Page 34 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

She shook her head. "I hit Brad with it. I'm sure the fire took it. Even if I found it, I wouldn't want it. Brad would know my number."

I ground my teeth together, stopping myself from saying anything.

She swallowed, rubbing her hands together. I walked over and bent down. I took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "You are safe here, Riley. No one is going to hurt you."

She gave me a weak smile. "I know that, but my mind doesn't. I kept replaying it all over and over."

"You know I would never allow anyone to hurt you," I tell her.

She nodded. "Can you…just stay here for a little while longer?"

I leaned forward, pulled her into a hug, and inhaled her scent. I felt her relax against my chest, and I could feel her heart race as she did. She was terrified, and it angered me. I wanted to find the fucker and snap his damn neck. I wanted to run him over with a truck and then back up and drive over him again. I wanted to do twenty different things to him.

I knew it would take time for her mind to catch up and realize she was safe. So, I patted her head, holding her against me, hoping it would help.

The next couple of days, I focused on what I could. I made breakfast and went out walking with Riley. I went and bought Riley a new phone, and when I had to work, I called her to make sure things were okay. I made sure I was there when she needed me and that I was giving her space when she requested it.

When I arrived home on Christmas, Christmas music was playing in the living room. Riley was in the kitchen wiping down the counter. I took in decorated gingerbread cookies and tilted my head at the sight.

I knew that Riley wasn't a baker, but I knew that the girls were. Wendy had gotten into baking, and this was certainly something she'd do.

"Hey, you look like you've been busy."

Riley smiled as she turned, looking at me. "The girls stopped here, and one thing led to another. We made Christmas cookies and drank some eggnog."

My eyebrows went up. I had asked the girls to stop in and hang with her for the morning. We all had a few things to finish at the fire station, and I didn't want her to be alone for Christmas.

I swung onto a chair and leaned onto the island. I grabbed a cookie and took a bite. I was impressed. They were really good.

"You look like you had a good day," I said, taking another bite.

She nodded her head. "I did. It was really nice to be around them. They seem like good people."

"They are. The girls have helped me through a lot."

She tilted her head. "Really? You're not even going to give the guys credit?"

I snorted. "The guys are great, but the girls listen. They give good advice when you need it, and they are there for you when things are rough."

She nodded. "We do have that talent."

I smiled, watching her relax as she leaned over and grabbed a cookie. She took a bite and smiled. "These are good," she said.

Chapter 15 - Riley

I stared at myself in the mirror. The bruise on my throat was almost gone now; it was just a little blue-green now, almost none nonexistent, but I could still remember what it looked like before, what it felt like. I could still remember the burning in my throat and the way my lungs were gasping for air, not getting anything in.

My phone buzzed on my bed, and I turned, grabbing it, seeing it was April. I pulled it up, answering it. "Hey."

"How are you feeling today?" April asked. The same questions were asked each day, and it was comforting.

"I'm feeling a little better," I said, leaning back into the pillows. "You don't have to call every day, you know."

"Yes, I do. I can't get a damn flight down until around New Year's, so until then, I'm calling. I need to make sure that you're okay. I feel like I abandoned you there and then got a call from my brother about what happened."

I fell silent. I knew that April knew about the incident. Cayden told me he called her to tell her. She'd been waiting for Brad to show up so she could return the favor. He had yet to reappear in town, though. It seemed no one knew where he was.

It put me on edge, not knowing. Was he lurking around town trying to attack again, or was he back at home, moving past what he'd done to me? It was the unknown that gave me more anxiety than before.

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