Christian (The Mitchell/Healy Family #3)(55)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I think in some ways my current struggles helped him to be more lenient. In all honesty I never thought I’d see the day when he allowed any man to spend the night, even if we weren’t under his roof.

Ethan’s actions only reminded me how much he knew my family. He acted as if he was walking around on eggshells, and it was extremely amusing.

Once I’d changed my clothes and freshened up, I found my family, including my boyfriend, in the kitchen. My mom had prepared a large breakfast, and for the first time in a long time, she seemed happy.

My father kept pinching her butt when she walked by, winking when one of us would catch him. I placed my hand on Ethan’s leg once I’d sat down. He gave me this worried look, as if I was putting him in a lion’s den. I wanted to laugh, but respected his desire to stay in my dad’s good graces.

The five of us sat at our little kitchen table enjoying a meal together. I can’t even describe what it felt like to look around and see everyone in a good mood.

“This is nice,” I admitted.

“It is,” my mom agreed.

“We need to do this more often,” my father suggested. “Now let’s bow our heads and thank God for all he’s given us.”

“Can I do it, dad?” We all looked up to see Addy waiting for an answer.

My father got the biggest grimace on his face. It brought tears to my eyes as I watched him reacting to her request. “Go on, darlin’.”

While listening to my sister’s prayer, I silently thanked God for everything he’d given me. Mostly I thanked him for my second chance with Ethan, because somehow I knew his love would help me to heal.

Later that morning Ethan and I walked hand in hand out to the old willow tree, where most of us kids always liked to retreat to. The bright sky was shining through gaps in the trees, lighting the path to the clearing. Birds sang all around us, and it was the perfect definition of peaceful.

“It’s nice bein’ here with you, babe,” Ethan said as we continued on. “It makes me want to get done with school and come home. With what I’ve learned, I think I can increase our agriculture growth by fifty percent. Do you know what somethin’ like that could mean for my parent’s farm?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

He chuckled and pulled me closer. “Yeah, I guess you do.”

“I’ve been thinkin’ about school as well. I’ve made my mind up about goin’ back. It’s probably a good idea if I put my last year on hold for a while. It’s just that even if I transferred, I’d have to leave home again. Right now this is the only place where I feel safe. My sister’s here and she needs me. I suppose there are a lot of reasons.”

“So if I were to take a plot of land from my parents and build a nice size house, would you consider movin’ a couple miles down the road, with me? It will be a while, so I don’t need an answer this minute.” His question was more than a dream come true for me. It meant forever.

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in my answer. “I would love to.”

We stopped walking and had another moment where we stared at one another. He took both of my hands and leaned forward to press his lips over mine. “I love you, Chris.”

“It makes me smile when you say that.”

“There’s somethin’ I think you should know. I meant to tell you about it last night, but we got a little lost in translation.”

“What is it?” I stepped back. “Is it bad?”

“You weren’t the only person that got attacked, babe.”

I began to worry, not about me, but whoever had been a victim. “How do you know that?”

“It’s a long damn story, but let’s just say I met someone who happened to be in a bad way. She told me about bein’ attacked, gettin’ pregnant, and losin’ her child.”

I thought I’d feel like I wasn’t alone. I assumed that if someone else ever stepped forward I’d be able to connect with them. All I felt for this person was sympathy.

I sank down to the ground listening as he told me who it was, and what had happened to her, before I even came into the picture. As he finished, he took my hand and kissed it. “I didn’t tell you this to upset you. I’m tellin’ you because I feel like maybe you could help each other. Amber’s not like the other girls, Chris. She’s got a soul, and she needs a friend. She tried to take her own life because of this asshole. Together maybe you’ll have enough to take him down.”

Amber, the one girl I’d felt the most connected to.

I wondered why she’d hadn’t told me the truth, not that it mattered now. There was nothing anyone could do to change the past.

“If she wanted to press charges she could have a long time ago. You’re right. I would like to talk to her, because I think we could help each other, but I’m not interested in doin’ anything else. I want to put this all in the past, especially since I have a reason to work toward a future. Can you understand that?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I get it.”

“I have faith that he’ll get what’s comin’ to him. In the meantime I’m not goin’ to let his actions hold me back. Everyday I’m makin’ progress, and now I’ve got goals I want to achieve.”

“Do you want to tell me about them?” He asked.

“How about I show you?” I pulled him along until we reached the old willow tree. Once we fell down underneath it, we immediately embraced in a deep kiss. Slowly, to make sure I was ready for what I was about to do, I let my hand slip down in his pants. It wasn’t surprising what I felt inside, but it was how my body naturally reacted to being in this situation with the man I’d always loved.

They say that time heals all wounds. I’d like to think that saying is true. I definitely wasn’t healed, not all the way. I had a long journey before I could claim that victory. For now I was prepared to gradually make progress with intimacy again, one kiss at a time.

Chapter 35

Christian

When the next Thursday rolled around I couldn’t wait to tell my doctor how Ethan was back in my life. While he was at school, getting his work done before Thanksgiving break, I strolled into her office feeling like I could conquer the world.

I think she knew before I even sat down that something was different with me. I watched her give me a once over. “I can already tell you’ve made progress since our last meet.”