Page 36 of If You Fight

“What did he try? Did he say he was going to send you away or was it me this time?”

“Shhhh. I don’t want to talk about this now. All I want to do is take care of you like you’ve always taken care of me when I needed it. I think I might have some painkillers in my room at the house. I can go get them so at least the worst of it will disappear.”

She moved to leave and I caught her by the arm. “No. Don’t go. The pain’s not too bad now. I’d feel better if you stayed right here.”

Leaning over, she turned on the light next to the bed. As soon as I saw her eyes open wide, I knew how bad I looked. I’d seen myself a few hours after fights. Even after those I’d won, I sometimes looked pretty fucked up.

“It’s okay, Serena. It looks much worse than it really is. I’ll be fine,” I said in an attempt to reassure her even as the pain in my ribs brought tears to my eyes.

“Oh, Ryder. I’m so sorry. I promise this will never happen again,” she said, fighting back her own tears.

I pulled her mouth to mine and kissed her again. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“But I can,” she said with the kind of smile that never failed to melt my heart.

“No, you can’t. Your father isn’t going to just let me go on this. Not this time. I’m worried what he’s going to do to you too.”

“He’s not going to do anything. He’s sworn to me that he won’t ever do this to you again, and he’s accepted us together. So, you see, you don’t have to worry. It’s going to be okay.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Robert accepted that Serena and I were together? No way.

Looking up at her face so filled with optimism, I hated that I had to doubt her, but I knew him all too well. Whatever he’d said, he wasn’t good with me being with Serena, and things were definitely not okay.

“What did he say and how exactly did he say it?”

She smiled and shook her head, like my questions were mere silliness. “Do you think I honestly don’t know my father, Ryder? I’ve lived with him all my life. Long before you got here, I saw exactly the kind of man he was. I’m not naïve. I know not to trust everything he says, but I’m telling you he’s accepted us together and promised you’d never go through this again.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because if he didn’t, he was going to lose both of us, and he knew that. I’d leave and then you’d leave to be with me. My father is a lot of things, but he’s not stupid. He knew when I said I’d leave this place if he didn’t promise me you’d be safe that I wasn’t bluffing.”

I still didn’t believe Robert had accepted anything. It wasn’t in his nature.

“Was he smiling when he said he was okay with me and you together? Because if he was, I’m guessing I’ll be dead by tomorrow morning and you’ll be locked away in some home by the end of the week,” I said sadly.

My question made her giggle. “You mean that smile he wears when he looks at you like you’re prey?”

I nodded, surer than ever that nothing was okay. “The crocodile smile. It’s the one he puts on right before he devours another person’s soul.”

“He might have been smiling, but it’s going to be fine, Ryder. I even tried to get him to let you be my bodyguard instead of working for him, but that’s where he put his foot down. I did get the promise that he’d never hurt you again and you and I could be together, so all in all, I think negotiations went pretty well, don’t you?”

Never before had I seen Serena so confident about anything concerning Robert. I still worried he’d do something to us, but for the moment, at least she looked happy.

“So he knows we’re in love?”

She kissed me again and whispered against my lips, “Madly, truly, and completely in love.”

I cupped the back of her head to keep her there and kissed her again, this time sliding my tongue into her mouth. She moaned softly and teased my tongue with the tip of hers before sucking it between her lips.

“We’re going to be fine, Ryder.”

“I wish I could believe he was okay with us together like you do.”

“No more talk about him tonight. I want to take care of you, so what do you need? Just tell me and I’ll get it for you.”

“Nothing. Just stay here,” I said as I pulled her close to me. “I just want to lay here with your head on my shoulder like we used to back when I was in the guest room.”

She lay down beside me and carefully positioned herself next to my body so she could do as I wanted. The gentle scent of her shampoo filled my nose, and I stroked her hair, loving the feel of her there with me. If only we could stay there and never have to leave that room again, we’d be safe.

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