Page 33 of Crossroads of Innocence
“I made it out, but I didn’t think about the mess I left behind. I was a kid then, so I didn’t see things clearly. Now… now I know I need to figure out how to help Laura. She might hate me, and she has every right too, but I can’t sit back and watch her repeat a cycle of abuse she should never have been exposed to in the first place.”
Her conviction constricted his chest. If she wanted to help Laura leave her asshole of a boyfriend, maybe that meant she planned to stay in town after the danger passed. He held her tighter, the idea of having her in Pine Valley opening limitless possibilities for a future he’d thought he’d lost.
No.
Her plans didn’t mean a darn thing to him. Jude was his ex, a woman who lived through hell but still had broken his heart. Knowing her story explained a lot about why she’d made the decisions she’d made, but it didn’t erase everything she’d put him through. Didn’t mean they had any business being together.
Focusing on her dilemma, he chose his words with care. “Laura doesn’t have a lot of friends in her life outside of Isaac. He keeps her pretty isolated. She quit school and depends on him for everything. I know people have tried to talk to her—tried to help. But…” he lifted his hands, not sure what else to say.
She swished her mouth from side to side. “I need to think of something.”
“I’m sure you will.” He kissed the top of her head, liking the way she felt against him way too much. “But our first priority is making sure we keep you safe.”
She untangled herself from his arms and shoved a hand through her hair. Her eyes were red and puffy, and a world of worry was evident in every line on her face.
He tugged on a strand. “Have I mentioned I like the blond?”
A small smile touched her lips. “You might have mentioned it.”
“Good. Can I get you anything? I’m going to clean up dinner. Or did you want to eat more?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I ate plenty. But I think I saw Mia put a six-pack in the fridge. A beer sounds good after dumping my trauma all over you.”
Laughing, he stood and crossed to the fridge. “That’s not dumping, darlin’. That’s sharing.”
“Now it’s your turn,” she said. “I want to know how your mom’s doing. She was always so great. I’d love to see her.”
He swallowed hard and hid his face in the cool refrigerator. He might not have trauma from the past to unpack, but his present was anything but pretty. And he wasn’t quite ready to expose all the ugliness of his reality.
A soft knock on the door had him straightening with a brown bottle in each hand. He tossed one to Jude before hurrying to the door and peeking through the front window to the porch. Twilight had approached, but he didn’t need a light to know who stood on the other side of the door.
Opening it wide, he grinned at Chet and Mia. “What are you two doing here?”
Chet waved a deck of cards in the air then shoved past him. “Got off work early. I’m here to catch up with my friend.”
Mia gave Wade a quick squeeze. “What he meant to say was, do you mind if we hang out for a while? He’d love to see Jude.”
Wade glanced over his shoulder at Jude. She’d stood and hugged Chet tight, the beautiful smile on her face chasing away the lingering cloud of turmoil. No matter how he wanted to spend the rest of the evening, he’d do anything to keep that smile on Jude’s face.
Luckily, spending time with two of his favorite people wouldn’t be a hardship at all.
14
Wade wiped the cleared-off table with a damp dishrag one last time before taking a seat and nodding toward Chet. “Go ahead and deal.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Chet sank low in the folding chair they’d brought in from the deck. He tossed the cards around in messy piles.
“What are we playing?” Jude asked. The puffiness had eased from around her eyes, although the redness remained.
The last few days had been so heavy, Wade wanted to lighten the mood as best he could. He shot Jude a wink then huddled his cards in his hands. “Five card draw. What else?”
Jude let out such a long, loose laugh and it warmed his soul. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Mia frowned as she picked up her own cards and arranged them in one hand. “What’s happening?”
“Got me,” Chet said, scratching his bearded chin, but he couldn’t quite hide his slow grin.
“These jerks, along with our friend Tucker, used to whoop me in poker when we were younger,” Jude said. “I never could catch on, and they’d work together to make sure I always got out first. Ate all my poor little pretzels.”
