Chapter 19

19

Natalie – One Week Later

I gently hum to myself as I fold my jeans, and place them in my bottom drawer. I return to my bed and grab the next item of clothing: my ruined white dress from when I dropped the paint on my head. This is the fifth time I’ve washed it after soaking it with baking soda, and it barely touched the paint.

I roll my eyes as I hang the dress on the hanger, knowing I can just wear it around the house. I walk to the small closet and open the door, but instead of hanging the dress, my eyes instantly go to the property cut.

I haven’t worn it since our talk on the ferry, and I don’t know if I will ever wear it again, just like I don’t know if I’ll ever call him his legal name again.

He’s so unsure about us, about a relationship, yet he can’t let me go, and I can't let him go, either.

I understood his words and reasoning because I’m in the same boat. I love him, but I don’t know if I can allow him to take control of my heart after watching my father treat me like a pest all my life, giving into his wife on a daily basis and yet, I don’t want to let him go either, even with the knowledge that he watched clubwhores get each other off.

Henry, Christy, and Billy really screwed me up, huh….

I sigh and hang the dress up before going back to my bed covered in laundry. This is the second time I’ve washed these clothes.

I hung the clothes on the line this morning, forgoing use of the dryer to save money, only to drop the whole basket of clothes into the mud after I tripped over on my own two feet like the idiot I am.

Growling with frustration, I grab my top, folding it, my mind going back to my husband.

I have barely seen him this week. After making love all night, I woke to him gone again, like in college, only this time he left a note saying he had club business and wouldn’t be around that night.

The only time I’ve seen him is when he’s picked Cooper up from school, and he’s always gone when I got downstairs after taking Coop to bed.

It’s like Piston opened his can of worms, his trauma, and regretted it, and all that has done is left me feeling alone and empty.

I miss him. I miss him so much.

“God, how will I handle when we get divorced?” I mumble and scoff, answering myself, “I’m not. I don’t want a divorce….”

And now I’m talking to myself…great.

Giving myself a mental shake, I continue to put my clothes away.

I meant what I said: I don’t want a divorce, I don’t want to lose him, and, my God, does that terrify me, but now he’s ignoring me, barely speaking to me when he is here, making me think maybe it’s for the best….

I squeeze my eyes shut at the pain hitting me. I’m so confused, and I know he is as well. We’ve both been through hell and have been closed off, yet we came together anyway, and let each other in.

He became the reason I breathe, the reason I get up in the mornings.

I miss him….

Trying to breathe through the lump lodged in my throat, I grab the empty basket and take it downstairs to my small laundry room. I place it on the washer before heading to the kitchen, and checking the time.

I sigh. Coopers at a friend’s tonight, which means I won’t see Piston, and I’ll be all alone.

Something I used to pray for but now hate.

I go to the fridge to see what I can cook—and seems my husband decided to fill it without telling me.

Someone bangs on the door, and I groan.

“Great, this could be one of two people.” The banging intensifies, and I stomp over to my door. “Piston’s father or Christy….”

“Open up, you waste of space bitch!”

Huh, Christy, it is.

Now, why was I hoping it was the first one?

Maybe so I could kick him in the?—

“Open the fucking door, Natalie!” she shouts again, and I snort, doing as she asks just as she goes to bang again.

She stumbles, just catching herself, making me smirk as our eyes connect. The hatred in hers doesn’t really surprise me, though the knife in her hand does.

I raise a brow at her. “Really, you came here to stab me, your own stepdaughter?”

Her nostrils flare, and she snaps, “Maybe I did.”

I snort. “And why would that be, dear step-monster?”

Her eyes cloud over, and a little voice inside my head is telling me not to antagonize the crazy woman with a knife, but the larger part of my brain is telling me to hit her.

“I told you to stay the hell away from my son; now go in that shithole you call a home and get him before I ram this knife into your heart!” she growls.

I laugh before stating, “Okay, first of all, I don’t have a heart; you and my father ensured that, and secondly, Cooper’s at Trevor’s house. It’s his birthday sleepover.” Her mouth parts in shock. I laugh again. “Seriously, you’re that deranged you’ll come to my home, insult me, and threaten me over my little brother, when you don’t even know where he is?” I clap my hands, and I swear I can see steam as I sneer, “Mother of the fricking year!”

She screeches and throws the knife on the ground before tackling me, sending us both down with a thump .

I grunt at the impact as she punches me in the face, her engagement ring, the one my father bought her, cutting my brow.

I block the hand going for my throat, bring my palm up, and smack it against her nose, causing her to scream. Blood drips instantly, and she goes to hit me again, but I lurch upward, smashing my forehead against her chin, making her cry out in pain. Suddenly, I feel dizzy.

Crap, that seemed like a good idea….

The dizziness throws me off, and I can’t block her fist to my chest, making me gasp for air.

I hear, “What the fuck?” shouted in the background.

Christy screams as she’s dragged off me by her hair, and I roll on my side to see Piston leaning over her.

“You come near my fucking wife again, and I’ll kill you, bitch,” he sneers in her face, holding the knife she threatened me with.

Her eyes are wide and is that…? Yep, she just pissed herself.

I roll my eyes, then groan at the pain that shoots in my head. I hold my head as Piston rushes to me, giving Christy the chance to make a run for it.

Wuss.

I cough again as I try to get up, my body aching. Piston's arms gently go around my waist, helping me stand. I grip his arm for steadiness, and croak, “That headbutt thing looked a lot easier in the movies.”

He groans, putting his forehead on my head as I grip his shirt, and he mumbles, “Seriously, Diamond?”

I cough again. “The palm thing worked, though it did piss her off. I may have seen Timothy use it on Patrick at school. Remind me to thank them….”

He sighs. “You’re going to be the death of me, baby,” before he guides me into the house, slamming the door for good measure.

Carefully, he picks me up bridal style and takes me into the kitchen, placing me on the counter after throwing the knife in the sink, his eyes taking in my injuries, anger etching off him.

I joke, “Well, at least, this time, it wasn’t because of my clumsiness.”

He narrows his eyes and asks, “So the scrape on your elbow was because of the crazy bitch?”

I wince and admit, “I fell in the yard bringing in the laundry. I had to rewash the clothes and use the dryer, which I didn’t want to do.”

He snorts, then kisses my forehead, mumbling, “My clumsy fucking girl.”

Yeah, his clumsy girl….

My eyes tear up a little as he turns and goes to the freezer, grabbing the bag of frozen peas. He then goes to the drawer for a towel. He wraps the peas up, and walks back to me, pressing the bag against my forehead, and I flinch at the coldness and the pain.

He shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have given you space.”

My eyes widen at his admission as guilt etches his features and, instantly, I understand why he gave me space, because it’s exactly what I have done several times over the years.

Dammit, why didn’t I see what he was doing?

“Piston,” I try to console him, but he turns and hits the cupboard, causing it to fall. I flinch at the noise, my head killing me, then state, “Oh, Bulldozers going to kill you….”

He snorts and then laughs, looking my way, smiling. I grin back but wince, causing his smile to fade. He walks back to me, cupping my chin to tilt my head, inspecting my injuries.

“Why do you always get rid of my anger, huh?” he asks himself, but I answer anyway, “Because you love me….”

We make eye contact, his thumb gently rubbing my cheek, and he nods. “Yeah, Diamond, I love you.”

I half smile. “And that’s why you’ve barely spoken to me; you were hoping I’d see the monster you think you are, and run away.” His eyes soften, confirming my thoughts. I cup his cheek. “You’re not a monster, Piston. Have you made mistakes? Yeah, and so have I, but it doesn’t stop the fact I love you too, that I’m just as scared and confused about us as you.”

He nods, his eyes roaming over my face before his lips descend to mine gently. I grab his shirt and pull him closer because, my God, I have missed him.

He groans when I part my lips for him, tangling my tongue with his, before he grips my hips and lifts me. I wrap my legs around his waist as he moves us. I don’t look to know he’s heading upstairs, instead, I tilt my head and deepen the kiss, my fingers in his hair.

It isn’t until I feel the mattress beneath me and hear Bluebell hiss and scamper out of the room do I break the kiss, and make eye contact with him. Without any words, I glide my hands up his chest and remove the cut off his shoulders, throwing it on the other side of the bed before grabbing his shirt.

He lifts his body a little, allowing me to remove it and throw it, before my fingers go to my name inked on his chest.

“Why?” I mumble, gently tracing the letters.

He grips my shirt, the only thing I’m wearing, and removes it, making me move my arms up as he says, “Because, even in college, I knew you’d always be mine, one way or another….”

I nod and arch my back as he moves his hand behind my back and unclips my bra. He throws that with his shirt, before he takes a nipple into his mouth, sucking it. I gasp, and he bites it, then pulls back, gripping my panties. I lift my hips, allowing him to remove them as he stands, and I open my legs for him, not at all shy.

He grins and unbuttons his jeans, and removes them and his boxers, his hard length popping free.

My breathing picks up as he covers my body with his, and wraps my legs around his waist, his member going straight to my entrance. He slides in with ease, my walls gripping him tight, making us both moan.

Piston gently nips my bottom lip and rasps, “I hope you’re not tired, baby, because I’ve fucking missed you.”

I smile and kiss him hard, giving him my answer, and he moves his hips back before thrusting forward, nice and slow. I meet him thrust for thrust, causing him to reach the magical spot inside, my walls already tightening around him.

I feel him all over, from his member to his chest and tongue, our bodies connected, and it's now when I realize he’s worth trying to love, he’s worth having a family with…because he’s my everything.

With him, I could have the love I see on TV and on the street, where couples are touching and kissing, he loving each other.

Piston moans as his hips pick up speed, and my stomach tightens. He breaks the kiss, and takes a nipple into his mouth, causing my walls to flutter. He bites down hard, and thrusts with purpose. I see stars, wetness gushing between us, and I scream out in ecstasy as he follows in one, two, three more thrusts. He goes still, keeping himself deep inside me as he licks me from my nipple to my neck, sucking gently.

We’re both breathing hard, but I know I need more; I need all of him, and I need the reassurance that he won’t run from me anymore, like we’ve both been running from each other.

Without a thought, I grip his hair, and he looks at me, but before he can say anything, I press my lips against his, my tongue instantly tangling with his as I show him, without words, how much I need him, how much I love him. He groans as he starts to thrust again, getting his member hard for another round.

I may be screwed up because of my past, but I know when a true love hits you in the face. He’s it, he’s my true love, and I’m going to fight for him. I’m going to get him to want to fight for me, show him he’s not like that man, that he’s perfect and he’s mine.