“People like that need to have someone at their mercy,” Trainer said. His voice was cold, but it didn’t scare me. “It’s the only way they can feel good about themselves by pushing around others.”
“So, I saved up as much money as I could, and I ran. We can’t let him find us. He has such a temper. Honestly, I think that if Jeff got his hands on me again, he might lose it and kill me.”
“Like hell, he will.”
“I just wish I was strong enough to stop him from hurting me, to protect Dominic from the things he’s seen. If I wasn’t so damn weak…” I bit my lip.
Trainer was in front of me in the blink of an eye. Placing his large hands on my shoulders, he looked into my eyes, his brown orbs burning into mine.
“I don’t want to hear you talk like that ever again. I’ve seen your strength since the moment we met, shining through in your eyes. Just because some pencil-dick asshole took advantage of his physical strength over you, doesn’t make you weak. Look at that little boy out there, running around like he doesn’t have a care in the world. You did that for him. It can’t have been easy to leave behind everything you knew and go into hiding from a fucking monster.”
No, it wasn’t. I wanted to believe Trainer’s words because I could see that they were sincere, but I’d spent so long feeling ashamed of myself that it was hard to let go of that feeling. Still. My heart warmed, knowing that he saw me as strong.
“You know, my real hair color is red,” I said. I wanted him to know the real me a much as possible. I had been trying to embrace this new persona, but I couldn’t help feeling like an imposter every day.
“I wondered about that. Your reaction to that picture I saw on your phone makes a lot more sense now.”
“Yeah,” I grimaced. “I haven’t been great at hiding my secrets, have I?”
“Well, I had my suspicions, but I’m glad you finally trusted me enough to tell me the truth.”
“And you still want to stick around?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? There’s a looming threat in the picture. Lots of people wouldn’t want to get wrapped up in that.”
“Any man that would walk away from a woman he cares about instead of protecting her is a piece of shit that doesn’t deserve her in the first place.”
“How poetic,” I teased.
“I never claimed to be good with words,” he shrugged. “Now, let’s look at that foot.”
I looked down, seeing that the bleeding had stopped. I’d been so wrapped up in my story that I’d nearly forgotten about it. Now that I was thinking about the wound, I started to notice the throbbing pain. I’d been stupid to freak out like that when I dropped the glass. Trainer wasn’t Jeff. I was sure that he’d never hurt me.
That belief was solidified as he took my foot into his hand. Using a wet washcloth, he cleaned the blood off the bottom of my foot, taking his time and being extra gentle around the wound. It still stung a little, but I suppressed any reaction. Trainer slathered the bandage in antibiotic ointment and covered the cut. He helped me off the counter just as Dominic came in the backdoor.
“You okay, mom?” he asked, eyeing the blood that remained on the floor.
“Yep,” I said brightly. It was true. My foot was sore, but it would heal. It was the sharing of my story with Trainer that had had the biggest impact on me. I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my chest, and I could breathe easier. “I just have to mop up this mess, and we’ll be good.”
“No way,” Trainer said. “I’ll do that. Why don’t you and Dominic go pick out a movie to watch?”
“Are you sure?”
“Hundred percent. Now, go.”
Dominic and I picked out an animated feature, putting it into the DVD-player and cuddling up on the couch until Trainer joined us.
By the time we got through the opening credits, my eyelids were heavy. Trainer’s arm went around my shoulders, and I rested my cheek on his chest. Relaxing, I let my eyes flutter closed, as the steady beat of Trainer’s heart lulled me to sleep.
Fifteen
Trainer
I was harboring a murderous rage. Where was a punching bag when you needed one?
Not that I would trade my current location for anything else. Sitting on the couch with Erica nestled into my side, I felt her curvy body relax into mine, and her deep breathing told me that she’d fallen asleep. I glanced over at Dominic and saw that he was still awake, watching this cartoon movie that Erica had put in, but he was blinking slowly, and his head was dropping. I figured he’d be out like a light soon enough.
