Charity's Storm (Charity Series Book 4) (4 page)

              “Oh, honey,” my dad said to my mom as he stepped into the kitchen. “Jim is coming to pick up your car and take it in for a tune up. We’ll be down to one car until tomorrow afternoon.”

             
She contemplated that for a moment and then shrugged. “Oh, okay. I guess that’s fine.” And then they kissed…and I playfully gagged.

             
Soon, Jim from Tony’s Auto came and picked up the car, and we all waved as he pulled away with my mom’s car in tow. My mom sighed. “Now maybe that car will stop making that squeaking racket I have to listen to all the way to work.”

             
“My dad rubbed his hand across her back. “Jim will do a good job. I told him about the squeak. He’ll take care of it.”

I ran up to my room and dressed in my comfiest clothes, eagerly anticipating the evening ahead. Afterwards, I went downstairs and into the kitchen to make the popcorn. After all, no movie night was complete without the popcorn.

              Minutes later, I grabbed the ginormous bowl of popcorn and joined my parents who were already cozy on the sofa eating their pizza. The movie started and all was quiet as my favorite part, the opening words going up the page, began. I glanced around me in complete contentment. These were the times I lived for with my mom and dad happy and cuddling while we shared an evening together. It’s what kept our family united and strong.

             
The movie was almost over and my mom was sound asleep just like always, when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it,” I said quietly as not to wake my mom.

I flipped over the arm of the sofa and skipped to the door. I peered out the peep hole, but I couldn’t see anyone.

“Charity, if you don’t see anyone don’t open the…” my dad was saying from the sofa just as I carelessly swung the door open wide.

My mouth dropped and I gasped as three hooded men dressed in all black burst into the room and shoved me aside.

Chapter Five

I gulped down deep breaths as Levi pulled me into his arms. I gripped his tight arms and clung to him as hard as I could as the panic attack consumed me from head to toe.

             
“It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you. Take slower breaths. It’s okay. It’s okay,” Levi repeated into my ear as he stroked my back in a reassuring fashion. I hadn’t had a panic attack in years. I used to get them all the time, but those were nothing in comparison to this one. Levi, just like before, helped me through it by focusing on my breathing.

As my breathing slowly became more regular, I pulled back and peered into his compassionate eyes. “I’m sorry, Levi. I can’t do this. I haven’t told anyone this, and I didn’t realize how bad it hurts to revisit the memories. I just can’t do it.” I cried as
I buried my face into his rock-hard chest.

His arms wrapped around me as he whispered lovingly and planted light kisses in my hair, “It’s okay, kitten. You don’t have to do this. I understand.”

              I jerked back to look up at him as the tears streaked my face. “I want to tell you everything, but it’s just so hard. I didn’t think it would be this hard.”

             
Once again he pulled me into his arms and cradled me against him, and we stayed like that for at least an hour.

In the safety and warmth of his embrace, I was slowly lulled to sleep, and when I woke it was almost two in the afternoon and time to pick up the boys from their kindergarten class. Their teacher, Miss Emily, wasn’t happy when we left them for too long. The last time I had to leave them after class, because of an extended errand, the boys had destroyed her classroom beyond recognition, even turning over the ant farm and releasing most of the ant colony. Good thing we were able to recapture most of them, but it was a stomp of the foot for the others.
Well, what else could we do?
“I’ll go get the boys,” I stated as I began to wiggle from Levi’s arms.

             
His tight grip froze me in place. “Are you okay?”

His worried gaze stopped my heart, and I smile
d as I softly stroked his face. “I’m fine, thanks to you.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“I’m fine. I promise.”

He smiled and released my arm, but the concern was still in his eyes. “Okay then. I’ll see you at supper. I have some business to take care of.”

“Of course,” I said as I jumped off of the bed, eager to be on time. Good thing the C Wing was only a few minutes through the facility. I hurried my pace as I thought about my beautiful, quirky children. Being in their presence would give me what I so desperately needed…a mind wipe.

That night, as I was leaning over the giant claw foot tub, giving the boys a bubble bath, I was relieved yet again to be busy with such a normal activity. Giving the boys their bath was one of the things I enjoyed the most. It was never a boring experience, and tonight would prove better than the others by far.

“Mommy, my eyeballs are spicy,” Deacon whined, rubbing his eyes.

I was instantly confused. It took me a moment to catch on. “Oh, you mean your eyes are burning?”

“Yeah,” he whined louder
.

Levi and I would laugh about his choice of words later.

I quickly snatched a towel from the railing. “Oh honey, don’t rub them you’re getting the suds in your eyes.” I gently padded his eyes with the towel. “Better?”

He grinned, nodding
, and continued to splash happily.

“Mommy, count how long we can hold our breath under water,” Darrow and Dixon said in unison as they gulped in a mouthful of air.

“Mommy, look what I can do,” Deacon said as he stood and peed a stream into the bubbles just as the other two boys’ heads disappeared below the water.

I know I shouldn’t have, but I burst into laughter, covering my mouth with my sudsy hand. Just then the boys’ heads popped up and they smiled as they studied my reaction, oblivious to the root of my laughter.

“Okay, time to rinse off,” I said quickly, leaning over to unplug the drain just as Levi burst into the bathroom.

“Hey, guess what?!” he said as the door swung
open and smacked me in the butt, knocking me into the tub and into the urine colored bubbles.

I came up
completely covered in suds.

Levi’s eyes scanned around the room
, his expression showing surprise and confusion. “Boys, where is Mommy?”

The boys broke into piercing laughter as I raised my hand and revealed my location, hidden behind the other three bodies that were sharing the big tub.

“Kitten, what are you doing in the tub?” His expression shifted to wonder as he studied me further. “And do you have your clothes on?”

The boys laughed harder. “You knocked Mommy into the tub, Daddy,” they said in unison.

Levi’s expression was priceless as his eyes grew wide and he rubbed his head. “I guess I’ll pay for that tonight, huh?”

I nodded as my scowl grew. “Oh yeah. By the way, what is it that was so important for you to burst in here like a maniac-on-the-run anyway?” I snapped.

He stood silent for a moment, and then shrugged. “Hmm, I completely forgot.”

I growled and threw the soapy, wet washcloth I was holding, hitting him in the side of the head as the boys continued to giggle.

Later that evening, after the boys were tucked into bed, I grabbed my current book and began to read. As I slowly became engrossed in the story, out of habit, I grabbed a handful of my secret stash of chocolate mints from my bedside drawer, ripping off the wrapper and eating one after the other. After a few minutes, I heard the shower shut off and soon after Levi opened the bathroom door. I laid my book down and instantly noticed a bunch of chocolate mint wrappers lying on the bedside table.
Hmm, how did they get there? I don’t remember eating that many.
Steam billowed from the bathroom in front of Levi, almost as if it was announcing his arrival, and I quickly swept the wrappers behind the table and smiled innocently as he stepped into full view.

“Hey,” he said, eyeing me suspiciously. “You okay?”

I gulped as my attention suddenly fell to his magnificent body still damp and covered only by the fluffy white towel hanging loosely from his hips. “Uh huh,” I said dreamily.

He laughed at my ogling, and then began to walk back and forth across the room in search of something.

My eyes trailed after him, unable to look away for even a second, as I memorized every droplet that rolled down his tanned and sculpted back. I almost willed the towel to fall away. I purposefully pulled the covers back, revealing my bare leg and hip, positioning them in a seductive pose.

He turned around to ask me a question and froze dead in his tracks.

I seductively trailed a finger down my thigh. “Yes? Did you want to ask me something?”

He stammered for a reply as his eyes scanned the length of my leg from my toes to my hip. Suddenly, he was flying through the air, and to my satisfaction, losing his towel in mid-flight, and landing on top of me. He positioned himself carefully, pulling my hands over my head and holding them there.

“Are you trying to tempt me, kitten?” he asked, his voice deep with desire. Before I could answer, his lips came down on mine, hot and eager. He released my hands and I inched them into his damp, wavy locks as our tongues warred with each other without mercy.

“Mmm, you taste like chocolate mint mixed with raspberries,” he mumbled without breaking the kiss.

I ignored the remark and tilted his head, ushering the kiss deeper. He moaned as his hands began to glide smoothly down the length of my body. He pulled back and gazed down at me and smiled, revealing those magical Drake dimples. “I think tonight is a perfect night to play my favorite game.” He was referring to the game he called
Explorer
where he kissed every inch of me, leading up to our love making.

“Um, puppy, that game takes hours and I’m tired,” I whined.

A seductive growl rumbled in his chest which vibrated throughout my entire body. I closed my eyes and reveled in the sensation. He knew it weakened me.
Cheater.

“No fair,” I breathed as he began kissing my temples, each eyelid, and working down to my chin. I moaned. “Let the games begin…”

Later that morning, I woke to the smell of coffee. “Ughh,” I moaned, sitting up slowly in the bed and glancing at Levi who was smirking at me knowingly.

“You’r
e not tired, are you?” he teased as he poured my favorite cinnamon flavored creamer into my coffee until it was a light color of beige, just the way I liked it.

I mock laughed. “Me, tired? Not at all.” He handed me my lip balm, and after my lips were heavily coated, he handed me my coffee. “Thanks, babe.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he responded as he climbed back into the covers and snuggled against me as I carefully sipped my hot drink that actually tasted more like a dessert.

“You know,” I began, “I can’t get the story of my dad out of my head. As hard as it is, I think I need to finish telling you the story.”

He sat up, turning my head to face him. “Kitten, are you sure? It seemed so hard for you.”

“It is hard, Levi, but I have to do it. I have to get it out once and for all. I refuse to be finifugal.”

He scratched his head. “Umm,
finifugal?”

“Oh, it’s a new word I just learned from Ashley. It means to be afraid to finish something. Maybe
I just need a little prayer time beforehand. That’s all.”

“Of course. I’ll take the boys to their class this morning, and when I get back you can pick up where you left off. Okay?” 

I smiled slightly. “Okay.”

Thirty minutes later, we were situated on the bed and ready to begin.

“Charity, are you sure about this?”

I sighed but nodded. “No matter how hard it is. I have to continue with the story.”

He nodded reluctantly in response, and I snuggled close again and took a deep breath before continuing the story from where I had left off from the day before.
 

Chapter Six

As the three men dressed in all black burst past me and into the hallway, I gazed at my dad in horror as the realization of what was happening dawned on him. He jumped from the sofa so fast he almost blurred, grabbing me and pulling me against him protectively.

“Leave my home! Now!” my dad barked at the three men as he squared his shoulders bravely, defiantly.

They stood staring at us, smirks on their faces, and suddenly they revealed th
eir weapons. All three had handguns, what kind I didn’t know. I was never a gun expert.