Page 94 of Defend Her Heart

Knock, knock.“Avery, are you okay?”

There’s no answer. I lean my ear against the door and hear more crying so I knock again.

“Avery, I’m coming in.”

I wait for her to tell me no, but it never comes. Slowly, I turn the doorknob and push the door open. There, sitting in the tub with her knees pulled to her chest, her face beat red and blotchy, is my favorite girl. Sobs wrack her body and the water sloshes with each shake.

There’s only one thing on my mind.I need to hold her.

I reach behind my back, and in one swift movement, I pull my shirt off over my head. As quickly as I can muster, I take my socks and pants off, and slowly climb into the tub wearing only my boxer briefs.

Avery’s head is still down on her knees but she falls against my chest as soon as I’m behind her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me as tight as I can.

“Shh. I got you. I’m here, baby. I got you. You’re going to be okay.”

I repeat the sentiments over and over as Avery continues to let out every feeling she’s been holding onto. The tighter I hold her, the calmer she becomes. It doesn’t take long until she’s all cried out and limp in my arms.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“You havenothingto be sorry for.” I wait for her to say something, but she remains silent. Leaning down, I kiss the back of her head. “Can you sit up for me, angel?”

Slowly, Avery sits up and tries to scoot away. I pull her intome until her back is pressed against my chest. “I didn’t say move away,” I tease. “Can I wash your hair for you?”

This question finally elicits a reaction out of her. She whips her head to me so fast, droplets of water fly off her hair straight into my eyes.

Her mouth is open, but no words come out. It’s then I notice that her eyes are transfixed on the tattoo that covers my heart.

“You got a tattoo.”

I nod. “I did.”

“It’s a tattoo of the Big Dipper.”

“It is.”

She scoots back a tad to get a better look, then reaches out to run her fingers over the ink. “Are those the same woods we used to go to together to stargaze?”

I grab her hand with mine and place it over my heart. “They are.”

Avery’s eyes finally move from the tattoo to my face. Her hair is wet and falling in front of her, so I push it back with my hand, keeping it nestled on the side of her head.

“I told you I’d get a tattoo of my favorite constellation one day.”

I move my hand from her head to her arm and slowly lift it to my mouth. Gently, I place kisses on each of her freckles that look like the Big Dipper.

Her chest moves up and down as she tries to digest what she just learned. Not wanting her to get more worked up today, I steer the conversation back to where it was before she saw the tattoo. “Can I wash your hair now?”

Her lips tip up the slightest bit.

“You want to wash my hair?”

I reach for my shampoo, careful not to burn my arm on one of the many candles I’ve lit, and squirt some into my hand.

“Hell yeah, I wanna wash your hair.”

Avery laughs, and the sound seems to put us both at ease. She shakes her head and turns so the back of her head is to me again. “You are so weird.”

I reach forward and start lathering the shampoo in her hair. Once her hair is covered, I use my fingers to gently massage her scalp like my hairdresser does. Yes, I have a hairdresser. Sue me.