Page 60 of Avenging Azalea (California Made Men #2)

Chapter

Forty-Seven

TITUS

Fawn mumbled softly as she slept while I loaded her into the SUV.

She hadn’t stopped pacing until Sheba came out of surgery and Dr. Taylor said she was going to be okay.

I hadn’t even cared when she hugged him and thanked him for saving Sheba’s life as she cried.

Matt and I sat quietly watching Fawn and Winston as they waited for Sheba to wake up.

Then it was like Fawn just couldn’t stay awake any longer.

Her eyes closed as she fell asleep with their heads on her lap.

Closing the door gently, not to wake her, I turned to face Matt.

“Thank you,” I said, holding out my hand.

He looked at my offering of peace between us and finally returned the gesture. It was over quick, like he didn’t trust me. Not that I could blame him.

“I’m just happy it happened here. Anywhere else and the outcome would be very different,” Matt said, and I hated that he was right.

Fawn hadn’t been sold and shipped out of the country because he called me right away.

Sheba wasn’t out of the woods, but she was doing well, and her prognosis was very good.

Winston had a bruise, but otherwise, he would be fine.

He was currently curled up next to Sheba, who was resting in the clinic.

“Agreed,” I said. “I better get Fawn home.”

“Titus, I’m happy that you have whatever connections you do and that you were able to find Fawn so quickly. But it begs the question…you live a dangerous life, are you sure you want to put her through more of this?”

I crossed my arms. If Matt hadn’t just saved my dog and stitched up the cut on Fawn’s head, I would’ve been pissed for being called out, especially since I’d already had this same argument with myself.

“I’m only answering this question because I owe you for today. For the record, my life had nothing to do with what happened with Fawn. It was someone evil from her past.”

“I assume you’re talking about her stepfather?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You know?”

“She told me the gist of what happened. No details, but I think she was hoping I’d understand why you broke into my condo.”

“I see.” I wasn’t angry that Matt knew, but I hated that my actions had caused her to confide in him.

“Then know that he is a dangerous piece of shit who would’ve come for Fawn no matter what.

And let me make something very clear. Fawn has chosen me as much as I have her, and as long as she wants me… she’s mine.”

“Not that she would listen to reason if someone did try to warn her away,” Matt said.

I smirked. So, Matt did know Fawn.

“True.”

“You’re right, your relationship is none of my business. But I do care for Fawn and want to make sure she is safe. Please tell me that man is going to prison?”

“He’s locked up for life and can’t hurt Fawn anymore.”

Matt nodded, either choosing to ignore the fact that I hadn’t said with the police or he hadn’t caught on.

“We’ll be back as soon as Fawn has had some rest. There won’t be any keeping her away from Sheba.”

Matt smiled, his eyes darting to the window where Fawn was sleeping.

“She has a kind heart. You’re a lucky man, Titus.

” I knew it, and I’d never forget it. Matt cleared his throat.

“Don’t rush back and tell her not to worry when she wakes up.

I’m going to pull out my cot and stay here in front of the kennel.

It’s easiest for me to monitor Sheba that way and be there if needed. ”

“I’ll let her know. Goodnight, Matt,” I said, and walked around to the driver’s side to climb behind the wheel. Naji was in the backseat, and I looked over my shoulder at him.

“I can see why you were jealous,” he said, and I rolled my eyes.

“I wasn’t jealous. I was concerned. It’s different.”

“Uh, huh. Whatever you say. You’re the boss,” he said, smirking. I really wanted to hit him.

Asshole.

“You’ll be happy to know that all the prisoners are snug as little bugs in their cells at The Triangle.”

“Good,” I said, already picturing their tortured deaths.

We drove in silence the rest of the way to the house, but I couldn’t stop glancing at Fawn. She’d changed into a spare set of scrubs at the clinic and had washed her face and hands, but it didn’t wash away the swelling and bruises.

It was just after four in the morning when we pulled into the driveway.

I put the vehicle in park, and Fawn woke up.

She blinked and looked around before her eyes found mine, and she smiled.

Fawn was built different. Maybe it was because of the terrible things she’d already lived through, but she always put one foot in front of the other without complaint.

She stayed positive in the face of horror, and I wasn’t sure I’d have been as brave if roles were reversed.

Naji hopped out as Fawn stretched and looked like a cat in the sun, making me smile.

“I can carry you in.”

Fawn smiled but shook her head.

“I can walk. Besides, the stiffness reminds me that I’m still alive,” Fawn said, and the little joke was like an icicle through my heart.

Reaching out, I cupped her cheek and ran my thumb over her soft skin.

“I’m okay. You made it in time. You don’t need to keep thinking about what could’ve happened. It didn’t.”

As many times as she said she was okay, I knew she still hadn’t faced what had happened. She’d talked all the way to the clinic and then took care of Sheba and Winston, making them her priority until she passed out from exhaustion.

“I want the fear. It will always remind me how close I came to losing you and how I never want that to happen again.”

Fawn pressed a kiss to my hand, and in the tender act was a vow.

It damn near shattered me. God, I loved her.

Fawn’s soul was made of kindness, stitched together by pain, and still, somehow, she was whole.

Beneath the soft feathers was the heart of a lion.

She didn’t just survive. She rose. She flew.

She’d come to me as a broken-winged bird who refused to crash again.

I didn’t just fall in love with Fawn. Every time I looked at her, I fell harder.

“Come on, let’s get you inside,” I said, reluctantly pulling away so I could get her door.

Walking around to Fawn, I helped her out and then opened the hatch for the girls to hop down. They trotted along beside us toward the door with Bella pressing herself up against Fawn’s leg.

Hand-in-hand we walked to my bedroom, but when we got inside, Fawn tugged me toward the bathroom. I closed the door as she grabbed the edge of the sink and began to cry. She didn’t make a sound, but the tears fell in a steady stream. Unsure how to help, I stood close and rubbed her back.

“I’m okay…I just need to get this out of my system,” Fawn whispered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

I gently gripped her shoulders and turned her to face me.

“Stop burying your pain, Little Bird. Don’t ever be ashamed of what you survived.”

Her lower lip trembled. Tears slid down her cheeks, slow and quiet as if the weight was too much to carry in silence anymore.

“I’m not ashamed,” she said, her voice cracking. “Not anymore. I was for a long time, but I get it now. It was a coping mechanism. I learned what he wanted, and I became it, because not doing that…it only made things worse. So much worse.”

I held still and sucked in a deep breath, being what she needed right now, even as I wanted to put my fist through the mirror. I had my regrets, and one of them was not slitting Neil’s throat the day I took George. If I’d known then what I know now…nothing would’ve stopped me.

Fawn inhaled shakily, her hands curling into fists.

“Still, there’s a part of me that can’t forgive myself…

for not fighting harder, for not finding a way out sooner.

But tonight, when I looked Neil in the eyes, I didn’t see someone who owned me.

I saw a pathetic, empty man. There was this flash of fear, like a trigger to my past, but after that…

there was only fury. I would’ve rather died than let him use me again.

” Fawn placed her hands on my chest. “But I was so scared, Titus.” Her voice broke.

“I was so fucking scared I’d never see you again. That you wouldn’t find me in time.”

She looked down, but I wasn’t letting her disappear into herself.

I touched her chin, lifted her face until her eyes met mine, and for the first time, she let me see the depth of her scars. All of it was laid bare. The agony. The guilt. The years of silence she’d carried like shackles.

And my heart fractured.

“Fawn…” My voice shook. “You were always strong. Coping or not, you lived through hell. The kind of torment most people don’t even want to imagine or accept is real because it is too scary.

You not only stayed strong, but you remained kind.

Your light is so bright, and it draws me in and warms me.

You didn’t just survive, you rose from the wreckage with your wings torn but still found a way to fly. ”

I cupped her face while my thumbs brushed away her tears.

“I’ve never pitied you. I’ve only ever stood in awe. You are the bravest woman I’ve ever known, and I love you, all of you. Even the shattered parts. Especially those. If they hurt you, let them cut me instead. I would bleed myself dry if it would take the pain from your eyes.”

Fawn stared at me for a long moment, the silence between us thick. We’d said all there was to say, and the only thing left was quiet understanding. I thought she might cry again, or maybe fold into my arms, instead, she reached for the hem of her shirt.

Her movements were deliberate. Not seductive, but not shy.

She pulled the top, with the Small Paws logo on the chest, over her head and tossed it aside.

Fawn no longer hid behind a mask. The bruises, the scrapes, and the echoes of everything she’d been through clung to her skin like shadows, and yet she still glowed from within.

There was no shame in her eyes, just exhaustion. I understood her and what she needed before she spoke a word.

“I don’t want to feel him anymore,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want the memory of his hands to live on my skin. I just want to feel you . ”

Fawn pushed the scrub pants over her hips and wiggled them down until she could step out of them. Looking up, she grabbed my hands and placed them on her waist like she needed me to ground her.

“I want you to wipe this night, and everything that was ever done, off of me, Titus. I want to feel something good. Something that makes me feel alive, something that…makes me feel like I’m me . ”

My throat tightened, and I nodded. I pressed my lips to Fawn’s forehead, her temple, the corner of her mouth, and finally brushed them against her lips.

“Then I’ll wash every trace of him away.”

She leaned into me, and I held her warm body against mine. With quick efficiency, I removed my black T-shirt and matching cargo pants before lifting Fawn into my arms.

Reaching into the shower, I turned the tap and waited until the water was hot. I stepped in, closed the door, and held her as the stream beat down on the two of us. Fawn rested her head over my heart.

Her body trembled, but she never looked away from my eyes as I slowly placed her on her feet.

I lathered my hands with her favorite soap and gently cleansed her skin.

But it was so much more. With each caress, I washed away the trauma of her past. Every inch.

Every scar. Every bruise. I kissed her shoulders, her spine, her wrists.

I didn’t touch her like someone who needed comfort, because her hands offered it to me.

Her featherlight touch had put me back together.

When she stepped in close, wrapped her arms around my body, and let out a deep, gut-wrenching breath…I knew. Fawn wasn’t trying to forget. She was choosing to heal.

With me.