Page 35 of Deliver Me

She winced.“He wasn’t thrilled,” she said honestly. “There’s been a lot going on and we haven’t really had time to talk. He’s trying but he doesn’t understand why I want to be a lawyer or what I could gain from having feelings for you.”

“He’s afraid you’ll get hurt.” Gabriel picked at the scars on the table as he spoke, his blunt fingers tracing the lines. “It scares me, too.”

“You didn’t hurt me. All this?” She circled her finger in the air to indicate the walls and the prison beyond. “This hurts me, but I probably wouldn’t have met you without it, so there’s no use dwelling on it.”

He looked like he might want to argue but, in the end, he just squeezed her hand.

“Glad we settled that.” She didn’t think it really was settled but they could deal with their doubts on a different day. “Want anything from the vending machine?”

“Whatever you’re having.” He picked up the bag of coins, hefting its weight before handing it to her with a chuckle. “I’m not picky.”

“I imagine not,” she said, her nose wrinkling against the prison smell and what she imagined their food must taste like.

“You really are always hungry, aren’t you?” he asked when she came back a few minutes later with her arms piled high with bags of snacks and bottles of drinks.

“Yes, I really am,” she said, dropping her hoard on the table and tearing open a package of M&Ms to pour several into her hand before passing it to him.

“This is good, right?”

She looked up at him in surprise. “What?”

“This,” he wiggled a finger in the space between them “Us. It’s good. You didn’t take one look at me and decide I wasn’t what you wanted after all.”

“I was afraidyouwouldn’t wantme,” she confessed, squeezing his hand to soothe both of their fears. “But I think we’re good.”

Her heart was full as he laughed with her and ate half her snacks and smiled at her when she gave the rest of her money to the family beside them so they could buy a few of their own after they overheard them mention how hard it was for them to afford the trip every few months.

She was acutely aware of his body and her need for him to touch her as he stood beside her, awkwardly bumping her as he tried to lean down enough to get both of their faces in the photo she’d paid for. When their time was up, she gripped him tightly in a hug that she knew would have to last them both until she could see him again.

“How was your visit?” Kennedy asked. They’d been busy for the past few days and the Bible meeting was the first time Mia had seen much of her since she’d come home from her first meeting with Gabriel. She leaned forward in her chair now, eyes bright with curiosity, and Mia could tell she had just been waiting for the other Bible group members to leave so that she could finally ask.

Mia smiled, unable to hide the bubbling joy that had been tumbling around inside her and reached into her bag to pull out the picture of her and Gabriel.

Kennedy looked at the picture in her hand and let out a low whistle. “He’s very tall,” she said, turning the photo around so that Lilly could see it.

“He’s huge,” Mia agreed, chewing happily on a cookie. “I couldn’t believe how big he was when they brought him in.”

“Weren’t you scared?” Lilly asked her, looking at the picture and shaking her head.

“No,” Mia said. “I have no reason to be scared of him.”

Lilly’s expression was guarded, and Mia felt another small twinge of annoyance. “You’re determined not to like him no matter what he does, aren’t you?” she asked.

“I just want you to be safe andhappy,” Lilly said, looking at Mia with a pleading expression. “You know that, right?”

Mia nodded, softening at the genuine conflict that she could sense in the crease between Lilly’s eyes. “I know but nothing is easy about this, and I need you to be on my side.”

Lilly swallowed hard and looked at Kennedy, seeking something to help her figure out what to do. She’d always been fiercely loyal, fiercely certain of right and wrong, and now she was floundering.

Kennedy smiled and handed her a cookie. “You can’t tell someone who to love. It’s your job as her friend to let her know that you’re concerned and you’ll be there for her if she gets hurt, but you have to support what makes her happy.”

Mia said nothing, looking at Lilly patiently as she weighed the words in her mind. After a moment, Lilly sighed softly. “You’re my best friend,” she said. “I want you to be happy more than anything and if you need my support then you have it.”

Chapter Fifteen

Spring

Church had been Mia’s sanctuary when she was little, a place of peace and welcome where she was sure of the goodness of God and his people. It amazed her how quickly one woman could change that into something unpleasant. Most of the congregation had accepted the news of Kennedy’s change in living arrangements at Christmas without fuss, but Mrs. Newberry had been digging from the start, asking questions around town for weeks until she’d finally gotten enough of the story to figure out what Kennedy’s parents had done and why. They’d tried to keep it quiet—embarrassed by the existence of their daughter rather than their own disgusting behavior—but it hadn’t stopped her from finding out or from telling anyone who’d listen.

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