I file that away and make a note to seek her out tomorrow. I’m not sure what someone like me can do, but I like to think I’m a good listener.
“You kids get outta here, I’ll keep an eye on sleeping beauty,” Mama Debs says, shooing us out.
I give Kit a big cuddle, then smooth her auburn hair from her face and press a kiss to her forehead, breathing in her scent.
“Nigh-night my girl, mommy loves you so much,” I whisper.
Reid waits for me by the door and I take his outstretched hand.
“Want to take a trip down memory lane with me? I can tell you all my childhood secrets.” He grins and wags his light eyebrows.
“Absolutely. I want to see all your awkward school photos where you have bad haircuts and bad teeth.”
“Fucking buckle up little lady, because this aint gonna be pretty.”
Chapter 14
Switch
“You aresucha liar,” Joy accuses. “Look at this bad haircut, check out these teeth,” she says in a whiney, high pitched voice. “All I’m seeing is younger versions of you and each of them is good looking. How?” I fall back on my bed as laughter bursts out of me. “No, like seriously Reid. My teeth were so bad in primary school, so sticky outy that I could have probably eaten an apple through a chain link fence the way those suckers stuck straight out.” She huffs and I laugh even more.
My girl is fucking funny now that she’s more comfortable with herself. And me. I don’t know whether it’s because we’re out of Rose Grove and all the memories she had with her shit head ex, or whether it’s because she knows she’s safe and she can be free to be herself. Whatever it is, it looks fucking great on her.
“OK, OK, what about this one?”
I pull out the one photo of me that I hate with a vengeance. It’s one that I always hide in a pocket at the back of the photo album. Momma loves it, but it’s the worst picture of me in existence. I gingerly hold it out to Joy who takes it from me almost reverently. She takes a shaky breath before turning it over in her hands. Her brows fly to her hair line, eyes wide before a smile tips her lips. Then a grin. Then she’s beaming as she throws her head back and bursts into loud, snorting laughter. She slaps a hand over her mouth but the damage has been done because now I’m flopped down on the bed roaring beside her, the photo of me with a Joe Dirt mullet, a missing front tooth and a donkey smiling beside me lies forgotten on the comforter by her slim thigh.
“This! This is what I was looking for!” She snorts again, setting off another round of giggles.
I lay there on my side, head resting on my bicep as I watch her tiny body shuddering with laughter, all curled up on her side. She huffs out one last giggle and her dark eyes meet my gaze, her face alight with joy and it’s so fucking beautiful that I almost can’t stand to look at her.
“What?” she asks shyly, gaze bouncing around my face.
I take a deep breath, before exhaling on a smile. “You’re just so fucking beautiful, Joy. Happy, confident, strong. It’s like every day with you I see a new piece of you.”
Her smile falters a little, a blush growing on her cheeks. “It’s because of you,” she whispers low, almost so low I might have missed it. “I want to be happy, and strong and confident for you. It’s, it’s what you deserve.”
“Baby, it’s whatyoudeserve. I just hope I can be part of it.”
“You are,” Joy says with such force that it shocks me. “You are the reason I’m here. I have friends. People who would care if something were to happen to me. People who are proud of me.And I like that. I like it so much that I want to keep growing and doing better, not just for them, but for Kit and myself too. And it’s all because of you. Without you, I wouldn't be here.” She stares at me, her cheek smooshed against her hand much like mine is probably smooshed against my bicep. Squeezing her eyes shut, her little nose crinkled she whispers, “Just do it,” before blinking across at me. “I want to be with you Reid. I want you in my life and I want to kiss you, m-make love to you, but I want to be a little bit stronger. For me. I, I don’t know how long that will take -”
“I’ll wait. No matter how long it takes, Joy. I’ll wait.” I cup her small face with my hand, gently brushing my thumb across her plump cheek. “You and Kit are it for me.”
The smile she gifts me makes my chest ache, but not as much as when her smile falters and she leans closer, so close her breath fans my face. So close her nose brushes mine. So close her soft lips press against mine in a kiss that fucking devastates me, rocks me to my core. She pulls back slightly but I’m a greedy motherfucker and before I can stop myself my fingers tangle into the hair at the back of her head, cupping her there, holding her steady as I press my lips to hers once more, gently licking the seam of her lips, tasting her. Her little moan goes straight to my dick as her lips part and the tip of her tongue touches mine, tasting me before I pull back, drunk off Joy, my woman.
“Wow,” she whispers, touching her fingers to her lips.
“Wow is right,” I press a kiss to the tip of her nose and she huffs out a giggle, before shyly snuggling closer, burying her nose into the crook of my neck.
“How long will you be gone?” Joy asks in a small voice, burrowing closer.
“We leave early morning, should be back tomorrow night. It’s a quick trip to see an old friend who may be of assistance,” I tell her gently. I can’t tell her everything as she’s not an Ol Lady.Yet.
She lets out a long breath, her face buried into my shoulder. “I know you need to do this to help not only me and Kit, but all those other people who are being taken and sold. But still, it scares the hell outta me and makes me want to crap my pants.”
A laugh bursts out of me and I cuddle her closer, “I know it’s scary, babe, but we have a lot of people on our side. And at least three crazy people.” I press a kiss to the top of her head.
“Only three?”
