the tears streaming down my face I race out of the kitchen and go flying up the stairs. Flinging myself on the bed I cry myself to sleep. And so begins the nightmare of my life.

  Waking up I struggle to breathe as I clutch the sheets like they’re my lifeline. My body’s covered in a cold sweat, my hair plastered to my face. My heart’s slamming against my chest, like it’s going to explode any second.

  Sliding out of bed I stumble my way to the bathroom. I peel the clothes off my trembling body as I toss them on the floor. Turning the water on as hot as I can stand, I plunge myself under the spray. I scrub myself over and over again until my skin feels raw. The pain’s unbearable as my body slumps to the floor. Then I sit there, sobbing for the little girl who had her childhood snatched away because everyone blamed her for their mistakes, and all she wanted was to be loved.

  Hunter

  Everyone at work has commented on how different I am since Riley moved here. They even told me they would cover for me if I decide to take a few days off so I could spend more time with her. I’ve never played hooky from work since I started this job, but lately I’ve been thinking I should take them up on their offer. If I could take a week off, that might give her enough driving hours for her to get her license. I’ll make sure to talk to her about it next time I see her.

  I’m planning something special for her on Friday night. I’m taking her to the club for a nice dinner, then finish it up with a little dirty dancing so I have an excuse to hold her as close to me as possible. Maybe we could end the night in the Jacuzzi before going back to my place.

  Having some time to kill before heading for work I decide to go grab a cup of Rosie’s coffee. As I open the kitchen door I can’t help the stupid grin that spreads across my face.

  “Hey beautiful, we have to stop meeting like this.” Walking over I pour a cup of coffee before glancing back at her.

  Holy Freaking Shit!

  She’s sitting at the island with a pair of sweats and the shirt I gave her last night. Her hair’s thrown up in a messy twist on top of her head, but her eyes are rimmed in red and her skin’s all red and raw.

  Striding over to her I slip my arms around her waist, leaning my head against hers. “What’s wrong, Riley?” She doesn’t respond so I lift her chin to look into her eyes. They look empty. I’m starting to freak the fuck out!

  Running out of the kitchen I scream, “Rosie, Scott, Paul, is anybody home?" I listen for a few seconds but no one answers. Where the hell is everybody…?

  When I go back into the kitchen, she’s still sitting there, and she hasn’t budged an inch. Scooping her up in my arms I let her know I’m taking her upstairs so she can stay with me. As I hold her protectively in my arms, I realize that I love this girl, she’s my forever.

  I throw open the door so hard it slams against the wall. Carrying her into my bedroom I lay her on my bed. She instantly curls up into a fetal position. I’m starting to flip out… what the fuck happened between the time I left her last night and now?

  I’m hoping Zoe can cover my shift on such a short notice. She picks up on the second ring. “Hey Hunter, you never call this early. What’s up?”

  “Zoe I need a big favor—could you cover for me at work today and tomorrow? I went downstairs this morning to find Riley having some kind of breakdown.”

  “Sure I can. No worries. What’s up with Riley?”

  “I don’t know. She won’t talk to me… she just stares into space. Her eyes look like shit though, like she’s been crying all night. ” When I peek inside the bedroom she’s still in the same position.

  “If there’s anything I can do, just let me know. ” We say goodbye as I walk in my room.

  Crawling into bed I pull her against my chest so we’re spooning. I wrap my arms around her as I nuzzle her neck. “Please talk to me, baby. Tell me what I can do to make it better. ” We lay like this for what seems like hours; I’m thinking she finally fell asleep she looked so exhausted.

  I don’t want to move for fear of waking her up, but I really need to use the restroom. Leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek I whisper softly, “I love you, Riley; you own my heart and soul, forever. ”

  Without warning, she suddenly turns around and circles her arms around my waist while sobbing into my chest. My heart aches for her, but I can finally breathe again. Unfortunately, my bladder will have to wait a little while longer.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Riley

  This man who’s holding me, stroking my hair and planting sweet kisses all over my face, just told me he loves me. I thought I had cried enough tears last night to last me a lifetime. I didn’t think I had anymore to give. But these are happy tears, because there’s someone in this world who finally loves me.

  We both pull away at the same time, while his eyes lock on mine. “You scared the shit out of me, I’m not going to lie. What happened?”

  Touching his face I give him my best smile. “You are the first person in my life to tell me they love me. ” He pulls back. He looks shocked.

  “Baby, that can’t be true. I’m sure your parents or your friends have told you that before,” he says, shaking his head in disbelief.

  “They might have told me they loved me before, but I have no recollection. ” I shrug my shoulders.

  “My timing sucks but I’ll be right back, I desperately need to use the restroom. ” He gives me a quick kiss on the lips as he heads out the door. I can’t help chuckling; it feels wonderful.

  I think about what he just said, racking my brain to see if I can remember if Ashley, my BFF, ever told me she loves me. No, I don’t recall her ever saying anything remotely like it. I do recall when she used to try hugging me, we were twelve and she would want to hug me goodbye when I would leave. Yeah, I didn’t want any part of that. It took her almost a year before I would put my arms around her to hug her back. Her mom was the same way; they showed their affection by kissing and hugging. They weren’t big on the verbal stuff.

  Watching Hunter as he saunters back into the bedroom causes my heart to race. When he lies on the bed he pulls me on top of him, stroking his hands up and down my back, while pressing me into his chest. His heart’s thumping wildly against my hands, which are fisted tightly, clinging onto his shirt. Looking up I see his eyes connect with mine and they’re filled with a longing that matches my own. I could drown in those blue eyes.

  Placing my hand on his face I tell him about my meltdown. “I had a nightmare last night that plunged me into chaos… it was after I had remembered things I had buried years ago. Going downstairs today I was hoping to find someone to talk to, but no one was home. ” Hunter tries to speak but I place my finger over his lips, shaking my head. “If you hadn’t found me I would’ve let the darkness take me. ” I choke back a sob that tries to escape.

  He sits up with a jolt, while grabbing my thighs so I’m straddling him. His hands cup my face while his thumbs stroke my cheeks. “Please don’t ever say that, Riley. Promise me if this ever happens again I’m the first person you call. Promise me!” he shouts.

  “I promise, but let me finish. ” He leans his head against mine, our lips inches apart. Placing my hands on top of his I say, “I want you to know that it was you who saved me today. ” He sucks in a deep breath and closes his eyes while shaking his head. When his eyes open they’re filled with fear. “Yes, Hunter; it was you who found me, comforted me, brought me back from the darkness that had threatened to consume me. I never knew how to express my feelings, my emotions; I couldn’t learn that in a text book. But I believe everything happens for a reason and you are my reason for being here at this
time, in this place. If everything I had to endure in my life was preparing me for this moment, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I love you, Hunter Davis, with everything I am or ever will be. ”

  As I lean in to kiss him he flips me on the mattress, blanketing my body with his. He crashes his mouth over mine, my lips part while his tongue glides over the roof of my mouth. He abandons my mouth long enough to explore my neck with his lips, teeth and his tongue. My back arches up to meet him; he growls as my belly rumbles. Damn!

  He glances up at me. “Well, I thought I had some bad ass skills, but you just slammed the door and locked it. ” I feel the laughter rumbling inside his chest, and I start to giggle. Before we know it we can’t catch our breath; tears are pouring down our face and my sides hurt with an aching joy.

  He pulls me to my feet and says, “Go take a cool shower while I make us something to eat. ” When I get ready to leave, he pulls me back. “You can use my shower; I’m not letting you leave anytime soon. There’s some lotion in the cabinet for sunburns. Rub that all over instead of drying off. ” It’s obvious he’s noticed my “sunburned” skin.

  “I have no clean clothes to wear. I’ll be back in twenty minutes. ” He brings me to his closet, opens it and pulls out a Maroon 5 concert t-shirt and a pair of sweats.

  “These should be good enough for now; if you want to look in my dresser for something else go right ahead, but you’re not leaving. ” He lifts my chin with his fingertips while pressing his lips to mine. “I might just kidnap you until Sunday night, how’s that sound?” He winks at me as he saunters out of the room, my cheeks heating instantly.

  Hunter

  I have to take a minute to get my shit together before making us something to eat. Sitting on the edge of the couch I rest my arms on my knees. There are so many emotions running through me, I feel like I’m going to implode. First of all I don’t want her to tell me she loves me just because I told her or because she thinks I’m the one who saved her today. That is so screwed up.

  I should have called Dr. Adams to see if she could schedule an emergency appointment. She needs a professional to help her sort this out. I have my own baggage that I’ve been dealing with for three years and I’m the last person she should come to for advice.

  Walking into the kitchen I grab my cell on the counter and dial her number. When her secretary answers I ask to speak to Dr. Adams. After a few minutes she picks up. “Hunter, is everything all right?”

  “I’m not calling for myself, Doc, I want to know if you could squeeze in Riley for an appointment sometime today?” I give her a quick rundown on what happened.

  “If you could bring her here at seven this evening I would be happy to see her. ” She thanks me for calling because it was the right thing to do. Now I just have to convince Riley to go….

  Heading into the kitchen I grab the bacon and eggs with all the fixings so I can start cooking. I’m going to make her one of my veggie omelets. I’m hoping she won’t get too pissed when she finds out what I did, if her belly’s contented.

  “Something smells yummy in here. It looks like you know your way around the kitchen. ” She walks over with an amused smile tugging at her lips. “I’m going to spill my guts, and tell Rosie that you’re an imposter. You can cook. ” She stands on her tiptoes so she can plant a kiss on the corner of my mouth.

  Smiling down at her I can’t help but think she looks so damn cute wearing my shirt and sweats. When I reach for the plates on the top shelf it causes my shirt to ride up. Her hands instantly glide over my stomach as she runs tiny circles with her thumbs up and down each of my abs. Instant hard-on….

  “Riley, if you keep doing that I won’t be eating an omelet for brunch. ” Arching my eyebrows I lick my lips as it dawns on her what I meant. The blush instantly creeps up her neck while settling on her nice round cheeks.

  I place an omelet, bacon and coffee on the table in front of her. “You can’t leave the table until everything on your plate is gone. ” After fixing mine I sit across from her.

  “This is delicious! I just discovered another one of your many talents. ” She looks up, wiggling her eyebrows at me. A slow grin spreads across her face.

  I can’t help getting aroused by that little grin. I stand up so fast my chair crashes to the floor, and her eyes open wide. Lifting her chin with my fingers I caress her bottom lip with my thumb. “I have many hidden talents that you haven’t seen yet, but before this weekend’s over, you will be aware of a few more. ” Leaning over I kiss her parted lips briefly before picking up my chair so I can finish eating.

  “After we eat, I’ll go with you to pick up your things for a few days. I have something special planned for us tomorrow night. ” She frowns at me.

  “Friday night we usually get together for a bonfire. We’re not going?” She looks disappointed.

  “I canceled the bonfire; it was supposed to be our night together. ” Reaching over I grab her hand that’s resting on the table.

  “Well, call them back up and tell them it’s on—I like hanging out with your friends. I don’t want that to change, Hunter. ” She looks upset.

  “Consider it done. I’ll take you Saturday night instead. Are you done eating?” She nods as we both get up to put our plates in the sink.

  She steps in front of me while gliding her hands up my arms. Linking her fingers she pulls me down, her lips pressing eagerly to mine. “I love you, Hunter.” It comes out soft as a breath, as her tongue tangles with mine.

  “I love you too, baby, more than life itself,” I whisper into her mouth as my heart squeezes inside my chest. I pray she feels the same way after I bring her to her appointment.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Riley

  Paul had taken Rosie to the store this morning and my dad had an early meeting—that’s why everyone was gone. No one knows about what happened and I made Hunter pinky-swear that he wouldn’t say anything either.

  After we picked up my things at my house, we dropped everything off at Hunter’s. I had changed because he told me he was taking me somewhere special. Imagine my surprise when we parked in front of Dr. Adams’s office. I’m so pissed at him right now I could kick his ass!

  “I’m not going in, you can’t force me to do something I don’t want to do. ” I’m still buckled in the Jeep and I’m not budging.

  “Riley, please just go in and talk to her. What harm can it do?” He’s pleading with me.

  “This shit all started when I started seeing her, now you want me to go back. Why, so I can have more nightmares, revert back to the person I was this morning?” I thought if anyone would understand it would be him.

  “If she lets me I’ll go in with you. If you don’t like how things are going we’ll leave. ” Deep down I know he’s right; I don’t want that to ever happen to me again.

  “Fine, only if she lets you sit in on the meeting with me. ” Getting out of the Jeep I slam the door. That makes me feel a little bit better.

  I spend the next hour reliving everything I spent the day trying to forget while Hunter sits next to me, holding my hand. When the session is done I’m physically and emotionally drained. She told me I had suppressed some of those memories because they were too painful for me to remember.

  Hunter helps me into the Jeep because my legs feel like rubber. He reaches over to buckle me in. “Thanks for staying with me. ” I try to stifle a yawn.

  “You’re welcome, beautiful. ” He kisses the top of my head and that’s all I remember until I wake up in his bed a few hours later.

  My eyes open to complete darkness; not even a trace of light seeps through the curtains. Rolling over I reach for Hunter, but he’s not there. The sheets are cold. Panic clutches my chest. Throwing off the sheets I head for the door. When I swing it open I see my dad sitting on the couch with Hunter.

  Hunter’s at my side in an instant, slipping his arm around my waist. “Hey, sleepy head. Your dad stopped by to see you. ”

  I glare at my father. He still
feels like a stranger to me. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

  “Rosie told me you packed a few things; I was curious as to where you went. ” He looks up at me, his lips pinched together in a tight line.

  “I’m staying with Hunter for a few days; I’ll be back Monday when he goes to work. ” Crossing my arms I dare him to convince me otherwise.

  “Well that’s fine. ” He looks at Hunter, then back at me. “I’m just making sure you two are safe and sound. ”

  Hunter walks him to the door as my dad whispers something to him. I see Hunter nod as Dad walks out the door.

  “What the hell was that all about? Are you two tag teaming me now? Let’s help Riley; she’s losing her mind. ” Throwing myself onto the couch I grab a pillow and clutch it close to my chest as a protective shield.

  Hunter scrubs his face with his hands. It looks scruffy, like he needs a shave. He looks so tired, and I’m suddenly overcome with guilt. He’s been taking care of me all day, and I’ve been nothing but a bitch.

  He sits down on the couch, our knees touching. “Dr. Adams canceled your father’s appointment today so she could see you, but she told him I was the one who called. Your dad came over to see how I was doing because he thought I was the one who needed the emergency appointment. He thinks you’re staying here this weekend to help me. But don’t you worry, I didn’t tell him the truth, Riley; that’s up to you, when you’re ready. ” He throws his hands up as he strides out of the room. A few minutes later I hear the rush of water. He’s taking a shower.

  I messed that up big time, but I know a way I can make it up to him.

  Hunter

  After washing up I place my hands against the wall, letting the hot water run down my shoulders and my back, hoping to relieve some of the tension that’s been building in me all day. When I turn around to let the water run down the front of my body I hear the click of the bathroom door. As I start to shut the water off Riley pulls back the curtain and steps inside the shower, fully clothed.