Page 15 of Safe to Love
She told me that Creed fought back, hitting their father in the jaw so hard, he knocked out a few teeth, and their father kicked them both out of the house, uncaring if his own children had nowhere to go.
Thankfully, their grandma took them in, but still, it was hard to hear. I knew Creed blamed me. I knew it.
I was willing to take his hate. Although I didn’t deserve it, I knew it was okay that I could handle what he threw my way, as long as Kresslee was mine at the end of the day.
I pulled into my driveway, and Kresslee looked over at my house, and I said, “I didn’t want people to hear us. If this makes you uncomfortable, we can go somewhere else.”
She shook her head, “It’s fine.”
I helped her out of the truck, leading her through the garage and to my kitchen.
She looked around the house I designed with her in mind, smiling when she saw the big kitchen. I didn’t know if she liked to cook or even knew how.
I knew how to cook and loved it, so whether she knew how to cook or not, it was fine.
But now was not the time. Kresslee was still telling me a tale that left me reeling.
I couldn’t blame Creed for his hatred of me. I knew his father was a horrible man who didn’t deserve the title.
I felt for them both. My mother hadn’t chosen to be a mother, but my dad was the best man there was. It would have never occurred to my father to raise a hand to me.
That wasn’t who he was. I know that Kresslee and Creed’s father most likely needed therapy so desperately, but men like that didn’t believe they were wrong, nor did they think they needed therapy.
I stared at Kresslee while she looked around my home, settling on the couch in the living room.
“My grandma helped decorate the house.”
She lifted a brow, “That’s sweet of her.”
I smiled, “She is pretty great.”
Kresslee took a deep breath, “So, after that day, I didn’t want to cause any more issues for Creed. He kept me safe from our dad. He always took the beating, so I didn’t have to. I knew it was wrong to choose him and not let you have a single word on the matter, but I didn’t want to break my family apart further since it was already so broken. I’m sorry Ridge. I should have spoken to you. To tell you what was going on, but I didn’t. I went silent on you and never gave you a chance to fight for us. I understand if you want nothing to do with me.”
She looked away from me once more, her eyes red.
I reached out to her, then pulled my hand back, unsure if I should touch her.
“Kresslee, I understand why you chose Creed. I knew there was more going on in your life than you wanted me to know then. I’m not mad at you. I’m not angry with Creed. I’m here. I have always been here, waiting, hoping that one day, whatever violence and sadness was going on in your life would go away so that we could be together. I have never wavered in my wanting of you. Not once. I knew that you needed to figure it all out first. And here you are.”
Kresslee looked over at me, “You mean that? That you waited for me, chose me?”
“You are my girl. I told you that all those years ago. I have never looked at or wanted another.”
She stood up, walking over to me, “Why did you never find another?”
I pulled her down to sit beside me, “I told my teammate this today. I had perfection. Why would I give that up for something less than perfect?”
She bit her lip, “You know I never dated either.”
I pulled her close to me, “You better not have.”
She gently cupped my face, her thumb running over my jaw, then over my bottom lip.
“I can’t tell you how much I missed you. How many times I read our texts, and how I wanted a different life so that I could have been yours for all these years.”
“You were always mine, Kress. Always. There was never a time in my life when I didn’t see you as mine. You may not have been in my arms, but you were mine. I was yours, too.”
She looked at me, her eyes studying me, “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
