She nods once and cuddles the blanket up closer to her chin. Her eyes are heavy and I can tell she’s feeling the ache of everything that’s happened deep in her bones. I’ve felt that kind of pain before and it’s not fun. Your body remembers the trauma, whether you want it to or not. “You don’t have to do all this, Tex. I,” she exhales softly, “I think I do this to myself.”
“What?”
“Yeah. I mean, Richard has acted like this for a while now and I let him. I let him treat me this way.” She sighs.
I turn the stove on to heat the water in the kettle that’s resting on the back of the stove, then pull a mug and some Christmas cookies out from the pantry. They’re the shortbread kind with the colored sugar crystals that Marley loves. “He’s a grown fucking man. A man that you trusted. He claimed to love you. You didn’tlethim do anything. You trusted another human. That’s what relationships are about. He took advantage of you.”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs and stands from the couch, wrapping the blanket around her frame. “It’s my fault.”
I hold her shoulders and look toward her. “You didn’t do this. How long has this been going on?”
She shrugs. “He doesn’t do it all the time. Most of the time we have a lot of fun. It’s just… the stuff in between gets crazy. He has a temper, and I set it off.”
I sigh loud enough that she knows that the last statement was ridiculous. “So, he’s been doing this the entire time you’ve been together?”
Her eyes are soft and sweet, and her pink lips part. I have no fucking clue how anyone on Earth could ever hurt this woman, let alone someone who claims to love her.
“Not immediately,” she says, voice shaking, “but after we moved in together… yeah. He’s never done it in public like this, though.”
My jaw tightens. “You agree you’re done with him now, right?”
She nods slowly. “Yeah. I can’t do this again. I’m humiliated.”
“Good. Then pull out your phone and text him. Tell him it’s over.”
I’m not sure if I’m pushing too hard or not, but I can’t stand the thought of her still being with this guy in any capacity.
“I texted him in the truck, before we left Kit’s.” A tear falls down her face, but I catch it before it reaches her chin. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s like I’ve been in a fog. I mean, I really believed he loved me.” She laughs as she says, “How did I believe that? He was hurting me and I believed he loved me.”
“You’re a good person, with a good heart, and you believe the best in people. It’s what makes you so beautiful. I’m sorry someone took advantage of that.” I pull her against my chest, holding her head gently as she cries. “I don’t know what I have to do to make this all right again, but I’m going to fix everything.”
Chapter Seven
Marley
The last time I was held while I cried was with Tex. It’s funny how one person can see your tears as manipulation while another sees them for what they are… pain. It’s also funny how one man can put your pain before his own, while another insists whatever he’s feeling aboutyourfeelings is more important.
I’ve learned that over the past eight years,the hard way.
The kettle whistles for a long damn time before we finally let go, and Tex pours the cup of chamomile for me. He carries it to the back room, sets it on the nightstand, gets me a shirt from his duffle bag, and offers me a few minutes to change.
Under normal circumstances, this would be weird. Hell, underthese circumstances,this is weird. I’m in a cabin with my ex-boyfriend, and his big, cedar scented flannel is hanging past my knees.
I only broke up with Richard an hour ago. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be crying on Tex’s shoulder. Maybe I am a bad person. Maybe Richard was right to be angry.
Then again, maybe it doesn’t matter what Richard thinks at all. Maybe it matters what I think, what I want. Maybe it doesn’t matter what box I put his behavior into. Maybe it just matters that I was unhappy.
I drag in a deep breath and sit on the edge of the bed, thinking about the New Year’s Eve party down at the lodge thatKit was talking about. It would be good for me to get out and do something fun for a change. Something that doesn’t involve approval from Richard or a fix for the bookstore. Something for me.
I lean forward, thinking over my plans for the next week. I can’t stay here, but I can’t go back to Richard’s place either. I guess I could sleep in my office for a while… until that’s gone too.
Wow, this next year is starting out with a bang!
I lean back onto the bed until I’m lying flat and staring up at the ceiling. Tex must hear the creak because he’s knocking a second later.
“Yeah,” I say, trying not to sound as terrible as I feel. “The door’s open.”
He pauses for a long moment when he sees me, his dark gaze drawing over my frame before he swallows hard. “You want to be alone?”
