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“I’ll call a cab.”
“Please just go into the house with your parents. It’s not safe for you to go.”
“So you’re saying the three of you combined can’t protect me? If that’s the case, maybe you should be the ones staying home,” she argues.
“That’s not what he meant and you know it.”
“So you can protect me, then. Excellent. Let’s go.”
I grab her hand to keep her from getting into the SUV because if she manages to climb in there, we won’t get her out again.
“Why don’t you understand that we couldn’t take seeing you get hurt even if that hurt is only emotional? Trauma is a very real thing and just as damaging as a physical blow. If you won’t listen to me, listen to Phillip. He knows how that sort of thing impacts people.”
The man in question shakes his head and doesn’t utter a word.
“Seriously? You’re not going to back me up on this?”
He shrugs. “I’m not thrilled about her coming along, but we are more than capable of keeping her out of harm's way. I get why you’re upset. I really do, but she has every right to confront her abuser, and let’s be real. If we try to keep her here, she’s far more likely to try and go meet him on her own. I’d much rather bring her along in a situation that we can control rather than have her run off half-cocked after this jerk, wouldn’t you?”
I hate that he’s right.
See, this is exactly why you never bring a psychologist into an argument. They start spouting off all kinds of rational, emotionally healthy advice. If it was just Jamie and me here, she would have been locked in a closet and we’d be halfway to her condo already.
“Fine. You win. I’ll stop trying to keep you from going, but I’m setting some ground rules.”
“I might even listen to them if they make sense,” she says, smiling sweetly at me.
Pretty sure that’s the same smile that cats have when they eat the canary.
“One. You’re not going anywhere alone with him. Two. If he tries to get violent with you, the conversation is over. Three. We’re recording this, and you’re not going to kick up a fuss about it.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. Can we go now? I’d like to get this over with.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline in surprise. “You’re not going to fight me on any of those?”
“Why would I? Those seem totally reasonable.”
“Because what also is totally reasonable is your staying home, and you fought tooth and nail against that.” I scowl.
“That wasn’t reasonable. It was overprotective and stupid.”
“I—”
“That’s quite enough,” Phillip interrupts. “You can fight when we’re done with all this. The longer we wait, the bigger a chance it is that he’s left. If we’re going to try and put an end to this once and for all, we need to let it go so we can be a cohesive unit when we get there. Understood?”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak that firmly before, so it shuts me right up—Avery too.
She sticks her hand out to me. “Truce?”
Instead of shaking her hand, I pull her to me and kiss her perfect rosebud lips.
“Truce.” Then I lean in so my lips are against her ear. “But if you break any one of my rules, I’m going to spank you so hard you won’t be able to sit for the rest of the week.”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” she teases.
