Surviving Broken(29)
“I’m okay. I’m ready. Tom—”
He could feel her lips trembling as she placed a small kiss to his cheek.
“—Thank you. For everything.”
****
A little while later, JC felt the mattress compress beside her. She inhaled the familiar scent of coconut and gardenia. “Momma,” she whispered faintly before opening her eye.
Tess stroked her hair and tucked the covers around her sides. “I’m here, baby girl.”
Hearing the sweet sound of her mother’s voice caused JC to break. She sat up in bed and clung to Tess. Both women cried.
Her mother coddled her, assuring her in a tender voice, “It’s okay now. You’re home. He’ll never be able to hurt you again.”
Just when JC thought she’d finished weeping, it started all over again when she confessed, “I’m so sorry I missed Christmas. I’m sorry I lied to you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell anyone. I had to, Mom.”
“Shhh. Shhh. It’s okay, baby.” Tess climbed in bed next to JC, holding her until she fell asleep.
She slept for a day and a half, stirring occasionally to the clatter of dishes in the kitchen, boys giggling or crying, soft music or the TV. She relaxed, sinking deeper into a welcomed sleep to the sounds of her family, waking only to take another painkiller.
She finally climbed out of bed with the sunrise, dragging her aching body into the shower. The steamy veil of hot water loosened the stiffness in her sore muscles. The swelling had gone down enough for her to see out of her eye, but the entire left side of her face was still puffy and bruised reddish-black, dark purple, and translucent yellow. She ran a hairdryer over her head for a few minutes and wandered back into her room, cocooned in her baby blue bathrobe.
Tracy sat on the edge of the bed, handing JC a cup of coffee. “Mom heard you in the shower. She’s been up since five, cooking everything in the house. All your favorite food.”
Both girls smiled fondly. JC winced, feeling the tightness of her lip and face. “Thank goodness, I’m starving. Do you want me to put in an order for you? Remember when they took out your tonsils and I got so mad cause Mom made all your favorite foods? I asked you to tell Mom you had a craving for chili.”
“Begged. Get the story straight. You begged.” Tracy opened the blinds and tossed the covers up on JC’s bed. “Do you want to eat breakfast in the kitchen?”
JC cupped her cheek. “Where are the boys? I don’t want them to see me like this.”
Tracy inspected her face. “You look a little better. They’re not up yet, but they’re leaving later today. Besides, Shayla told them you got in a fendi-bendi. Vincent had to go back home last night. He said to tell you goodbye. JC, he feels horrible. We had no idea. If he knew Luca was violent, Vincent never would’ve—”
“Vincent was here?” JC asked, digging through her drawer for a clean pair of jammies.
“I didn’t think you’d remember. You’ve been out of it.”
“It’s not Vincent’s fault. At all. I think there’s probably a lot about Luca that Vincent’s not aware of. For starters, that little prick had his portfolio made two weeks before your wedding. I found photo proofs in the closet when I was ripping through my things. I’m sure he wanted to get Tom’s attention, but aimed for me instead. I feel like a damn target.” She shook her head, dropping the blue robe at her feet.
Tracy gasped, holding her hands to her mouth.
“What?” JC jerked around.
Her sister sprang toward her, inspecting her naked back.
“Ouch.” JC shirked away from her sister’s finger.
“Sorry. You have bruises all over. None of these were here two days ago.” She gently touched JC’s back and hips. “Are these rug burns?”
JC’s lip quivered in recollection.
“Yeah probably. We wrestled. Fucker drug me down the hall by my hair.” Self-consciously, she thread her fingers through her hair, touching the tender area at the top of her head. “I don’t want to talk about it yet, okay?”
Tracy nodded. Sadness seeped over her blank expression helping JC pull the t-shirt over her head.
“I won’t be able to eat all the delicious food Mom’s cooking if I start talking about him.”
JC couldn’t miss the distinct aroma of Christmas as she ambled toward the kitchen. Sunlight beamed through the windows, warming the kitchen and living room. A large pine tree sitting in the corner of the living room captured JC’s attention. She chuckled in between her sniffles. They bought a pine tree, wrapped the pot in a red blanket and decorated it with homemade decorations. Strands of popcorn and red berries hung from the branches, and paper snowflakes dangled from the tips.