Page 81 of Claiming Becca

He leans forward. “I’m almost sure he has a thing for her,” he whispers in my ear. I nod slightly, agreeing with him. I wonder if they’re in denial like I was with Connor.

I don’t think she cares about the age. She admitted she has a crush on him, and I’m sure he has feeling for her in some way. Bailey shrugs and leans back. Julian wraps his arm around her.

“It’s just an idea. It would piss him off, and he’d probably show his face somehow. We could try to get him to do something and then get him arrested or kill him. Whatever the consensus winds up being.” I chuckle at her nonchalance. Julian glares at her, and she shrugs. “He doesn’t deserve to live. Not after what he did.”

Julian sighs and finally concedes. “Do you mind me asking how old you were? We could do it that way if you were to press charges against him.”

Liv looks uncomfortable as she gazes down at her lap. She sucks in a breath and lifts her head again. “It was right after my mom died,” she says.

Ansley sits forward with a panicked look on her face. “Didn’t your mom die when you were 13?” she asks.

Liv inhales so deeply her shoulders move. “Yes, she did.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

CONNOR

BECCA ANDI enter the house after her second day working with me. She rode with me today. I think she’s still a little nervous after what happened with Donovan yesterday. We’re no closer to coming to a solution than we were yesterday. After Liv told us how long Donovan abused her, it took the wind out of our sails. It was hard for her to talk about.

Becca turns to me. “What are we going to do? I’ve been thinking about it all day,” she admits.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her into a hug. “I don’t know. I know where Julian is coming from, but I think Liv’s right. There’s only one way to get rid of him.”

She hugs me tight. “I don’t like this.”

I pull her over to the chair to sit down. She turns sideways so she can face me. I cup her face, kissing her gently before pulling away.

“I need you to tell me everything that happened yesterday. Not just what he said about Liv,” I tell her. After everyone left yesterday, we went to bed.

I wanted to question her then, but knew she needed time to process everything. She looks away with guilt in her eyes, but takes a deep breath.

“The past few weeks, I knew that I wanted to face that neighborhood. Face my fear once and for all. I haven’t been there since the day you saved me.” She runs her fingers over the collar of my t-shirt, but she still won’t look me in the eye. “I tried once a couple of years later but could never go through with it.” She sighs, shaking her head.

“With the decorating I’ve been doing lately, I remember you telling me the playground needed some work. I know that’s not technically something I’ve ever done, but I wanted to see it. I wanted to make that place better.” She sucks in a breath, and she finally looks at me. “So, I drove to the Quick Mart a few weeks ago. That’s all I could do, though. That was the day I saw Donovan’s car when I was on the phone with you.” I suck in a breath at this piece of news.

“Becca.” I sigh.

She wraps her hand around my neck. “I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to be strong. So, I tried again and could make it to the apartment complex I got attacked at, and then yesterday, I made it to the playground.” She squeezes her eyes shut.

I pull her closer. “Do you remember me promising you I’d follow you wherever you went?”

She nods, opening her eyes to look at me. “Yes, and I told you I’d do the same for you.”

“I meant that with anything, even this. You didn’t have to do this by yourself.”

She brings her hand up to my jaw. “I know I didn’t have to do this alone, but I wanted to. Since I was 17, I’ve relied on you so much. I wanted to prove to myself I could do this,” she explains.

I rub my lips over her forehead. “That’s the great thing about having people you care about and that care about you,” I say.

She tilts her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t have to do those things by yourself. It doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong. It’s hard, leaning on other people and taking the chance of getting let down. But I can promise you this; I will never let you down. I will always be here, no matter what. You’re my person, and I’m yours,” I promise her.

I’ve always been close to my family, and it wasn’t hard for me to make friends. Becca had a different experience growing up, so this is hard for her. But I plan on showing her I meant everything I said every day for the rest of my life.

“Donovan knew who I was.” I stiffen, remembering her saying that yesterday, but I wait for her to continue. “Before he said anything about Liv, I was trying to figure out how to run. I didn’t realize he was there because of Liv. He told me if he wanted me dead, I’d be dead. Then he said he knows I got away once, but it wouldn’t happen again.” She takes a deep breath, shivering slightly.

“He ran his finger down my face. I was terrified. All those years on the streets and I had never come face to face with him. I always knew if I saw that car to run in the opposite direction.” She lays her head on my chest and hugs me hard. Leaning up again, she gives me a small smile. “I’ll never do anything like that again. I promise,” she whispers.

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