Ready or Not (Ready #4)(38)

With the throw still firmly attached to my shoulders, I walked next door with Jackson. He kept his arm wrapped around my waist until we entered the living room, and he helped me ease on to the sofa.

“Hey, Liv,” Noah said quietly. He’d walked in from the kitchen, and he was standing behind his father.

“Hi, Noah,” was all I could manage to say.

“I made dinner for everyone.”

I glanced up at him, seeing his sweet and shy disposition. That was why the dam broke, and I lost it. “Thank you, Noah,” I said through the tears.

Two sets of arms circled around me and held me as I cried. It was exactly what I needed—both of them.

~Jackson~

It had taken every ounce of control I had not to kill that man when I saw his hands on Liv. Seeing her now, so frail and weak in my arms made me seriously reconsider my levelheaded decision to see him behind bars instead of ripping him apart.

For a split second, I’d assumed the worst when I had pulled up to the curb and found that familiar car parked outside her house. Watching her leave in it before, I hadn’t forgotten what it looked like.

I thought I would never see it again, but arriving home from work that night, I killed the engine to my truck, looked up, and found the bastard’s car right in front of her house.

My first gut reaction was utter betrayal.

What an amazing dumbass I was to go down this path again. Hadn’t I learned anything from my experience with Natalie?

My knuckles went white at the sight of his car sitting there, and my imagination ran wild with the images of what could be going on in that house.

A hint of rationale decided to make an appearance in my train of thought, and I suddenly wondered why Liv would invite him over at the exact time she knew I would be getting home from work.

What had I done to deserve such treatment?

Nothing.

One thing I’d learned about Liv along the way was, she would never do something so callous.

So, what piece of the puzzle was I missing?

I jumped out of my truck and took a step forward toward her house, hating myself for it.

What if I was wrong, and she really was in there with him, doing the very things I’d imagined?

Did I need the visual?

No, but I’d still pressed on.

Something about the entire situation bothered me, which was why I found myself at her door. Just as I was ready to knock, I heard her voice and stopped.

“Victor, please,” Liv said, her voice sounding weak and frightened.

“Please what?” a male voice answered back..

“Please stop,” she begged, fear and terror seeping through the door.

Panic took over, as I ran towards the back of her house, knowing she kept a key hidden in a flowerpot for emergencies.

A week ago, after we’d gone jogging, she’d found that she locked herself out, and I’d watched as she snuck back here to dig the key out. I had told her that it was a terrible place to put a key.

She’d just rolled her eyes and said, “Maybe I should just give it to you. That way, you’ll have an easier time with the balloons next go-around.”

I’d just hoped she hadn’t listened to me.

Making my way into the backyard, I raced up to the patio. My hands dug into the dirt and found the shiny metal key. With shaky fingers, I unlocked the door and silently walked in, trying to give myself the advantage I knew I needed. I couldn’t allow this bastard to hurt her.

Knocking him out had been the least I could do. Knowing anything further would land me in a jail cell right next to him had prevented me from doing more.

Seeing Liv, usually so fierce and strong, reduced to a timid, scared mess had made me angry and brought out a protective side I didn’t know I possessed for anyone other than Noah.

She’d been asleep for about an hour, curled up in my arms, as we lounged on the couch in the living room. Watching her fall apart in Noah’s and my arms had been difficult, but I’d never been more proud of my boy for being so strong. When I’d called him while waiting for the cops to come to Liv’s, I’d only said that Liv was attacked. He hadn’t needed to know anything more.

He’d obviously been worried, but his chief concern had been what he could do to help. He’d volunteered to make dinner, grab a blanket, and do anything else to make our new guest comfortable. When Liv had started crying, I’d thought he might shy away from the immense emotions, but instead, he’d moved forward and held her. After Liv had calmed down a bit, Noah had gone to his room for the night, leaving just the two of us.

My little boy was growing up, and for once, the thought didn’t scare me.

Shifting slightly, I tucked my arms under Liv’s legs and lifted her from the couch. She stirred slightly but stayed asleep as I carried her upstairs to my bedroom. I wanted to make sure Liv felt cared for this evening. Therefore, she got the bed.

Laying her down on the soft mattress, I pulled the covers around her and bent down to kiss her cheek.

“Jackson, don’t leave me,” she murmured.

“Are you sure? I was going to sleep on the sofa.”

Considering she had just had a traumatic event, I didn’t know how much intimacy she would be able to handle, so I had decided earlier to let her have the room to herself.

“Please, just hold me.”

I tugged off my pants, leaving my boxers and T-shirt in place, and I slid under the covers next to her. She was dressed in one of my old shirts and a pair of her own shorts. I pulled her closer to me until her back touched my torso.