Page 171 of Prey for You

Four Months Later…

57. Forgive

~ BRIDGET ~

I stood next to Sam in the small waiting space outside the prison visiting rooms, trembling.

Gerald spoke with the woman behind the grate to make sure everything was in order.

We’d talked through this moment a dozen times. All three of us—me, Sam, and Gerald. Because I was still seeing Gerald. And sometimes, so was Sam.

At first Sam had come with me to some sessions because I wanted Gerald to see that he wasn’t a bad guy. But then…

Once Gerald believed that Sam wasgoodfor me, then he felt bad. And he wanted to help us.

They’d met together alone once. I still didn’t know everything that had passed between them that day. But Sam said he was humbled by how open and transparent Gerald had been with him. That they’d talked for hours. And that he believed Gerald cared about me—and was genuine in his remorse for how he’d treated Sam.

I wasn’t sure whether to trust it at first, but once I saw them together again…

Well, sometimes it seemed like Gerald liked Sam better than me.

Then, I got so high on my own delight and stupidity, I decided I could be brave and speak to my father.

That was an easy thing to say when I was in Gerald’s office, with him sitting in front of me and Sam next to me on the couch, holding my hand.

It was alotharder now that I was standing here in the prison.

I watched Gerald checking papers with the woman behind the grate and my heartrate spiked. He’d had specific ideas about how this should go to keep me at my calmest, and he’d offered to come with us on his own time. It had all sounded good and healthy anddoable.Until now.

Now I stared at a line of rooms behind plexiglass windows, each one with a door on our side, a metal picnic table in the middle, and another door in a blank walk on the other side. The side where the prisoners came from.

There was a red line straight down the middle of the floor and signseverywheresaying DO NOT CROSS THE LINE.

Sam’s hand tightened on my shoulder and his warmth pressed against my back as he leaned in.

“Breathe, babe.”

I let go of the breath I’d been holding then made myself inhale.

Gerald nodded and thanked the woman, then walked back to where we stood, his face grim.

“He’s going to be here soon,” he said, watching me carefully.

Which he needed to do. Knowing that my father was somewhere on the other side of that blank, cement block wall made my head scream.

Sam’s hand on my shoulder was grounding.

If Gerald had touched me, I think I might have torn his face off with my nails.

“Breathe, Bridget,” Gerald said quietly.

“Already taken care of,” I muttered, but leaned a little further back into Sam.

Gerald’s eyes were pinched with tension. He looked at Sam behind me. “Are you okay? If you get shaky, we can tag-team if she wants to stay in there.”

“I amnotstaying in there without Sam,” I muttered.

Sam squeezed my shoulder gently again. “I’ll be fine.” I loved the feeling of his deep voice vibrating in his chest against my back.

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