Into the Storm (55 page)

“
I would have stayed married to you until you could figure out a way to fix your life. I didn’t love you, Brian, but unlike you, I did care. If you had acted like a human being and talked to me instead of breaking my wrist, I would have helped you.” Rabbit shook her head again, and her voice was thick with tears. “And now you want my forgiveness. Well, you can’t have it, Brian. I gave you everything but this.
This
, I won’t give you. Go and live your life. But I’m not sure you will ever know what it is to be really happy.” She stepped back into my side and her hand slipped into mine, holding it tightly.

“
But know this, Brian. I
am
happy. I’m loved and I’m cared for. I will stay that way because of the man next to me.” Her hand tightened on mine. “
This
man knows what the meaning of love is, Brian. The goodness in
him
is beyond description. That’s something you will never understand. Ever.”

Then she looked at Randy.

“
You’d better hope he is never unhappy with you, Randy. Because once you feel his foot drive into your ribs over and over again, or know how it feels when his fist slams into your skin so hard that the bruises show up before he has finished hitting you, it’s going to be hard to remember that he’s a
good
man.” Her breath shuddered out roughly. “Because I know how that feels, how that hurts. I’m not only talking physically.”

I watched Randy stiffen and his hand loosen in Brian’s grip. Brian looked down, tightening his hold as his stance became uncomfortable and he turned to Randy, shaking his head.

“
No, I won’t. I swear.”

But it was obvious Rabbit’s soft words had resonated with Randy. His hand withdrew from Brian’s tight grip and he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the vehicle away from Brian. I could see Brian panicking at his physical extraction.

But my attention was immediately back on Rabbit. As quickly as her anger had flared, it disappeared, and beside me, I felt her sag. I scooped her up, her head falling against my chest and I felt her tears soaking into my shirt.

I looked up at Brian, eyeing him steadily. “If you have caused her or my children harm, I will hunt you down. It doesn’t matter where you run, I will find you. I promise you that.”

Brian’s face registered surprise at my words. He shook his head. “It wasn’t my intention to bring her any further harm. I swear.”

I shook my head. “You don’t get it, do you? Coming here was selfish. You wanted to make yourself feel better. It
wasn’t
for her. It was for
you …
it’s always about you. You should have practiced your speech better, James. You’re pathetic. You didn’t come here to apologize, you came here for absolution. Well, you’re not getting it. You’re not getting your forgiveness so that you can run away and live happily ever after. The only one getting a happily ever after is her.” I tightened my arms. “She will be loved and safe for the rest of her life. I hope the two of you are fucking miserable. It’s exactly what you deserve.” I looked down at Rabbit’s pale, tear-streaked face, frowning. “You have two minutes to get in the car and go. Leave the country. Don’t ever come back here.”

Brian’s shoulders drooped. He looked over at Randy, who shook his head and opened the door.

I watched them leave, and turning, I strode into the house, carrying Rabbit. I watched the car go through the gate from the security camera and immediately switched the gates to lock and carried her to our room.

After I laid Rabbit on the bed, I grabbed my ringing phone and spoke with Adam, telling him what happened. He hung up, cursing amidst the promises to call back soon. I went to the kitchen on the pretext of getting Rabbit some juice and called Daniel, begging him to come see her. Dr. Sue was out of town and I was desperate for reassurance. Although he assured me she was probably fine, he agreed to come out. I grabbed the juice and went back to Rabbit. She was still lying curled into a ball and I quickly pulled off her shoes and sat her up to remove her jacket. I helped her sip some juice and laid her back down. Immediately, I lay down beside her and pulled her into my arms. She was still shaking and I pulled a blanket up around us. Slowly, I rocked her, one arm wrapped around her as the other hand rubbed soft circles on her gently rounded stomach, which always soothed her. I murmured soft, loving words into her ear and held her as her trembling began to ease off.

“
It wasn’t me,” she whispered.

“
Never, Rabbit. You know this,” I insisted quietly.

“
I always thought maybe I should have done something different, tried harder … something,” she admitted, looking up at me.

I moved my hand up to her face, cupping her cheek. “No, Rabbit. You were perfect. Nothing you did would have been right. You heard him.”

“
It was all him.”

I nodded.

“
He
is
selfish. He used me to cover up the fact that he was gay. He was willing to destroy me totally, just to hide from his father what he was. I was just a good photo op and a cover.”

I nodded, sadly.

“
It wasn’t me.”

I shook my head. “You are so much more than a photo op, Rabbit.” My voice was gentle, my hand stroking her cheek. “You are everything to me. You are my entire world. He is just a self- centered, selfish asshole who isn’t even worthy of your time.”

“
And, today was all about him, wasn’t it?”

“
Yes, it was. It will always be about him, Rabbit.”

She looked at me. “He’s gone. And he’s not coming back, right?” Her voice was shaky and I could see she needed reassurance.

“
Never, Rabbit. He will never come near you again. I won’t let him touch you. I promise.”

She burrowed her head in my chest and we stayed silent for a minute.

“
I love you, Rabbit.”

Her arms tightened around me. I stroked her back softly, keeping her close, letting her feel that I was right there with her and
for
her.

After a while, her shaking finally ceased. She looked up at me shyly. I caressed her cheek, wondering why she was looking at me so timidly. “I’m divorced now,” she whispered.

“
Yes, you are.”

She hesitated, biting her lip. Then she stared at me intently. “Will you marry me, Joshua?”

I blinked at her, shocked. Then I felt the thrill of her words as they settled into my brain. I grinned at her playfully, pretending to be stunned. “Rather forward of you, Rabbit. I’ll have to think about that.” I pursed my lips teasingly, as my hand caressed her stomach. “Is this a package deal?”

She nodded; a small smile on her face.

I leaned forward and kissed her soundly. “Then name the date, Rabbit. I’m so ready to marry you.”

I heard the intercom buzz in the kitchen. Rabbit stiffened. “Who is that?”

“
Um, Daniel.”

“
Oh, Joshua, you didn’t.”

“
I wanted to make sure you were all okay, Rabbit. You were so upset,” I pleaded with her to understand. “I can’t risk anything happening to you.” I paused. “Or our babies.”

She sighed. “Well, it’s too late now anyway. Go let Daniel in, Joshua.”

“
I love you, Rabbit. We’re now officially engaged. You can’t back out.”

She smiled. “Good to know, Joshua.”

Daniel stood up and spoke to Rabbit gently. “Okay, your pulse is rather fast and your blood pressure is slightly elevated.” He held up his hand to stop me from interrupting. “But given what just occurred, it’s not surprising.”

“
The babies?” I asked quietly.

“
They are fine. Lizzy is fine, Joshua.” He clapped his hand on my shoulder. “Your family is fine. Relax.”

I let out a deep breath.

Daniel turned back to Rabbit. “Just rest for the day, Lizzy. Let Joshua look after you. If you need me, just call.”

She nodded and I went over and tucked the blanket around her, my hand lingering on her stomach. I kissed her forehead softly. “You heard him. Rest. I’ll be back soon.”

“
You’re not leaving?” Her voice was anxious and I hastened to reassure her.

“
No, Rabbit. I’ll just be in the kitchen with Daniel for a bit and then I’ll be back, okay?”

She nodded and I patted the end of the bed and Bear jumped up. I scratched his head. “Good boy, Bear. Looking after our girl. Good job.”

He chuffed and laid his head down on her feet, watching her closely. My phone rang and I heard Adam growling and barking orders on the other end as I answered.

“
Joshua. I can have the police waiting for James on this end. He’ll be arrested for breaking the restraining order. His jackass assistant as well. They were already in the air when the cops got there on your end.”

“
He said he was leaving the country. Is that true?” I asked quietly, my hand stroking Rabbit’s head as I stood there.

“
Yeah. His lawyer is fucking freaking out about this stunt. He is due to leave in a couple days. His plans will be put on hold thanks to his stupidity.”

“
He’s running, isn’t he?”

“
Of course he is. He’s a coward. The story is that he is going on an extended tour of Europe, but he is trying to stay ahead of the investigation of Dr. Hammond We can stop him, Joshua.”

I knelt down beside Rabbit. “What do you want me to do?” I asked her quietly.

She shook her head, her exhaustion evident. “I want him gone. I don’t want to deal with this, Joshua. It doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t matter. Get him as far away as possible.”