Read Online Trust Again by Christy Newton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christy Newton
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you about my past and why I am so distrustful. I’ve never told anyone this. Not even my dad.” She paused and looked down at her hands resting protectively in his.
“Please tell me,” he whispered and kissed her cheek next to her ear.
Ellie nodded and moved her eyes back down to their intertwined hands. “I lived with an abusive man in New York.” She didn’t look up to see Jacob’s reaction. “The first time he put me in the hospital, I convinced myself it was the booze and he convinced me he would never hurt me again.” Tears crept down her cheeks. Jacob’s fingertips gently wiped them away. “The second time he put me in the hospital, I knew he’d do it again. But it was too late. He had me right where he wanted me. Alone and afraid. He said if I ever left him, he’d kill me. Because if he couldn’t have me, no one could. I accepted the abuse as part of my life and learned to cover it up well. Not even my coworkers knew. Sure, they thought I was clumsy, coming in with little bruises on me now and then. But what they didn’t see were the larger ones underneath my clothes.” Jacob’s hands tensed around hers.
“The hospitalizations were covered up as car accidents, and in New York that isn’t so uncommon. If I came into work sore, I just shrugged it off as over exercising from eating too much candy at work. The city isn’t like Pleasant Valley... people don’t get into your business. If you say you’re fine, they take your word for it. Bryce doesn’t know where I am. I never told him where I was from because he was from a big city and—” She paused for a tight laugh. “And I was embarrassed of being an inexperienced, small-town girl.”
Jacob wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as if she were a fragile china doll. “He’ll never hurt you again.”
She had to tell him the rest. Instead, she lifted her face to look into his eyes. “I know.”
“I’ve been hurt, too. Not physically the way you have, but I’ve had a hard time with trust also.” He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the tip of her nose. “We have to learn to trust again if we ever hope to be happy.” He kissed her lips. “I would never hit a woman. A man that does that is a coward.”
She nodded. Should she take this leap of faith or run and not look back? “I want to trust you. I do, but—”
“I know it’s a risk. But I want to take that risk. Do you?”
“I don’t want to rush into anything.”
He hugged her a little tighter.
She embraced him back and then looked at him with serious eyes. “You’ll have to earn my trust. And I will do my best to earn yours.”
“Deal.”
***
How could anyone hurt someone as sweet and pure as Ellie? They’d have to be some kind of sicko. Jacob couldn’t wrap his head around what Ellie had confided to him. He was able to remain calm in front of her, but now that he was alone at home, the anger surfaced. He grabbed his jacket and headed to the construction site. He needed to build something. Anything. He drove with the windows down, letting the cool night air sting his face. If he could take away her pain, he would, but he knew all too well that she was the only one that could do that.
She opened up to him. That had to mean she thought they could have a future together. He couldn’t change her past, but he sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone ever hurt her like that again. The stars were extra bright tonight. The beauty of the night sky helped pull him out of his bitter thoughts. He remembered the shooting star they’d seen together at the canal. If it was up to him, they’d both get the future they deserved. He grabbed a two-by-four and sighed.
***
The sunshine warmed Ellie’s face as she sat in her PJs with a mug of hot chocolate, staring out the window at a beautiful autumn day. The reality of what she had shared with Jacob last night made her nervous. Would he think less of her for putting up with an abusive relationship for as long as she
“Please tell me,” he whispered and kissed her cheek next to her ear.
Ellie nodded and moved her eyes back down to their intertwined hands. “I lived with an abusive man in New York.” She didn’t look up to see Jacob’s reaction. “The first time he put me in the hospital, I convinced myself it was the booze and he convinced me he would never hurt me again.” Tears crept down her cheeks. Jacob’s fingertips gently wiped them away. “The second time he put me in the hospital, I knew he’d do it again. But it was too late. He had me right where he wanted me. Alone and afraid. He said if I ever left him, he’d kill me. Because if he couldn’t have me, no one could. I accepted the abuse as part of my life and learned to cover it up well. Not even my coworkers knew. Sure, they thought I was clumsy, coming in with little bruises on me now and then. But what they didn’t see were the larger ones underneath my clothes.” Jacob’s hands tensed around hers.
“The hospitalizations were covered up as car accidents, and in New York that isn’t so uncommon. If I came into work sore, I just shrugged it off as over exercising from eating too much candy at work. The city isn’t like Pleasant Valley... people don’t get into your business. If you say you’re fine, they take your word for it. Bryce doesn’t know where I am. I never told him where I was from because he was from a big city and—” She paused for a tight laugh. “And I was embarrassed of being an inexperienced, small-town girl.”
Jacob wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as if she were a fragile china doll. “He’ll never hurt you again.”
She had to tell him the rest. Instead, she lifted her face to look into his eyes. “I know.”
“I’ve been hurt, too. Not physically the way you have, but I’ve had a hard time with trust also.” He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the tip of her nose. “We have to learn to trust again if we ever hope to be happy.” He kissed her lips. “I would never hit a woman. A man that does that is a coward.”
She nodded. Should she take this leap of faith or run and not look back? “I want to trust you. I do, but—”
“I know it’s a risk. But I want to take that risk. Do you?”
“I don’t want to rush into anything.”
He hugged her a little tighter.
She embraced him back and then looked at him with serious eyes. “You’ll have to earn my trust. And I will do my best to earn yours.”
“Deal.”
***
How could anyone hurt someone as sweet and pure as Ellie? They’d have to be some kind of sicko. Jacob couldn’t wrap his head around what Ellie had confided to him. He was able to remain calm in front of her, but now that he was alone at home, the anger surfaced. He grabbed his jacket and headed to the construction site. He needed to build something. Anything. He drove with the windows down, letting the cool night air sting his face. If he could take away her pain, he would, but he knew all too well that she was the only one that could do that.
She opened up to him. That had to mean she thought they could have a future together. He couldn’t change her past, but he sure as hell wouldn’t let anyone ever hurt her like that again. The stars were extra bright tonight. The beauty of the night sky helped pull him out of his bitter thoughts. He remembered the shooting star they’d seen together at the canal. If it was up to him, they’d both get the future they deserved. He grabbed a two-by-four and sighed.
***
The sunshine warmed Ellie’s face as she sat in her PJs with a mug of hot chocolate, staring out the window at a beautiful autumn day. The reality of what she had shared with Jacob last night made her nervous. Would he think less of her for putting up with an abusive relationship for as long as she
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