Page 40 of Deceit

Once I was done eating, my mom left and Kingston locked the door behind her. He climbed back in bed with me and held me close as we laid together. Neither one of us talked as dark filled the room around us. I silently cried in his arms until sleep claimed me. I was surrounded by Kingston and my dreams were filled with thoughts of Kingston and building our lives together.

When I woke up thismorning, Kingston was still sleeping in bed with me. For the longest time, I did nothing but look at him and take in his peaceful face with his hair all over the place. The weight of the world wasn’t resting on his shoulders. Tears filled my eyes knowing this is the first time since I entered his life that he’s been this relaxed.

“Kitten, what’s wrong? Why are you cryin’?” Kingston asks me, his voice full of sleep as he rolls over and pulls me into his arms once again.

“I was just watching you sleep and thinking about how peaceful you looked. That since I entered your life, it’s been one drama after another and I don’t want to do that shit to you. I want you to have peace in your life and not worrying about what’s going on with me,” I tell him honestly as a tear falls off my face and lands on his chest.

“Kitten, I’m not lettin’ you go. You’re mine and I don’t give a fuck what drama you bring into my life. I will always be there for you and help you in whatever way you need from me. If that’s us lockin’ ourselves in this room or the house when we get it furnished, that’s what we’ll do. I’ll always protect you no matter what’s goin’ on in our lives and you will always know I have your back,” Kingston promises me as he presses a kiss to the top of my head carefully.

“I just don’t want you to regret being with me. Promise me right now that if you ever get tired of being with me, you’ll end our relationship and send me on my way. The last thing I want to do is have you hate me,” I plead with him, pushing myself up and looking down at him.

“Not gonna make that promise, Kitten. I willneverwant to end our relationship. Knew it the first time I saw you in the bookstore and I’m not gonna change my mind about us for any reason,” he states, his voice warm and gentle as he pulls me down and presses his lips against mine. “Let’s get in the shower so you can get down to the common room. Your mom and other family members want to spend the day with you. I’m gonna spend the day with your dad, uncle, grandpa, brother, and cousins.”

“Okay.”

As I wash my body, I still don’t feel clean after being with Jerome in that shack. I don’t know if I’ll ever be clean again.

“What’s wrong, Brynn?” Kingston asks me as I continue to scrub my skin raw.

“I’m not clean, Kingston. He’s tainted everything about me. My home. Clothes. Me. I’ll never be clean again. I have to wash my body so I’m clean for you,” I cry out, my voice breaking on a sob.

“Kitten. You’re clean. Jerome might have tainted things when he broke into your sanctuary, but you’re clean. To me, you’ll always be clean,” he tells me, his voice washing over me as he pulls me into his arms and removing the loofah from my hands. “Baby, I don’t see you any different than I did before you were taken by Jerome.”

Kingston finishes washing my body and helps me rinse off before getting me out of the shower and drying me off. We go in the room and both of us dress for the day. I’m wearing another one of his shirts with a pair of leggings. Together, we leave the room and make our way down to the common room. My mom and grandma are sitting at a table and watch us walk down the stairs. Kingston walks me over to the table and gives me a kiss before heading to the bar where my male family members are sitting, waiting for him. They soon leave the common room as my mom and grandma look at me.

“How are you feeling today?” my mom asks me as footsteps walk closer to us.

Looking up, my sister walks to our table from the kitchen with a plate of food in her hands. She sets it down in front of me as Taylor sets a glass of juice next to the plate. It’s a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage. The glass is full of orange juice.

“We know you need to eat and have soft food. I wasn’t sure if you could eat the sausage, but I know you love it,” Zoey tells me, a soft smile on her face.

“Thank you,” I respond, picking up my fork and beginning to eat my food before answering my mom. “I’m doing as good as I can right now. I just had a breakdown in the shower with Kingston. He held me and promised me the thoughts in my head aren’t how he feels or views me now.”

“How do you feel?” my grandma asks me as Taylor and Zoey take a seat at the table with us.

“I feel tainted and dirty. Like I’ll never be clean again. I tried to scrub my body until I was raw and Kingston stopped me,” I answer them honestly while keeping my eyes down on the plate in front of me.

“Baby, you’re not dirty,” my mom says, tears in her eyes when I look up to find her getting out of her seat and coming over to me.

My mom pulls me into her arms and holds me close. Zoey and my grandma join her holding me. They all try to reassure me with words of affection that I’m not dirty and Kingston’s right. Taylor grabs us Kleenex from somewhere and hands them out when my family pull back and I can start eating once again before my food gets cold.

“We’re not gonna talk about what happened to you today. Instead, we’re gonna have a spa day here in the clubhouse. Zoey went out and bought everything we’ll need for the day. Hope is going to join us as well,” my mom informs me as she takes a sip of her coffee.

“That sounds good,” I tell them, not really wanting to do anything but go back to bed where I can sleep and forget about Jerome and everything he’s done to me over the years.

I’ve spent the entireday with my family in the common room of the clubhouse. They’ve all pampered me from head to toe. Especially Zoey. She’s waited on me hand and foot while apologizing repeatedly for her treatment of me over the years. While she didn’t go into details about what she’s said and done to me, I didn’t want her to. The last thing I want right now is to relive that part of my life. I just want to move forward and start to build a relationship with my sister.

The only part of my body they didn’t touch was my head. Doc, a woman named Dr. Tallman, said too much time had passed and she couldn’t put stitches in the wound Jerome gave me when he hit me before stuffing me in the trunk of his car. So, she cleaned it out really well and then bandaged me up. She doesn’t want me to remove the bandages for at least a few days. Kingston let me know that she’s going to send everything here to Dr. Craven so he can continue my care and make sure that nothing happens with my head injury.

“Mom, when are you guys going back home?” I ask, not wanting my family to leave Pine View even when I know they have to return to Brighton Hills for their club, businesses, and lives.

“I’m not sure, Sweetheart. I’m sure your dad and grandpa will make a decision about that when they figure it out. It all depends on Vault and what he wants too. This is his territory and club,” my mom answers me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me into the side of her body.

Before I can respond, the main door of the clubhouse opens and in walks an older man with a file in his hand. He sees us all scattered around a few tables my mom and grandma put together and heads in our direction.

“Hello everyone. I’m Dr. Craven and I’m here to talk to Brynn about the information I just received from Dr. Tallman,” he says, a smile on his face as he looks around the table.

“I’m Brynn,” I answer, standing from my seat but not moving from the table.

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