Read Online It's Always Been You by Jessica Scott - Free Book Online
Authors: Jessica Scott
Ads: Link
unwind and relax in the bedroom, but the truth was darker. It always had been. Maybe it was because she’d been overweight and awkward as a teen, but that was a comfortable lie she told herself to avoid the painful memories lurking in the shadows of her dreams. They were always there, always threatening to twist into a too familiar nightmare if she gave them a chance. But none of that knowledge could shake the loneliness that snuck up on her at moments like this—moments when there was a spark of connection, a hint of something
more.
Something more that she could never have. She sighed heavily.
Maybe she could get a cat. Maybe a fish.
But that felt a little too melodramatic. She smiled thinking of Emily, who finally had Reza back from rehab. God, but she was happy for her friend. If anyone deserved happiness, it was those two. They were such an odd couple but she’d never seen Emily happier than when she was with the big sergeant.
She entered the quiet house, turning the radio on to a quiet country song as she left her files in the kitchen. She turned on the shower, letting steam fog up the mirror.
She didn’t look down at her body as she stripped off the weight of the day and left her uniform in a pile near the sink. She didn’t look in the mirror.
She didn’t need to see the scars on her body to know they were there. They would always be there, a constant reminder that people would always let you down.
The scars tracing over her ribs no longer ached but the memories threatened to morph into something darker as she thought of Escoberra and his daughter.
Hailey thought she wanted her father home. What she needed, though, was an advocate: someone to stand for her when she couldn’t stand for herself. Olivia breathed deeply as painful memories crashed over her, her scars throbbing as she saw again that lost little girl standing in the flashing lights of the ambulance.
No one had stood up for Olivia when her own father had tripped the final line.
No one had believed her when she’d first gone to the police. The officer had told her she shouldn’t put marks on herself like that. She hadn’t gone back a second time.
She should have been happy when her father had finally left her alone. But she wasn’t.
Because it meant that she was alone.
Always alone.
He’d loved her. She knew that, just as Hailey knew her dad loved her.
But love wasn’t enough when the rage exploded.
She stepped into the shower, letting the heat sluice over her body, washing the memories from her flesh.
The house was silent when she stepped out of the shower some time later.
Always silent.
She dressed and padded to her kitchen, ignoring the lingering ache in her ribs. Funny, she’d once thought the pain would eventually stop.
But it hadn’t. And in the silence, the scars on her ribs throbbed as old memories surfaced and reminded her that no, she could not fail.
* * *
Ben watched her walk away, her directive to keep Escoberra away from his family echoing in his ears.
She didn’t know he’d told Escoberra to go home.
And she didn’t need to know.
He knew in his soul that Escoberra hadn’t hurt Hailey.
Keeping him away from his family was the worst thing right then and his meeting earlier with Carmen had confirmed his decision. So was hearing that Hailey had gone to see Olivia.
The army was wrong on this one. The restraining order was meant to give people a chance to calm down. Escoberra was calm.
His family wanted him home and damn it, what was the point of this job if Ben couldn’t make that happen? He’d take the ass chewing if the battalion commander found out. But he wasn’t going to.
Ben hadn’t been able to keep Escoberra out of trouble when their base had gotten overrun but damn it, if he could help him now, that’s exactly what he was going to do.
If Ben was going to command, damn it, he was going to make some decisions.
Chapter Five
Ben pulled into the commander’s parking spot the next morning,
more.
Something more that she could never have. She sighed heavily.
Maybe she could get a cat. Maybe a fish.
But that felt a little too melodramatic. She smiled thinking of Emily, who finally had Reza back from rehab. God, but she was happy for her friend. If anyone deserved happiness, it was those two. They were such an odd couple but she’d never seen Emily happier than when she was with the big sergeant.
She entered the quiet house, turning the radio on to a quiet country song as she left her files in the kitchen. She turned on the shower, letting steam fog up the mirror.
She didn’t look down at her body as she stripped off the weight of the day and left her uniform in a pile near the sink. She didn’t look in the mirror.
She didn’t need to see the scars on her body to know they were there. They would always be there, a constant reminder that people would always let you down.
The scars tracing over her ribs no longer ached but the memories threatened to morph into something darker as she thought of Escoberra and his daughter.
Hailey thought she wanted her father home. What she needed, though, was an advocate: someone to stand for her when she couldn’t stand for herself. Olivia breathed deeply as painful memories crashed over her, her scars throbbing as she saw again that lost little girl standing in the flashing lights of the ambulance.
No one had stood up for Olivia when her own father had tripped the final line.
No one had believed her when she’d first gone to the police. The officer had told her she shouldn’t put marks on herself like that. She hadn’t gone back a second time.
She should have been happy when her father had finally left her alone. But she wasn’t.
Because it meant that she was alone.
Always alone.
He’d loved her. She knew that, just as Hailey knew her dad loved her.
But love wasn’t enough when the rage exploded.
She stepped into the shower, letting the heat sluice over her body, washing the memories from her flesh.
The house was silent when she stepped out of the shower some time later.
Always silent.
She dressed and padded to her kitchen, ignoring the lingering ache in her ribs. Funny, she’d once thought the pain would eventually stop.
But it hadn’t. And in the silence, the scars on her ribs throbbed as old memories surfaced and reminded her that no, she could not fail.
* * *
Ben watched her walk away, her directive to keep Escoberra away from his family echoing in his ears.
She didn’t know he’d told Escoberra to go home.
And she didn’t need to know.
He knew in his soul that Escoberra hadn’t hurt Hailey.
Keeping him away from his family was the worst thing right then and his meeting earlier with Carmen had confirmed his decision. So was hearing that Hailey had gone to see Olivia.
The army was wrong on this one. The restraining order was meant to give people a chance to calm down. Escoberra was calm.
His family wanted him home and damn it, what was the point of this job if Ben couldn’t make that happen? He’d take the ass chewing if the battalion commander found out. But he wasn’t going to.
Ben hadn’t been able to keep Escoberra out of trouble when their base had gotten overrun but damn it, if he could help him now, that’s exactly what he was going to do.
If Ben was going to command, damn it, he was going to make some decisions.
Chapter Five
Ben pulled into the commander’s parking spot the next morning,
Similar Books
