My happiness was important too.
Davis' P.O.V
I placed Lisa on her passenger side seat, taking my place behind her wheel. I held my hand out for her to hand me the keys. My blood was still boiling and my heart was breaking. How dare he touch her?
She was going to stay.
I admired how adamantly she wanted to protect Lucas and Liv. She would set her own happiness aside for them. Willing to be broken and beaten to keep them safe and happy. I could never be mad at her for that, but God, do I wish she could understand that her happiness was just as important.
She didn't have to do this. We would all protect Lucas and Liv. They had many friends, a lot of them just as powerful as her dad. I would beat his ass if he ever came for my girls.
My girls.
Lisa, Izzy, and Liv were my girls in different ways, but they each held a big part of my heart.
"Davis." Lisa's small voice brought me back to this moment. "I'm sorry."
Her apology only hurt my heart further. She shouldn't be going through any of this. I grabbed the keys from her hands without a word. There was nothing I could say, but when I got her back home, I would show her. I would show her how she should be treated. She would see how a real man takes care of the woman he loves.
I love this woman.
This feeling of want for her has grown and festered, pulling me off the edge until I started falling. I was falling hard for her and hoping to never reach the ground. She was bringing this heart of mine back to life and filling it with a love I didn't know I still had in me.
I would keep you safe, Lisa. I would make you happy.
It was absolutely silent as I drove us back to my house. I clutched the steering wheel for dear life as I thought about Chris over and over. Having seen the way he dragged her inside by her beautiful hair. I was ready to kill him, but Liv stopped me.
She made me wait until she was sure I wouldn't murder him before we knocked on that door. I could only imagine the hell Liv and Carter were giving him now. Chris would never lay a hand on what was mine again.
**Song Suggestion: If You Love Her by Forest Blakk**
I pulled into the garage, stepping out once the car was parked. I opened her door, leaning down and unbuckling her from her seat. My arms wrapped around her shoulders and under her knee as I picked her up. There was one room I had in mind…mine.
Lisa leaned her head against my chest, relaxing into my arms. I like to believe that she feels safe in my arms. I honestly hope she feels the same way about me, but who really knows? She has been through so much that I could just be a placeholder. I could be a guy she was with just because she felt safe with me.
She didn’t know me enough to love me the same way I loved her, but that was okay. I would take what I could get from her and I wouldn’t say a word in complaint. If she decided I was not what she wanted, then I would be happy with the time I did get with her. Right now, I planned to make the most of this time. I laid her gently on the bed, climbing in beside her and holding her tight against my chest.
"I will not let them get to you, Lisa. You're safe here with me. I will keep you safe," I swore as I rubbed her back and arm. "Don't sacrifice yourself like that again. Never put yourself in harm's way. You don't have to do that anymore. I'll be by your side for as long as you'll have me. I'll fight alongside you. We'll be strong together."
Lisa's tears soaked into my shirt as she clung to me closely. She seemed to be having a breakthrough or maybe a melt down. I wasn't sure, but I held her lovingly as she let it out. I kissed the top of her head, continuing mindless caresses on her back. She cried for a while before she began to sniffle and calm herself.
"Davis, what if he comes after you? I can't live with myself if anything happens to any of you because of me. I have to go back and fix this," she said, sitting up on the bed as if she would run at any moment.
I quickly grabbed her wrist, holding her in place as I sat up beside her. I took her sweet cheek in my hand gently, cupping her face lovingly. My eyes met hers as I looked at her with all the love I had. She grew still, leaning into my hand without looking away from me.
"I don't care if he comes for me. He wouldn't be the first man, but he'll be the last. I know how to handle myself, Lisa, but you don't know that. So, let me tell you all about myself, about my past. If after hearing it, if you decide that you want to go back, I will take you myself. But trust me when I say we can handle your father."
She nodded her head against my hand, staring at me like I held all the answers to the universe. Her gaze softened as she grabbed my hand and held it tightly with both of hers. I was nervous to tell her my story, but I know she needs to hear it to really believe in me.
**Song Suggestion: Epic Emotional AShamaluevMusic**
"Once upon a time, I used to be a prosecuting attorney. I was twenty-nine, thinking I was some hot shit. It was my first year on the job and I had yet to lose a case. I was doing this while raising Izzy with my wife, Grace.” My voice cracked, lending way to the emotions that were stirring inside of me.
“Izzy was six at the time finishing up kindergarten when the DA handed me a high-profile case. I thought it was because of my success rate thus far, but I had just drawn the short straw, literally. I didn't know it at the time, but this man was known for going after the prosecuting attorneys who worked his case. It's how he had stayed out of jail for so long. Important evidence would suddenly disappear during his trials, or witnesses, for that matter. Naïve me was excited about the chance to put away a criminal that others hadn't been able to."
I took a deep breath in, trying to calm my mind and aching heart as I put myself back in those shoes. The shoes of the man who thought he knew it all, but was so sorely mistaken.
"The trial began, and it had consumed almost all of my time. Grace complained that she was losing her husband and Izzy, her father. To appease her, I dropped Izzy off at my mom's and took Grace on a romantic date for our anniversary.” I couldn’t look at her as I continued, feeling the weight of my stupid decisions.
