Sighing, I stretched my well-rested body and slowly opened my eyes. I knew what I’d see. I knew who I’d see. I tried to muster anger, but right now I didn’t have anything left. “I still hate you.”
“Jade, I’m so, so, sorry. I love yo—”
“Don’t. Don’t you dare say it. I swear if you finish that sentence I will never forgive you.” I could handle a lot but hearing those words from him I couldn’t take, especially now.
“I thought it was me and my family causing you to get hurt and shot at.”
“Oh so it’s okay now because it was my family who was trying to kill me?”
“Yes, no. Can’t you give me a break?”
“What like you gave me when I needed you most, when I awoke in hospital all alone after being shot?” I whacked him with my cast as I still couldn’t use my other one. I don’t know why he brought out my violent side but he did.
“That was hard for me too.”
“Bullshit. You pushed your way into my life from the get-go. I pretty much begged you to stay away from me. I told you I couldn’t handle your kind of ‘love’. I can’t do this, Stephan. I won’t put myself through this again.”
“I promise I won’t ever hurt you again.”
“You’re a liar.” I climbed off the bed. “You don’t know how not to hurt me. All you’ve done since you met me is hurt me.”
Stephan got of the bed and reached for me.
“Stay back. Don’t you touch me. Don’t you ever touch me again.”
In usual Silverman style Stephan didn’t listen to me and gathered me to him, cupping my face and forcing me to stare at him. “No. You’re mine. I will always want you and I know you don’t want to hear this now but I need to say it. I love you. I will always love you, Jade. I regret the last few weeks more than I regret anything in my life. I was scared. Terrified. I never wanted this. What you and me have. Before you I hadn’t ever had a relationship with a woman or girl other than my aunties and mum. I’d seen how us Silvermans acted with our mates and I didn’t want any of it. Then I saw you and knew I wanted exactly what they had and more with you. Please, Jade, give me another chance. ”
Shit. I could feel my will crumbling and any fight I had against Stephan vanishing. Gazing into his deep blue eyes, I groaned, “I hate you.”
“You’ve said that.”
“Well I mean it.” Jerking from his hold, I paced. “You get one more chance. I swear, Stephan, that’s it. If I feel any unwanted pressure I will never, and mean never, give you another chance.”
He smiled and his damn dimples popped. I prayed I’d done the right thing.
*****
Stephan
“Man, I advise against this. You’re young to have a girl’s name tattooed on you.”
“Oh, my brother won’t regret this.” I grinned over at Derick. I told him what I had booked and he was eager to come and watch.
“If you say so, man.”
I okayed the design and laid back in the chair. The outline started, which was the most painful needles.
“So why isn’t this girl with you here?”
“She’s having a movie night with her girlfriends.” I closed my eyes and pictured her as he did his work.
“You’ve had the tat booked in for weeks though.”
“Yeah, I wanted it before her birthday. It’s Saturday. I’ve planned a huge party and my parents have bought her a car.”
“Wow, sounds like a lucky girl.”
“I didn’t know you’d had it booked for that long, Stephan,” Derick said.
“I booked it when she moved in.” I opened my eyes and looked down at Stew, the best tattoo artist in the state. “She deserved that and much, much, more.”
Stew paused and looked up.
“She been through some things?”
“To hell and back over and over. She turns eighteen this weekend and has one hand in a cast and the other in a sling from being shot and that’s just her arms.”
“Christ, man. She sounds like one tough bird.”
“That she is.”
“Well I hope she loves the tat.”
I wasn’t sure how Jade would react to the tat. The last couple of days since Jade had come back home, she wasn’t in the kitchen baking and dancing, and she wouldn’t sleep in my bed. I came to her room to sleep and she wouldn’t let me in the covers unless I at least had boxers on. She didn’t snuggle in the morning and she wouldn’t go anywhere with my family. My mother had invited her shopping, a spa day and just out to lunch, she’d declined everything. She dropped the restraining order, but avoided my touch. I needed something to show her how serious I was and there was no one else for me, I loved her.