“Yeah, baby, he is.” I couldn’t lie to her even if I wanted to. “So is your mom.”
Sniffling, she pulls back as Noah and Lauren leave the room. Cynthia remains in the doorway. “She is?”
“Would you like to see her?” Cynthia asks, and I need to bite back my reply. I don’t want Thea anywhere near her mother. As far as I’m concerned, she’s every bit as bad as Richard.
“I’m not sure.” Thea frowns. “What’s going to happen to her?”
Cynthia doesn’t hold back. “She’s going to be investigated for what happened to you. She knew about the second assault so she could be held liable. From what I saw of her, though, I think she needs a mental evaluation. Something is going on, deeper than we know, and I’d like to get to the bottom of it.”
“She was a good mom before she met him.” Thea defends the woman, and I love her for it.
“And that’s why I’d like to learn more about her relationship with Judge Dane.” Cynthia’s gaze softens. “Thea, you don’t have to make any decisions today, but tonight? Tonight, you can sleep knowing your tormentor is behind bars, and if I have any say, he won’t see the light of day for a long time to come.”
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Thea nods her head before leaning it back on my chest. “That will be nice.” All the tension, the fear, her anxiety, float out of her body like it was never there, and I can’t help but admire this amazing woman for her strength. Even when she doubted herself the most, she always tapped into that little bit of resilience and found a way to fight.
Chapter 14
Thea
Exhaustion drags at me as we pull in front of Kol’s house. The sun is still shining in the sky, slowly beginning its descent to close out another day. Even with the tiredness, I feel invigorated. I feel as though life isn’t about to knock me on my ass again.
“Come on, blue eyes.” Kol helps me down from his truck, and as we step up on the sidewalk, I stop to take a good look at his neighborhood. The homey feel it displays. The closeness I crave in a community.
“Hey, Kol!” I hear someone yell, and we both turn as Kol is sprayed with a hose from across the street.
“Son of a bitch!” His big body turns, and as I’m about to laugh, he pulls me into him, so we’re both soaked.
“Kol!” I screech as the water turns off.
“I’m gonna fry that little shit,” he growls before taking off at a dead run to chase a boy of about ten down the street. Some other boys and a dog join in on the pursuit.
“I am so sorry.” A woman around Kol’s age comes out of the house the boy came from.
“It’s fine,” I tell her, pushing my soaked hair back from my face.
“I swear, those two, they’ve been at each other’s throats since Kol moved in.” She laughs as the boys all come running back towards us.
“It’s good for him.” I observe the interactions. Kol radiates happiness, even if he is pretending to be annoyed.
“Good for Jonah, too. Without his father, he’s been a bit of a terror.” She reminisces, and from her tone, I get that he might have passed away.
“I’m so sorry.”
She waves me off. “He’s better off now. Pain doesn’t consume him anymore.” We’re quiet after that, watching Kol chase Jonah while the other boys chase Kol. I don’t know how, but today went from amazing to hellish, to the most amusing of my life. “I’m Donna Lewis, by the way.”
I turn and smile, my first real and genuine grin in far too long. “Thea Matt–, Andrews.” I breathe a sigh of relief. Speaking my given name is a small victory but wonderful.
“It’s nice to meet you. I assume we’ll see more of you now?” There’s nothing but neighborly curiosity in her tone.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Good. I better get this boy cleaned up for school tomorrow. I’ll see you soon. Jonah!” Donna is off and grabbing her son as I wave, and Kol jogs back to me.
“Come here.” Before I can run from his soaked body, Kol has picked me up and is kissing me soundly as he walks us up to his door. “God, it’s good to see you smiling, woman.”
“It feels wonderful,” I whisper into his neck.
Dropping me to my feet, Kol begins to strip off his clothes. As much as I enjoyed our lovemaking last night, I didn’t get the time to truly appreciate his body. Now, as every inch is revealed, I’m breathless and craving more.