The Consequence of Secrets - Part Two: A Priest Romance by Cates Eve

Author:Cates, Eve [Cates, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Eve Cates Romance
Published: 2015-07-10T07:00:00+00:00

Braden

I see the panic in her eyes and her desperation to run away and protect herself from what being around me is making her feel. And I understand that, it’s how she’s survived under the conditions she’s been forced to live with. She’s too afraid to run, too afraid to speak up for what she wants, too afraid to let anyone help her for fear they could get hurt too.

The other day in the church, I saw a spark of a resolution in her when faced with the knowledge of her sister’s impeding nuptials and pregnancy. In that moment, her self-preservation skills kicked in, and she was willing to do what needed to be done to survive. But now she’s fighting that, perhaps to protect me, perhaps to protect herself, but I can see her retreating back into her shell, and I need to pull her out. I need to give her a reason to fight. I need to be her reason to fight.

I walk up behind her and gently run my hand through her long blonde hair. “I’m not trying to trap you, Emma. If you really want to leave, I’ll unlock the door,” I tell her gently. “But, I would like you to stay and talk to me. I told you that I’d find a way to keep you and your family safe, and I will. But, you need to talk to me, and you need to trust me to do the right thing. I know that’s hard for you. I know you’re probably afraid of trusting any man after what you’ve been through. But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to protect you.”

“How, Braden? How?” she cries, her face still hidden against the door. “I can’t leave him. I can’t call the cops. I can’t go to my father. I can’t go to my sister. I can’t run away to a shelter. I can’t disappear and I can’t even kill myself to get away from him. The only way I see out of this relationship is death. It’s the only thing that’s going to set me free. And if I tell him I lied, if I tell him everything, he’ll give it to me.”

Gripping her by the waist, I turn her around, although she keeps her head turned as her fists ball up, and she pushes against my chest. “You can’t think like that, Emma! There is always another way. You just have to be willing to fight. Do you hear me? You have to fight. And I will fight for you. I will fight for you,” I say, as I take a hold of her wrists to stop her fighting me – I’m not the one she should be fighting, but I am the one she feels safe enough to fight against.

Gently, I place a kiss on her balled up fists, one at a time. “You just have to trust me,” I whisper, feeling her relax as I release her hands then reach out to cup her face in my hands, turning her so she’s looking at me.

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