Page 100 of Loved By You

“Mommy, are you feeling better? You got an ouchy on your head.”

“I’m okay, baby. Come here.” Raising my good arm, Jack sits her on the bed, and she snuggles into me. I nuzzle my nose into her hair and inhale her strawberry scent. The smell of my babies has always been my comfort. On my hardest days, I’ve taken them in my arms and simply breathed them in, knowing that as long as I have that smell surrounding me, I know that I’m okay.

I hear more of a commotion in the hall and Ali walks holding Elle, Harry carrying the diaper bag and toys followed by Brad and then Gabby, her usually clear porcelain skin-tinged red from crying.

Ali walks to the other side of my bed, puffy eyes and scratch marks mar her long neck, something she does when she’s upset or anxious. She gives me a small smile, doing her best to keep it together. “Ri, if you ever do that to me again…” She sniffs, blinking fast, fighting back the tears.

“I know… I’m not going anywhere,” I say gently, reassuring her I am not leaving her.

“Good, because I can’t do life without you, you hear me,” she says sternly, eyes glazed, clutching Elle tightly like a security blanket.

“I hear you, and I couldn't do it without you”. We stare at one another, wrinkling our noses and blinking back tears. My sister from another mister, the one who held me up more times than I can count. She sits on the edge of the bed and brings Elle to my face so I can kiss her.

“Hey baby girl,” I whisper.

“It’s good to see you smiling, Ri. You okay, yeah?” Harry says, clearing his throat.

I give him a smile. “I’m okay. Better.”

“Glad you’re okay, Ri.” Brad nods and I mouth, “Thank you.”

“Ri… I… Ugh, I thought we were going to lose you,” Gabby sobs, walking to my bed, wrapping an arm around me.

“Oh, Gabs, I’m okay, I promise.”

I look round the hospital room at this mix of people who have come together for me without forcing it, without begging, without dreaming. They have become my family and while it may not have been the way I dreamed it as a child, this, right here, is far better than anything I could have wished for me and my girls.

Chapter Forty-Six

Ria

Four months later

I lean my head back and take a deep breath as the hot water from the showerhead beats down on my face, my body instantly relaxing. I run my hands through my hair, rinsing off the shampoo. It’s the first time I’ve been able to wash my hair on my own since the incident. I broke not only my collarbone but injured my shoulder and elbow and after months of physical therapy, wearing a sling and Jack helping me wash my hair ortreating me to visits at the salon, I finally can use my arm fully again.

It took a few weeks, but as the doctors predicted, my memory came back, and I remembered everything that happened that night. Alex was arrested and after a lengthy court case, not only did the judge sign off our divorce but sent Alex to jail for fifteen years for multiple charges, DUI, assault, attempted sexual assault, to name a few. It turns out Alex’s issues were far deeper than I had realized. No punishment will be good enough in my eyes after what he did to us, but sadly that is our broken system. It’s made me even more determined to fulfill my dream as a support worker, to work with women and children like us. I must believe that I have survived what I have in order to help others, to help make a change.

Even though my only goal as a mom was to give my children a childhood they didn’t have to heal from, I know the bravest thing I ever did was run. We can’t control what happens in life, only how we deal with what’s thrown at us.

We got Lexi into an amazing therapy group, and it’s really helping her understand her emotions and help her process what happened. It’s the furthest thing I wanted for her, for both my girls to come from what society deems as a broken home. But it will only be broken if we let it.

We moved into Jack’s apartment after I was discharged from the hospital. I couldn't face going back to that house, knowing what happened there, and Jack didn't want us out of his sight.

I haven’t worked at the club since. I’ve instead spent my days focusing on getting better, but I hope to get back to normal soon, back to work, back to taking Lexi to her ballet classes, although I think Jack has secretly enjoyed that part of my recovery. He was born to be a girl dad. It comes so naturally to him, he’s even learned to do braids, loose ones, but he’s trying and that’s more than I could wish for.

Elle is running rings round him and no matter how many times I tell him that she can give herself her bedtime bottle, he insists on rocking her to sleep and feeding her. Despite the trauma we have been working through, the past four months have also been the happiest.

I hear the bathroom door open and sense Jack's presence before I see him. I continue to face the tiled wall, the hot water beating down on me and suddenly a hard body presses against my back, arms wrapping round my waist and a kiss pressed to my shoulder.

“Hey, you.” I smile. “Did the girls go down okay?”

Peppering kisses across my shoulder, he answers, “Elle did, but Lexi had fifty-four things on her to do list before she let me leave the room.”

I let out a laugh. “Sounds like a standard bedtime”.

“I've got the monitor, but I’ve locked the door,” he breathes. A bolt of pleasure shoots through my body. We haven’t been having sex due to my recovery. He’s been so supportive throughout, but finally, I’m feeling more myself, and now I need him more than ever. I push my hips back, grinding into his erection and moan.

“Need something, sweetheart?”

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