Page 22 of Honey Bun
I breathed easier. It wasn’t my fault. Tears formed in my eyes. I’d held back screams of pain for years whenever Bob demanded sex. No wonder he’d laughed at me when I’d complained. He’d hurt me, but soon, all remnants of him would be erased from my body.
Arman stopped the memory with his sexy voice. “Is that what you want, Maddie?”
I took his hand and nodded fast as if the offer might disappear. Arman’s closeness kept me grounded. “I… I’m relieved. There is nothing wrong with me.”
He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “So, do you want Elon to help fix this?”
Steam rose inside of me from his gentle touch and his nearness. I turned away to focus. “Yes. I’ll need to set up a payment plan but… fixing me is important.”
“I can pay—” Arman started.
But his brother interrupted before I could tell him no. “I can schedule using a local ob-gyn’s office in New York today or next week. Just tell me when you want, and I’ll fit you in.”
“The sooner, the better. Today would be great,” I said. If I rid myself of the stitch, it would be like selling my ring at the pawn shop and having the cash to get home.Okay, maybe this is more important.
Arman nodded. “Thanks, Elon. Just tell us when.”
Elon gave us the thumbs-up and left.
My heart raced as I stood to walk out with Arman like all was normal. Breathing was hard, and it wasn’t because of the tightness of my shorts. We walked outside, and Arman rubbed my back. “How are you?”
I hugged him. I knew he was being cautious with me, but I needed his touch so I would know I wasn’t in a dream. I wasn’t a sinner destined for pain. Bob had said that to me when he’d known about the real problem the whole time.
I laughed and let Arman go. “Happier. Thank you.”
“Let’s get to work for a few minutes.” He directed me to the sailboat.
I’d forgotten all our plans. And my job. As we headed down to the docks, I came back down to earth. “Honestly, I’m going to enjoy planning your party. I penciled out a general plan and googled some restaurants near your address.”
We stepped onto the ship, and I showed him my list as we untied the dock lines. He said, “I like this restaurant.”
I wasn’t sure we’d have service beyond the bay, so I pulled out my phone. “I’ll RSVP right now.”
“Sounds good.” He handed me his credit card and headed to captain the ship.
I trailed behind, speaking to the restaurant and confirming. As I went to his side and checked the lines for the sail, I glanced up at the perfect blue sky. I’d missed this feeling of freedom.
The last time I’d sailed had been in the competition with Arman’s brothers and other teenagers for the race across the bay. We’d lost to Cyrus and Elon, and they’d teased us for the rest of the week, saying love made us weak. I laughed at the memory.
I finished with the sail, and as we settled into seats to enjoy the view, Arman asked me, “Why did you stop planning? You clearly enjoy this stuff.”
I folded my hands in my lap, deciding not to hold back much. “Bob was antisocial, and I thought get-togethers for anything other than religious services were sinful.” Every time I’d sinned, my cheeks had been red for days. But Arman didn’t know any of that and never would.
He checked our path. Nothing was in our way. “What about weddings?”
I stood to inspect where we were. “We were never invited.”
At the edge of the bay, where the open sea was clear, he tugged the lines to lower them. I jumped up and helped. It was good that we weren’t too far from shore, but staying here was like a tease and made me want to sail farther.
As we tied the sail in place, he said, “You were the one that dragged me places when we were kids, and I knew I’d never see you, but in New York, I had to go to my fair share of events, and I was always hoping you’d pop in somewhere unexpected.”
I dropped anchor. “I haven’t been to New York since I was a kid.”
He went downstairs in the boat and came out with the phone and a bag, which he tossed at me. “Speaking of that, I have properties we mostly use for clients. You can stay in one for as long as you need.”
I glanced inside and saw the black one-piece with flowers on the side. It was absolutely my style. I’d never be able to afford Manhattan prices, ever. I shook my head. “I don’t want you to spend a lot of money on me.”
“I already own it. It’s nothing.” His phone beeped, but he didn’t answer right away. His brown eyes held an emotion that had me hooked, wanting to find out what he’d say next. Then he read his text. “No sailing, it seems. Elon says he can fix you in two hours.”
