Page 26 of Saving Meadow

Nick in workout clothes? Yes, please!

“Fine by me.”

Nick shook his head and smiled. I wondered if he could read my thoughts? He seemed to be awfully proficient at reading people’s facial expressions.

“Sally. Stay.”

Sally and I stayed. Sally, for her part, sat and watched her owner walk out the door. I did almost the same thing; only I was watching his rear end.

13

The missing piece

When we catch the bitch that had attacked Meadow, I hoped she got the needle. Thankfully, Virginia had one of the shortest times between sentencing and being put to death. No woman should ever be worried about the things Meadow was afraid of. I hoped like hell she was exaggerating about people pointing and commenting on her scar, but I didn’t think she was. Some people were insensitive assholes. I saw it when I was a kid and a friend of my uncle’s came to visit. He’d been medically discharged from the Army when he lost his leg in Iraq. People wouldn’t stop staring. My uncle Nolan was so pissed, but Tony stopped him from saying something to a group of women who were being particularly rude. He told Nolan he was proud of his hardware. He’d given a part of his body willingly, and no group of hags would make him feel less proud of his sacrifice.

Maybe one day Meadow would come to understand the mark left on her face was a testament to her strength. She had lived. While her and Tony’s situations were vastly different, they both endured public ridicule. Tony had embraced it. Meadow was still rejecting the idea she was still beautiful. It would be a long road, but I was looking forward to convincing her otherwise.

After I’d changed into my track pants and sweatshirt, I realized my mistake. The thin athletic pants did nothing to hide my hard-on. Not that my slacks did much better, but at least the material was a tad thicker. I’d been trying the last thirty minutes to will my dick into submission, but it wasn’t listening. Not when Meadow was in a pair of yoga pants sitting on the floor rolling around with Sally.

There was nothing particularly sexy about Meadow roughhousing with the dog, but she was smiling, happy, laughing. And that just might’ve been the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. She was bright and carefree; it was a pleasure to watch. The sight pulled at my heart. I didn’t think Meadow allowed herself to be happy often. She kept herself apart, locked away. Goddamn, the thought killed me. At a time in her life where she should be going out with her friends, living life, she was holed up in her apartment – alone.

There was never a week that passed when I didn’t think about my family back in Georgia. I missed them, even after all these years. I wished I lived closer, but never more than in this moment. My family would take one look at Meadow, feel her struggle, and pull her into the fold. They’d wrap her up so tight she’d know nothing but love. I wanted that for her, which was crazy because I barely knew the woman. But after the small amount of time I’d spent with her, I knew I wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything about Meadow. I wanted her secrets, her desires, all her fantasies, and most of all I wanted her pain. I wanted to be the one that carried the load and shouldered the burden so she could live easy. I wanted all of that, and I planned to work my ass off to get it – by any means necessary.

There was a knock on the door, and two things happened at once. One I was thrilled to see, the other had me red-hot pissed. All the happiness drained from Meadow’s face, and she froze, shrinking back into herself. At that, Sally immediately stopped playing and sat herself in front of Meadow, ears up and on watch. Any reservations I’d had about Sally being a protective guard dog flew out the window.

I told Sally to stay, grabbed my wallet, and went to answer the door. Thinking it was the pizza delivery, I was shocked when I opened the door, and a woman was standing there.

“Oh. I’m sorry, I was looking for Meadow Holiday. I must have the wrong address,” she said.

“Beth?” Meadow said from behind me.

“Hi Meadow. I’m sorry to bother you. I didn’t realize you had your boyfriend over.”

There was something about the way the woman said boyfriend that pissed me off. It was patronizing and meant to hurt Meadow. What a bitch.

“Anyway,” the woman went on, “I was stopping by to apologize. But I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Oh, he’s not…” Meadow started.

“Nick Clark.” I held out my hand. “The boyfriend.”

“I didn’t realize you’d started dating again. I mean after you got that… you know… on your face, I assumed you’d sworn off men. I guess I’m just surprised. It’s been like forever ago, and you’ve never talked about going on a date.”

There was a low, menacing growl from Sally. I looked back to see she’d once again placed herself in front of Meadow. The hair on her back was standing at attention, and her head was low, ears pinned down.

“Easy,” I told Sally and gestured for her to sit. She did as she was told and sat on Meadow’s feet, not moving a fraction of an inch from her.

Good girl.

Meadow had absentmindedly reached for Sally; her hand went to her head, and she was petting her. Whether she reached for the dog needing to ease some of her own discomfort or she was doing it to settle Sally I wasn’t sure, but Sally was perfect for Meadow.

“I don’t wanna be a dick here, but Meadow and I are in the middle of something. Is this something you can talk about later?” I asked.

“Oh sure. I wouldn’t have come over if I’d known. I’m sorry I’m so shocked. But look at you and look…”

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence,” I warned.

“Well. I’m just being honest. That thing on her…”