Lex(119)

“Brian always hung me from the rafters in the barn to hurt me, rape me, and most of all cut me. This one is different. This one happened when I was sleeping next to him in bed. He, for the first time ever, handcuffed me to our bed. His bed, really, but I slept in it because I didn’t have much of a choice. I woke up just as he had begun. I was a dead a sleep, weak and malnourished from a rather harsh rape marathon from the night before. He’d taken a ballpoint pen and drawn a B on my stomach. I screamed shocking myself awake as the scalpel pierced my skin. It was the first time he’d ever used one on me. Maybe he used it so he didn’t go too deep. All my other carved out skin pieces are where bone is beneath. That’s what would stop him. He’s hit the bone and quit, like it was a marker for him. This time was different; it was his brand, his initial. As you can see it still kind of looks like a misshaped B.” I explain, Gage’s fingers tracing it over and over again, listening intently to my story.

“After he was finished, the B he’d retracted from my flesh was placed into a glass of water on the bedside table. Then he gathered up gauze, iodine and a bandage. He never cared enough to use antiseptic until the end, just before Linc found me. He had started getting more creative with his cuts by that point. Plus, I was always on a steady stream of antibiotics. Not sure how he got them, but I took them to keep from getting infected. After he was done that night, he left me cuffed to the bed and went to sleep in the living room. He didn’t say a thing to me. Days later as it started to scab over and I began to pick at it to distort his B. Not wanting his brand to be distinguishable, it worked, sort of. Better than how it looked when it first happened.”

“I’m sorry.” Gage mutters, following the roadmap of pain across my stomach and ribs.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. That’s all I’m going to tell you for tonight. I’ve already ruined the mood for more sex. So let’s just cuddle and talk, okay? Tell me more about you. Since you already know an awful lot about me.” I lean over and kiss the creases on his forehead. He’s face is stricken in grief and deep in thought. It’s clear as day.

“Gage?”

“Yes, I’m just pissed. When you see the scars, it’s one thing. To know how they got there is another. I wish I could murder that prick.” His dark, malice filled tone shocks me.

“I do too, honey.”

I push his chest so he falls to his back and I curl up next to him, my head on his bare chest, listening to the soothing rhythmic sound of his heartbeat. His arms encase me, holding me close, as he finishes tossing a blanket across our naked bodies.

This is a beautiful place. The stars are breathtaking, as they sparkle in the night sky. The rooftop of candles provides the right amount of ambiance. It’s beyond romantic. I couldn’t have pictured our first time being any sweeter. Even if it was a little tainted by our pasts, that’s just who we are, a part of us. Neither of us perfect. Yet, together, we can overcome anything. I just know it.





Chapter Twenty-Nine





Sunday

Lex





“So how are things going?” My mom asks standing at her workbench, floral shears in hand, quickly precision trimming stems from a bundle of long stemmed red roses. She’s extremely busy this weekend. I dropped by about two hours ago to see how she’s doing. I ended up staying to help. Booked herself solid all week, a wedding next weekend to do eight bouquets, boutonnieres, twelve centerpieces and the rose petals for the flower girls. Then she has a baby shower on Wednesday, has to dye white roses blue for a giant centerpiece that she is crafting from chicken wire and Styrofoam to make into a stork. You see all those cupcake shows on TV where they craft dresses and other crazy things out of cupcakes. Well my mother is the same, just with flowers. She makes the Pasadena Rose Parade look like a bunch of amateurs. And I’m not just saying that because she’s my mother.

“They’re good, had my first date with Gage last night.” I smile, big. I can’t help it; just the thought of last night makes me smile. I haven’t stopped smiling since. We literally talked until the sun came up this morning. We sat, cuddled; our legs tangled together and ate chocolate covered strawberries, wrapped in a mountain of blankets as we watched the sunrise. Without an ounce of sleep, we left afterward. He drove me home, escorted me to the door like a gentleman and kissed me goodbye. Like in all those romantic movies where you see the man leave the woman at the door after they share a steamy kiss. That was Gage and I. It was unbelievably perfect. I couldn’t have imagined a better night.