Page 7 of Skid
I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the tears that were pooling as I pushed up from the couch into a sitting position. Dalton sat next to me, and I scooted away from him as I looked up at Eddie and the tears began to flow.
“I’m sorry,” I tried to say, only to have my voice betray me and the words squeak out.
“No, Grace. You don’t apologize to me. Not now. Not ever,” Eddie countered and reached his hand down to me.
I took his hand and felt the familiar comfort from him. He was the father I lost, the friends I left, and the family I never had, all rolled into one. He was the witness to my years of darkness, and he was the light that brought me back from the edge.
Dalton sat silently next to me as I gripped Eddie’s hand, needing the connection to bring me back to the present. When I felt the last of the panic ebbing from me, I released Eddie’s hand. He asked, “Do you need me to stay?”
His eyes cut to Dalton before coming back to mine, and I glanced at the handsome man who saved me from injury. I always trusted my gut, and there was nothing about him that gave me fear or panic. I sensed no bad intentions. “He saved me. I doubt he wants to hurt me. Right?”
I looked at Dalton, and he reached for my hand. “I’d never do anything to hurt you or any other woman. She’s safe with me. I promise.”
“I need to close up, so I’m going to trust you to keep an eye on her until I get back. Don’t make me regret it.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied and turned his full attention back to me.
I was embarrassed that he or anyone else had to see me losing it, but he didn’t seem fazed by it. In fact, he seemed protective of me, and I didn’t know what to make of that. No one, besides Eddie, had given a crap about me in more years than I cared to think about. The false love I once received made me leery of people’s words and it eroded my trust in others. I learned the hardest lesson of them all.
People will say what you want to hear to achieve their goal. No matter how twisted and sick their goals truly were.
Chapter 4
Skid
Iwatched Grace carefullyas the sounds of the bar grew to silence. Her gaze was locked on the far wall of the small office, her mind lost somewhere that was causing her pain. Not wanting her to dwell on whatever it was that was pushing her to the brink, I cleared my throat to draw her attention. She slowly turned her head to me, and that’s when I saw it in her eyes.
Shame. Regret. Pain. Loneliness. Anger.
All the things I witnessed my sister deal with alone and the same emotions that echoed from Aubrey. Remembering what Eddie said about her personal space, I asked, “Are you okay?”
Sliding my hand across the couch, I brushed my fingertips across the back of her hand, and she lowered her eyes to where I was touching her. She didn’t object or even appear fazed the connection, so I placed my hand flat down on the couch, extending my fingers up, offering her a hand to hold onto. I wasn’t expecting her to reach for it, but when her palm connected with mine, she exhaled softly and curled her fingers around mine.
“Why do I trust you?” she asked quietly, almost to herself.
“Because you know I’ll never hurt you. I understand you, Grace,” I answered, and she lifted her eyes to meet mine.
