She beams, then nods as Willa joins us, plopping down in an empty seat. I haven’t seen much of her since we arrived, but Ifigured she was busy with Mad Dog. Or busy being mad at Mad Dog.
“Are you OK, Willa?” I ask, brows furrowed.
She lets out a huff, her eyes on the treeline. “Pissed. I didn’t do all this work on myself to then let another bossy bastard tell me what to do.”
“And yet, here you are,” Momma smirks as Willa lets out a little huff.
Loyal from the Keep smiles at us as she slowly makes her way up the steps. “Mind if I sit?”
Momma smiles and pats the seat next to hers, her knowing gaze landing on each of us.
“Do you know what brought me out here? To the middle of nowhere?” Momma asks.
“I’m guessing it wasn’t the peace and quiet,” Willa mumbles, waving toward the kids yelling in the front yard.
Momma lets out a bark of laughter, eyes dancing. “It’s perfect. The noise is perfect.” One of Reid’s nephews calls out to her to watch something. We all turn to watch him attempt to do a flip.
“Was it meant to look like that?” Chewy asks, brows furrowed before shaking her head and walking away.
Momma shakes her head, a smile playing on her lips. “It wasn’t always like this, out here. It was a sanctuary to me.” Loyal places a hand on Momma’s, patting it gently. “When my Rich found me, it was out there, on the road.” She nods toward the driveway. “I was beaten all to hell. But worse still, I was broken. Inside and out.”
“How so?” I whisper.
“The man I was with, before Rich, he was,” she hesitates, “he was cruel. Cold. Liked to hurt people. Took pleasure in it. And I was his outlet. The person he would take all that rage out on until one day he left me out there, on the side of the road.” Sheblows out a long breath. “Rich took me in. Showed me I could trust people again. I could trust him.”
“I’ve been broken before,” Loyal whispers, before swallowing, eyes blinking quickly, to quell the tears building, “or I thought I was broken. Vex helped me see that maybe I was just a little bent.”
Willa’s lip pulls up slightly. “Bent. I like that.” she murmurs.
“I was with a man who hurt me for a very long time. And I stayed. Longer than I should have.” I say, eyes on Kit laughing at something Annie-Bella is showing her and her half sisters.
“What made you stay?” Loyal asks in her soft voice.
“I stayed because I was stupid. So stupid. So dumb.”
Willa’s hand lands on mine, squeezing hard, the pinch breaking me out of my spiralling thoughts.
“Not stupid, sweetheart, and not dumb. Men like our exes, they prey on women who have hearts full of love to give.” Momma pats my knee.
She’s right. Travis did prey on me just like her man preyed on her and Willa’s and Loyal’s.
“How did you get past that?” I whisper. “Past the self doubt and the second guessing that you’re doing the right thing? How did you trust yourself to open up to another man, someone who could hurt you?”
“Oh, sweetheart, Reid wouldneverhurt you.”
“I know he wouldn’t. I just, -”
“You want to be with him but you’re scared,” Loyal guesses, tipping her head slightly. “Scared to hurt, or scared to let yourself hope?”
“Hope?” I ask in a whisper.
“Hope that it will work out this time. That this time the love is real. All consuming. Safe.” I turn to look at Loyal, understanding written all over her face. “Hope, Joy. Let yourself hope.”
“It seems crazy to think things can get even better. What he’s given me already is so much.”
“And there is so much more,” Chewy butts in. “I have lined up a series of weapons and we are all going to learn how to use them. I will also be giving a run down on the top 5 rules on how not to be murdered by an assault team.”
Chewy shoves goggles and gloves my way before running an eye over all usformerlybent women and nodding once.
