Page 8 of Safe to Love
The only thing missing in my life was my girl. She never looked at me at the games anymore, nor did I give her reason to get in trouble.
She still held my heart in her hands, but I knew I had to wait until we were older and in more control of our lives.
That was now. Kresslee was mine, and I wasn’t going to let her go now.
I wouldn’t let Creed be in control of her now. Nor did I want to; I just wanted her to choose me. It was time now. I bought my house with her in mind, ensuring it was big enough to accommodate several children down the line, and saved every penny I earned, as I didn’t have much to spend on.
One thing I did was volunteer at a domestic violence shelter, ensuring that I paid all the bills, so they had no reason to shut their doors.
When I wasn’t busy at work, I would play with the kids, read to them, play football with them, or catch balls with Rhodes or Ryker. They often came with me because they knew the story and loved the kids as much as I did.
I was grateful my friends kept me sane. They stopped me from driving to where Kresslee lived. Creed had been drafted to a different team, and she was their head cheerleader.
Creed still hated me. But I knew it was for a reason that had nothing to do with me, really.
I gave him the hate. I wouldn’t hate him back. Not now. Not ever. I knew one day he would accept me. And that was going to be sooner rather than later.
Kresslee was mine, and I wasn’t going to let her push me away any longer.
She was my obsession, my life, my love, and I barely spoke to her. She was the song in my head. The one who dictated my life behind the scenes. Every move I made was in her direction, and she didn’t know it.
One day she would. I just had to keep being patient, though my patience was wearing thin.
Chapter Two
Kresslee Burkheart
Ilooked in the mirror in my bathroom at my reflection. I looked tired. And I knew it was because I was. Bone-deep exhausted.
The girls and I worked until late into the night on our new choreography, and I slept horribly.
Katia Johnson, my best friend and the girl who kept me on track during practice, had ridden me hard, keeping me focused. I loved that girl even when I wanted to hit her because my muscles hurt from doing so much.
I got home, threw myself into bed, hoping to sleep. Sleep had come but so had my dreams.
They were always filled with the one man I wasn’t allowed to have, Ridge Benson. I knew he was forbidden, but knowing he was forbidden to me made him that much sexier to me.
He was mine for such a short amount of time that it was heartbreaking.
My twin brother hated Ridge after his team beat ours by three points in the first game they ever played.
I knew one of the biggest reasons Creed got so angry and hateful toward Ridge was that our father wouldn’t allow anything less than perfection.
If Creed wasn’t perfect, then our father beat the shit out of him. He thankfully left me alone.
Every time Creed played against Ridge, no matter if it wasn’t Creed’s fault, his team didn’t play as good as Ridge’s team, but he still got the shit beat out of him.
I hated it. I drove home with Creed and our father, anger radiating off him in waves, until we arrived at the house.
As soon as the door shut, our father was on Creed, shoving him against the wall, breaking the sheetrock as his body was thrown against it. It wasn’t the first wall in our house to be broken, and I doubted it would be the last.
My father’s fists flew. But he made sure not to hit Creed in the face. If Creed had any visible bruises, then people would ask questions.
I learned not to get in the way or try to intervene after getting punched in the face myself.
Creed shook his head at me sharply, taking the rest of the beating with no sounds.
I saw it too many times. Creed took every beating without complaint, and he started to loathe Ridge because with each loss came another beating. Creed thought we were done with those after we got to junior high, and Creed started to get taller and wider than our dad.
