Page 51 of Tainted Rose

I scoot out of the bed, grabbing my pajamas along the way, and walk quickly to the bathroom. Just as I’m about there, I hear Xander roll over. When I glance back, his eyes are locked on me. “Damn, Red. You are so fucking hot. I can’t believe you’re mine.”

With a wink, I toss over my shoulder, “You’re pretty hot yourself. I’m a lucky girl, Xander.”

By the time I get back to the bed, Xander is out cold again, lightly snoring. I dig around in my bag for a second and come up with a hair elastic. I quickly tie my hair back, then hurry from the room. I didn’t want to worry Xander, but my cheek hurts like a bitch. I move down the stairs as quietly as I can and sneak, in the dark, down the hallway to the kitchen for some ice.

I skid to a halt at the entryway; a few under-cabinet lights illuminate the room. Isabella sits at the counter, flipping through a magazine. “Oh.”

She glances up at me, surprised at my sudden appearance. I wonder if she can tell I’d been riding her son like a cowgirl. I grimace inwardly.

“Everything o—” She blinks and stands up from the stool, circling the island. Her eyes have zeroed in on my cheek, and I suddenly regret coming downstairs.

She puts a few fingers under my chin and gently tilts my face to the side. Her jaw stiffens. “He didn’t—”

My eyes widen as I realize she thinks Xander hit me on purpose. Beat me. Like his dad did to her. “No. No, no. Not at all. Nothing like that.” I shake my head quickly. “He—he had a nightmare. I was trying to wake him, and he caught me with his elbow.”

“You’re sure.” It doesn’t come out as a question. “You promise me you’d tell me if he was—”

“I would. He didn’t. He wasn’t even awake. He was crying out and shouting a bunch of stuff. I was stupid to get close, but I thought maybe—”

Her eyes close for a second before she lets go of my chin and swivels on her heel, marching straight over to the freezer. She digs around a bit and finds a bag of peas. “Here, honey. Hold these on your cheek. Can I get you another cup of tea? Or something stronger?” She mumbles under her breath, “What a freaking day.”

“Um. Tea would be fine. Maybe some peppermint this time, if you have it?”

“Of course.” She opens the same cabinet June had earlier, where the stash of tea is kept. For a few moments, I watch as she sets about heating some water.

“Peppermint…” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “It was my mom’s favorite. We’d drink it together whenever one of us had a bad day.”

“Sit, honey.” She heaves out a sigh. “I’d be honored if you’d allow me to have a cup with you now.”

I give her a small smile and nod. “I’d like that.”

“Shitty day, huh?”

“You can say that again.” I prop my elbow on the table and hold the peas to my sore cheek.

Once we have steaming mugs of tea in front of us, I take a sip and bolster up my courage. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable.” I meet Isabella’s steady, questioning gaze. “How often does he have these nightmares? Do you know?”

She blows on her tea before placing the mug down in front of her. “It makes my heart ache to say this, but I’m pretty sure he has them quite often. He tries to hide it from me.” She gives me a sad, tortured smile. “He’s been having them since the first time Joseph took his belt to him. He was just a little guy. I-I couldn’t stop it.”

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