Page 159 of Daddy's Trust
Those things had all hurt, but somehow not as much as the way he had treated her in the shower just now. As though she was an object rather than a person.
Moving into the bedroom, she grabbed a bra and some more period panties and took them back to the bathroom to get dressed. Luckily, her panties hadn’t leaked in the shower. That would have been embarrassing.
Walking into the bedroom, she found her hoodie and tights, pulling them on. And then she started to tidy up the mess.
At least everything had landed on the mat and not the carpet. That would’ve been terrible.
And not a very nice way to pay Ink back for all the things that he’d done for them.
“What are you doing?” Cash asked as he walked into the room. “I would have cleaned that up.”
She shrugged. Well, now he didn’t have to, did he?
“Here, hop up and let me do that.” He reached out for her, and she shied back away from him.
They both froze. She hadn’t actually meant to do that. It hadn’t been a conscious decision, just something that had happened.
Oh, no. Why did she do that?
“Addie, you’re scared of me?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I need you to use your words.”
He grabbed the tablet. She stared down at it for a long moment. How on earth did she explain any of this without making herself feel like an idiot or giving away how she felt about him.
So she decided to give him part of the reason why she was feeling off right now.
“When I was a kid and I made a mess, my mother would scream at me. She’d get so mad.”
“But you know I would never do that, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course, sorry. It was just an instinct thing, I think. I feel a bit overstimulated or something. Like my skin is all weird, and I don’t want to be touched. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, eyes on me,” he commanded, waiting until she raised her gaze to his. “Never say sorry for your needs, Addie. Understand me? All I want to know is how to help you.”
Right, because he was a great guy.
“I can’t believe that no one helped you get away from that abusive woman,” he said angrily.
“She never hit me or anything. In fact, there were days she barely spoke to me at all or noticed I was alive. I guess it depended on how she was feeling that day.”
“She was neglectful and abusive, Addie.”
She nodded sadly. “What was your mom like?”
He’d mentioned a few things about his family but she wanted to know more.
Cash sat on the floor, resting his back against the end of the bed. “I think I told you that my mom worked a lot after our dad died in a car accident. She had to in order to pay the bills and keep food on the table. And my older brother, Aidan, he looked after Greer and me.”
Without thought, she reached over and placed her hand on his. If he’d moved away from her, she would have been so upset. But he simply turned his hand and took her hand with his. That felt amazing.
“I remember that my mom used to sing and dance a lot. That she’d twirl around the kitchen and laugh. Then after dad died, she lost that spark. That joy. I don’t think it was just having to work all the time. I think she died a little when he did. Sometimes, when she wasn’t too tired, she’d tell us stories about our dad. About what adventures he got up to before they got married and had us.” He shook his head. “I got into trouble with Ralen. I fucking hate that now. That I caused my mom, Aidan, and Greer so much grief. I don’t know what my problem was. I think I was just acting out, frustrated that Dad had died and Aidan was trying to boss me around. He was looking out for me, but in my mind, he was just being a bossy older brother, and I didn’t want to listen to him. I really should have. Soon after I disappeared, Mom died. She died thinking that I was dead.”
Oh God. That was terrible.
“I should’ve found a way to contact her. I was so dumb. I thought that if I did that my family would be harmed, because the Devil would figure out that we were alive somehow. Maybe he would have. Maybe I was right to keep quiet to keep Greer and Aidan safe. But I just wish that Mom could have known I was still alive.”
