Page 27 of Baja
“What sort of thing, baby?”
“Being with a man and opening up to him. I haven’t been in a relationship since before…” I pause, not wanting to say but force myself anyway, “… since before I went to prison.” Once the statement is out, I wait to see if Nash says anything. When he doesn’t, I continue, “I’ve spent eight years being too terrified to even think about being in a relationship. In my experience, the pain and disappointment aren’t worth it.”
“Do you really believe I would bring you pain or disappointment?” Nash asks, his tone calm and steady, devoid of irritation or anger. His words hang in the air, inviting a deeper conversation.
My response is immediate and truthful. “No.” Nash waits silently and patiently as I organize my thoughts. “I resented Sukie’s father after he was gone. It’s stupid and unreasonable because how can you be angry at a person for dying, but I was. I was so angry at him for leaving me to raise our daughter alone. Angry because I loved him, and we were supposed to have a future together. I was angry at him because he chose to get behind the wheel knowing he was too tired.”
I shake my head. “Then I got angry at myself because he was a good man. He worked himself to the bone daily because he wanted to provide a good life for me and our daughter.” Nash tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, and I take a shuddered breath. “I don’t know how I would have made it without Sukie’s grandmother. She saved us in more ways than one.”
“What about your parents?”
“My father was gone by the time Sukie came along. He had a stroke when I was fourteen. Mom was set to retire from teaching when it happened, but her plans changed after Dad got sick. He passed away three years later. My mom and I became even closer after that. We leaned on each other a lot to get through the devastation of losing Dad. Then, I got pregnant at nineteen. I was young but lucky enough to have a supportive parent. We made the best of it. Sukie was a year old when Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I tried for a year to take care of Mom on my own while also caring for a baby. Eventually, I had to put Mom in a home.”
Using the pad of his thumb, Nash wipes the tear running down my cheek. “Shit, baby. You had to make grown-updecisions and live with grown-up responsibilities when you were still a kid yourself.”
“I would do it all again if I had to, Nash. My parents had all the love in the world for me and never failed to show it.”
Thinking about my mom and dad always brings a smile to my face. “My mom had me late in life. She and Dad had tried for years to have a baby. They had long given up when my mom found out she was pregnant with me. She was already forty-three, and Dad was forty-five. Folks thought they were crazy for having a baby at their age, but Mom and Dad were over the moon. I was their miracle baby. That’s what Mom always told me growing up. The thing is, I never looked at my parents as being old. I never compared them to other kids’ parents growing up. To me, they were just Mom and Dad.”
“That’s how it should be, babe. Families aren’t meant to look the same. All that matters is how they love and take care of you.”
“I know. And my parents showed me every day how much they loved me. Still, I wish they were still here to see the kind of woman their granddaughter turned out to be.”
Nash cups my cheek. “Your parents would be proud of both you and Sukie.”
I look away, feeling ashamed. “You’re wrong. They wouldn’t be proud of me.”
“Baby…”
“I failed my daughter, Nash. I brought a monster into our home. It’s because of me my daughter had to endure years of torment and heartache.”
“A man who hides his true character to gain the trust of a woman only to turn around and abuse and manipulate that woman is no man at all.” The fire in Nash’s eyes gives me pause, and he grips the back of my neck as he continues, “Sukie did what she had to do. And you did what you had to do as a mother, protecting her child. It was a shit situation, I’ll give you that. Butwhat I willnottolerate is listening to my woman doubt the kind of mother she is because of some low-life.”
“Nash,” I rasp, my voice quivering with the weight of my emotions.
“Come here,” he replies softly, shifting closer to me. He wraps an arm around my shoulders, drawing me gently into his side. The warmth of his body envelops me, making me feel safe and cherished. I rest my head against his steady heartbeat, the rhythm soothing as I reflect on everything I’ve revealed. The comfort and vulnerability of the moment wash over me, and once again tonight, I find myself drifting into a peaceful sleep in the safety of his embrace.
12
BAJA
The heat of Alice pressed against me when I wake, and the scent of her lavender shampoo, clinging to her hair, wrap around me like a sweet haze. Everything about this moment feels right. Her in my bed—hell, in my life.
Alice ismine, and I’ll burn the fucking world down if it or anyone in it ever hurts her again.
I shut my eyes, soaking in the steady rhythm of her breath, soft yet grounding. For the first time in years—maybe ever—I feel a surge of peace I didn’t think was possible, crashing over me like a wave, pulling me under into unknown depths.
I gently pull her closer, my hand sliding over the curve of her hip, my rough fingertips brushing against her soft skin. She trusted me enough last night to let her guard down, to let me keep her safe, and that knowledge hits me like a sledgehammer to the chest. I don’t take her trust lightly, not after the hell she’s been through and not after what I had to do to make sure she could breathe easily again.
The memory of that motherfucker—his hands on her—has my blood heating fast. Anger claws its way up my throat, but I force it down and shove it into the pit where I keep all the otherugly parts of me. She doesn’t need my rage now. She needs the calm I can offer, only for her.
Alice stirs, her body shifting, bringing us face to face. Her lashes flutter against her cheek. When her eyes open, still soft and heavy with sleep, they lock onto mine. That look—vulnerable but laced with a quiet strength—hits me harder than any punch ever could. Then she smiles, tentative but genuine, and it’s like the goddamn sun just rose in my chest, knocking the air right out of my lungs.
Yeah.
She’smine.
And nothing—no one—is ever taking her away.
