Page 11 of Unbreakable Thread

Lifting her chin with my index finger, I meet her beautiful eyes. “It did for a long time until I saw you again at the high school. The solace of knowing that you were fine was a relief. You don’t understand, tesoro. I can’t fathom something happening to you.”

Tears roll down her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You have nothing to be sorry about.” With my thumb, I wipe her wet eyelashes. Daisy runs to Rainey’s side and growls at me. Since the accident, Daisy has been on the lookout for any signs of distress in Rainey. She’s very protective of her. “I’m not hurting her. I’m wiping her tears, girl.” Daisy then nuzzles my leg.

“I’m sorry you are going through this, Max, but I’m going through the same, only worse. My body is healed, although the inside of my head and my heart aren’t, and I can’t stay at home. It’s not healthy for me to live with my thoughts.”

She’s right. I can’t keep her locked up as much as I wish I could, because of my fear of losing her. “May I make a suggestion?”

She bites her top lip. “What do you have in mind? If you say Johnny and Gary, the answer is no.”

Fuck. That was one idea, but what she doesn’t know won’t hurt, right? As long as she’s safe. “I need to teach you self-defense, Rain.”

She stares at me.

“Boxing.”

Her hands go up in the air. “Max,” she whines.

“Don’t fight me on this. Please.”

“Eres tan molesto.” Her nostrils flare in displeasure.

The tightness in my chest loosens, and a laugh erupts from my chest. Damn, I missed her banter in Spanish. As kids, we used to tell jokes to one another. It was nice because no one understood us.

“Me annoying? Never,” I tease her. “But gracias amor.”

A lopsided smile curves across her lips. She tries to hide it.

“How about we get you wrapped up and ready?” I drop a kiss on that smile. “Thank you for doing this for me.” Another kiss. “I love you, Sol.” She goes still. So do I.

Her smile vanishes. Sol. She hasn’t been Sol since the day she lost her memory. I haven’t called her Sol since then. We haven’t talked about what name she wants to go by. Hell, we haven’t talked about much because she avoids it.

She gave me memories of that innocent young girl. I love both versions of her. This is the first time I have uttered those words. I love you, Sol. It’s always I love you, Rainey or Sunshine, but to many it might seem I’m thinking of another woman. To me, I’ll love the young girl who numbed the ache in my chest, who befriended me when few did. She became my best friend and cared for me when no one else did. In return, I took every belt buckle, hit, kick, and punch for her. I’d do it again in a heartbeat to keep her innocence. When I met Rainey in high school, she was beautiful, intelligent, and still the same outspoken girl. When she kissed me, it felt as if it awakened my soul. Now the woman at the cabin is who I fell in love with. Yes, I loved her as a kid, having a crush, but this was where I fell in love with the woman I wanted forever. I will always love both versions of her. She will always be my forever.

Chapter Four

Max

Her eyes close again, and her hands squeeze mine. “I’m sorry it slipped. It’s just that hearing you speak Spanish reminded me of those times. I know we haven’t talked about names yet.”

Her eyes flutter open, glazed with a faraway look. “No, don’t worry about it—” She pauses, swallows. “It’s just that sometimes flashbacks ambush me. What you said. It echoed in my mother’s voice. The last thing she ever told me. I haven’t been called that name in so long.”

“How often are you getting flashbacks?”

She averts her gaze. “Every day. Sometimes it’s something small, almost like déjà vu. It’s just such a weird place to be. You know?”

I wrap her in my arms and kiss the top of her head. “I know, baby.” I see the confusion in her head every day. My chest tightens with sorrow, and I don’t know how to help her. “At night, you have nightmares. What are they about?”

“A lot of shit.” Her voice muffles against my chest.

I want her to elaborate because some nights she moans as if she’s in pain, then some nights she cries, calling for her parents, and I’m sure it’s her biological parents. What cracks in my chest is when she calls my name. “Max, are you okay? Oh, Max, I’m sorry.” I know what she’s dreaming of. It’s during those times when Jason would beat the hell out of me for protecting her. I tried everything to keep her innocence. She didn’t know what was out in this corrupt world we live in. It makes you wonder why they place kids in homes where foster parents are abusive, pedophiles, and just evil. It took me a long time to realize we were just a number in the system.

When Rainey found out I was being hit for protecting her, she felt guilty. She had said, “It’s okay, Max, I’ll sit next to him.” She was so sheltered that she didn’t understand what he would do to her. I had to explain it to her. Kids are innocent and don’t deserve to be mistreated. One minute, we have it all, and the next, it shatters. Sol—God, I don’t even know what name to say. She didn’t deserve this life.

“I hear you at night. They are not pleasant dreams, are they?”

She shakes her head. “No.”