Keeley's Fight (The Protectors 1)

“Nothing, I’m fine,” she denied.

Nate just let her be until they got to their table. Walking into the restaurant he smiled, loving the calming atmosphere of Joy’s. “Hey Nate, how are you?” Asked the hostess, Heather. She had worked there for as long as it had been open.

“I’m good Heather, a table in the back if you don’t mind, please. And bring me a first aid kit, too. Ty will be in soon.”

“Ah, so this little beauty belongs to you, huh? I asked her if she wanted to come inside, but she said she was waiting on someone. Good to know it’s a good someone. That arm of hers looks mighty painful. I’ll get the first aid kit and pass it off to Joy, when I let her know you’re here.”

They followed Heather through the dining area and into the back, where they had tables reserved for private parties. It was elegantly decorated with maroon colored walls and landscape pictures of different trees from around the world hanging on them. Each picture was taken by Joy herself while she was traveling, before settling down close to her family and starting this restaurant. “I’ll go grab some coffee for everyone while you wait,” Heather said, leaving them alone until Ty arrived. Sitting Keeley down on a chair, Nate sat to her right and gently helped her with getting her coat off.

“Jesus sweetheart, you’re soaked to the bone. Do you have anything dry in your bags?” Nate asked her as he hung her coat on the back of an empty chair. Turning around he noticed the hand print on her neck. Anger coursed through his veins knowing it had to have been her father. Running his fingers along her neck, he looked into her eyes and saw the pleading look for him to let it go.

“P…Probably not,” she answered with chattering teeth and a sigh of relief that he didn’t push her for answers.

“Can I see your arm? I need to know how bad the damage is please,” he pleaded.

She looked at him with those gorgeous crystal blue eyes of hers searching his, for what he wasn’t sure, but he hoped she found what she needed. Seemingly pleased with her assessment, she held out her left arm and he sucked in a breath. It was bruising from her wrist all the way up her arm to the sleeve of her t-shirt, where it met the elbow.

“Butterfly, what happened?” Nate asked shocked that she was still moving it without screaming in pain. He didn’t think it was broken, but he still wanted Ty to take a look at it to be sure. He had been the medic on their missions overseas.

“I was walking home and slipped in a puddle and fell, the bruising is just from hitting the ground so hard. It doesn’t hurts so much anymore Nathaniel.” She cried so softly that if he wasn’t watching, he wouldn’t have known that she was.

“It’ll be ok Butterfly, we’ll get you all fixed up in no time,” h

e promised her. Nate loved that she called him Nathaniel. It came out so naturally making his cock go steel hard again. He was so screwed. This tiny waif of a woman had gotten him wrapped around her little finger so fast his head should be spinning, but he found that he quite enjoyed it. Smiling, he turned when he heard the door to the room open and in walked Ty and their Aunt Joy.

“Oh dear God in heavens girl, look at that arm! Let my Ty here check it out, and you’ll be good in no time at all. He was a medic in the Marines you know. One of the best there was, too!” Aunt Joy boasted proudly.

“Aunty… She doesn’t need to hear my life story just yet,” Ty told her with a slight blush tingeing his tanned cheeks.

Keeley had jumped when his aunt had first started talking, but she seemed to calm down once she saw that Ty was with her. It gave Nate hope. They might have only known her for a very short time, but he was glad she was starting to grow more comfortable with them.

“It’s ok Tyler, I don’t mind,” she told them as she gave the world’s smallest smile, but man alive did it ever transform her entire face. She had a slight blush on her cheeks, matching Ty’s, and there was a little twinkle in her eyes like she enjoyed how proud their aunt was of their accomplishments as she bragged about them.

“Can I see your arm sweet thing, it looks like it hurts something fierce. What happened?” Ty asked her as he knelt down in front of her.

*******

Keeley held out her arm for Tyler to look at, trying to hide the pain she felt but knew she failed miserably when she saw their Aunt Joy’s face, and the tears the nice woman was trying not to let fall on her behalf. It was weird for her, she’d never had anyone so upset over her injuries that they wanted to cry for her. “Keeley?” Tyler asked softly.

Getting back to the moment, she finally remembered he’d asked her a question. “Oh, I hurt it falling on the walk home this morning; tripped in a puddle. I landed on it when I hit the pavement, but the bruising’s not so bad.” She whispered that last part to herself more than anything.

“Are you sure, darlin’?” Tyler asked her this a little hesitantly, like he knew there was more to it, to her, than that.

“Yes, I am sure. It wasn’t like the other times.” Putting her head down, she tried to avoid their stares, sure that they were looking at her like she was some charity case. She gasped in shock as Nathaniel put his hand under her chin and lifted her head up to look him in the eyes, as Tyler started probing her arm. Sucking in a sharp breath at the pain his probing caused, she watched Nathaniel as questions formed in his beautiful brown eyes that looked just like melted chocolate. She could get lost in those them so easily. “What?” She asked him.

“Those other times?” He asked her.

Keeley felt everything freeze around her as she realized what she said. A panic started to form in her chest. It was like a vise had her lungs in their grip, and just started to squeeze. She started to hyperventilate when Nathaniel picked her up and sat her on his lap, facing Tyler. He held both of her cheeks in his hands while Nathaniel rubbed his hands up and down the tops of her thighs, and whispered in her ear. “Everything will be ok my sweet, sweet Butterfly, nothing bad will happen to you again,” he promised her as he kissed her right behind the ear. Oh, how she wanted to believe in that promise so badly.

“Darlin’, look at me,” Tyler told her, bringing her attention back to him. “It’s going to be alright. You don’t have to tell us anything yet, but we hope that when you’re comfortable enough with us you will. And baby, I can’t tell you how much I look forward to that day you really start to trust us, ’cause you can guarandamntee that we will always be two people you can count on.” Tyler ended that beautiful statement by giving her the softest kiss imaginable. Her first kiss, too. It was soft and sweet and over far too quickly.

“Hey, don’t forget me, too! And your folks, they already love this girl like their own. So you boys tread carefully.” They all chuckled at Aunt Joy’s outburst. Then Keeley suddenly realized what she said.

Slightly confused, she asked, “How do your parents know me?”

“Uh, well, you see… Ma and the Dads came into your restaurant one night, about a month ago, after they got back from a trip.” Nathaniel stumbled out his answer.

Tyler continued where he left off. “Ma has been nagging us for the last two weeks to go in and try out the awesome pancakes, ’cause we’re both suckers for a good pancake. Anyway, Ma and the Dads have been really persistent about us going, and it had to be at a certain time, too. So when we came in that night, we knew pretty quickly that it wasn’t the pancakes that were so great about that crappy ass place, it was you.”