Page 66 of Fool Me Once

“I will right after we hang up, babe. I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whisper, touching my fingers nervously to my lips.

It’s been three weeks since I moved into this apartment. I’m in therapy two to three times a week, and Paige has given me a job a day or two a week, helping out at her physical therapy office. Everything is getting easier, and I’m starting to feel sort of like my old self again.

Now … I have this to deal with.

When I walk out of the locker room, freshly showered after practice, I stop in my tracks when I see Gemma standing by the entrance, waiting for me.I’ve seen her over the past three weeks, but she’s never waited for me after practice.

Not that I’m complaining. This is a sight I could get used to.

When she sees me heading toward her, she gives me a tiny, shy smile and walks my way.

“Hi,” she whispers when we reach each other.

“Hi.” I grin like a fucking sixteen-year-old boy who is about to see a boob or some shit, happy as can be just to see her. “How’d you get here?”

“Paige.” She jerks her thumb toward the door that leads to the parking lot. “She’s outside, waiting for Kolt.” Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she shifts around nervously. “So … the police in California have been trying to reach me. I just got off the phone with an investigator.”

Her words send my duffel bag dropping to the floor.

“What? Why?”

After a few seconds of contemplating her words, she speaks. “I guess after I left … Richie got a new girlfriend. But unlike me, he didn’t even wait two weeks before he started hitting her.” She chews her lip. “The difference is, she went to the police right away. She wasn’t afraid, and she pressed charges.” She looks down, kicking her feet nervously on the tiled floor. “I guess, before she did that, she found old footage from his Blink camera system … of me. And now, she wants to use the footage in an attempt to keep him in jail. From what the investigator said on the phone, with that kind of evidence, even his parents’ money wouldn’t save him this time, Smith.” She lifts her head, tucking her hair behind her ears. “All because this girl stood up to him.”

I know what she’s thinking—it’s clear as day for me to read. She thinks she’s weaker than this other woman because she stayed with him for so long and left without pressing charges. I wish she could see herself the way I see her—how everyone sees her.

She’s the strongest person I know.

“Ba—Gem …” I stop myself from calling her baby. I’ve been really trying to give her the space she needs, even if I fucking hate every second of it. “This could be your chance at justice. And to feel safe again.”

She shifts around on her feet, visibly proving how nervous she is over this situation.

“The investigator said it would be helpful if I could view the footage with him to explain what was going on and identify that it actually was me.”

I can feel the fear pulsating through her body, fear of reliving that awful fucking time in her life.

“I don’t know if—what if it’s too hard to watch what’s on those videos? So many times … I’d just squeeze my eyes shut to block it all out. Now, I have to relive it? What if it ruins all the progress I’ve made?” She grows frustrated, furious tears pooling in her eyes. “Every time I think I’m getting closer to being what you need, the past comes back and threatens that.”

Pulling her against me, I wrap my arms tightly around her. “Shh.” I dip my head down so that I’m level with hers. “Take me out of the equation, Firefly. Because it could take ten, twenty, hell, even one hundred years—although I’d have saggy balls and a limp dick by then—and I’d still be waiting for you.” I kiss her forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, so stop worrying about that.”

I brush my thumb along her cheekbone. “I know it’s going to be hard, Gem. And I hate that you have to relive those fucking terrible times. But I think you need to do it anyway to give him what he deserves. And I promise I’ll be right by your side. You won’t have to go through any of it alone.”

“Thank you, Smith,” she whispers. “You are my saving grace. Always.”

Releasing her slowly, I grab my duffel from the floor and throw my arm around her shoulders. “What do you say, lunch at one of our favorite places?”

She cranes her neck and smiles up at me. “That sounds perfect.”

I know what she just found out is heavy, but I also know when she needs a distraction or something to take her mind off the shitstorm that has taken over her life. Right now is one of those moments. The awful shit will be there tomorrow, and we’ll deal with it then. Together.

There are a lot of critical times that sometimes present themselves as impossible obstacles, yet they are placed there for a reason. This is one of those times, and as much as I’d like to skip it, I know I have to put on my big-girl pants and paint on a brave face.

So, with my hands gripped together, I sit across the table from the investigator while he prepares to show me the footage that Richie’s ex-girlfriend, Lizzy, turned in.

He’s a tall, husky man, likely in his early fifties, with gray-colored eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. His face is clean-shaven, besides a goatee, and he is dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks. He’s been nothing but kind. Still, I can’t help but be wary of him.

When I told my parents that an investigator had agreed to fly out to me to review the evidence in the case against Richie, they demanded to come to the meeting. Even though I knew it hurt them, I told them no. My dad is still not himself after the cancer treatments, and to be honest, I just wanted the one person who brought me the most comfort.

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