“No problem,” Jess replies. “Can you get me a coffee while you’re out?”
“Sure,” I tell her, grabbing my bag and leaving the salon. I cross the road and walk to the café, ordering two coffees and a muffin. While I wait, I send Ardan a quick message, telling him I can’t wait to see him after work. He replies back instantly, saying that he can’t wait either. I smile like a lovesick schoolgirl who hasn’t yet been burned by the world, then send another message, this time to Lacey, asking how she’s been and saying that I hope she’s doing all right. Then, coffees and muffin in my hands, I return to the salon and pass Jess her coffee.
“Thanks, doll,” she says, eyeing it eagerly. “I don’t know how I’d make it through the day without coffee.”
I’m about to reply when a tall, bulky-looking man walks into the salon. Looking extremely out of place, the man comes straight for Jess and smacks a kiss on her lips. I’m pretty sure he grabs her ass too.
“Trace, this is Tina,” Jess introduces. “Tina, this is my husband, Trace.”
He studies me in a way that has me shifting on my feet. “Nice to meet you, Tina.”
“You too,” I say, smiling at him.
He doesn’t smile back, instead looking at Jess. “Any way you can leave here early? We got something going on tonight.”
“Sure,” Jess says, turning and glancing at the schedules. “I can leave in an hour. I love the rare occasions when you drop by here, babe.” She steps closer to him and wraps her arms around his waist.
Trace whispers something in her ear while I slowly back away to eat my muffin in peace in our staff room. I’m halfway through it when Lacey sends me a reply, and her words make all the happiness around me disappear.
I’m good, honey. How are you? No one has seen Darren around here for a week. I hope he’s not searching for you, but be careful.
Just because no one has seen him doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out looking to make my life miserable. However, Lacey is right to warn me. I need to keep my eyes open and my guard up. If Darren really wants to find me, he can. He has the resources, and he isn’t above using them.
I send her a quick reply, then throw the rest of my muffin in the garbage, suddenly not hungry. I do finish my coffee, though, thinking about what exactly I would do if Darren found me. I don’t want to leave. I love it here, and I can’t hide from him forever. Something has to give. When is he going to leave me alone? I close my eyes and cover my face with my hands. It’s so unfair that after everything I’ve gone through, the past is still following me and he’s still trying to control my life. He doesn’t care about me, never did—he just sees me as a possession to fuck with. I don’t know how I ever loved someone like that; I don’t know what I ever saw in him. How could I be so wrong about a person? I just hope that I’ve learned my lesson and that I’m not wrong about Ardan. Isn’t the saying second time’s the charm? No, wait, that’s third. Dammit.
I stand up and get ready to return to work, telling myself over and over again that things won’t always be like this. One day, I won’t have to worry about Darren, and Ardan is nothing like him. Yeah, I think I chose a good man this time, and Darren isn’t going to get in the way of that. I broke the curse. Sure, Ardan isn’t the boy-next-door type—he’s rough around the edges and delves into shades of gray more than anyone I know, but he has a good heart, and more than anything, he makes me happy. He makes me feel good about myself; he makes me feel protected and safe. I deserve to be happy.
And if I have to fight for it, I will.
EIGHT
I FINALLY found an apartment—with Ardan’s help. He wouldn’t have it any other way. The new place is a two-bedroom, one-bath modern apartment close to work, and in a safe neighborhood, according to him. I have to admit that I’m pretty in love with it. Things with Ardan have been amazing, and I’ve found myself spending a lot of time with him over the last few weeks, getting to know him and learning to trust him. I haven’t heard anything from Darren, so I’m hoping he’s finally decided to move on and leave me alone, even though deep down I don’t believe it for a second.
When I moved into my new apartment, Ardan helped me. By help, I mean he got one of his friends, a part-scary, part-sexy bearded man by the name of Arrow, to carry everything in with him while I stood by idly and watched. I bought some secondhand furniture for the place but splurged on a brand-new bed and mattress. I never want to get out of bed in the mornings, but I do have the best sleep ever.
We’re sitting on the couch a few nights after I moved in, him in the corner and me in the middle, having a drink. I have a glass of red wine, while Ardan has a whiskey.
“Why are you so far away?” I ask, flashing him my most enticing bedroom eyes. “Come over here.”
“You come here,” he says, watching me like a hawk. I roll my eyes but give in and move next to him.
“I can’t stay long tonight,” he says, running his free hand through my hair.
“Why?” I ask, not angry, just curious. “I thought you were going to spend the night.”
“Yeah, I was,” he says, lifting my face up and looking me in the eye. “I forgot we have something going on at the clubhouse tonight, and I can’t miss it. I’m showing up late, but I have to be there.”
“Okay,” I say, laughing at his surprised expression, like he expected me to get mad over it.
“That’s it? Just okay?” he asks, voice laced with suspicion, his eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, I mean I know the club is important to you, and it’s who you are, even though I don’t really know much about it.” I don’t think you can change a man. I either take Ardan as he is or not at all, and from what I’ve seen so far, he’s been nothing short of amazing.
He flashes me a crooked smile. “Where the fuck did you come from, darlin’? And why did you make me wait so long to find you?”
I laugh at that and put my glass down on the table before wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my cheek against his chest.
“I was taken by someone who didn’t deserve me,” I say, placing a kiss on his chest. “I should have left sooner, instead of wasting time, but who knows? Maybe then we wouldn’t have even met.”
“Fucker,” he grumbles, running his hand down my back. “He must be fuckin’ stupid not to do everything possible to keep a woman like you.” He pauses. “Not that I’m complaining, because otherwise you wouldn’t be here right now.”
The sad thing is, Darren did try to keep me, but with threats and guilt trips instead of treating me right. He’d mess with my head, make me believe that it was me who was lacking, that it was my fault things were the way they were. When someone keeps telling you over and over again that you’re not good enough, in the back of your mind, no matter how strong you are, you start to wonder if that person is right. When you see other people being treated so well, being respected and cared for, you wonder why you don’t have that. What is it about you that drew in someone like that? The whole thing almost destroyed me and I’m so happy to be away from it. All the negativity has drained away, leaving behind feelings of hope and positivity, and the chance of starting over.