Rescued by the Major (Winter Rescue)

10. Eva

10

EVA

I watch Anders move around the small kitchen, so much like he did yesterday, but this time, there’s less hesitation. He’s not trying to hide his profile from me now. I’ve seen his scars and accepted them. He’s more comfortable in his skin with me.

I feel a twinge in the muscle of my arm, the marks on my skin one of the things that drove me out here to this remote place. Where I could hide from what happened. When Anders first asked me about it, there was a clutching fear in my stomach, almost like I was reliving the moment again. And I can admit to myself, there’s a fear that if Anders knew what happened, he’d look at me differently.

The way he shared his story with me, though, truly revealing his wounds to me, it makes me believe I can share my story with him too. As he settles down beside me, offering me a plate filled with food as evidence of how he cares for me, I’m hit with how much I care for him. How much I trust him.

Anders takes a bite, offering me a closed mouth smile and a nod toward my plate. I nibble on the toast, but when I see the unmistakable flicker of concern in his eyes, I set the crispy bread down, and take a deep breath, forcing the words out as quickly as I can. “I want to tell you what happened to my arm.”

I expect him to go tense, like he’s steeling himself for something, but instead, he seems to relax. Like he’s been holding his breath, waiting for me to come to him with this.

He nods, and watches me, and when I hesitate, he reaches across the space between us and takes my hand. Just his touch makes me feel that much stronger.

“I dated this guy for a while. And it was fine. But he wasn’t the one, by any means.”

He quirks a brow at me, lips twitching in a quick flash of a grin, before returning to his serious focus.

I sigh. “When I told him I thought we should stop seeing each other, he didn’t agree. Said he was sure that if I just gave the relationship more time, I’d see how perfect we were for each other. And then I asked him to leave, and he grabbed me, tried to kiss me.”

That familiar fear is creeping back, claws digging into my chest, and suddenly I can’t breathe. Can’t draw any air in and I’m sure I’m going to suffocate.

“Hey, now,” says Anders, his voice low and calm. “Eyes on me, sweetheart. Right here.” He lifts our joined hands up, pulling my gaze with the movement, understanding on his face. Like he knows what I’m feeling, like he’s been there before too.

He nestles our hands against his chest, right above his heart, and I sense the steady, rhythmic beat beneath the skin. He draws in a breath as his free hand settles on my knee, warmth bleeding into me from that touch, and I hadn't even recognized my skin had gone cold until then.

“Breathe with me.” I follow his command, pulling in a slow deep breath, matching his pace, and it’s like we’re synchronized. My head clears, the spinning faintness easing away, and we sit there, face to face, knees touching, my hand in his, against his chest. And just breathe. No rush, no hurry. He’s simply sitting with me until I can move forward.

And because of that, confidence sparks in me, chasing away the lingering fear I haven’t been able to shake.

“You ready to tell me the rest?” Anders asks the question quietly, his eyes locking with mine, and now I warm everywhere.

I nod and sit up straight again, my hand still cradled in his, resting in his lap. “He tried to kiss me, and I tried to pull away. He shoved me and I fell backward. There was a glass top coffee table, and I fell onto it. The glass shattered and cut my arm. There was blood everywhere, and the pain was the worst I ever had felt.”

I pause, expecting some recrimination, like I’ve heard before. That I should’ve waited, or just let him kiss me, or something else I should’ve done differently. Anders doesn’t say any of that though.There’s a heated look in his eyes, something simmering that reminds me of the coals in the fireplace grate. The fingers of his free hand skate over my wrist, slow and soothing.

“Afterwards, I’m lying there, in the middle of all this glass, and he takes a step toward me.” I shake my head as the memory comes to life again in my mind. The crunch of the glass beneath his shoes as he comes closer, the fury on his face, and the instinctive need to defend myself. “I grab a shard of the glass, and I hold it up, pointing it right at him. He stops and stares at me, face bright red, and then he just turns around and leaves. He walked out of my apartment.”

“He left you there, hurt and bleeding?” There’s an edge to his voice now as he speaks. “He didn’t even call an ambulance for you?”

I shake my head. “I called the police when I was sure he was gone. The 9-1-1 operator dispatched an ambulance too. I hadn’t thought to ask for one, but she somehow knew I needed one. When they got there, I was still holding onto that shard of glass.” I pull my hand out of his and open it up for him, showing the sharp line down the center of my palm. The scar he hadn’t seen. “This wasn't so bad, not compared to my arm. But it’s a reminder of what happened.”

“A reminder that you survived,” Anders says, his finger tracing the edges of the mark. He’s barely touching it, almost reverent in his gentleness, and then he closes my hand into a fist, lifting my knuckles to his lips and pressing a kiss to them. “He ran and you survived. You won that battle.”

“Except I didn’t win, not really.” A shaky laugh escapes me. “His lawyer successfully negotiated a plea for him, and he didn’t serve much time. The reason I came up here was because I heard he was getting out. Livvy told me how much she loved the mountain, spending time with Max here, and it felt so safe. So happy. I wanted to feel that way for a little while.”

Anders reaches toward me, his fingers touch my cheek, wiping away tears I hadn’t even realized were falling. That’s when I understand, the feeling I was just talking about, the safety and the happiness, I’ve found them here with him.