Page 51 of Knot The Only Onee
A shudder rolled through me as I remembered Mom coming home from the hospital when I was seven years old.
And the way Dad punished her for her inability to give him a “proper” child.
“Mom named my sister Ashlei. She was the best baby. Hardly ever cried. She was the most adorable thing. Mom had me in piano lessons since I turned five, but I never enjoyed it until Ashlei. She loved sitting and playing with me. About the time she turned five, Mom and I knew she was on the spectrum.”
Bridget sucked in a breath and leaned back to look me in the eye. “What did your Dad do?” Her question was quiet. Hesitant. Her leg started to bounce up and down as the distance between us grew larger.
She was pulling away from me. Because she was remembering her own experiences. I don’t know how I knew it, but I did.
I simply grasped her hand and twined our fingers. My thumb swept back and forth across her knuckles. Bending toward her, I kissed her temple but left her a small amount of space.
“Mom and I did an excellent job keeping Ashlei away from Dad. But when she was about seven, she wandered away. I’d been working at a local diner washing dishes. I was trying to save enough money to get Mom, Ashlei, and me away from Dad.” I grasped a strand of her hair between my thumb and forefinger, savoring the softness of her blonde curls.
“When did you meet Noah?” She asked, then shook her head. “Sorry, that was my second question. I was supposed to let you tell your story and keep my mouth shut.”
“Ask away, little one. It helps me to gain my composure while I’m telling the story. I met him when I was eleven. I was a couple of years older than him, but we became fast friends. Having shitty drunks for fathers can really bond two boys. He and his momma helped me get the job and covered for me with my dad if I needed it.” I cleared my throat and closed my eyes.
“I got home from work and went to sneak in the back door, but I could hear the screams from outside. Mom was yelling at Dad to leave her alone. I ran inside to check on Ashlei. Mom always told me if something happened to check on her first. Ashlei was hiding in her closet, rocking back and forth with her hands covering her ears.”
My free hand clenched into a fist, my nails digging painfully into my palms. Bridget squeezed my hand that held hers as her head fell to rest on my shoulder. Her comfort and support made my heart lighten despite the heaviness of my story.
“When I got to Mom and Dad’s room, Dad hovered over Mom, kicking her in the stomach. He was drunk, slurring his words and spitting everywhere. Called her a useless whore omega who couldn’t even go into heat anymore. That she was a waste of space, and he’d kill her if he could get away with it.”
“Oh, James.” Bridget sniffled softly, and my heart ached at the sound of her tears.
“Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end that night.” Fuck. How I wished that was the end of it.
But, of course, it wasn’t.
“I was able to pull Dad off Mom and punched him so hard it knocked him out.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Even at fifteen, I was bigger than an average beta. But still not an alpha.”
A fact my father loved to shove in my face. Fuck, I hated that man, even in his death.
“Things were okay for a few more weeks. I was able to keep Ashlei calm by playing piano. She had trouble focusing, and certain smells or sounds would throw her off. Playing piano with her helped banish the demons, at least for a little while.”
I paused and shook my head, lost in the memory of the songs we used to play together. “I was so close to having enough money to get us out of the fucking state where my mom would have more rights and could divorce my father for his abuse. But we never had the chance.” My voice broke, and I had to pause.
For a minute or two, Bridget sat with me in silence. I watched the scenery in the distance and gathered my courage to speak.
“Just like the last time, I’d been away at work when Dad came home in one of his drunken rages. When I got onto our street, I smelled the smoke and ran. I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach all day. I got past the firefighters, who’d already started to put the fire out. I burst through the back door and ran up the stairs. I had to get to Ashlei and Mom.”
The tears fell down my cheeks unbidden. There was no way to stop them. Not when I spoke of that night.
“Dad shot Mom and Ashlei. I still don’t know why. I found them both huddled together, covered in blood. Mom tried to protect Ashlei, but she wasn’t able to. The smoke was so thick I could barely breathe, but I collapsed to my knees and pulled them both into my arms. Then I heard a noise from the other room. It was him.”
Bridget released my hand and moved to climb into my lap. Her arms wound around me before he laid her head on my chest. I held her close, inhaling her luscious scent and letting it calm me.
“He was on the bed, covered in blood, with the gun still in his hand. The blanket caught on fire, and he was trying to get out of the range of the flames. But he was too drunk, and the smoke had already gotten into his lungs. He couldn’t stop coughing.” My blood pumped like magma in my veins, burning me with each beat of my heart as I remembered the scene.
Bridget was my lifeline, tethering me to Earth as I waded through the sea of the past. Without her, the moment would have remained long buried.
“Instead of helping him, I kicked the gun out of his hand, walked out of the room, pulled the door closed, and locked it behind me.” I held my hand out and saw the faint lines of the burn scar I’d gotten from the door handle. “I didn’t make it down the stairs. I ended up passing out from the smoke, the screams of my father echoing in my ears. I woke up in the ambulance, an oxygen mask over my face as they rushed me to the hospital.”
“James, I’m so sorry.” Quiet sobs escaped from Bridget as we cried together.
“Noah gave me a place to stay, even hiding it from his father. For months, I lived in the small office off the barn Noah’s grandpa made decades ago. No one paid it any attention, least of all Noah’s Dad. I made my home on this ranch, bonding with the horses and caring for them from that day on. I can’t ever imagine living anywhere else. This ranch means everything to me. To Noah. To Lucas. We never want to see it fail or go under.” I sighed and held my omega tighter to my chest.
I knew there was something Noah was hiding, and I would bet my favorite saddle that it had to do with the financial state of the property. Fuck, that alpha could be such a numbskull. He needed to open up to us. So we could figure out a solution together.
