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Holden stopped abruptly and cupped my face, his warm palms on my cheeks. “Of course you did.” He gave me a lopsided grin, then he kissed me hard. “I love you. I love you so damned much.” He embraced me, planting kisses on the top of my head.
And for the first time, I looked up at the man who had set my heart free and said, “I love you, too, Holden.”
He looked at me, his brown eyes drinking me in. “Say it again.”
“I love you, Holden.” I grinned at him. We were the weirdest two people on the planet. His father had just tried to rape me, and here we were standing in the foyer confessing our love for each other.
He kissed me deeply, then continued walking to the other side of the house. “Is your leg okay?”
“It’s sore. I walked a little without the cane.” I grimaced. “It didn’t feel very good.”
“Let’s get you settled with some ice.” Holden slowed down as we walked toward the formal dining room that I’d seen the other day. We went through it, and on the other side of a swinging door was the most beautiful kitchen I’d ever seen. The white-and-tan marble countertops gleamed in the sunlight, and multicolored stones lined the wall over the five-burner stove. I was certain that the refrigerator was the size of two. The tile floor was cool on my bare feet as we approached a small kitchen table in the corner near the row of windows overlooking the neighborhood.
The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans tickled my nose, and I squashed the urge to run over to the coffeepot.
“Mom,” Holden said as we reached her.
“Good morning, River. Son, what’s wrong with your hands?” Catherine gave me a kind smile, then she took a sip of her steaming coffee, her attention on Holden’s knuckles.
“Dad tried to rape River. He’s lying on the floor in my bedroom, bleeding.”
Catherine spit out her drink, spraying the table and her laptop. “Jesus, Holden. Do you think you could not open communication with such a foul statement?” Catherine stood and adjusted her robe. “Are you okay?” Her gaze traveled over me.
“Yeah. I think he took the most damage.”
To my surprise, Catherine patted my back. “Good girl.” She squared her shoulders and gave me a tight-lipped smile. “If you’ll excuse me.”
I watched her walk away, her long blue robe swishing behind her. She appeared composed, but I noticed her tight fist.
“She believed us?” I asked, frowning.
“She knows I would never lie about something that important.” Holden blew out a breath, then walked over to the sink and washed his hands. Crimson dripped off his knuckles and into the water. While we were gathering our thoughts, I grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee.
“That was a hell of a way to wake up,” I whispered before I took a sip, the hot liquid scalding the top of my mouth.
Still rattled from the experience with Tim, it took me a minute to realize that Catherine’s reaction was extremely calm. If someone told me Holden had tried to rape someone, I’d fucking come unglued, beat his fucking ass, then buried him.
Holden collected his mug, and we sat at the table.
“Holden?” I reached for his hand. “I don’t want to admit that your father ...” I shook my head. “But what the hell did he just pull, and why was your mom so calm?”
“She’s not, but she won’t lose her shit in front of you.”
“And fucking stay out!” Catherine’s scream echoed through the main floor of the house. The slam of the front door followed, and I cringed.
Holden pinched the bridge of his nose. “We won’t see her for the rest of the day. Maybe not until tomorrow.” His shoulders slumped in defeat. “My family is seriously fucked up, River.” His voice was low and haunted.
“We’re all screwed up, Holden. Your family isn’t any worse than mine.” I’d meant that to help, but I wasn’t sure if it had.
Holden took a sip of his coffee, then stared at the floor, appearing lost in thought. “When I was eleven, I heard some strange noises, so I followed them through the house. Finally, I found Dad in the gym. He was beating the hell out of the heavy bag. At first, I didn’t think anything about it, but then I noticed several bruises on his back and arm. Dad had a temper. I assumed he had pissed someone off and they’d gone at it. My dad shoots his mouth off when he’s mad, so it would make sense that he’d get his ass beat.” Holden glanced at me before he continued. “I never asked him about it, but I never forgot it. Over the years he grew more aggressive toward Hannah, Mallory, and me.”
“He hit you guys?” I asked softly, my faded bruises burning into my skin with the memory of Dan’s fists.
“Only me. After that, he and Mom traveled more. It was clear he didn’t want to be around us. Back then ...” Holden tossed his hand up, puzzled. “He’s never hurt a girl before.”
“He’s gone now. Maybe we can hurry up with plans for the penthouse. This is his home.”
Holden practically snorted. “It’s Mom’s house and we all know it. If she really kicked him out for good, he won’t be coming back.”
