Page 34 of Twisted Hearts

He was thelastperson I wanted to lay out my personal details to. What in the world would he think of me? But if Daniel was now calling Jillian, I couldn’t risk him going to her, potentially showing up in person if he didn’t believe her. If they were willing to hurt my dad if I didn’t marry him, what would he do to my best friend?

Shit.

I must have waited too long to answer, because Shawn practically growled my name through the phone. “If you’re in trouble, I can help.”

He could. He absolutely would. I didn’t doubt it but dumping all my personal problems at his feet was too difficult.

“Can you…can you give me Jaxon’s number?” I much preferred to give the details to a man who hadn’t shown interest in me. It was easier, because sitting in front of him and admitting,Yeah, I let a guy have sex with me just so he wouldn’t hurt me more and because I was spineless for the first twenty-five years of my lifewas about the most embarrassing and humiliating thing to admit.

He’d never look at me the same.

He must have sensed the desperation in my voice, because a heavy sigh came through the phone. “You can tell me anything, and if you’re in trouble—”

“I am. At least I think I am, but honestly, I’d prefer to talk to Jaxon.” My mouth was dry and my hands trembled. I shouldn’t have felt bad about this. I barely knew the guy.

But there was a part of me that hated not trusting him further.

“How about this,” he started in a soft tone that made my knees wobble. “I can come and get you, and I’ll take you to Jaxon. If you decide you don’t want me in there when you talk to him, I won’t be. But if you need me, I’m there.”

I squeezed my eyes closed to stave off the pressure building, though it was good pressure. A guy letting me make the decisions? How pathetic did it make me that something this small could make me feel good? The revelation was just another example of how screwed up it was that I’d allowed myself to be treated so poorly for so long.

I was a foal learning to walk for the first time, stumbling my way through independence and decision-making. One heavy gust of wind would knock me flat on my ass.

But today wouldn’t be that day.I can do this.

“Thanks, Shawn. I…I think I’d like that.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do. Give me an hour and I’ll pick you up?” Again with the soft voice, checking in, letting me do what was comfortable for me.

Another rush of emotion coursed through my veins. He took my concern and acted to protect me. It meant a lot. “I can do that.”

By the time I showered, got dressed, and was ready to go, peeking out through my window toward the alley to wait for Shawn’s dark gray truck to pull up, I was starting to waffle on my decision.

If Shawn was interested in me, would it be better to tell him everything up front? So he knew exactly what he was getting into? But what if I’d judged him wrong and it sent him running for the hills?

11

Addi

Shawn pulled up exactly one hour later, and I was out the door of my apartment, coming down the landing before he stepped out of his truck.

He glanced up but said nothing as I carefully maneuvered the metal stairs with one hand on the railing. He watched me with a stoicism I hadn’t yet seen from him, but his seriousness helped settle me.

This was a man who protected people for a living, and he was taking it seriously to do so for me.

As I neared the bottom, he held out his hand. I placed mine in his and let him bring me down the last steps. He glanced back up at the staircase and landing. “You should really think about locking up this staircase and only using the inside doors from now on.”

He didn’t even know what was wrong, what I needed help with, and already he was stepping in to take care of me.

“I thought about that, but then I couldn’t see you pull up.”

A flash of something good, perhaps approval, lightened his blue eyes, and he slid his hand from mine to place it at my lower back. “Good,” he said and guided me toward the truck.

He opened the door for me, gave me a hand to help me into the seat, and once I was in, he shut the door and hustled to his side of the car. Protectiveandchivalrous.

“I’d ask how your weekend has been, but given the nature of your call, I’m guessing not so great?” He glanced at me before backing up and heading out of the alley. On his dash, his GPS app was pulled up, and Siri told him to turn left.

“I’ve had better days.” I brushed my hands down my denim-covered thighs. Every part of me had wanted to stick with sweats and comfy clothes, but I always felt better when I had myself pulled together a little bit more. The jeans were new, purchases I’d made when I was buying clothes to leave, and the reminder of why I was in the truck, why I’d had to buy a new wardrobe, albeit a small one, tightened my skin. “It’s a really long story.” One full of a lot of embarrassing choices on my part.

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