Page 98 of Clash

“But what about the Amber alert? Am I going to go to prison?”

“We took care of all that. Turns out, your husband kept videos of him abusing you. It was a turn on for him. After that evidence was turned into the police, they dropped all charges against you.”

“And Eric?”

“His body turned up in a known gang area, his wallet gone and car stolen. Looks like a mugging gone wrong. All of his money, his estate, the house, everything… it all belongs to you now.”

“Wow…” I didn’t know what else to say. Everything was so overwhelming.

“He’s gone, Gina. He can never hurt you and Alex ever again.”

“And what about you, Clash? Do you think you’ll end up hurting me again?”

He shrugged. “Not on purpose. I’m sure I’ll piss you off a time or two, but if you stick around, Gina, I promise you, that I’m going to dedicate my life to being with you and Alex.”

“That’s a lot to take in, Clash.”

He smirked. “I know. It surprised the shit out of me too.”

“What happens if I want to leave, though? Now that Eric’s gone?”

His smile faded. “Then I’d let you leave. I love you enough to let you do that, Gina.”

He kissed the top of my head, using his fingers to comb through my hair. “Whatever you decide to do with your life, I will support.”

We sat there in silence for a minute while I mulled over his words, wondering what to do. A part of me wanted to leave Austin and find my sister, but the bigger part of me wanted to stay, knowing that I found a home within Clash’s arms. He absolutely adored my son, which in turn made me adore him.

“I want to stay,” I whispered. “But I won’t be shared, and if you ever cheat on me, I’ll—”

He kissed my lips, silencing my little rant. “Gina, I told you before. When I met you, all other women ceased to exist. You’reit for me, and I’ll be damned if another man gets to touch what’s mine.”

I like that answer.

“You had my heart the second you crawled out from behind that dumpster. And your son… well, he stole my heart the second a bag of Skittles dropped from his shirt. You both mean the world to me, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that to you.”

“I love you, Clash. Thank you for protecting us.”

Our fingers intertwined, and that familiar press of his forehead against mine lulled me into an inner peace I hadn’t felt in a really long time.

“Always, Gina. Always.”

36

“I win!” I shouted, beating Miss Bessie at another game of Go Fish. I loved that game, I was really, really good at it.

“You did,” she said with a smile. “You about ready for bed?”

My mouth opened, and I yawned, rubbing at my eyes. I was very tired, but it had been a very long day. My mommy was okay, and she said that maybe Mr. Clash could be my new daddy. A brief flash of my old daddy appeared in my mind and I suddenly felt very sad.

“What’s wrong, Alex?”

Miss Bessie came over and sat next to me, petting my head with her hand.

“Do you think my daddy went up to Heaven or the bad place?”

She frowned. “Honestly, Alex, I don’t know. Where do you think he went?”

Hanging my head in shame, I looked down at Skittles the bear, loving him very much.