“Me either,” Lily says, looking at me and then looking at her house nervously.
“Babe, please tell me what’s wrong.”
We made love all night and then three times this morning before we left the hotel room. But afterwards, I could see the curtain of dread fall over her eyes as we packed up and left. There was nothing I could do to cheer her up, and the times she smiled at me, I could tell it was forced.
“I love you so much, Lily. You can tell me anything,” I press, trying to get her to open up to me.
She lets out a shaky breath and looks over at me. “I’m sad to be leaving you. That’s all.”
It’s not the truth, but I let it go. “Let me grab your bag and walk you in,” I say, trying to help ease the transition.
It’s Sunday, and we’ve got plans to have a dinner and movie night, but it’s hours away. She said she wanted to go home and change and get fresh clothes, and then we could meet up again. For some reason, though, I have this fear of letting her out of my sight. Maybe it’s because we shared something so beautiful and deep last night that I don’t want it to end. But my gut is pushing, saying something different.
“No!” she says quickly, but then she softens it. “No, that’s okay. My dad is probably still sleeping. I don’t want to wake him.”
“Lily, I’m going to walk you to your door. I made love to you last night. I plan on being the man in your life until the end of time. I don’t care about your house, or money, or anything like that. I’m going to be your husband one day, babe,” I say, caressing her cheek. Her eyes snap to mine in shock, but I keep going. “You’re mine and I’m yours. Nothing will ever change that.”
I don’t wait for her answer as I grab her bag out of the back and then jump out, going around to her side and opening the door. I help her out and then hold her hand as we walk up her driveway to her front door. She takes a deep breath and turns to me, about to say goodbye when the door opens behind her.
A man who looks old enough to be Lily’s grandfather swings it open and glares at her. He’s wearing a dirty shirt and pants. The smell of alcohol hits me, and I tighten my grip on Lily’s hand.
“Where the fuck have you been, you little slut?” he slurs and stumbles against the door frame.
Before I have a chance to react, he jolts forward and lashes out at her. A second too late, I pull her back, and he manages to graze the side of her face with the back of his hand.
I recover quickly, pulling her behind my body and standing in front of her, shielding her from her father.
“Lily, go get in the Jeep,” I say through clenched teeth. I don’t want her to see what’s about to happen.
“Ren,” she whispers barely loud enough for her to be heard, but the drunk cuts her off.
“Oh, is this what you were doing?” he says, looking me up and down like I’m the trash. “Hope you had a good time. This isn’t some hotel you can check in and out of like a whore.” He sneers at me, the look of disgust clear. He takes a step forward and I don’t move. “I can't stand the sight of her anymore. She’s nothing but a reminder of what I lost, and I’m tired of it.”
“Lily, get in the Jeep and lock the doors, babe. No matter what you hear, you stay inside there,” I say, not taking my eyes off him. I keep my words soft, because the last thing she needs right now is something harsh. Her hands tremble against my back, but a second passes, and I hear her whisper, “Okay.”
I stand there, the two of us unmoving as I listen for her steps, and then the door to the Jeep closes. After I know she’s safe, I take a menacing step forward. Her dad blinks a few times as if seeing me clearly for the first time. He notices my size and takes a step back. I follow him step for step. Every time he retreats, I close in. Until eventually we are in the living room of the house, and I kick the door shut behind me without even glancing at it. No, my eyes are glued to him.
“Get the hell out of my house,” he says with a confidence I know he doesn’t feel.
“You laid your hands on my woman, the love of my life. So I’m going to lay my hands on you.”
I pull back, and as hard as I can I backhand him across the face—what he did to her. He flies back and lands against a table by the door. For a second, I think back to the bruise on Lily’s back and all the other ones since. The ones she kept brushing off, saying she was clumsy. This man gave them to her. And I’m going to pay him back tenfold.
“You think you can beat on her and get away with it? What kind of monster are you?” I kick him hard with my heavy boot, thinking about the bruise I saw last night on Lily’s side. “She is the gentlest, kindest, and most special person I’ve ever met in my life. And you hit her because she isn’t your wife.” I lean down and punch him in the stomach, remembering the red mark she had there last week. “Because you’re a drunk and you think it’s her fault. You don’t ever touch her again. Do you hear what I’m saying?” I reach down, grabbing his dirty shirt in both my fists, and pull him to his feet. “Do you understand me?”