Page 41 of Saving Shepperd

She closed the last bit of space, and our lips pressed together gently.

I held her in my arms for a few minutes and gathered my thoughts. Finally, when I felt like I had something productive to offer, I put some space between our bodies so we could talk. My brain refused to work right with her in my arms. All I could think about was what it would feel like to be inside her.

“I have an idea,” I began. “Hear me out, okay?”

She just nodded and looked up at me with an impossibly blue stare. Her tears had made the depth of the color of her irises so intense, it was like staring into the Pacific.

“If you’re open to it, I can schedule an appointment for you with my therapist. It would be easier than going to a stranger, and she specializes in trauma, PTSD, and personal crimes. Or whatever that’s called. Rape, abuse, molestation. Things done without consent to one person’s body by another person. I can go with you,” I offered, but that last part instantly had her shaking her head.

“I meant drive you there and home so you don’t have to worry about navigating around downtown. I honestly didn’t mean sit in the session with you. Actually, I don’t think Tiffany would go for that anyway. At least not until she knew you and if we needed to address anything that is affecting us.”

“That seems like a huge imposition, Law. I don’t know.” She smoothed the bed’s coverlet over and over. “I really don’t want to go at all.”

“I hear what you’re saying, and it makes sense that you’d be unsure about it. But I’m thinking if you get some sessions under your belt, she could help you navigate talking with your parents about what happened. It could be the first step in healing your relationship with them.”

She tilted her head to study me closely. “This might sound shitty when it comes out, so just a heads-up. I don’t always tip toe around stuff, so know that I mean no offense here. Why do you even care? It’s not like you know them. Why does it matter to you what kind of relationship I have with my mom and dad?”

“It’s not the relationship with your family I’m invested in, Shep.” I paused and waited for her to look up again. “It’s you. I want to see you heal and move on from having that kind of reaction.” I pointed toward the front of my house where this whole conversation began. “If you end up having a healthier relationship with your folks because of it, that’s just icing on the cake.”

“I don’t know…”

“Will you at least think about it? Just consider it. I truly believe you will be glad you did it in the long run.”

“Okay, fine,” she huffed, not completely happy with me pressing her for a commitment. “I’ll think about it.”

I pecked her lips again and stood. “In the meantime, we have to get some of your stuff. I’ll be with you the entire time. How likely are they to bring up anything too touchy in front of a stranger?”

“Oh, you’d be shocked. Sometimes I think that’s his favorite time to corner me. He loves looking like the big bad alpha guy in front of people. And she just stands there.” She clasped her hands beneath her chin and looked up toward the ceiling with an exaggerated dreamy stare, “Crushing on him like he’s the star of the football team, prom king, and porn star all wrapped into one.”

I burst out laughing. “That’s quite the picture you’ve created.”

“I wish I were joking,” she lamented.

“Well, you’re going to need clothes at the very least. The only other option would be to buy you all new stuff.” The idea was originally to persuade her to go back to her family home, but now that I introduced the concept, I would totally enjoy buying her stuff.

“No way in hell. Hell no.”

“That wasn’t meant to be an ultimatum. Just an option. I’d be happy to do either,” I vowed.

My new girlfriend stepped close to me and wrapped her arms around my waist and wrested her cheek on my sternum. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you, Mr. Masterson, but I’m sure glad I did it. Whatever it was.”

I held her closer and kissed the top of her head. Taking care of this woman was going to be the best experience ever. The rough road we had ahead with her coming to terms with her abuse would be eclipsed by the love and compassion I planned to shower her with.

ChapterEleven

Shepperd

“Ready to go? Are you hungry?” Law asked as we headed toward the front door to leave. “We could always hit a drive-through on our way back. Or the way there. You pick.”

I felt like I was headed to the gas chamber the way my body was physically reacting to taking this perfect man to that fucked-up house.

I shook my head. “I’m not really hungry right now. My stomach is all in knots, to be honest. But if you want to get some food, I’m cool with that.” I gave a quick shrug, trying to don the cloak of little concern I wore around my family like a shield. If I didn’t let them get to me, I could manage the pain.

“Will they be home from work at this time? Maybe we can get in and out and not have to see them. Though you’re going to have to deal with all this stuff eventually, babe.” He paused at the door, and I wanted to just push past him and hightail it out of there.

Instead, I looked up at my handsome boyfriend and sighed. “Yes, I know. I can only take small doses and remain sane, though. And to be honest, my cup is pretty full here, so if we could move on to a different topic now, I’ll be in a better headspace when we get there so we can just get this over with.”

I silently threw up a prayer that he would drop it. So much had been said between us since he picked me up from work. Normally, I’d prefer to sit quietly with my thoughts and review all that had been discussed. I mean, we’d just committed to being exclusive! That was huge!

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