After We Fall (Take the Fall, #3)(54)
“Couldn’t have bothered you that much,” I snap.
“Swear it did, but I was afraid you would run, so I—”
“Decided to make the decision for me,” I finish. “Gee, thanks, Hunter.” I rub my hands up and down my arms, trying to warm up. “That’s not right. If I had known, then I would have…I probably would have done things differently when it came to you.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” His eyes fill with concern. “Oh, sweetheart. Don’t be afraid of me. I would never hurt you.”
“You already have and…” It hits me right then, straight in the heart. “Did you tell me that you love me hoping I’d go easier on you?”
“What kind of man do you think I am?”
“I don’t know, anymore.”
“Not fair, angel.” He takes the tablet away and sets it on the nightstand, then rolls on his side, facing me. “My dad made me start fighting when I was a kid. He liked telling his friends that I had a strong back and could hit harder than a lot of the guys. I didn’t like going there, hated that I was made to fight, and that if I didn’t win, I’d get the shit beat out of me….Worse, he’d take it out on my mom.”
“I didn’t know,” I whisper, shaking my head. My chest starts to ache, for me…for him. I’m on the verge of crying, but I don’t want to be vulnerable in front of him anymore. However, that doesn’t stop me from saying, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, sweetheart. It’s not your fault.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “Toward the end, things got really bad. He started drinking more, started hitting me and my mom for no reason at all….One day he goes off the deep end and attacks my mom. I come home from school and she’s on the floor, begging for someone to help her. She’s bleeding and he’s hitting her with a belt.
“He doesn’t stop, not even when I physically put myself over her. I take the beating, trying to defend her, and tell my dad to stop hurting us. That whatever happened, won’t happen again, you know?” His accent starts to thicken and he no longer sounds like the Hunter I’m used to. It’s almost like he’s that kid again. “My father, he doesn’t care. He laughs and laughs, then he smacks me across the face. Something inside of me breaks and I finally use my fists to get his attention. He lunges for me and I catch him on the jaw. He goes down like a pile of bricks and hits the corner of the brick mantle. Doesn’t move for a long time.”
“What happened after that?”
“Cops came. Took one look at my mom and me, and helped us out. Eventually, a judge ruled the cause of his death was self-defense. They sealed my file because I was a juvenile. We moved away from Forrestville. I got my shit together and applied for the police academy. Moved back about a month before I first met you. I’d like to say that I regret what went down, but I don’t. I know he would have killed my mom that time.”
“I don’t understand why you fight now, though,” I whisper.
“Because it gives me an outlet and because this time…it’s my choice and on my terms.”
When he finishes, I don’t say anything. Closing my eyes, all I can see is Hunter as a child and me as his mother while he protects us both, and he takes the brunt force of a man much stronger. How can I judge him for doing something that keeps him grounded? How can I judge him for taking control of his life, for protecting the one person who did her best to protect him?
Yes, he should have told me, but there are things I should say too.
A sob bursts free, then another and another, until I’m crying uncontrollably. Hunter takes me in his arms, telling me that he loves me, that everything will be okay and he’ll take care of me.
“I’m so damn lucky to have you in my life, angel.”
I stare at him through wet lashes. “I think we’re lucky to have each other.”
“No more lies or omissions.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Swear to you that I don’t have any more. You know all my secrets now.”
“No more lies,” I agree.
He holds me closer. “Thank you for listening to me. I was afraid I was going to lose you.”
“There’s nothing you can do to lose me now. I know what’s in your heart.”
—
On the way home from work the next day, my phone lights up like crazy. My lawyer’s phone number marches across the screen and my heart speeds up.
Please don’t let this be another threat from Penn.
“Any updates for me, Lucy?” I ask, trying to stay positive.
“Actually, I do. In a strange turn of events, the McCarthys have generously allowed for your legal fees to be repaid and Mr. McCarthy is dropping his suit for harassment. I don’t understand how or why, but this is wonderful news.”
“Indeed it is.” Triumphantly, I listen as she talks about how things will go much smoother now and that she will deposit the money into my account as soon as it is wired to her.
“Thank you so much.” Pressing End, I toss my phone into my purse, then pull into my parking spot. My hands are shaking and so are my knees. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to walk inside at all.
Legs quivering, I run inside Hunter’s apartment without knocking, making him tense up. I really should stop doing that to him, but I’m kind of hoping I find him naked again.