Page 61 of Mia Amata

“I love you,” he said, kissing me again.

“I love you too.” I got out of the pickup and went inside. I let Lucky out for a few minutes while I went to change into Jacob’s T-shirt, I laid claim to it which he did not mind at all. I let Lucky back in, then went to lie down. I really was tired.

I lay there thinking about how I was lying to Jacob. I did love him, but the thought that I couldn’t tell him the truth about my past made me feel sick to my stomach. I agreed to marry him, even though it would never be a legal marriage. How could I go through it? It just didn’t seem fair to him. I thought about what would happen if Allen found me, especially if he found out that I was living with another man.

I believed he would kill us both without hesitation, he had threatened to for years. If I was smart, I would pack up and leave. I knew I loved Jacob too much to live without him. I fell asleep finally, but it was a fitful sleep, dreams of Allen and the beatings ran rampant through my head. The beatings in my dreams slowly turned into the last one where he hit my face.

I ran from him. I was running toward Jacob. As I got closer to Jacob, I could hear Allen behind me yelling at me, threatening to kill me. Just before I could reach Jacob, I heard a gunshot and saw Jacob fall to the ground.

I got to Jacob’s side and saw the blood coming from the gunshot wound in his chest. “No!” I screamed. Just then Allen grabbed me from behind and said in my ear, “I told you what I would do if you ever left me.”

“No!” I cried out again, trying to fight him off.

“Mia!” Jacob said. “Wake up, honey. It’s me.” My eyes flew open as I cried out again. Jacob had a hold of my arms trying to wake me up. “Mia Amata, it’s me.” I stopped struggling against him, letting out a sob. Jacob pulled me into his arms, holding me against his chest as I sobbed uncontrollably. “It was just a dream,” he said. “You are OK.”

“Oh, Jacob,” I cried throwing my arms around his neck.

“Shhh,” he said, pulling me onto his lap. “It’s OK, I’m here.” He held me until I finally was able to stop sobbing. “That must have been some dream,” he said. “Do you want to tell me about it?”

“I don’t remember all of it. What I do remember was awful,” I said. “I dreamed that someone shot you in front of me. You were dead.”

“I’m fine, Mia. I’m right here,” he said. “It was just a dream.” I knew he was right, but I also knew it could become a reality. I wiped my tears, sitting back.

“You have perfect timing, as usual,” I said. He wiped some final tears from my face, looking at me with concern. “I was carrying a box in the front door when I heard you scream. Scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“You don’t need to apologize for having a bad dream,” he replied. “Are you sure you’re OK?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I said as I got out of bed. “I’ll go throw some supper on while you bring your things in.” I started to walk past him when he reached out, gently grabbing my arm. I stopped, looking at him.

“You’re sure you’re OK? You were so scared when I was trying to wake you up. I’m worried about you.” I could see the concern in his eyes.

I leaned over and kissed him. “Yes, I’m sure. You are right. It was just a dream. Most of it is fading away already.”

I hated lying to him, but I had no choice. I went out of the bedroom with him following behind me. I went into the kitchen, and he picked up the box that he dropped when he heard me scream. He took it back to the bedroom. I pulled things out of the fridge, figuring I would throw some burgers on the grill for us.

Leaving the door open, I went outside, starting the grill. Lucky ran down into the yard, barking at a squirrel sitting on a low branch in a tree. I smiled as I watched him for a few minutes, then went inside to get the burgers ready.

Jacob carried in a few more boxes, taking them all back to the bedroom. I carried the burgers outside, putting them on the grill. I checked on Lucky, he decided he had enough of the squirrel, running back up to the house to check on me. We went back inside while I set the table. Jacob came out of the bedroom.

“That’s it. I’ll have to unpack, but all my stuff is here.”

“That’s great,” I said. “Supper is almost ready. I hope burgers are OK.”

“Sounds good,” he said. “What can I do to help?”

“Would you go flip the burgers for me?” I asked.

“Sure.” I handed him the utensils as he went out to the deck. Lucky followed him out again, probably to look for the squirrel again. I watched as Jacob flipped the burgers and then picked up Lucky’s ball, going down the steps to the yard to play with Lucky. I finished setting the table, then took a platter out to the grill for the burgers.

Setting the platter down, I checked the burgers. They needed a few more minutes, so I shut the grill and walked over to the deck rail. I smiled as I watched Lucky and Jacob playing around in the backyard. Jacob and Lucky joined me on the deck. I turned; Jacob took me into his arms.

“You look so sexy,” he said, kissing me.

I laughed, “I do? In a T-shirt?”

“In anything. Or nothing.” He smiled at me. He kissed me again.

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