Page 60 of Learning to Love

I look up at him, startled by this new revelation. He thinks this is his fault. I hurry off of his lap to get a better look into his soulful eyes. "Jake, this is not your fault. This situation is not anyone's fault but Benji's. It's not even Jeffery's. He used him, Jake, and now he'll spend time in prison. He's not emotionally competent to go to prison. He needs time in a hospital." I’m rambling a mile a minute. “Benji had him kidnap me so that I would break up with you and be with him. Benji thought that if he got me away from everybody for a while, he could brainwash me into loving him. He makes me sick, and I want to throw up every time I think about him."

Jake looks stunned. "That's why he had Jeffery kidnap you?"

"Yes, and Jeffery is in love with him. He manipulated him into kidnapping me. Jake, I'm still in shock. Being home feels like a dream. Please tell me this isn't a dream."

He pulls me back into his arms and only says one more thing. "This is real, baby, and you can't get any more real than the love that we share."

I hold onto him like there is no tomorrow. I feel like I can finally breathe. "I'm finally ready to tell everyone what happened. I only want to do it once. Can you make sure everybody is still here?"

Chapter 38

Forever

Everything Fearless 24/7

The FBI is questioning Benji as I type this update. Did he help Jeffrey with this kidnapping? And what about Janet? She's been reticent on all social media outlets. She's not shown up to any of her classes either. The saga continues.

Jake comes back to the room and takes my hand. I'm so thankful I have him. I don’t doubt that he will remain by my side during this whole process. We walk out of his room and down the hall slowly. I see Sasha first, and she burst into tears which makes me tear up, but I honestly don't think I have any tears left to give. I walk over to where she's sitting, and I wrap my arms around her thin waist. "I'm sorry." She whispers.

I make her look at me. "Don't you dare feel bad about anything? Okay? The fault lies with Jeffery and, ultimately, Benji. Not you and not Toby."

She smiles at me and nods her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

I hug Toby tight and he's not like his usual crazy self. It’s important he know this is not his fault. No one could have protected me that night. He releases me and wipes a stray tear, making my heart break. I keep going down the line until I've hugged everyone. I hug Jaxon longer than anyone else. He won't let me go, and since he's my second favorite, I have difficulty letting him go. After our embrace, I sit beside Jake. I grab his hand again, needing his strength to make it through this tough conversation. I look at my Mama and Granny and get the okay to start. This will be the hardest for them to hear.

"Thank you all for staying. I just wanted to be able to tell the story in one shot. It's not anyone else's business, but I want you to know what happened." I need to approach this like a person looking in from the outside, that'll be the only way I make it through this. I take a deep breath and continue. "Benji convinced Jeffery to kidnap me. Does everyone know who they are?"

I look around the room, and everyone nods. Jake lets out a heavy sigh. "They do because as soon as I saw my parents, I knew something was wrong. I lost it and I may or may not be on the football team anymore. I kicked Benji's ass in front of God and everybody."

I look down at his knuckles. "Oh, baby! You're hurt."

He laughs. "You get abducted, but you're worried about me?" He kisses me softly. "I'm fine, baby."

"Good, I'm going to doctor them later, though. Just in case." I give him a wink and a small smile.

I shared from beginning to end everything that happened from the time I woke up I shared from beginning to end everything that happened from the time I woke up to the time I drugged Jeffrey and made my escape. I also told them about the man that found me and how I ultimately ended up with the cops and home.

Jake has a death grip on my hand and I can tell he’s trying to control his breathing. I take my other hand and play in his hair which seems to soothe him for a moment. I look back at the room and everyone is silent. They are trying to wrap their heads around the crazy story that was my reality.

Jaxon speaks first. "That's messed up, Georgia." I laugh because it's Jaxon, and he's not wrong.

My laughter helps to relax the room a little. "Feel free to ask any questions."

Jake's dad speaks up. "Son, if you get kicked off the football team, we'll still be proud of you. If I had known this story beforehand, I would have helped you kick his ass myself."

Jake laughs. We all do and then he kisses me on the forehead. "Thanks, Dad." He mumbles. His father beams with pride. If anything good can come of this, I hope it's a mended relationship between Jake and his father.

My mama wipes a tear from her face. "I think I can speak for everyone here when I say we don't have any questions, baby. You need rest. We're going to go back to the hotel room, you stay with Jake, and we'll be back early in the morning. We have some things we need to talk about."

I nod my head and raise my arms for another hug. "Okay, Mama. I love you."

She jumps up. "I love you, too, baby." She moves over to Jake and hugs him. "Remember our conversation from earlier. Please, take care of our girl."

He smiles. "Yes, ma'am. I'll guard her with my life."

She ruffles his short curls with her hand. Like mother like daughter. "Thank you."