One Day at a Time (Starting Over Series Book 4) (7 page)

“Daddy, I didn’t do anything. I promise. Did you drink it all…” His fist slammed into her stomach so hard it knocked the breath right out of her. She collapsed to the ground where he kicked her one last time and then stormed out.

“Tessa, come on, baby, wake up!” Cash was down in front of her, concern filled his eyes. What was he doing there?

“Tessa!”

Tessa jerked up and almost fell out of the hammock, but strong hands steadied her. She was still groggy and trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Every breath she took seemed to require too much effort.

“Breathe for me, baby, nice and slow.” Oh god, she fell asleep and had a nightmare in front of Cash. She took some cleansing breaths until she could breathe normally. “Are you okay? You were having a nightmare. Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head—she wasn’t quite ready to share her baggage with him yet. It would only scare him off, and she really liked him and didn’t want him running for the hills.

“I’m okay. I don’t know what that was about.” She kept her eyes averted so he couldn’t see she was lying. “I’ve always had nightmares. I can never remember them once I wake up.”

“Well, the way you were crying out and then gasping for air, I’m glad you don’t remember.” Kissing her temple, he pulled her back down to him.

She ended up leaving at midnight. In the morning she and Josie were going grocery shopping to give Jonathon some alone time. Plus it became their little ritual, breakfast and then groceries. It had been hard leaving Cash, though. After the nightmare, they lay outside talking or being peacefully quiet. Sometimes he kissed her slowly, sweetly, sometimes with a lot more force.

Driving down her street, she touched her lips and couldn’t help what was probably a big dorky smile on her face. Pulling into her parking spot, she noticed her brother sitting on the steps smoking a cigar. He only smoked them when he was stressed. Shutting off the Jeep, she grabbed her purse and hopped out, making her way up the sidewalk.

Chapter Four

“How was your date?” Jonathon asked.

Tessa sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“It was great. He has this hammock in the backyard that I never want to get out of. He cooked me a really great dinner and even played guitar for me. He’s really, really nice. How was your night?”

He was such a great dad. Yes, he worked a lot, but it was to provide a good life for his daughter, and for her too. Whenever he wasn’t working, except for the times he’d go out for a few hours, he spent his time doing stuff with Josie. Whether it was just helping her do homework, watching her sporting events, or just hanging out, he did it all. Of course that was what any good parent would do, but he worked a lot and was raising her alone. Tessa did help him, but she also tried not to replace Josie’s mother.

“Our night was good. We watched one of those damn vampire movies you’ve got her hooked on. She was so engrossed in it she didn’t even notice I was rolling my eyes every five minutes. How can you watch that crap?”

She shoved him with her shoulder. “Shut up. They’re great and romantic. They have the kind of love every girl wants.”

“You’re going to make me barf. That’s the biggest bunch of bullshit I’ve ever heard. He’s needy and a stalker. She’s always got a sour look on her face and plays him and the other dude the entire time.”

She knew Jonathon was full of shit, because he had that all-consuming kind of love with Alex. They had the kind of love that when one of them walked in a room, the other’s eyes would light up.

“Oh, stop, you’re such a goofball. You believe in love.”

“I did, once. I’ll never do it again. It hurts too fucking much.” She watched him snuff out his cigar and stand up. “I’m going to go out for a little bit. I’ll be back later.” He kissed her forehead.

Watching him walk to his car and then pull out caused an ache in her chest. She knew he was still hurting, but she had no idea how to help him. She never asked him where he went or if he was with the same person, but she guessed it was his little bit of release. With a heavy sigh, she went up to their apartment. Josie was asleep in her room already, so Tessa made herself some popcorn and started watching the movie they did earlier.

Hearing her phone ding, she dug it out of her purse. She swiped the screen and pulled up her text messages.

Cash: Did you make it home okay?

Tessa: I did. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Cash: It was my pleasure. When can I see you again?

She flopped back on the couch, smiling at the screen. Her heart was racing just thinking about the kisses they shared.

Tessa: When would you like to see me?

Cash: Do you want to go for a ride tomorrow?

Tessa: Sure!

Cash: Great! I’ll pick you up at 11. Wear jeans.

Tessa: See you tomorrow!

Cash: Sweet dreams.

Tessa: You too.

She carried her phone into her bedroom, sitting it down on her nightstand and then going into the bathroom to get ready for bed, her movie long since forgotten.

Chapter Five

Monday morning came too soon for her liking. Yesterday had been such a fun day, one she wouldn’t soon forget. When Cash had knocked on her front door, she was in her room putting her shoes on. She’d hurried out to the living room and was greeted by the gorgeous sight he made. He wore a white t-shirt that molded to his muscular body like a second skin and showed off his colorful sleeves. His jeans were snug on his legs and covered his black motorcycle boots.

He’d been shaking Jonathon’s hand when she walked in. Both men turned to her and smiled. She felt herself blush when Cash’s eyes swept over her body. She never usually wore jeans because they showed off how skinny she was. Since it was still warm out, she opted for layered tank tops again.

“I see you’ve met my brother Jonathon...” She kissed her brother on the cheek and then had gone to Cash, wrapping an arm around his waist. His arm wound around her shoulder, giving her a squeeze. He’d reached out, shaking Jonathon’s hand again. “I’ll be back later,” Tessa told Jonathon.

“It was nice meeting you, Jonathon.”

“Yeah, you too. See y’all later.”

Following Cash down to his bike, she let him put her hair in another ponytail. It did funny things to her insides, but she loved it. He placed the helmet on her head and buckled it under her chin. This time he ended it with a kiss on her lips.

They rode around for hours, going all over Charleston. She’d discovered areas she’d never seen before. He must’ve done that a lot, because he knew little back roads that had hardly any traffic. They stopped for lunch at a little lunch cart. After they finished their hot dogs, they walked along Water’s Edge Walkway.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you. Did you grow up around here? You have a thicker accent than a lot of people here.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I was born and raised in Athens, Alabama. I moved here about four years ago. I wanted to be closer to my sister, since our parents are gone. An old friend of mine from Athens moved here, and when I decided to do it, I looked him up and he offered me a room. I stayed with him while I got my shit together, and then I bought my house. What about you? Did you and your brother grow up here?”

“We lived in some low-income housing right off the James Island Expressway. After my mom died, my dad could barely hold down a job, so we lost our home and had to move. It wasn’t a bad area, though. There were always kids for us to play with, and I always had Jonathon.” She wasn’t about to tell him that by the time she was thirteen her dad had pretty much made her a shut-in, his own personal servant.

“I’ve got a busy week coming up, but I want to see you. I also wanted to see if next weekend you’d like to come with me to my niece’s dance recital. You really don’t have to say yes, because it’ll be long, and a bunch of kids running around and screaming, but my sister got me two tickets, and I-I thought I’d ask you.”

Her heart leapt in her chest just thinking that he wanted her to meet his family. It made her extremely nervous, though. What if his sister didn’t like her, would he break up with her?

“I’d love to go with you. Will that be okay with your sister? I don’t want to intrude.”

He stopped walking and turned her to face him. She felt the warmth of his palm against her cheek. He kissed her forehead. “It’ll be fine. My sister is going to love you.”

As they walked back to his bike, they made plans to go to a movie one night when her brother would be home. The ride back to her apartment was peaceful, but too short. When he pulled up in front of her building, he followed her off of the bike and unbuckled her helmet. He pulled her to him, kissing her slowly and thoroughly. Her arms snaked up his chest to wrap around his neck. They stayed like that for a long time, but he finally pulled away.

“I’ll call you later,” he whispered against her lips.

She watched him get on his bike, waving as he pulled out. She stood out there until she could no longer hear the sound of his bike. Making her way up the stairs, she heard loud laughter and Josie’s squealing. Opening the door, she found the two chuckleheads playing Wii tennis.

“Aunt Tessy, I’m kicking Dad’s butt at tennis!” She pumped her fist in the air.

“I’m letting you win, weasel.”

They argued back and forth while she went into the kitchen to decide what to prepare for dinner. She felt her brother enter before he spoke. She knew it was coming, but she was glad to get it over with now.

“So that’s the boyfriend?”

“Yep, that’s him. I don’t know if I’d call him my boyfriend. We haven’t really put a label on it.”

“Well, he seems nice enough. He’s definitely got a lot of tattoos. Is he careful with you on that motorcycle?”

Leaning against the counter, she looked at her brother in disbelief. “Really, Jonathon? Yes, he has a lot of tattoos, and yes, he is very careful with me on his bike. He’s invited me to meet his sister and family next weekend. Maybe we could have him over for dinner one night this week when you don’t have to work.”

“Sure, it’d be nice to get to know him a little better. Make sure he’s good enough for my baby sister.”

“Maybe I’m not good enough for him.” She was a coward. She never tried to stop her dad from beating her. She just took it and never told anyone about it. Even Jonathon didn’t know how bad it had gotten toward the end. Most of her scars were faded and hardly noticeable, but she knew every spot on her back that bore the reminders of the abuse she endured at her father’s hand.

Jonathon turned her roughly by her shoulders, causing her to jerk in his hold. “Don’t you ever say that. No man is ever going to be good enough for you. You are sweet, loyal, and beautiful, and the best goddamn role model my little girl could ever have. Every day I wish I could’ve gotten you away from him sooner, but I didn’t, and I’ve regretted that every day of my life. But you are so much stronger than you have ever given yourself credit for. Honey, I love you, and I want you to be happy. If Cash is someone who will make you happy, then I’m all for it, but I swear to god, if he hurts you, I will annihilate him.”

A laugh slipped past her lips followed by a very unladylike snort. “I love you, Jonathon. Good job on the big brother speech.” Wrapping her arms around him, she gave him a squeeze. “Thank you.”

He left her in the kitchen, and she proceeded to make dinner.

Now she was dressing for work, and for the first time in her life she did it with a bright smile on her face and a spring in her step. Her brother and niece were already gone, so they didn’t see her dancing around like a goof. Once she was dressed and slipped on her shoes, there was a knock at the door.

She looked through the peep-hole and smiled wildly when she saw Cash standing there. She unlocked the door and threw it open. “Hi! What are you doing here?”

He didn’t say anything, just grabbed her and pulled her to him. She had about a second before his lips came down on hers. Hard. She grabbed his shirt for purchase and opened her mouth, boldly licking his lower lip. He groaned and opened his mouth, his tongue thrusting into her mouth to duel with hers. He tasted of coffee, cigarette, and mint, but instead of turning her off, it was turning her on. When he broke the kiss, she knew her lips were swollen—she could feel it, but loved it.

“Mornin’,” he breathed against her forehead.

“I…uh…good morning.” Could she be a bigger dork? “What brings you by?” Ugh…she had no sense.

“I was just heading to meet my sister for our weekly breakfast, and then it hit me that I was by your place, so I took a chance to see if you were here. I was just going to say hi, but then you answered the door looking damn happy to see me, so I just had to kiss those lips.” He pulled out his phone, looking at the display before he leaned down and kissed her one more time. “Okay, I’ve got to go, but I’ll call you later, yeah?”