She patted Jessica’s shoulder. “Yes, they are, but I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with them. Not with my father or my uncles or for damn sure my ex-husband. They’re strong and protective, and pretty intimidating to outsiders, I imagine, but with me…” She thought of waking up with them after that first night and let out a long sigh. The feeling defied description.
“You’re in love,” Jessica whispered.
Heat filled her cheeks when she realized she was staring at her men and they were watching her just as closely. “I am. When I’m with them, it’s as if I’ve been lonely all my life and now I’m not.”
Jessica jabbed at the ice in her glass with the straw. “I can’t imagine.” She smiled at Cassie, as if reassuring her she was all right. “So, will I be attending another wedding for a friend soon?”
Cassie shrugged, feeling at peace with where they were, perhaps because she had reason to be confident. “I don’t know. But I’m open to the idea, you know?”
Jessica pursed her lips but nodded. Cassie put an arm around her friend’s shoulders and hugged her. Thinking of protective men brought two specific red-haired men to mind. “How are Tank and Troy?”
For long seconds Jessica didn’t say anything but then slowly shook her head, and Cassie saw tears in her eyes when she looked up. “I haven’t heard from them in a while. I think I finally succeeded in running them off. Could we talk about something else? I hate to ruin your fun with my men problems.”
“Hey, I’m always here for you, Jess. You have a special set of circumstances, it’s true, but you are worthy of being loved. You and Bella both.”
It’d taken a while for her friend to trust her with the whole story, but over time, Jessica had shared with Cassie and Violet that she had been the victim of an abduction a couple of years before and had been held captive as a sex slave, barely fed enough to keep her alive. After she’d been found and freed, she’d been stalked by the man who had abducted her after he’d broke out from a prisoner transport, and she’d found herself in Divine, where the men who had saved her now lived.
Cassie had gotten to know Val Teller and Ransome Cross, who were Justin Connors’s cousins, before finding out what heroes they were to Jessica. Talk about larger than life. The woman they loved, Charity, and her sister, Grace, had subsequently been endangered when Jessica’s captor had come to Divine looking to take her and her baby captive again. It was amazing the crazy things that could happen in a small town sometimes.
Jessica’s attempt to smile was a miserable failure before she shook the ice in her nearly empty glass and said, “I look at it this way. I have Bella, and I’m alive, and I’ve made a safe home for us here in Divine. Anything else good that comes my way is almost more than I could hope for. Maybe more than I deserve.”
“Jess—
Jessica looked over at her, and Cassie’s heart went out to her for the desolation she saw in her eyes. “What man, much less men, would ever want to deal with all my phobias and anxieties? It’s a monumental effort for me to stay in this seat with all the noise and movement around me this evening. And when I try to sleep, it’s even worse. Can you imagine being awakened by a woman screaming her head off? I imagine any man would get sick of that. I just content myself with a quiet life, my work, and taking care of my daughter.”
Contented was the last thing her friend appeared to be.
Cassie recalled that her mom had been jumpy, defensive, and anxious when she’d first returned to life in Divine, signs she also had observed in Jessica over the last couple of years. A doctor had diagnosed her mother with PTSD, which had been the first step toward her recovery. Even with the official diagnosis, Cassie’s father had exhibited little in the way of sympathy or support for her.
Recalling the times she’d seen Tank and Troy trying to be helpful and supportive to Jessica, Cassie knew they were more than willing to help Jessica past her trauma if she could just feel safe spending time around them and stop carrying the burden for past events beyond her control.
From personal experience, Cassie also knew eventually Jessica’s daughter would grow up and have a life of her own. Jessica needed something else in her life besides her daughter and her work.
“Have you been sitting here at the bar alone all night? You didn’t invite anyone to come with you?”
Jess shook her head. “I came over here to give Lydia and her men a chance to dance and have a good time with each other. I know your men are waiting for you, and judging by the look in his eyes, the other one wants to dance with you as well.”