Trust Again Read online

Ellie’s eyes widened. “Critters?”

  Jacob snickered. “Don’t worry, they’re in cages.”

  Slightly hesitant, Ellie followed him down a short staircase to the most unbasemently basement she’d ever seen. The large room was cheerful and had gorgeous pictures of Venice creating a gallery wall. The critters, or pets, rather were arranged in a row on a long wooden table.

  Jacob pointed to the first of the cages. “This is Lucky, this one is Boots and this last one here is Rex.”

  Ellie could tell that Ryan brought his work home. A bunny, a hamster and a rat peeked at her and twitched their noses.

  “Cute.”

  Happy came bounding down the stairs and curled up on her large doggie bed in the corner of the room.

  Ellie’s eyes were drawn to the pictures on the wall.

  “There is a story behind this basement.” Jacob looked around.

  Ellie’s eyes met his. “Oh?”

  He nodded. “Ryan had it built for Maisie to keep her safe from storms. Before he met her, she lost a husband and a child in a tornado.”

  Ellie felt guilty for being jealous of Maisie. She really knew nothing about her and it sounded as though her life wasn’t always so perfect. Ellie didn’t like feeling envious, so she pushed the feelings away and instead replaced them with hope that yes, people really could live like this even after a tragedy. She followed Jacob back upstairs and outside to the deck. Ryan stood in the middle of the yard poking the fire. He waved at them.

  “Man, thanks for coming to the very first Tucker weenie roast.” Ryan pulled his friend in for a hug and patted him on the back. He gave Ellie a quick hug. “Welcome to our home. Happy you could come.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “Glad to be here. You have a beautiful home.”

  “That’s all Maisie.” He chuckled. “And her sister. They like to decorate.”

  Ellie smiled. Maisie walked out the door holding the cutest baby girl Ellie had ever seen in her life. Her carrot-red hair was pulled into a bow on the top of her head, resembling Pebbles on the Flintstones. Bright green eyes that matched her mom’s were wide with wonder. Her perfect little mouth was shaped into an O like the Gerber baby. Not to mention her tiny purple corduroys and hooded, polka dot sweater.

  When Maisie stood on front of Ellie, she held the baby out to her. “Would you mind taking Blossom while I get the weenies and buns?”

  Ellie’s heart raced. She took the little girl and held her close. She wanted one of these. She needed one of these.

  “She likes you. Whenever I try to hold her she cries,” Jacob said.

  Ellie smiled. “I like her, too.”

  Ryan tossed another log on the fire, causing smoke from the fire shift. Without thinking, Ellie moved the baby away from the smoke’s path. Blossom cooed and pat Ellie’s chest, almost bringing tears to her eyes. Until that moment, Ellie hadn’t been sure how deeply she wanted to be a mom.

  Maisie walked back outside carrying a large tray, which Jacob took from her and set on the picnic table on the deck, then she disappeared back into the house. The men roasted the hotdogs while Ellie swayed back and forth with the baby. To her disappointment, Maisie came back out with a small playpen. She would have held the little girl all day.

  Maisie reached for her daughter. “Thanks for holding her.”

  “You’re welcome.” Ellie handed the baby over and walked back over to Jacob. He draped an arm around her.

  “You looked like you were enjoying holding Blossom.”

  Ellie blushed. “I love children.”

  Jacob chuckled. “You own a toy and candy store. I’d say that is a requirement.”

  Chapter Seven

  The couples sat around the fire chatting after they’d had their fill of hotdogs and s’mores. Ellie completed Jacob’s broken circle. A foursome was much better than being a third wheel. Jacob glanced at Ellie. Her cheeks were as pink as her lips. Her laughter was something he would never grow tired of. As much as he wanted Ellie to be a part of his life, he was still leery of putting his whole heart into another relationship. He’d been hurt once and didn’t ever want to feel that pain again. Was he getting cold feet?

  Maisie stood up, interrupting his thoughts. “I better take Blossom inside.”

  “We should get going, too,” Jacob said, stretching his arms above his head.

  Ryan nodded. “Ellie, please come back again and I guess you can bring this guy with you.” His thumb pointed in Jacob’s direction.

  She smiled. “I will.”

  When Ellie followed Maisie inside, Ryan pulled him aside. “I like her. And from the way you look at her, I’d say you do, too.”

  Jacob nodded. “I do, man. Just don’t want to get hurt again, you know?”

  Ryan slapped his back. “Take the plunge. She’s a keeper.”

  ***

  Feeling a part of Jacob’s life today, Ellie wanted to tell him about her past. Why was she so afraid? She had to be brave.

  She opened her mouth and forced the words out, “Hey, you know that park across the street from my apartment?”

  Jacob looked over at her. “Yes.”

  She hesitated. “Can we stop there before you take me home?”

  He arched a brow. “Okay.” He pulled his truck into the park entrance. The leaves were changing, providing a red and yellow canopy over the play sets.

  Ellie waited for him to shut the door, then guided him over to the merry-go-round.

  “Aww, you want me to spin you around?” Jacob teased.

  A smirk played on Ellie’s lips. “Yes, will you?”

  “Climb on.”

  She did as instructed and held on the red bar. Jacob ran and spun the wheel, making her dizzy. After he got it going fast, he jumped on with her, lacing his hands with hers. Feeling light-headed took her mind off the doubts that were keeping her from telling Jacob what she needed to tell him. When the ride slowed down, she looked at him and took a deep breath.

  “I want to tell 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 did? Why was she having these insecurities? Jacob, please don’t make me regret letting my guard down. Ellie turned to the knock on the door. For the first time since she’d been here, she didn’t panic at the sound, but instead smiled.

  Her smile faded when she opened the door to Viola.

  “I’m happy to see you, too.”

  “Sorry, I just thought you were... never mind. Come in.” Ellie smiled lightly. “You want some hot chocolate?”

  “No thanks. You thought I was Jacob?” Viola grinned mischievously.

  Ellie sighed. “Yeah. I shared something with him last night. Hoping I didn’t scare him off.”

  Viola sat down next to her on the sofa. “What was it?”

  Ellie waved her hand in the air. “Oh, nothing.” She took a sip of the hot liquid and averted her eyes.

  “Well, it must have been something if you thought it would scare Jacob away.”

  “Just something about my past relationship,” Ellie mumbled.

  Viola raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were friends, El.”

  “We are.”

  Viola pursed her lips. “But you don’t want to talk to me about important things.”

  “It’s nothing against you. I just don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Well, if you ever do you know you can tell me anything, right?”

  Ellie nodded.

  “I mean, I may joke a lot, but I wouldn’t ever share anything with anyone you told me in confidence.”

  “I know.” She got up to put her empty mug in the kitchen. “Enough about me. How’s Frank?”

  “He’s good. Homesick I think, but good,” Viola’s voice cracked as if she might cry. “I miss him.”

  Ellie came back into the living room and placed a hand over Viola’s. “I’m sorry.” She paused. “How about a girl’s day? We can go shopping and do lunch.”

  Viola smiled and blinked back the unshed tears in her eyes. “Really?”

  Ellie nodded. “Sure! Just let me get a shower and get dressed.”

  “Sounds great. See you in an hour?”

  Ellie grinned. “Yep.”

  ***

  Feeling disappointed, Jacob hung up his phone. Was she avoiding him? After last night he had hoped to spend the day with Ellie. But after her call he now knew she’d be spending the day with Viola. Damn. Not that he didn’t want her to have a fun day with her friend. He had just wanted her all to himself.

  He looked around at his apartment and felt the walls closing in on him. He missed his house back in Illinois. The prime empty lot for sale in the new community he was building in popped into his head. The one backed up against a row of huge birch trees on a hill located on the cul-de-sac. He could see the perfect house on that lot. It would take most of his savings, but Jacob knew what he wanted to do. It was high time he put down some roots in Indiana.

  ***

  The diner special hadn’t changed since Ellie had eaten it seven years ago. Still delicious and still greasy as the oil it was fried in. Ellie looked down at her stuffed bags in the booth next to her. She hadn’t been on a clothing shopping spree in... well, never.

  “That was fun.”

  “It was!” Viola said as she lifted a fry to her lips. “I’d forgotten how happy getting new clothes makes me.”

  “Easy for you to say. Everything looks good on you. I’m afraid I was cursed with my mom’s hips. The only thing the woman ever gave me.”

  “What you bought looks great on you!”

  “Thanks.” Ellie hoped Jacob liked her new jeans and boots. The gum-chomping waitress brought their check. Ellie grabbed it first. “My treat.”

  Viola removed five dollars from her purse. “At least let me take care of the tip.”

  Ellie nodded. “I’m going to go visit my dad and make sure he is behaving himself.”

  “Thanks again, El. I had fun.”

  ***

  The guilt from lying to her dad had become overwhelming after she’d told Jacob the truth. If anyone should know what happened, it should be her dad. She fooled herself into believing she was only trying to protect him. But was she really just protecting herself? She had to tell him the truth. And let him know that she was okay now. She took a deep breath and paused to look at the jack-o’-lantern with the big toothy grin on the porch before knocking on the storm door. No scary Halloween decorations here.

  May, his nurse, opened the door. “Ellie, hi. It’s been great working with your dad, but I think he’s okay on his own now, so this was my last day.”

  Ellie’s eyes widened. “It is? He’s walking on his own?”

  May nodded. “He is. But don’t take my word for it. He’s out in the backyard. Go see for yourself.”

  Ellie rushed past May through the house to the back. Her dad was standing in the middle of the large fenced-in yard, holding a controller. He waved at her.

  “What are you doing?”

  He chuckled. “I’m flying my new plane.” He pointed up to the sky. “Check it out. I found my new hobby.”

  She shielded her eyes from the sun to see a small toy plane circling the yard. “Playing with toys.” She laughed. “Sounds like the perfect hobby for a retired toy store owner.”

  His plane crashed into a tree and he walked over to get it. His pace was slow and steady, but he was indeed walking without a cane or a limp. “I’m not just playing, though, I built this myself.” He handed the cherry red plane to her.

  “Nice. I’m so glad you are doing better.” She glanced over at the old picnic table that had been painted more times than she could remember. “Can we sit? I need to talk to you about something.”

  Her dad pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Of course.”

  Ellie swallowed. How did she tell him this?

  He looked at her expectantly.

  “Dad, New York wasn’t exactly like the picture I painted for you.”

  “No?”

  She rubbed her dry lips together and shook her head. “I lived with a man named Bryce.”

  Her dad raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. “It’s okay, Ellie. You’re an adult. If you chose to live with a man out of wedlock that is up to you.”

  “No, it’s not th
at, Dad.” She could feel tears stinging her eyes.

  Her dad’s expression grew serious. “What is it?”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but instead tears spilled out of her eyes. “He hurt me, Dad. He... he hit me.”

  The look of horror on her dad’s face was something she had been avoiding. He pulled her into a hug and smoothed out her hair as he had when she was a little girl.

  “Shh, you’re safe now.”

  Ellie swallowed back her tears. “I know. I didn’t want to tell you.”

  He frowned. “How long did this man hurt you?”

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “It doesn’t matter.”

  His hand covered hers. “It matters to me.”

  “The whole time I was gone. But it’s over now. I left. I finally left.”

  “Oh, baby girl.” Her father's blue eyes swam in tears. “Did you call the police?”

  “No. Please, can we just put this behind us? I don’t want to think about it anymore.”

  Her dad sat quietly for a few minutes. “Promise me.” He placed his hand gently on her cheek. “Promise me you’ll never go near him again.”

  Ellie nodded, heartbroken.

  “If a man ever hits you again, you’ll call me or the police. Abuse is wrong and it is not your fault.”

  She pressed her lips together and nodded again. “I was afraid. I’m not afraid anymore.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Good.” He sighed. “Good.”

  Chapter Eight

  Ellie left her dad’s feeling lighter. As much as it had pained both of them, it was the right thing to tell him what had happened to her and why she’d not made it back home until now. But she needed to see Jacob. When he opened his door, his wide smile confirmed he was happy to see her.

  “I missed you.” He lips caressed hers and he pulled her inside.

  “I missed you, too.”

  He kissed her again, this time making her want more. So much more.

  She pulled away before she changed her mind. “Can we go out somewhere?”

  A smirk played across his lips. “You mean you don’t want to stay here and snuggle?”