Page 8 of Triple Puck Valentines

I’m lifted, one arm under my upper back, the other my knees. My eyes are sealed shut. I feel like I’m floating with how careful he holds me. The voices around us mutes in my head to a manageable level.

When we rise in the air with a slight jerk I know we’re in the elevator on our way back to the room.

I bury my face deeper into that space between his shoulder and neck. My mind floats along with my body in that space between reality and unconsciousness. I don’t even realize we’re in the room until he lays me on the bed.

Curling into a ball, I curve my hands around the sides of my head and ears.I’m away from those people. I’m away from those people. I’m away from those people.

The bed dips beside me, strong arms wrap around my waist. “Come back to me Kitty Kat. We love you. I love you.”

I remove my hands from my head to lay against his. He’s right. And I love him. “I love you too. The three of you are my everything.”

“Let’s go back home now. Where you’re safe.” His hand underneath mine, rubs against my belly. Back and forth.

I want to. I really do. The words are on the tip of my tongue to tell him yes. I want to go home. Forget about what might happen.

“We’ll stay.” I say these words with as much certainty as I can instill.

His hand pauses for a minute. But his finger strokes over my skin. As if he’s not paying attention to what he’s doing. “Are you sure? You have no idea what we’ll have to deal with. My family is. Well. Harsh.”

“We can do this together. Right? As long as we stick together.”

The breath of his sigh brushes over the back of my neck. “You have no idea what you’re getting into. When you’re at the ranch stay by me. Don’t go anywhere with Mama or Noah. K?”

I nod briskly. “I’ll do whatever you tell me. But how can they be that dangerous? They’re your family? Why are you going back then if they are so bad?”

His warmth abandons my back. I crane my neck to find he’s rolled onto his back. “Not to me. You they might take to their cult. Punish you for fornication. Being with me without marriage and not being in their church. If you don’t belong then you’re evil.”

I plop down beside him. This sounds worse than I had thought. I knew his family had treated him bad. I’m not sure I’m capable of dealing with this. But I want to support Hutch. I can’t abandon him.

“I’ll follow your lead. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” I hope I won’t regret this.

7

HUTCH

My heart pounds like a hockey puck being struck from stick to stick to stick.Bam. Bam. Bam.

Pulling into the long dirt drive I want to turn this rental around and go back the way I came. All the way back to Los Angeles, where I can keep Kat safe.

This is a bad idea. A very bad idea.Maybe Kat came charm Mama. She has that ability. She’s so sweet everyone immediately loves her.

The old ranch house comes into view. It was built by Mama’s grandfather. The blue paint flakes in places. One of the shutters hangs by one screw, banging in the slight breeze.

Noah must be having problems if he can’t continue upkeep. Fucking idiot. He knows if he asks, I’ll send him money. I have more than I can ever use. Maybe he doesn’t know though. I left on such bad terms with them.

I stop the truck in front of the almost dilapidated home, the drive from the hotel isn’t long, but it sure seems that way with as tense as I am. I turn my head to check on Kat and she looks the way I do. Ambiguous. Hesitant. Uncertain.

She raises her eyebrows at me, but I have no answer for her.

I gaze back at the house, Mama has already stepped onto the porch. One hand on the railing, the other raises to her forehead to shade her eyes. Brown eyes like Noah’s, not blue like mine. Blond hair like Noah’s, not light brown like mine. Tall, rail-thin like Noah used to be. I haven’t seen him in ohhh…five years. When I came last. That was a fiasco...

Kat is the first one to open her door even though her eyes are wide and dark. The wrinkle between her eyebrows has deepened. I take a deep breath, open my door and step out.

Mama lowers her hand from her forehead and claps her hands together, her eyes bright.

“My baby.” She coos, toddling down the stairs, her steps uneven. I can’t believe how old she seems. I talked to her on the phone last month and she was the same as always. Now. Fuck.

Her hair is snow-white, her dark brown eyes faded, face wrinkled with red rosacea spots.

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