my rainbows and oonicorns and then we’re gonna draw pictures.”
“Easton, did you ask him if he wanted to do that?”
She looked up at me with those huge eyes. “Wanna go up to my room and see the rainbows and oonicorns and draw pictures?”
“Yes, but I want to speak to your mommy first. Is that okay?”
“Uh-huh, but hurry.”
“Easton. Go on up and we’ll come up in a bit.”
She climbed the stairs and I chuckled. “She’s quite the talkative one.”
“That she is, and will pester you to death with questions if you’re not careful.”
“How are you? And I don’t mean physically,” I said.
“Ugh, I don’t know. Scared?”
“I get it. He did a number on you.”
“It’s not just that. His dad is connected. Works for the governor and I’m worried he’ll pull strings to get Stuart out.”
That fucker. If he got out, he’d have a surprise waiting. He might be connected, but so was I and for once I’d use those connections to my benefit. “Don’t worry. He’s facing some serious charges. In these situations, relationships only go so far. I’m pretty sure it’ll be difficult to get out of this.”
“I don’t know. My best friend is an attorney and she said it’ll depend on who the judge is in the case.” English plucked at the hem of her sleeve. This confident woman had had the rug pulled from under her.
“Did you ask him to leave?”
Pained eyes met mine. “Yes, twice. That’s when he attacked.”
“My family employs some high-powered attorneys. I’d like to offer them for you to use.”
“Your family?”
This was a subject I never explored with anyone, yet I was comfortable discussing it with her, oddly enough. “Yeah, my family owns Baines Corporation.”
“The Baines Corporation?”
“’Fraid so.”
“Wow.”
“Look, I’m not involved in the family business, but I do have the connections and would like to offer those services.”
“Tristian, are you sure about this?”
Not really. “Of course.”
“That’s very generous of you.”
“English, I am completely against violence, especially abuse such as that. It makes me ill to think of you being the target of it, so I’m gladly offering. Under one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Go to dinner with me.”
Chapter Fourteen
English
“Dinner, huh? I accept, under one condition.”
The man smiled at me and, had I not been on the couch, I probably would’ve fainted. Okay, an exaggeration, but still.
“Oh, so now you have conditions?”
“Yeah, but when you hear, I think you’ll be okay with it.”
“Shoot.”
“We wait until my grapes, as Easton calls them, go away.”
“Deal. Are you in pain?”
“My face hurts to touch and my neck is really sore.”
“Let me get you some ice.” He left for the kitchen and returned with a bag of frozen peas instead.
“I see you found my dad’s favorite remedy.”
“They work so well. Just don’t eat them.”
“Ooff, don’t worry.”
He glanced up at the ceiling. “Oh, Lord, she’s hating on the peas.”
“Sorry, not sorry.” I laughed.
“I love them, so one day when I cook dinner for you you’ll have to eat them.”
“Never! I’ll hide them in my napkin!”
He frowned but was terrible at hiding his twitching lips. “If I catch you, I’ll punish you.”
“Hmm. And what will my punishment be?”
“I don’t know but I’ll come up with something.” He pulled out his phone and asked, “May I take some pictures of your injuries?”
My hand pressed against my bruised throat. Why would he want to do that?
“Don’t worry,” he added, “I only want them to send to the attorney so he can see what that animal did to you.”
A breath of relief blew out of me. “I was wondering…”
“Sorry, I should’ve explained first. The photos will be date- and time-stamped so they can use them as evidence.”
“Okay, sure.”
He aimed his phone at my face, then asked, “Can you pull your hair up?”
I did as he asked and he snapped several shots. Then he asked me to pull my shirt collar lower so the bruising would be seen better. When he finished, I asked to see them.
“Urrgh, I look awful.”
“Usually, I’d disagree, but I can’t. That bastard really did a number on you.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, and it wasn’t the first time. He beat me after I told him I was pregnant.”
“Say again?”
“Yeah, it was pretty ugly. If my roommate and her boyfriend hadn’t come home, no telling what would’ve happened. Her boyfriend pulled him off me, kind of like you did.”
“Christ, English. That man should rot in prison.”
I wilted as tears swam in my eyes, but I swallowed them down. No use for them now. “I see that now. I never expected him to come over like that.