Love Love by Beth Michele Read Free Book Online Page A

lips
press together. “So no name, no introduction, no drink, and he just
left.”
    “ Yup, that about sums it
up.”
    “ What the hell?”
    “ Exactly. It was very odd.
But, if I thought he was hot from a distance, you should have seen
him up close. Dear Lord. Those green eyes were mesmerizing, that
mouth was intoxicating, and his body...well, it screamed
sheet-clawing sex.” A light bulb immediately goes off in my head.
“Not to change this hot topic, but do you want to be my date for
the company party next Monday? It’s actually going to be pretty
cool. There’ll be food, drink, and lots of hot guys.”
    That last comment clinches it. Fran
looks excited. “Well, that’s an offer I can’t refuse. I even have
the perfect dress to wear! I’ll be right back. I want to try it on
for you.” She disappears down the hallway excitedly.
    I open the fridge and pull out the
leftover pad thai, pop it in the microwave for two minutes, grab a
fork from the drawer, and dig in. After five minutes, Fran still
hasn’t come out of her room. “Hey, hot stuff! Let’s see that
dress!” I call out, but she doesn’t respond. I put down my fork,
chomp on the last bit of pad thai, and walk down the non-existent
hallway to her bedroom.
    When I step in, her black dress is
laid out neatly on the bed and she’s standing in front of the
full-length mirror wearing nothing but her bra and panties,
clutching her belly, and staring at herself. “Are you going to put
that sexy dress on, or what?” I ask, but she doesn’t
answer.
    I walk up behind her and put my hand
on her shoulder. “Fran, what is it?”
    She continues to stare in the mirror.
Her eyes are glazed over and her hand passes across her stomach
again and again, tracing hundreds of tiny scars. “I remember the
first time my dad cut me. I was five years old. My mom had gone
back out to the grocery store after he pushed her into the wall
because she forgot his favorite cereal. He came into my
room…holding it…the small paring knife…the one my mom cut fruits
and vegetables with…”
    I can see in her eyes that she’s
there, back in her memories, so I squeeze her shoulders, put my arm
around her chest, and pull her back against me.
    “ He told me he was doing it
on my belly because no one could see it. He said it would be our
special place…that after, he would put my favorite Dora Band-aids
on for me. He always gave me a kiss on the cheek and told me he was
doing it because he loved me.” Tears roll down her cheeks. “I was
so scared. I kept praying my mom would come home and save me, but
she never did. She couldn’t even save herself, Gabby. How was she
going to save me? Now I have all these horrible scars, and I wonder
if I’ll ever find anyone who isn’t silently disgusted by the way I
look once my shirt comes off.”
    A tear tumbles down my cheek. I turn
her around and take her precious face in my hands. “Fran, you’re
beautiful and anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve you.” I
wipe the tears from her eyes. “What brought all this
on?”
    She tears her gaze from mine and
stares at the carpet. “My mom called me today. My dad got in
contact with her…he wants to know where I am. He wants to see
me.”
    Fran hasn’t seen her dad since she was
ten years old, the exact time when the desire to ever see him again
disappeared. His abuse of both her and her mom left permanent scars
not only on her body, but on her heart. The thought of seeing him
again terrifies her. I didn’t meet Fran until after the horrors of
her childhood, but the damage remains. The cigarette burns on her
thighs and small cuts on her stomach are only the physical
reminders. The thought of anyone ever hurting her again makes me
sick to my stomach. I would go to the ends of the earth to protect
her.
    My jaw clenches and my shoulders tense
up. “And your mom said no way in hell, right?”
    Fran exhales a harsh breath. "Yeah,
she didn't tell him, but I'm worried because you know