Finding shampoo, conditioner, and everything I needed to get clean besides a razor, I turned the shower knob and waited for the water to heat up. Taking my clothes off, especially the sports bra that I wore when I was captured was especially challenging, and when I was finally completely naked, steam was filling up the bathroom.
The water felt heavenly and I stayed under the stream for much longer than necessary, but it had been days since I’d felt even the slightest bit clean and I didn’t know when I’d get to do it again.
When I didn’t think I could hold off any longer, I turned off the shower and stepped onto the bathmat, looking for a towel. There was one draped over a towel rack and just beyond that, I found a fuzzy bathrobe. I gingerly put it on, tying the belt tightly and looked up to where I got it from and then looked around the bathroom. It was obviously made for two people to use because there were two of everything-two bathrobe hooks, two sinks, two towel holders.
“I’ve waited for you for a long time…”
The memory of using the bathroom in his Tennessee cabin hit me hard. Xander’s bathroom had two of everything too and I was surprised because, until me, he was alone. He said he was waiting for his mate and had me in mind when he built it.
Since we’d reunited, I hadn’t spent more than a few hours away from Xander at a time. Being without him, especially in a hostile place, was so hard. I missed him so much, my best friend.
Kenny told me someone would come to help me prepare for the dinner party, but I didn’t expect to find my mother sitting on the bed when I walked out of the bathroom. I took one step into the bedroom and stopped, staring at her in complete shock.
Her smile was kind, but tight and uncomfortable and I knew my reaction put it there. During our last meeting, the first time I’d seen my mother since she cursed me and sent me away for my own safety, I’d thought a lot about her and what she’d gone through. I didn’t want to admit it, but I felt badly for the way I’d treated her. I was a total bitch and she just… took it while I laid out all of the mistakes she’d made, as if she ever really had a choice.
Because of her fast thinking, I lived. Yes, it was a difficult life when I thought I was a strange human with a weird tattoo, but I didn’t blame her for it. Not anymore. She did what she had to do to save her daughter that day and every day after.
“Hi,” I finally said aloud and took a couple more steps into the bedroom.
She rose from the bed and clasped her hands in front of her awkwardly.
“Hi. How… how are they treating you?”
I huffed a laugh and shrugged my left shoulder. “It could be worse.”
I repeated the sentiment that Ironshot told me when I told him about my treatment up to that point. I didn’t want my mom to know how hard it’d been and in all honesty, the words rang true. Yes, I was a prisoner. I was beaten and treated like shit on the bottom of a shoe, but I wasn’t outright tortured and I was still alive. It definitely could have been worse.
Lucia nodded her head in disbelief and smiled. “Good. Okay.”
She held out her hand, indicating I should sit down in the chair at the vanity, so I did. I faced the mirror as my mom walked up behind me and lifted my hair between her fingers. Even wet, it was still red, much more red than even hers was. She stared down at it and teared up.
“What is it?” I asked.
Lucia smiled at me, shook her head, and reached around me for a comb. She began combing out the knots in my hair gently as if I were something delicate. I remembered her doing that when I was a girl. After my baths, I would sit in her lap while she combed my hair so softly. Looking back on those memories, it was like she took her time combing each section of hair because she wanted the moment to last. She wanted to savor them as if they were precious to her, just like she was doing at that very moment. She took her time, working around my head until every knot was gone.
She then plugged in the hairdryer and proceeded to blow out my hair into soft waves that hung down my back. Loving the way it looked, I was surprised when she began twisting it into a low bun at the nape of my neck and pinned it all into place.
She pulled up a chair so we were face to face and she then began working on my makeup. Lucia took in a deep breath as she studied every feature of my face. When she noticed me watching her, she smiled at me again, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You truly are beautiful,” she said to me, “and I missed...nevermind.” She shook her head as if to clear out the memories, or in our case, the lack of them. We missed so many years together. “Let’s just get you ready. Michael has some major expectations and I don’t want him to be harder on you than necessary.”
My smile hardened into a frown. “What do I need to know then?” I asked.
“Well,” she picked up an eyeshadow
