Page 61 of Salvation

“There.” I point at the bottom of the staircase. “There was the first time he ever laid a hand on me.”

My father’s old house. It’s empty now. No one ever did anything with it. All the old furniture is still here. Everything was dusty, dead, and untouched. When he realizes what this is, what I’m giving him, his brows furrow, and he steps towards me.

“Blake, you don’t have to -”

“Yes, I do.” He snaps his mouth shut and doesn’t say anything more. Doesn’t move. Just watches me. “He slapped me. Then he cried after it happened. Said it would never happen again. That it was a mistake. That he loved me and would never,couldnever do such a thing.” I suck in another breath. “I believed him.”

“And then there.” I moved to the open dining room and pointed at the table. “I asked to go visit my mom, and he threw me down on it. Choked me until I nearly passed out. That time, he didn’t apologize.” I turn toward the kitchen. “I dropped the take-out box he made me pick up for him. He slammed my head into the counter because of it.” My chin begins to wobble on that last word, but I keep going. I move around the house, pointing out different spots. Explaining what, when, and where the abuse happened. It hurt to share it, it hurt even more to see how broken Wesley looked as I continued. But it was also freeing. So, so freeing that I wish I had the courage to do this sooner. I come to a stop in the middle of the living, next to one of the only windows facing the front.

“And here? Here is where I got this.” I stretch out my arm. I haven’t even acknowledged the tears streaming down my face, not until he steps forward to wipe them away. A few of his own slipped down his. “I…he caught me sneaking in. After our night out. He beat me so badly that I passed out. So, when I woke up and found him asleep, I ran. I ran all the way to Whitney’s, where she helped me get out.”

“When I woke up, I knew what I had to do. I knew I had to leave. I…I knew I couldn’t say goodbye to you because I knew you’d follow me.” A sob escapes my lips. “And I would never be able to live with myself if I was the one who took you from your mother. From Wyatt. They needed you more than I needed you. I love you, Wesley. I love you more than I can even begin to explain. Everything,everythingwas a blur when I left, but that? That never was. I loved you then, and I love you now. And I will love you for as long as you’ll let me.”

He grasps my face, his blue eyes boring into mine, and I know with absolute clarity that the little blue house I stumbled upon isn’t home. This town isn’t home. New York isn’t home. Wesley is home.Myhome.Mysalvation. And I will never run away from it. I’ll fight for it in the same way he always fought for me. So, I lean my head against his, recalling those words he spoke to me so long ago. “Where you go, I go.”.

Chapter 65

Blake

We’re settled back in the truck, but before Wesley can turn the key, I lay my hand on his. “I think…I think I want to start a group. Somewhere, people can go to talk about these things. About life. Where they can ask for help.”

He doesn’t hesitate to take my hand. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

We.God, I love the sound of that.I lean forward and plant a kiss on his lips at the word. It’s sweet, short, and tender. But soon it takes a hungry turn, and the need to feel him, all of him, becomes crucial.I crawl into his lap, keeping my lips locked on his. Once I’m fully seated in his lap, he grips the sides of my head, pulling me back so that we’re eye to eye. “I love you.” He whispers.

“I love you.” I don’t hesitate in my response because it’s the truth. Wesley is the one, and deep down, I think I always knew he was the one. We may have been worlds apart for years, andwe may have lived different lives for the majority of it, but my heart never left his. It never will. I reach between us to grasp the buckle of his jeans, but he’s searching my eyes for any sort of hesitation.“Are you sure?”

I nod eagerly and breathlessly. “Yes. Yes, I’m sure.”

A low groan rises from his throat as he jerks my head back down and into a searing kiss. He tastes like mint and smells like spice and looks entirely like he’smine.We get his jeans pulled down, with his boxers following suit. His hard member presses against the rough material of my jeans, and we both moan in unison at the friction. His hands slowly roam under my shirt, cold as they splay against my middle and creep up to the lacey underwire of my bra. He takes his time undressing me. Slipping my long sleeve over my head, freeing my breasts to the chilly air, and unbuttoning my jeans. Once I’m bare from the waist up, he’s trailing small kisses all over my collarbone and up my neck. Kneading my ass and rolling my hips against his own. An elated giggle erupts from me as he hovers over a particularly sensitive spot, and he nips it in return.

He raises my hips so that we’re perfectly lined up, and we both watch with heavy-lidded eyes as I sink onto him. We both stay there, still for a moment, until it turns frantic, and we’re both chasing the release. The windows turn foggy, our handprints littering the glass. And while it’s still a hurried moment full of lust, it’s different than before. Sweeter. Slower. Softer. As if we’re savoring each other. As if we finally understand thatthisis real and that it’s not going anywhere.

Chapter 66

Wesley

The beginning of November has finally found its way to Clover-Hills. Blake shivers and rubs her hands together after she places the last cardboard box inside the back of my truck.

She’s moving in with me, officially. Both her and Elain, since her mother is still recovering in rehab. Elain was more than inviting to the idea, seemingly excited that she’d get her own room with the extra space in my house. We decided, soon after everything that’s happened, that we weren’t going anywhere. And it’s much easier to just share the same bed versus going back and forth every night. Surprisingly, it was Blake who brought the idea up first. I had been dying to bring it up for quite some time but didn’t want to push her. Heronlystipulation is that we’d add another room for Vivienne for when she wants to stay the night. I didn’t question that one. Better that she has herown room than kicks me out of my bed. To say we celebrated in more ways than one would be an understatement.

The first snow day is supposed to hit the end of this week, so we decided to move everything rather quickly. Thankfully, it’s not a very far move. And she’s not bringing much, just personal belongings. Most will stay to use for the health center she’s creating with her mom.

“I’ll go turn off the lights,” I tell her. “Hop in the truck where it’s warm.” She doesn’t protest, more than willing to get back into the truck. Later this week, we’re going to go look at a new car for her at a dealership out of town. I haven’t told her yet that I’ll be looking for a new truck, too. With heated seats, since that seems to be the only thing she complains about when it comes to my dad’s old truck. I’ll still be keeping it, but there’s nothing wrong with change. Not anymore.

As I get inside, I head to the kitchen to switch off the overhead lights above the island, but my eyes snag on what looks like a piece of paper that’s tucked halfway under one of the cupboards. I bend down to pick it up, feeling the dust and grime that coats it dusting my fingertips. When I see that it’s an old photograph, I wipe it on the front of my jeans. I pause as I finally look at it.

It’s Ethel, the woman who lived next door to me before she passed. And…and an older man standing next to her, with his arm slung over her in a warm embrace. Their hands are on full display, showcasing the matching wedding bands the two bear. Of course, I knew she was married. She told me stories of her husband who passed nearly a decade ago, but I never saw any pictures. But that man…I recognize that man. The same one who sat next to me at the bar just a few months ago. The same one who told me about his wife.

I never asked her name, I didn't think to.

But now – now I know.

It was Ethel.

Tears prickle the back of my eyes as I realize why I truly saw myself in the older woman who lived next door. Why I looked at her and saw myself sitting in that rocker chair on the porch. She wasn’t lonely. Shehadshared a home with someone. She had someone to call home, and shewascontent with the life she shared with him. She found her person and loved him until the very end. All because he let her go once and never made that mistake again.

A honk sounds from outside, signaling Blake’s irritation at my dallying. But I only smile and holler that I’m coming, knowing exactly how this story ends. Howourstory ends.

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