THREE DAYS LATER
A pile of boxes lined the hallway as Jaime reentered her apartment. Her friends had worked hard since the apartment was released by the police at the conclusion of their investigation, but a shudder rippled through her as she stepped deeper into the space Dane had ruined. Her haven of white had been splattered with his blood, etching into paint what he had done to her.
Her mother put a hand on her arm. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“We can move the boxes without you.” Her father’s voice wrapped around her, a blanket of protection that she was only now beginning to accept.
“No, I need to do this.” She’d moved in with her parents, back into her old rooms, the ones that had sheltered Madeline and Tiffany. All that remained was to collect the boxes the girls had packed for her. The futon had already been thrown away, Dane’s blood embedded in the fabric as it was in the clothes she’d worn. “I need to say good-bye before I move on.”
The words would make no sense to her parents, but she knew they were true. She didn’t want all the good memories to be overwhelmed by the horror of Dane’s death. In his home office the police had found a wall of photos of her. He’d also had photos of her apartment along with one of her books, proving he’d been in her apartment more than just the night he’d attacked. Her impressions hadn’t been wrong, even when she hadn’t had proof. He’d been there, just enough on the edge to keep her guessing and off balance.
But now he could no longer hurt her.
His power over her was finished.
She stepped deeper into the living room and sighed.
A knock on the door grabbed her attention, and she turned to see Chandler standing there. Her knight in shining armor. The man who knew the worst that had happened to her and was still there. Even now that he’d played an active role in saving her.
She felt a security that was new and something she wanted to settle into as she looked from her father to Chandler. These men were here for her, and they weren’t going anywhere.
Kind of like the women crowding behind them.
She’d been so alone for so many years, an island buffeted by the storms of the past. Then the storms had collided with her efforts to make things right. They’d each been there: Caroline as a steady light in the dark nights, a quiet voice when she needed to know she wasn’t alone. Hayden with her tangible efforts to help her tell her story where it mattered, never doubting that her pain and experience were real. Emilie, as a steady presence, quiet but there. Always there. And even Savannah, with her help to clear the ethics complaint and then not-so-subtle pressure to come to work with the team.
Maybe today Jaime would let her know that she’d decided to do that. She didn’t know what her work would look like, just that she’d restart in the presence of her friends who loved her no matter her background or how prickly she got on occasion.
Chandler stepped closer, a smile lighting his eyes. “You ready?”
“For a new beginning? Yes.” Did she dare ask the question? Would he be in that beginning?
“You won’t be alone.”
That had been his greatest gift to her. He hadn’t let her be alone. Neither had Caroline or her other friends. They’d been there each step of the way, for as much or as little as she could handle.
“Dane can’t hurt you anymore.”
“I know.”
Someday she might really believe he was gone. That he could no longer reach her or haunt her dreams, but for now she would take it moment by moment. One thing she’d learned through all her counseling was that she couldn’t rush the process.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to move your stuff off-site?” Her father’s question was gruff, but now she heard the love that underlay the words. He really did care even when he struggled to show her the depths of that love.
“I don’t want to rush away. Living with you and Mom for a bit is a good intermediate solution.”
“You need time to breathe.” Her mom slipped close for a quick hug. Her phone dinged and her mother glanced at it. “It’s Tiffany. I promised I’d bring her home for a bit after school. Sounds like she needs a Happy fix.”
They all did. If only Jaime could bottle the feeling that little dog freely gave to people. Between Happy and Aslan, the world would be a more relaxed, happy place. “It’s okay, Mom. We’re basically done. And Tiffany needs you too. She needs us.”
That young girl wouldn’t know the isolation Jaime had endured, if Jaime could help it. And if that meant sharing her mom for a while, she would gladly do it.
“Where do you want these?” Chandler stood there looking all Captain America with a couple boxes stacked in his arms.
“Over there.” She waved against a wall, eager for the boxes to be dropped so that he could take her in his arms. She was hungry to feel the security that came from knowing he was there for her.
He set them down, and she slid into his arms before he could pick up anything else.
“Thank you.” She murmured the words against his flannel shirt.
“For what?”
She loved the way his voice rumbled in his chest. “For being here.”
“There’s nowhere else I want to be.”
She soaked in the warmth of the words. There was a truth in them that she relished. And a promise that she wanted to clutch to her. Instead, she pivoted slightly in his arms so she could tip her chin up. The invitation would be enough.
When his lips claimed hers, she knew she’d found her home.