Break My Fall (28 page)

“You would have to ask my father,” she said, “He was very…controlling.”

Her lips tightened.

What the fuck kind of father didn’t let his kid go trick or treating.

It made me wonder.

“Did you like school when you were growing up?” I asked as we passed the college campus.

“I enjoyed the learning side of it.”

She was being implicit.

“What about the rest of it?” I asked, “You know, like going to field parties with your friends. School dances, homecoming, dating?”

I was prying. I knew I was, but I had this itch inside of me to know her inside out.

“I didn’t have any friends, and I wasn’t allowed to date. My first party was when I first moved here, the night you…” her voice trailed off and I cleared my throat.

She was referring to the night I’d kissed her in my kitchen; the night that had ignited this fucking obsession with her.

I rubbed my hand over my chest.

It hurt when she said she didn’t have friends growing up.

I felt a raw protectiveness towards her that I’d never felt for anyone in my life.

I wanted to tuck Lee under my arm, and shield her from the shit reality of life.

“So you weren’t allowed to date, but did you ever sneak out?” I asked, “It’s hard to believe that a beautiful girl like you never went on a date.”

Now I was being nosy.

I peeked over at her and frowned.

She was gone deathly pale; her whole body tensed.

“What did Cam tell you?” she whispered.

She looked…devastated.

“She told me enough, I’d rather hear it from you,” I lied.

I hadn’t a fucking clue what she was talking about, but from Lee’s reaction, I was on to something.

“It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have gone. It truly was my own fault.”

She pressed her fingers against her temples.

“I don’t think it was,” I said, hoping I was on the same page as her.

“Kyle, if I hadn’t gone, none of what happened afterwards would have happened. I’d have my diploma and be in college by now.”

She looked angry with herself.

What the fuck had she done?

Where had she gone that stopped her from graduating highschool?

I raked my brain for the most ambiguous response I could muster.

“What do you think would have changed if you didn’t go?”

I was kind of proud of myself for that one.

“You mean apart from the fact that I wouldn’t be a highschool dropout?”

She was angry.

I needed to thread carefully.

“Yeah, apart from that?”

Lee sighed, and I could hear the quiver in her voice.

This was upsetting her.

“I wouldn’t be here for one,” she said, and I flinched.

Ouch, that stung like a bitch.

“I’d still have nightmares, but I’d only have one monster to run from,” she whispered.

I knew about the nightmares.

They were fucking scary.

One monster?

How many monsters did she have?

“And I wouldn’t be terrified and fearful that every time a man came too close, he was going to try and rape me.”

I couldn’t see straight.

I couldn’t fucking breathe.

My mind couldn’t focus on anything other than that one word; Rape.

Someone had tried to rape her.

Lee.

My Lee.

Mother Fucker…

LEE

I hated Cam for telling him.

I hated Kyle for making me tell him again.

Cam I would forgive, but not Kyle.

Not now, that he was ignoring me again.

He’d asked me and I told him.

It wasn’t the worst secret I had, but it was a close second.

“You can let me off anywhere here,” I told him.

We were driving down a street I was familiar with.

I could find my way back to the house on foot.

He didn’t respond, or slow the truck down.

“Kyle, I said let me out,” I snapped.

I was done. I was so done with all the bullshit.

I should have never gotten into his truck.

I was a glutton for punishment.

I looked over at him.

He had his hands wrapped around the wheel so tight; I thought the skin around his knuckles might crack.

His jaw ticked, he swallowed hard.

“Just give me a minute,” he said between clenched teeth.

“No. Let me out now.”

He rolled his neck, and inhaled deeply though his nose.

What was wrong with him?

“Lee, baby I’m having a hard time trying to stay calm right now, a real fucking hard time. If you get out of this truck, I’m gonna lose it.”

My mouth dropped open.

Awareness smacked me straight in the chest.

“Cam didn’t tell you anything did she? You tricked me.”

His eyes flashed to mine, and I could see the guilt in them.

I could also see crazed fury.

There was no point in asking him to let me out; I knew he’d have more questions.

“Who was he?”

I debated telling Kyle to go screw himself, but I couldn’t.

“Why should I tell you anything about my life?” I argued, “It’s not like you trust me to confide in.”

He grinded his teeth, “Just answer me Lee, and I’ll answer anything you want.”

I contemplated his gruff words.

I could tell he was trying to control his temper.

“Perry Franklin.” I said shakily.

He nodded excessively.

I could tell he was filing the name away in his head somewhere.

“When?” he asked, his voice laced with anger.

I look up in confusion, “When?”

Kyle slammed his palm on the steering wheel.

“Yes when Lee. When did this happen? When did this guy attack you? And when the fuck, were you going to tell me?”

He didn’t give me a chance to answer, before the truck swerved to a stop, and he was pulling me into his arms, telling me everything would be alright.

I knew it wouldn’t, but the story from that night spilled from my lips.

I found myself telling Kyle everything about that night.

I opened my soul and let all the pain and suffering I felt from that night weep out.

I found myself revealing much more to Kyle than I had to Cam.

How I was tricked by Perry to go to prom with him.

How I had found out he had asked me as a dare from his other teammates.

How it felt when his rough hands groped me, and how I had wanted to die.

I wasn’t sure why I told Kyle, but it felt like he could heal me.

In that moment, it felt like Kyle Carter could break my fall.

He could give me back that piece of me Perry had broken.

I didn’t tell him about my father though.

Not even Kyle could fix that piece of me.

I let him hold me.

I let him kiss my hair and rub my back.

I let myself cry in his arms, and be comforted by his words.

I felt like a weight had lifted.

Kyle was here, and he believed me.

Kyle might not love me or want me the way I did him, but he did care.

He cared, and I was safe.

I imagined this would have been how it would have felt, if someone had believed me at the time.

Chapter Twenty-five 

KYLE

She was pulling away again.

I could feel her withdrawing.

We were sitting beside each other on the back step of the house, drinking coffee.

She hadn’t said a word in the twenty minutes we’d been back, and I knew she was overthinking things.

I wanted to make her feel better.

I wanted her to know that I didn’t judge her, or blame her for that asshole.

I raked my brain for something, anything that would bring her back to me.

“I grew up in foster care.”

Well that wasn’t something I’d ever imagined coming out of my mouth, but there it was.

Lee’s eyes widened as she turned to face me.

“But you’re rich?”

I laughed at her innocent accusation.

“I wasn’t always.”

She didn’t say anything, which both comforted and confused me.

Was she afraid to ask?

Did she not care?

“What are you thinking?” I asked her.

I needed to know.

She sighed, “Honestly?”

I nodded.

“I want to ask you a million and one questions, but I’m not sure if you want me to.”

I smiled at her answer.

“Why don’t you ask me one at a time, and we’ll see how it goes?”

She turned her body towards me, cradling her cup between her fragile hands.

“How did you go from being in foster care to owning a string of hotels?”

Good question,

“It’s a long story,” I said, pondering the best way to tackle it.

“My mother was sixteen when she had me. I didn’t know my father; I don’t think she did either.”

I watched her face for her reaction; she didn’t look horrified or disgusted. She looked at me with accepting eyes.

“I don’t remember her clearly,” I continued, “Just that she was blonde and beautiful. She died from a drug overdose when I was three. She had no family, and my father was a John Doe so I was turned over to the state.”

I felt her hand rest on mine.

“Don’t ask me how, but when I was eight my father’s father found out I existed and he filed for custody of me. When he died, he left me everything.”

Grandpa and Linda had found me at a time, when I was starting to lose hope, beginning to get into trouble.

They had saved me.

Lee blew out a breath.

I kept my eyes on her face, gaging her reaction.

I couldn’t believe I’d told her.

I hated talking about my past.

It was humiliating.

It was fucking upsetting, and I didn’t want anyone’s pity.

Lee squeezed me hand, “Do you miss him?”

I didn’t expect that question.

I’d never been asked that before.

“My grandfather was a hard man, not the soft fuzzy type of grandparent, but he saved me from a life of being passed around like a fucking parcel. I’m more grateful than anything.”

Lee shifted closer to me, and I wrapped my arm around her.

She nuzzled into my side, “Do you see him now?”

I knew who she meant, and stiffened.

She noticed and snuggled closer into my side, nuzzling my arm with her cheek, until my body slowly relaxed.

“He has his own life and family. I see him occasionally, but I don’t acknowledge him as anything other than the man who donated his sperm.”

Lee stretched up and kissed my cheek.

I frowned at her, “What was that for?”

She smiled softly.

“For being Kyle Carter. For enduring what you have and becoming the best man I know.”

I could not answer her.

I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the tears that threatened to fall.

She’d know how much her words meant to me if she looked into my eyes.

Fuck, she was making me feel things; I was losing control.

LEE

I wanted to ask him a million other questions, but I didn’t.

I could tell it was a huge deal for Kyle to tell me what he had.

It was a huge deal to me.

More of the pieces of the Kyle Carter jigsaw slid into place.

He was brave, and he was proud.

He didn’t like to show weakness; I don’t think he liked to feel weakness.

I loved him for doing this for me.

He exposed himself to ease my pain.

He was incredible.

“Hey Kyle, you wanna go shoot some pool…whoops sorry.”

I jumped up from the step to see Derek at the kitchen door, grinning mischievously.