Page 13 of Echoes in the Night

Maura

I stand under the water scrubbing my body until it is almost red from the abrasion. It’s not even like I’m dirty. It’s more I had to wash off the fear. The remnant of the nightmare I had. Even though it was fragmented I could feel the terror seeping in through my pores, chilling me to the bone. I wonder if I’ll ever feel warm again. Safe.

I’ll always save you.I pause sudsing my hair and a calm comes over me. He already does. Just thinking of Jax is calming. I know he will always find me.

Jax warned me that as cold as it is the hot water won’t last long. But I push it to the last moment and am rinsing as the water gets colder and colder. Shivering, I quickly dry and pull on another of Jax’s long sleeve T-shirts and drawstring sweatpants. Knotting the shirt at my waist and rolling the cuffs of the pants I feel just a touch more feminine. I’m a little self-conscious that my boobs are just hanging there but what am I going to do? I refuse to put on the underwear I was left to die in. It’s like they’re tainted.

Screw it. I swore off my parent’s body shaming years ago. Besides I’ve seen the fire in Jax’s eyes when he looks at me. When he snuggled me against him his cock was at full attention. But it’s obvious he's a gentleman.

I run the comb Jax made me through my hair, almost surprised at how perfectly it fits my grasp and how well it works. The tines are the perfect length. I’ve never known anyone so thoughtful.

Heading to the kitchen I see he’s already got pancakes keeping warm and bacon frying. He looks over at me, his gaze appreciatively running from head to toe, lingering on my breasts. I don’t think he realized he licked his lips. Definitely a boob man.

“How close are we? I can pour coffee.”

“Two minutes.”

After filling our cups, I stand beside him holding the plates for him to dish up. “This smells wonderful. I can’t even remember the last time I had pancakes.”

“Hope you like them. It’s a scratch recipe. One we always used.”

“Do you make everything from scratch?”

“Pretty much. It’s how Gramps and Grandma started. They kept a garden and bought the basics like flour, sugar, yeast. Gramps would hunt and fish, always careful not to take more than he needed. They didn’t have electricity in the beginning. Gradually they added a few things like the oil. He, they, were simple people.

“My father was the only surviving child. They had a daughter first, but she was born sick and only lived a year. The way I understood it, my father took up with some rich kids in high school and was embarrassed by his family. He went away to college, got a financial degree and never came back. SentGramps a letter that he’d married my mother. Mom’s family was high society.

“They had me and by the time I was seven they were both tired of me. That’s when I started spending summers with Gramps. I loved it. You know the part where they didn’t want me. Truth. I didn’t want them. They were always absent anyway. I was raised by housekeepers and cooks.”

He studies me for a minute. “You never told me your last name.”

“Kennedy. I’m Maura Kennedy.”

He gives a brief nod before taking a bite.

A niggle of dread squeezes my chest. “Did you know my father?”

He takes another bite and nods again.

“You would have been about the same age.”

“Age wise he was two years older.”

“Were you in classes together?”

“Some. Scholastically, I was taking advanced classes. And we were in some sports together.”

“Oh. My. God. You were the reason he quit football and switched to golf.” I can’t hold back the laughter. Tears are streaming down my cheeks before I can stop.

“What’s so funny?”

“First, the player who tried to bribe the coach to let him be the quarterback, that was my father. Right?”

His gaze glistens with amusement. “Yep.”

“I always suspected Father was out played, since he can barely throw a football. His reason for switching sports was that golf was an educated man’s sport and more important for his career. Big deals are made on the golf course, you know.

“Of course he sucks at that, too. He takes fake phone calls to leave before he embarrasses himself then meets his group at the nineteenth hole.”

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