Page 2 of Saving Trinity (Finding Hope #5)

Chapter Two

Trinity

M y heart lurched into my throat when a light knock sounded on the front door.

My arms tightened around Wyatt, who was asleep in my arms. I hadn’t been able to let go of him since I’d escaped from Zac’s house except to call Jimmie.

I’d been terrified Jimmie wouldn’t come through for us, but I should’ve known better.

Even when we were merely kids trying to make it through college, he’d been there every single time I’d needed him.

I shouldn’t have expected things to be different just because we were a few years older.

He was an exceptional dad and a great friend—one I’d put into the friend-zone as soon as I’d found out I was pregnant with Wyatt.

I’d needed to get my act together fast , and I couldn’t keep having the fling I was having with Jimmie.

Being a few states away from him helped to end things, even if it hurt.

Because I’d started falling for him. But I knew Jimmie wasn’t ready to settle down back then. And now, we were completely different people.

“Easy,” Carla said softly, reaching out to place her hand on my shoulder. “Brandon is going to answer the door. If it’s Zac, he’ll send Zac on his way. I promise. You’re safe here.”

I didn’t feel safe there. I wanted to get as far away from here as I could, and the only way I knew to do that was for Jimmie to come get me and take me to his farm in the smallest town I’d ever visited.

Where the nearest city was forty-five minutes away.

In the town Jimmie lived in, everyone knew everyone else.

It was a very tight-knit community, and I also knew his family—his found family—lived there, too.

Wyatt would be safe. And I could find safety among them, too. They weren’t the type to alienate anyone in need.

“It’s Derek,” Brandon said, coming into the living room with my best friend following behind him.

Derek didn’t even bother smiling at me as our eyes met.

My lips trembled, and a tear ran down my cheek.

When I’d called him, telling him I needed him to pick me up from my sister’s and take me to the hospital, he’d simply said okay.

But now that he was looking at me—at the bruise on my cheek, my split lip, the way I was hunched over my little boy as if I could protect him, I knew he knew.

He knew what’d happened to me.

“Here,” Carla said quietly, leaning over to gently take Wyatt from my arms. I didn’t want to let him go, but with great effort, I managed to. “We’ll take him to bed with us and put him right in the middle, okay?”

Sniffling, I nodded, then leaned over to press my lips to his unruly, copper hair. Derek reached out to grab my hand in his as soon as I was on my feet, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Come on,” he said softly. “We’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of us, so we need to go.”

Swallowing thickly, I nodded, then grabbed my wallet and phone. Derek kept me pinned to his side as he led me to his truck, and when I winced, hissing a breath through my teeth as I tried to lift my leg, he simply gripped my hips and lifted me into the cab before shutting the door.

I immediately hit the lock, terrified Zac would spring out of some bush and snatch me right back out and drag me back home with him.

Derek was quiet as he backed out of the driveway and headed for the interstate. “What hospital doesn’t he have access to?” Derek asked a few minutes later.

I slowly ripped my gaze from the passing city lights to look over at him. “Hartwell General,” I said, my voice sounding rough to my own ears. “Can you take me there?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You talked to Jimmie yet?”

I nodded. “Yeah,” I croaked. “He’s coming to get us.

I’m sure he’ll let me know when he’s hit the road.

He’s supposed to be bringing his brothers.

” Dylan and Byron weren’t his brothers by blood but brothers he’d gained through a strong bond of friendship.

Byron was actually Jimmie’s cousin, but no one really knew that except Jimmie’s close circle of people.

“Backup is good,” Derek said, nodding his head. “He the one who told you to get this done?”

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nodded.

“Yeah,” I rasped. “When I told him what happened, he told me to go to the hospital.” Well, I hadn’t actually told him.

I’d told him I was bleeding, and he pieced it together from there.

Jimmie might have always been the man to bring all the jokes, but he was smarter than most people realized.

“I know it might be weird, but can you be in the room with me? Jimmie doesn’t want me alone.

” And honestly, I didn’t want to be alone either.

Having Derek there would make me feel safer—not one hundred percent safe, but safer than I’d feel on my own.

If Zac happened to find me, Derek would keep him away.

I couldn’t rely on hospital staff to do that, not when I knew how easy it was for him to get whatever he wanted as soon as he flashed that expensive smile and turned on his charm.

“I’ll stay,” Derek promised.

My phone began buzzing at that moment, scaring me so damn bad I let out a small shriek. Derek ended up swerving but quickly righted the truck, shooting me a concerned look. When I grabbed my phone from my lap, I relaxed.

Jimmie .

I quickly swiped my thumb across the screen to answer his call. “Hello?” I croaked.

“We’re on our way,” Jimmie told me, and I could hear the roar of his truck in the background, which meant his phone was connected to his truck.

“Dylan is with me, and Byron is following in his car. We’ll be there early in the morning.

You good at your sister’s, or do you need me to put you up somewhere? ”

My eyes burned with tears. Jimmie had always told me if I needed anything to call him. To never hesitate in reaching out. I’d always thought it was just something he felt obligated to say, but now that I was in dire need of his assistance, he was coming through for me without a beat of hesitation.

“I’m okay at my sister’s,” I told him, clearing my throat. “Derek and I are on our way to the hospital now. Wyatt is with Carla and Brandon, and he’s sleeping in their room with them tonight.”

“Good. Which hospital?” Jimmie demanded to know.

“Hartwell General. Zac doesn’t have access there, but Derek is going to be in the room with me just in case.”

“Good,” Jimmie said again. “Keep me updated. I want to know when you get there, when you’re in a triage room, when you see a doctor—everything. I’ll call Carla in a minute and get an update on Wyatt.”

“Okay,” I said softly. “Jimmie?”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“Thank you.” My voice sounded strangled to my own ears, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I didn’t know what I’d do without him, and that was the fucking truth.

“Don’t thank me, baby,” he said, his tone softening.

My throat bobbed as I swallowed. He’d already called me that so many times today, and it always soothed something inside me to hear it.

He hadn’t called me that since before I got pregnant with Wyatt, and I’d missed it.

He was the only guy to ever call me by a pet name.

“I told you—I’m here if you need me. I meant that. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered. “Drive safe.”

“Always,” he promised. Then, the call ended. I lowered the phone from my ear with a tired sigh, leaning my head against the window. Derek reached over and clasped my hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

“You’ll be out of here soon, girly,” he reminded me. “Just hang on.”

I just nodded, a tear running down my cheek.