"Of course you do. I don't know how I feel about it, but Jared seems like a good enough guy. He's not a coward at least. If he wants to be with her, he's going to have to get stronger. Izzy should not be defending herself on her own."
“He will. There’s no way he doesn’t want to. You saw who he had to live with and grow up with. He’s going to work hard to get stronger, just like I did. I think I understand him a little too well,” she said as her smile faded. Her eyes were focused on the river before us as it reflected the city lights beautifully in its dark water.
The sun had fully set now, and I knew I needed to get us back home before it got too late. This wasn’t exactly the safest place at night. Normally, I wouldn’t be too worried if I was alone, but with Lisa here, there was a deep need to keep her safe. We must avoid dangerous situations even if we could get out of them, no reason to seek them out.
“You’re probably right. He grew up in a house just like yours, only his brother was nothing like yours.” Sometimes I forget how similar Jared and Lisa’s stories are. “I am glad Lucas didn’t turn out like your father. He’s a good guy.”
“He is,” she whispered, tears misting her eyes again.
“I am sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. It feels like I’m failing at keeping you happy right now.”
“It’s not your fault. Honestly, you’re the only reason I am not ugly crying right now. You make me feel better by just standing near me, so don’t worry about saying the right things. Talk to me the way you always would.” She gave my hand a squeeze for reassurance.
“I love you, my warrior. You are such a perfect woman.”
“Didn’t I just say don’t worry about cheering me up?” She teased me again, giving me a wink and a smile. Although the wink caused a tear to slide out. I quickly wiped it away with my thumb, kissing her forehead tenderly.
“I want your kid Davis, if that’s okay with you” she suddenly admitted. “Let’s try IVF, and if it doesn’t work, let’s get a surrogate.”
“I will do whatever you want to do, Lisa. If that’s the way you want to go, then I am all for it.” I smiled so brightly at her. I can’t wait to see those same blue eyes of hers on our child.Our child.She smiled back at me before the sound of her stomach growling broke the momentary silence. I laughed, but she blushed deeply.
“Don’t laugh. I can’t help that I’m hungry right now.” She slapped my arm playfully as she spoke, making me laugh more.
“How about we head out and go get some dinner? What do you feel like eating?” I asked her as I grabbed her hand mid-smack and pulled her back the way we came. It’s probably best we leave now, anyway.
“Hmm, how about a nice juicy steak,” she answered, licking her lips hungrily.
“Perfect.”
There was a sudden rustling beside us, so I picked up the pace, but Lisa dragged as she tried to get a look at what it was.
“Davis, wait!” she yelled at me, sounding so concerned.
“It’s fine, Lisa. I’ll keep us safe. Let’s just keep going.” I tried to reassure her, but she pulled at my hand that was firmly gripping hers.
“Davis, hold on.” She pulled at me again, trying to free her hand.
“Lisa, we need to go. We can’t investigate the sound. It’s nothing good, I am sure.”
I turned to look at her so she could see how serious I was being, but her eyes would not move from the woods. My eyes caught sight of what she was looking at, making me see why she wanted to stop.
I have got to learn to listen to her more often.
Lisa’s P.O.V.
I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. A small girl with the roundest cheeks and widest eyes peered at me from behind a tree. She looked so frightened as her eyes moved to Davis. He could look pretty intimidating to those that don’t know him, but in this case it was working against us. I slowly took a step forward, trying to approach her without scaring her away. She could run away at any moment, and that would be no good for any of us.
“Hi sweetheart, are you lost?”
I used the softest tone I could, giving her a warm smile. She seemed ready to back away and dash off into the woods, but thankfully, she didn’t. Her head shook no ever so slightly, answering my question.
“Where are your parents?” I asked her, wanting to get her where she needed to be. There was no way I was leaving here all alone.
She shook her head no again, but I wasn’t sure what that meant. Was she telling me ‘no, don’t come closer’ or ‘no, she didn’t know where her parents were’? I looked at Davis for just a moment, hoping he could somehow help, but he just seemed so lost staring at that little girl.
“Why don’t you come with us, and we’ll help you find your parents?” I asked her, almost close enough to reach her now. Again, she just shook her head no as her stomach growled loud enough for me to hear. How long had she been out here alone? “Are you hungry?”
This time she didn’t shake her head, so I took it as a good sign.
