Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63100 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
She nods, ducking her head, looking at her lap. Placing my fingers under her chin I pull up until her gaze meets mine. “I love you, Lea.” I tell her gently.
“You shouldn’t,” she whispers, breaking my heart.
“It’s impossible not to. Whatever we have to do, we’ll do it in order for this not to happen again,” Pulling back from her I turn up the heat when I notice that her teeth are chattering hard. Shutting the door I go to her car, backing it up off the side of the road. Once I’m back in the truck again, I make a U-turn and head back to the house.
I don’t know how to deal with what is going on in her head, but I know I need to find a way to break through to her. This is something her mother should have gotten her help for. She should have made sure her daughter was taken care of. I know it’s completely fucked up to be mad at a dead woman, but I’m so fucking angry with her for not only what she did to me and Lea, but for the way she fed Lea’s illness, never understanding she wasn’t helping her by allowing her to ignore the real reason she had left home.
“I know you’re mad at me.” Lea’s soft, sad voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and I take her hand in mine, locking our fingers together.
“I’m mad that you drove in your condition, but I’m not mad at you, baby. I’m worried about you.”
“I tried to fight it,” she whispers.
“I know you did, but you don’t have to fight alone, not anymore,” I tell her, giving her hand a squeeze.
When we pull up to the house, I get out and go around to her side and lift her out of the truck to carry her slight weight in my arms up the stairs. Her teeth are still chattering, and tears are still falling from her eyes as I get the sliding door open then closed, taking her up the stairs through the bedroom, into the bathroom. I set her on her feet so I can start up the bath. When I turn around, she’s watching me closely, looking unsure of what to do.
Pulling my shirt over her head, I toss it toward the laundry basket then do the same with her sweats, bra, and underwear. When I help her into the warm bath, tears are still falling from her eyes. I didn’t know one person could produce so many tears. Helping her lean back in the water then grab her shampoo and conditioner from the shower stall. Once I have her hair washed and begin using the conditioner, her eyes close and her teeth stop chattering.
“You can’t leave me again, Lea,” I rumble, feeling my throat go tight with emotions. I can handle a lot, but being without her ever again is something I don’t ever want to face.
“I’m so sorry,” she sobs, leaning over the side of the tub, soaking my shirt with her tears and water as her arms wrap around my shoulders. Kissing her hair, I unwrap her arms and use one of the bars of soap to wash her off quickly before grabbing a towel and picking her up from the tub. Carrying her into the bedroom I lay her on the bed. Then, pull off my clothes and get in with her.
“Did you ever talk to anyone when you left home? Ever talk to anyone about your dad’s death?” I ask her once I have her body almost completely under mine, where I know she won’t be able to get away again.
“No, I didn’t want to think about it.” She squeezes her eyes closed.
“Did you talk to your mom about it, and how his death affected you?” I ask softly.
“No, I told her I had to leave, and she made it possible for me to do it. We never talked about him, not really until I came home.”
“Yeah.” I shake my head, looking out at the view as the dark clouds are replaced by blue skies.
“I know what she did,” she whispers, and I frown, tilting my head down to look at her. Her eyes open slowly and meet mine.
“What who did?”
“My mom…I-I got a letter from her today.” I nod and she pulls her bottom lip into her mouth. “She lied.”
“She did,” I agree, holding her a little closer.
“I don’t want to be mad at her.” She closes her eyes.
“Baby,” I say softly as tears stream down her cheeks.
“I told her I wanted to come home. She told me there was nothing for me here, that you had moved on.”
Fuck! “I never moved on, Lea. I didn’t know it, but I have always been waiting for you to come home to me.”