“Of course. We want you to heal some while you’re here. You’ll learn some things you can do on your own, and hopefully when you go home, you’ll understand life a little better.”
Flora nodded, thinking she would. Already meeting Jasna had helped so much. The woman was around her age but hadbeen raised in a totally different environment. She wanted to spend more time listening to her stories. Tonka was nice, and Henley was great. She felt like she could grow here, which was exactly why she’d come.
The days at The Refuge had started off long, but by the end of her first week she realized one more week here would be very short. She liked everyone who worked at the place, and many of the guests were nice.
She got Jasna’s email address, which was just so funny to her that people could communicate by writing something on their phone or in their computer and it would get to the other person. She didn’t understand it but trusted it would work.
Learning to meditate and how to calm down when she felt overwhelmed would help her in the future. She wasn’t sure what her future would hold, but she was sure Q would be a huge part of her life.
21
Qwas ready for Flora to be home. He knew it was the right decision to send her to a place where she could think and heal, maybe get a different perspective on life, and learn to be herself. He didn’t want her to walk away from him, but she needed to know her mind, not what she’d been told to feel or think. Coming to live with him needed to be what she wanted, not what she felt she had to do because he’d saved her.
He had just arrived home when he heard Remi’s car pulled up out front. He went to the door and opened it as Flora stepped out. He couldn’t stay still and moved to grab her bag.
His lips spread into a broad smile as he noticed her hair had been cut. “It’s good to see you.”
“I’m glad to be home.”
“Remi, thank you for going to pick her up.”
“Of course. We had a great talk on the way home.”
“That’s good. I’m happy to hear it.”
“It looks like Kevlar is home, so I’m headed that way.”
Flora hugged Remi before she took off. He took her bag, and when she slid her hand into his, he glanced down and smiled at her, feeling hope since she was holding his hand.
“You seem rested, refreshed.”
“I am. Henley helped me. She’s the therapist at The Refuge. She helped me see that I wasn’t at fault and that I could make decisions and change my mind later. It was freeing and refreshing. The guys there were great, too. Explaining everything was weird at first, but they’ve seen a lot and were nice about how bad it had been for me. I also met Jasna, Henley and Tonka’s daughter. I have her email address and we’ve communicated a few times, though it’s weird typing stuff out in an email and waiting for a response. It’s not like texting but it is.”
Q chuckled and nodded. “That’s email for you. I’m glad going to The Refuge was good for you.”
“It was. And we talked about the future, and it helped me figure out what I wanted.”
They were inside, and he set her bag down in the hallway before joining her on the couch.
“What do you want?”
“I was thinking about my future, and I know it may not be forever, but I want to spend it with you if you still feel the same way about me.”
His heart swelled and he wanted to pull her close and show her, but he needed to go slow with her. “I do feel the same way and I’ve missed you. I’ve been waiting for you to come home just so I could look into your eyes. You’re beautiful, but it’s more than just that. I like how you make me feel, the way you look at me, all of it.”
“I don’t have any experience in dating, though Henley taught me about sex, which was horribly embarrassing at first. I couldn’t even look at her the first time she brought it up. Then we discussed it more, and she gave me some reading. I’m not saying I’m ready for sex.”
Q chuckled. “That would be moving fast. I think we need time to get to know each other and date.”
Flora nodded. “Yes, dating. I know it will be weird since I live here, but I think we will be okay. The weeks we spent together before I left showed me that you’re kind and patient. You never once pressured me into doing anything, and I appreciate it.”
He cupped her cheeks and then gently brushed his lips over her mouth. “We’ll go slow and take things one step at a time.”
Flora hadn’t really wanted to leave Q, but going to The Refuge and learning more about herself and what she really wanted had been the best thing for her. She reached up and touched his face, loving the feel of his beard under her fingertips.
“I grew up learning that I was put on earth to serve a man. That was the only thing I was destined for. But I know now that’s not the case. There is so much more to life and to this world. I don’t know if we’ll last, but hiding from my feelings won’t help.”
“It never does.”
