Blake
I’ve never met a woman as strong as Brooke. The pure determination on her face as we carried her belongings out to my brother’s cruiser was a sight to behold. Her husband was a real piece of work, and I truly don’t understand how she lived with him for as long as she did.
I stuffed the homemade sack into the trunk and then turned to see her standing on the bottom step. “You ready?”
“Almost,” she grumbled. “I just need a minute.”
“It’s ok to not be ok today. You know that, right?” I stepped up behind her.
“I do.” She nodded. “I just need to remember how bad he was. I need to keep all of that fresh so I can fight him. Warren won’t go away without a fight. He’s not wired that way.” Her voice sounded sad, defeated almost.
“You can do this. I’ll help you do this.” I don’t know where those words were coming from. I didn’t really know her other than the fact that she was my patient, and she wasn’t even really that anymore.
“Let’s get out of here,” Cal called from the top of the steps. He was just starting to lock the door when Brooke stopped him.
“Leave it unlocked.” She smirked. “I want him to worry for a few seconds before he figures out it was me.”
I almost laughed in that moment. She didn’t look like the scared woman I’d seen several months ago. At this moment in time, she looked as if she was finally taking a piece of her life back.
“Sure.” Cal shrugged as he jogged toward the car. “I wish I could be here when he shows up.”
“No, you don’t,” Brooke muttered as she climbed in the car. “No one wants to be here when he shows up. I’ve seen him blow up more times than I can count, and this blow will be on a scale of Chernobyl.”ooooooooo
Brooke
It didn’t take us long to get back to the house. Amy was sitting on the front porch reading when we pulled up. She waved as I climbed out, and I realized that this house truly felt like a home should. It was the first time that I believed I’d be ok. Bringing Ava here didn’t scare me, and I didn’t have that churning in my gut that I got every time I went to the brownstone. This place felt the way I should have felt for years. This place was the new beginning I’d been searching for.
“Everything go ok?” Amy jogged down the steps.
“Yep.” I moved away from the car as Blake grabbed my sack from the trunk.
“You don’t own any luggage?” Amy laughed.
“I do, but leaving the bed in an unorganized mess is much more satisfying.” I lifted my chin in the small amount of pride I was starting to feel. Donna had told me to always be on the lookout, but in this moment, I wanted to celebrate. ‘Celebrate the small stuff’, she’d said.
“Where are we taking this?” Blake hoisted the bundle over his shoulders.
“The second door on the left.” I pointed down the hallway to the room I’d been staying in. As Blake walked away, I turned to Cal. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done to help. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“Survive.” Cal smiled. “Love your daughter. Teach her what a good man is. Be happy. Be successful. Love with all your heart.”
“Those are things that’ll help me.” I was confused.
“Yes, but it means I was successful if you are successful.” He held out his hand to shake. I took it, and he shook my hand softly as a smile tugged at his lips. I couldn’t help but turn away. I’d never had a man look at me like that, not even Warren.
“Ready?” Blake cleared his throat and Cal looked over my shoulder at him.
“Sure.” Cal laughed lightly and then turned to leave. “Bye, Brooke. If you need anything, you know where to reach me.” He waved, and then climbed into his car.
I stood there, waiting for Blake to wave, but he didn’t. He barely glanced in my direction as they pulled away from the curb. It was as if he was mad. I knew the signs from watching Warren all those years, but I didn’t understand what he could possibly be upset about. We were successful today, and I thanked him. I stayed rooted in place over thinking everything, because that’s what I did. My head started to ache, so I moved to the porch swing. I played the events of the day over and over in my head as I tried to figure out how I upset him. It had to be my fault. These things were always my fault. Warren made sure I understood that. I’d made Blake mad, and I had to figure out why.
Chapter 8
Brooke
A month has passed since I moved into Donna’s place which I learned was called Emily’s House. There’s a story behind that name, but it’s not a nice one. Emily was the first woman Donna tried to help. She went back to her husband, and he ended up killing her. Donna said she swore it would never
