Forgiven (Touched Series #2) (6 page)

“Where are you taking me? I just want to dry off and go to sleep.” I yawn, my mouth shaking and then my teeth clatter.

He leans against his Jeep, fumbling with the door handle but finally manages to open the door, turning to bump it with his hip. He sets me down on the passenger seat then reaches over me and buckles the seatbelt, pulling the shoulder strap under my arm. He places his hand on the seat beside me, hovering over me and gives me a stern look. “I’m taking you to the emergency room to get that arm x-rayed. Don’t argue with me, Peaches. You’re in no position to get your stubbornness in an uproar right now.” I scrunch up my face as he smirks, and he leaves me, shutting my door. I feel the car move as he does something in the back then gets in the driver’s side. He throws a blanket over me, tucking it in around my legs and smirks again. “In case of emergencies.” The little bit of warmth feels good as I watch the garage door open, and he pulls out onto the driveway, turning the wipers on full blast and drives down the pavement. I don’t speak, still trying to keep my teeth from chattering and just look out my window but all I can see is the torrential downpour sliding down the glass. My eyes start getting heavier the further we drive until I finally close them.

“What!?” I yell as I’m joggled. My mind disoriented and pain shoots in my arm.

“Shhh. It’s ok, Peaches. We’re at the hospital.” My body jars as he lifts me into his arms and carries me to some doors. I look up to see ‘Emergency’ in bold red letters on the outside of the building.

“I just wanna go home,” I whine as my hand holds my arm and my sore bare feet dangle from his arm.

He continues into the sliding doors, not looking at me just straight ahead, and I see we are getting close to a desk with a nurse sitting behind it. “Not until a doctor sees you. Quit whining and let me take care of you, for once.” He finally looks down, and I give him a pout in which I receive his cocky smirk, and then he turns his head back front.

“May I help you?” The nurse asks, eyeing Bo up and down and not even looking at the bundle in his arms.

“She’s hurt. I think her arm may be broken and she has lacerations on her arms, legs and feet. There could be more elsewhere. She needs to be seen now,” he demands. The nurse smiles and finally notices me then looks down at papers on the desk.

“Please fill this out and I’ll alert a doctor immediately,” she holds out papers on a clipboard like he has a free hand to take it? I roll my eyes, move my hand that’s holding my hurt arm and snatch it from her. Bo growls at her, her eyes widening, and he walks us over to the nearest chairs but instead of setting me in one, he places me on his lap.

“I can sit in a chair you know.” My eyes roll and I place the clipboard on my lap, my hand shaking as I hold the pen and try to write. I look up at him when he removes the pen from my hand and gives me his cocky grin.

“Let me.” He looks over at the nurse and yells, “I need a blanket. Now.”

She looks up from her desk at him then at me, stands and leaves. Soon she is walking towards us and wraps a blanket around my trembling shoulders and smiles. “Th…. Thank you,” I stammer. She nods and returns to her desk.

I look down as he writes on the form, his penmanship neat, and his arms around me helping with the blanket to get some warmth into me. I watch intrigued as he continues to answer the questions on the form without my help and look up at his gorgeous face. His brows are creased with his concentration. “How are you so sure you’re answering them correctly,” I query, my trembling calmed down enough that I’m not shaking as hard as I speak.

His eyes move to mine as his cocky grin returns. “Please. I know you better than you do.” My eyes widen in my disbelief but when I look back at the form, my eyes scanning his answers, and I scrunch up my face at the knowledge that he is indeed correct. “Told you.”

He hands me the clipboard and then rises, walking to the nurse’s desk as he holds on to me firmly. I hand it to her when she looks up, and then he takes me back to the chair, sitting down. I shift on his lap, laying my head on his shoulder. Just as my eyes close my name is called and we’re up again. He carries me through some double doors that open for us, down a hallway as we follow another nurse and then into a small room, setting me on a small bed. His strong hands help me to lay down. My body feeling a little better but the surface isn’t much softer than the ground was. The nurse comes over and takes my hand, from under my hurt arm, pressing her fingers against my wrist while looking at her watch. Then she takes my blood pressure and my temperature.

“The doctor will be with you shortly,” she says sweetly then proceeds to walk from the room and turns, closing the big plastic drapes. I move my hand back to holding my arm and finally close my eyes when Bo clears his throat. My eyes open just a crack and look over watching him pace the small area beside the bed.

“I’m sorry,” he begins while his fingers run through his wet hair. “I shouldn’t have treated you that way. I’m no better than you by getting so mad, so quickly, and without giving you a chance to even talk. I don’t know what got into me. Well, yes I do know. I just got so mad when you talk about yourself that way, degrading yourself, but the choices you made…. I had no right to just assume. I should have known you had some kind of reason for selling your…. Dammit!” He’s pulling on his hair now and getting angry all over again.

“Bo!”

“I can’t imagine why you’d do that, Stormy! I just…. In my wildest dreams I can’t figure out how you could…. Why you’d…. Ugh!” My hand pushes against the hard mattress, my legs shaking as I move them over the bed. “But. I should have had the decency to allow you to speak. I….” My hand captures his arm. His head snaps to me, and he’s at my side in a blink. “What? Are you going to be sick? I’ll go get someone.” He starts to walk, but I grasp his arm tighter.

“Shit. Will you just sit the hell down? You’re making me dizzy with all the pacing. God, you’re so much like your dad.” The look of surprise on his face is actually kind of funny, but I release his arm as I begin to feel a little nauseous and struggle to lay back down until he helps me again and then pulls the blanket up to my neck. He finally sits down in the chair but reaches between his legs and pulls it closer by the bed. His face changes to a look of worry as his hand brushes some of my wet hair from my face. “I don’t blame you, you know. I’ve been beating myself up daily for years about everything I’ve done. A ten minute temper tantrum was mild compared to what I expected if you’d ever found out.” His eyes are sad and I can’t bear to look at them, but as soon as I look down the doctor walks in.

“Good morning and what do we have….” My eyes are wide and my heart stops. “Stormy? Bo?” He looks at me again. “What’s happened?” I look at Bo and see his relief that Dr. Phillip is the doctor but to me it just increased my anxiety level. I know I won’t be able to get my injuries past Knox or Jade and this doesn’t help in the least. Before Bo can speak I open my mouth.

“I took a fall, out in the rain and I think I broke my arm. Silly, I know. I was out running.” I try keeping it light to see if that helps but as with my luck I know it’ll fail. Just like everything else in my life.

He walks over to the bed, his eyebrows raised high into his forehead. “Yes. Well. You shouldn’t be out so late or I mean early and in this bad weather.” He pulls down the covers, his facial expression never changing, and he picks up each leg, looking at my feet and legs, setting them back down gently one by one. He looks at my shoulders and arms as well and then turns his head to Bo. “Please give us a few moments while Stormy gets into something dry. You may return once she’s done as I’ll need to set up things to have an x-ray taken of her arm.” I peek around Dr. Phillip and see Bo’s face turn angry but he abides, as he stands and looks at me while he pushes the drapes away and walks out.

“So, what all hurts, other than the inevitable?” he asks as he begins to clean out the cuts and scrapes from my legs. I hiss as every part of me he touches stings.

“Sssss. Just all the cuts, bruises and my arm.” I close my eyes tight trying to think of other things than the pain.

“Sorry. Yes, well. I think that’s enough, don’t you?” I open my eyes to see him wrapping my feet with gauze, and he looks at me. “Any more cuts?” Quietly, I shake my head. “Good. The nurse will be here in a few minutes to take you to x-ray. Stormy, I have to ask you if there is any chance you may be pregnant.” My eyes widen, and I shake my head again. He pats my shoulder, lightly, and smiles then walks towards the door, turning to me. “You’re running a small fever so we’ll need to watch that. The nurse will help you dry off so you can get warmed up. Stormy, I have to ask you if Knox is aware that you’re here.”

Tears well up without my consent. “No. He and Jade went out for the evening and stayed at a hotel.”

“Would you like me to call him? He should know.” I can only nod. “Very well. I promise I won’t make it sound death defying.” I smile, feeling a little more relaxed, but not much. “You know he will be here in a flash once I do.” My smile leaves as I nod again, unable to speak with the lump that’s lodged in my throat. “I’m going to see if I can get Bo to quit pacing long enough for me to clean up his cuts while you’re in x-ray.” He smiles again as he pushes the curtain aside, and he’s barely out the door when Bo comes racing in.

His strides are long getting him to my side in less than a second. His face full of worry, his hand taking mine and rubbing the top with his thumb, unconsciously. “Bout time. I was pacing a rut in the floor out there,” he smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“They’re gonna take me to x-ray soon so then you can continue to dig your rut.” He chuckles under his breath. I look down at our hands and then back to him. “Dr. Phillip
is going to call your dad. “ I swallow hard at the thought.

He smiles again. “Good. He should. You know he’s going to find out sooner or later anyway.”

“Yeah, but I was hoping it was later.” I get another chuckle for that. “Bo?”

“Hmmm,” he hums as he watches his thumb making circles in my skin.

“When we get home, I’m going to tell him everything.” His eyes flash to mine, and he takes a deep breath. “Okay and you can be there so you’ll know too. I don’t want to keep anything from you anymore and I’m ready to admit. I need help.”

He leans up and kisses my forehead. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispers. He sits back down and now his smile is genuine, his eyes sparkling, and I know he’s happy.

“Yeah, well. You may not be so proud of me after I’ve told you everything,” I whisper looking back at our hands again. His hand tugs on mine making me look up and he’s now turned serious. “You’re gonna be mad at me all over again and this time, you may not recover from it.”

“Peaches. You know I’ll love you no matter what and so will Mom and Dad. I’ll try to behave when you tell him and keep my anger down, okay? I’ll try hard.” My smile is small knowing he’s willing to try, but I’m scared to death. This may be just the thing that will take him from me forever.

The nurse picks that moment to walk in and Bo kisses me on my forehead again, telling me everything will be okay. God, I hope he’s right.

Chapter Six

Dad and Mom got to the hospital around four o’clock in the morning and was worried sick. He paced the floor with me while Stormy got a cast put on her arm. Dr. Phillip said that she’s still running a fever, and if we keep an eye on her he’d let her go home. Of course, we’ll take care of her, and she hates hospitals, so there’s no way she would stay anyway. Stubborn!

We finally get her home and she’s doped up with pain pills. She’s cute when she’s doped up. Mom helped her get in some pajamas and I paced the floor in the hallway until she was done. “Okay, you can go in now but, honey? Let her rest. She’s exhausted from the night and on pain medication. Okay?” Mom smiles sweetly, kissing me on my cheek and walks down the hall. I quietly walk into the room and see that Stormy’s eyes are closed. Her breathing is light, and I notice her casted arm is laying on a pillow by her side. Carefully, I sit on the bed and just look at her, brushing back a little bit of her soft hair and sigh.

Her eyes open slowly and she smiles. “You have to be tired too. Come get in with me. I need a snuggle.” I pull down the covers and help her move over then she turns on her side and I cuddle up behind her, throwing my arm around her waist. Her head gets comfortable on her pillow and she sighs. “I’m sorry.”

I rub her waist and sigh, blowing her hair a little. “Quit apologizing, Peaches. It’s over now.” She turns her head and frowns.

“But it isn’t. Once I tell you and your parents everything you all will hate me.” I press my lips to her cheek. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done and some things were me just being a rebelling teenager but then some things I did for a reason,” she says then yawns.

I get close to her ear and whisper, “Go to sleep now and let’s worry about that later. You need rest and some healing time.” Her yawn is contagious and I let out a big one. “Sleep. We have plenty of time to talk later.” I watch as she blinks a few times, they become slower and finally she turns her head, laying back on the pillow. I lean up a bit and see her eyes are closed and then her breathing becomes light. My hand finds hers and as I hold it, I close my eyes.

When I awake it’s dark out. Stretching my arm out alerts me that Stormy isn’t there. When I look over to find her side of the bed empty I see by the alarm clock that it’s nine o’clock at night. I’ll never sleep tonight now. Once I’ve gotten up I head to my room, take a quick shower and go downstairs. There’s laughter out on the deck, the back doors are wide open so I grab a bottled water from the fridge and head out. Stormy smiles at me when I walk over and sit down on the lounge chair next to her. “What’s all the laughing about?” I notice her casted arm is in a sling and she has on the cutest tank top and shorts. The green bringing out the color in her eyes.

I look over at Mom when she speaks up. “We were just reminiscing a bit about you two when you were little kids.” She lets out a laugh. “Remember the time when Stormy got mad at you for taking her little bucket from the sandbox and you ran out of the alley laughing the whole time trying to keep it away from her. She was so cute.”

Rolling my eyes, I look over at Stormy and smile. “Well, she took my little shovel so fair was fair. Girls!” We all start laughing and then when I look over at Dad as he sits there quietly, looking at Stormy. “What’s the serious look for, Dad? Someone take your shovel?” I laugh but when he looks at me with the seriousness in his eyes and on his face it makes me quit laughing quickly.

“It’s been a good night with reminiscing but I think you and Stormy need to talk.” My eyes look at Mom, who’s looking down at her hands and then over to Stormy who’s also looking down at her lap.

“Ohhh, kay. Stormy. Where do you want to go talk?” My heart starts beating a little faster. Maybe in fear, maybe getting ready to try to control my anger, maybe both.

Dad and Mom both rise. “You can talk out here. It’s a lovely night,” Dad speaks as they begin walking in. When he starts to pass me, he places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “Just hear her out, son. Don’t let your anger control you. Be patient with her,” he whispers. I look up and nod then he walks into the house, closing the doors behind him. My head turns to Stormy and see she’s still looking down at her lap. I reach over and grasp her upper arm, careful of her cuts, and she looks at me, fear in her eyes.

“Don’t worry. Anger under control. So. You already told them, huh?” She nods and then swallows hard.

“I think it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. But I think telling you will be the hardest thing of all.” She looks back down and fidgets with the hem on her shirt. “I was about thirteen when I met Ricco. I was rebelling so badly by then, not sure why. I dunno if it was because of Dad never giving a shit about me or what. I was with a friend at a party. I knew as soon as we got there that I shouldn’t be there.” Her eyes look up at mine. “It was in the wrong part of town.” My heart continues to beat faster. “He gave me some coke and by the time I was pretty much high and out of my head he led me upstairs, into one of the bedrooms. I found out later the house was his friends and that was his bedroom.” She swallows and looks back down at her hand that’s pulling on a string on the bottom of her shirt. “He took my virginity that night. He knew too and didn’t even care. He didn’t take care of me, didn’t try to soothe me or anything.” My anger begins to swell inside of me and I fight to hold it back. “I ended up going back, to several of his parties, each time he took me, each time there was no caring, no tenderness and one night he told me I could make some money having sex with guys he’d line up for me. I was so high at the time that I agreed. In the next year or two I’d became accustomed to the money I was making and how easy it was to be able to provide some income to help Mom out.” She looks up at me and turns in her chair to face me. “I got tested regularly and got on the pill before I started pimping. I told Mom I’d gotten a part time job, since I helped take care of the bills. She never knew how much money I’d been making. It was too easy.”

She held my eyes, her face still full of fear. My anger has risen but also so much concern. “I wanted out a couple of years ago. Wanted to find a way to make a better life for myself. I wanted to find my self-respect again. But nothing is ever that easy for me. Ricco said if I tried to leave he’d tell Mom. Said he had pictures and videos of me with other men. I had no idea he’d been taking them.” She looks down at the ground and swallows hard. “He showed me some of the pictures and a couple of the videos and I was sick to my stomach. When I wanted to leave him, leave that life and start over not only did he tell me about the pictures and videos but he threatened that if I tried to leave he would send them to Mom.” She looks up again, her eyes wide. “I couldn’t do that to her, Bo. I knew if she found out she’d be crushed. She didn’t deserve that.” She swallows again and looks down. “I haven’t been around him for several months, have been hiding. That’s why he came to my apartment that day, threatened me and you all. I had no idea he would ever end up involving you or your family. I’m so sorry.”

I can only nod, my eyes closing at her words and then reopen to see tears in hers. The anger coursing through me is beginning to overwhelm me. I stand, looking down at her and try to give her a small smile. “I need to go for a run.” She nods shakily and sniffs. I start to walk to the deck stairs when I turn. “I’m not as mad at you right now, since I already knew a little, as I am at that asshole and what he did to you. He should be killed for that.” I don’t wait for her reply or reaction, I turn and jog down the stairs and start running full force. After hitting the beach, I keep running, my mind full of all the horrible things Stormy’s been through. I’m glad I didn’t know when it was going on but I wish she would have told me he was the one in her apartment. I would have found him and killed him.

About a half an hour later I get back home and when I don’t see Stormy on the deck, I go inside and run upstairs and walk right into her room. She’s sitting on the other side of her bed, looking out the window and doesn’t even turn her head to me. “I’ll leave in the morning. I can find a job, maybe even in another state, somewhere no one knows me and I can start over. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be ok. Who knows, maybe I’ll find what I’m looking for somewhere else.”

My heart breaks for her as I walk and sit down next to her, taking her in my arms quickly. “Peaches, don’t leave me. I wasn’t angry with you, I was angry with him, what he did to you and what he’s doing to you and now as well as my family.” My hand holds the back of her head, my mouth pressing kisses on her cheek, and I know she’s crying from her shuddering. “I love you.” Her sobs muffled into my chest. “I’ve spent so many years missing you. I don’t ever want to go through that again. It will kill me.” I push her away from me but still holding onto her. “No matter what happens know that I’ve always loved you. I’d die for you, Stormy.” Her wet eyes search mine and then she crushes her mouth against my lips. My arms slide around her as my tongue dives into her parted mouth. Both of us breathing erratically, both of our hands groping each other and her casted arm moves around my waist as our kiss becomes more and more heated. I’m the first to release our connection, the side of my face rubbing up and down the soft and velvety skin of hers as I whisper, “I’ve always loved you. I’ll always love you. I want you so bad.”

She leans back a bit, her face full of drying tear streaks and her eyes are gleaming with love. She moves her hands to the hem of her shirt and begins to raise it but I stop her. “Oh, Peaches. I’d give anything to have you right now but you’re hurt and I want it to be perfect for us.” She smiles coyly, letting go of the hem, and she blinks a few times. “Come. It’s late. Not that I will be able to get to sleep but let’s lie down and hold each other. I can live with that until we can finally be together.” She scoots back, laying down and I crawl on the other side. She immediately rolls over to snuggle up against me, her casted arm over my waist and my arm quickly wraps around her shoulder.

“Too heavy?” She asks, knowing she’s talking about the weight of her cast.

“Never.” I kiss the top of her head. “I’m gonna marry you one day.” She giggles and snuggles into me more. This is what my life is meant to be.

♥    ♥    ♥    ♥

“Stormy! You shouldn’t be doing that! You’re still hurt and have a cast,” Jade yells as she comes out the back door of the restaurant and into the alley. I look up from my sweeping, letting out a huge breath and blowing some of the hair that came free from my ponytail out of my face and smile.

“Hi, Jade! Hey, it’s been two days and I’ll have this cast on my arm and hand for another six weeks or so. I can’t just sit around and not do anything. Besides, tomorrow they’ll be finished with my apartment and office and I’ll need to get busy decorating in there.”

She walks over, taking my upper arms in her hands, gently. “Oh, you know we’re going to miss you at the house. But I’m so happy for you.” My smile beams at her and the thought that by tomorrow I’ll have my own place makes me even more giddy. “We only want what’s best for you and you have to know Bo is having a hard time with you moving out.” She brushes back some of my long hair and smiles. “We all love you but you know he’s ‘in’ love with you, don’t you?”

I nod and take a deep breath. “I know. I’ve known that most of my life.” All the feelings of love are stirring through me. For the first time in such a long time, I’m happy.

“Well, so have I actually but now that you two are older…. Just do me a favor. Of course I’d rather wait and see you get married but just don’t…. Don’t make me a grandmother too soon. I’m too young.” Her face is all scrunched up, and I let out a giggle.

“Oh, my! This isn’t embarrassing.” I stand up straight and look her square in the eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not planning on having any kids for a very long time.” She breathes out a sigh of relief and puts her arm around my shoulder as we begin to walk towards the back door. She opens the door and turns around to me.

“You know we love you, you’re part of our family but know that Bo may want to spend a fair amount of time over here and well…. You know how Bo can be. If you decide he can stay over can you remind him to let me know?” A laugh escapes me and all I can do is smile.

By the time I get home, I’m exhausted. I’ve got the alley all cleaned up and even cleaned out our old sandbox, relined it and filled it with fresh sand. Knox gave me an allowance, well if you want to call a ton of money an allowance, to buy all new furniture, appliances, and whatever I need for the apartment and office, so I went shopping and everything should be delivered there in the morning. When I walk into the house it’s dark and quiet since its well after nine o’clock. I creep up the stairs and don’t even turn on the light in the bedroom, heading straight for the bathroom. I need a bath in the worse way. I really wish I didn’t have this damn cast. It’s making it so hard to bathe and wash my hair. I miss taking a shower.

After taking forever in the bath and then brushing my teeth and hair, I put on a clean pair of sleep pants and a tank top, turn off the light in the bathroom and walk into my room. I’m so ready for a good night’s sleep. I stop short at the foot of the bed when I see Bo. He’s sound asleep. His luscious lips are slightly parted, and the covers only coming up to his waist, showing his chiseled chest, his muscular arms, and his tan smooth skin. My eyes follow his ‘V’ down to the top of the covers. I lick my lips, my body waking up and just stare. Finally shaking myself out of my stupor, I walk to my side, pull back the covers and slide into bed. I try to get comfortable with this damn cast but it’s making it difficult. Raising my casted arm, I lay it up by the side of my pillow and curl up into a ball, closing my eyes and dream of a hot body and shimmering blue eyes.

I open my eyes and find myself all wrapped up in warmth. Bo’s arm is around me, while I’m strung out and half on top of him. I’ve never felt so comfortable. I look up to see his glimmering eyes looking at me. His smile is bright on his full lips, and the feelings of his love are sweeping through me. “Morning,” he whispers. I turn quickly, get out of bed and cover my mouth, his laughter ringing out in the room as I walk quickly to the bathroom. Once I’ve brushed my teeth, brushed my hair, throwing it up in a high ponytail, I return to the bedroom and crawl back into bed. Leaning over, I give him a quick kiss and lay my head onto his chest. “Ha, you didn’t have to brush your teeth for me, Peaches.” I giggle, his chest moving my head up and down with his laughter. “Are you ready to get everything set up in your apartment today?”

I look up at him and smile. “I am so ready! I can’t wait to have my own place and get everything in it set up.”

Smiling he leans down and kisses my forehead. “I’ll help. We’ll make a day of it. I’ll even cook you a special dinner in your new kitchen tonight.”

My eyes are still looking at him and I feel a lump in my throat. “Thank you.”

His look of confusion only increases his sexiness. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For being so good to me. For believing in me, that I am really a good person and for loving me.” I swallow the huge lump and try to keep my tears from forming.

“What’s not to love? You are a good person, beautiful, caring and the best thing that ever came into my life.” He’s really gonna get me to cry. Dammit!

I snuggle more into his side. “Yes. I’m ready but for now, I just want to stay here for a while longer. I’m comfortable.”

I feel him kiss the top of my head. “I’ve always been comfortable with you.” His words hit me so hard. I’ve always felt comfortable with him too, but then I think of all the time I’ve wasted, getting into trouble, being with the wrong people and everything I’ve done that I’m ashamed of. My body stiffens with my thoughts, and his arm squeezes me. “It doesn’t matter to me what you’ve done, Stormy. I know the real you. Remember, I’m from your past before everything got so screwed up. I’ve loved you since we were little. I know your heart.” Damn him. I can feel the wetness in my eyes, and I quickly shake it off. I will not cry anymore.

I look up at him and smile. “You’ve always believed in me, been there for me and I’ve always let you down and yet, you’re still here.”

He looks at me with such love in his brilliant blue eyes. “I’ll always be here. I love you.” My smile stays plastered on my face as I lay my head back against his chest and close my eyes, savoring our time together.

“Over a bit to the left,” Bo shouts to the delivery man who’s setting up a large bookshelf in one of the two offices. “That’s good. You! That desk goes in the office next door.” I smile as I clean the new stove. My apartment door is wide open for the delivery men. They already hooked up my new washer and dryer. I have my new bedding set for my new bed in each of them already.

By the time everything is delivered, set up, cleaned and in its place, I am exhausted. My body is going to be so sore tomorrow. I can’t believe Bo has enough energy to cook dinner, but I sit here watching him at the stove, from the kitchen table, with my chin resting on my hand and smile. His head turns and I receive his beautiful smile back. “What?” He chuckles.