To Breathe Again

Chapter 20 - Storm and Shelter

The past few weeks have brought me a happiness I hadn't felt in a long time. Grant's attentions have become more frequent, his flirtations more direct. He's been taking me to lunch, and while I try to keep things platonic, I can't deny enjoying his company. I'm careful not to mislead him, slipping a $20 into his truck now and then to balance out his generosity.

Then there's Trent, who's been taking me out to dinner when Tony is otherwise occupied. I appreciate his strong presence in Tony's life; my son needs that kind of role model. Tony tries to hide it, but I know it pains him to have lost his connection with his father. Manuel used to say we were blessed to have a loving family. His accident changed everything, erasing the man I once knew.

I remember the day Manuel left me, his harsh words still echoing. He accused me of holding him to impossible standards, but all I ever wanted was a simple "I love you." He caught me watching a video of TV's best first kisses, a nostalgic escape. He claimed it was akin to cheating and grounds for divorce. Despite our shared faith, he twisted our beliefs to justify his actions. I was shattered, even calling our pastor, only for Manuel to berate him too. In the end, I couldn't make him stay. It hurt deeply, loving him and Clark, feeling inadequate. But Tony needs me, and for him, I find the strength to carry on.

Sammy has also been a comforting presence, inviting me to his large cabin on the outskirts of town. It's a haven, with an incredible game room and library. I've brought Tony along, and we've enjoyed countless hours of couch co-op gaming. Sammy, the sexiest nerd I've ever seen, has become a delightful distraction. His tall, lean physique, reminiscent of a swimmer, and those glasses—he's utterly irresistible. The sight of him fresh out of the shower, barely clad in a towel, is seared into my memory. His subtle glances in the library make my cheeks flush, but thankfully, makeup hides most of my embarrassment.

Today, the storm rages, cutting power and leaving me to worry about spoiled groceries. Messages from the guys and Chester check in on Tony and me. Chester's closed up shop, so I work from home. When the storm finally eases, I head to the office to assess the damage. Grant's team had prepped well for the storm, but my heart sinks upon entering my office. It's a disaster zone—furniture overturned, water damage everywhere, broken monitors, and worst of all, my pictures defaced. "Whore" is scrawled on the dry-erase board. Panic grips me as I lock the door and dial Trent, tears streaming down my face.

"Hi there, my Phoenix. How are..." Trent's voice turns concerned. "Baby, what's wrong? Where are you?"

In a hushed, trembling voice, I explain the state of my office. "I-I'm in my office. I-it looks horrible. S-someone t-trashed it and I'm scared, Trent."

"Stay where you are, Baby. We're coming to get you. Just stay on the phone with me."

I nod, though he can't see me. "Ok."

I wait, heart pounding, until I hear footsteps and Trent's reassuring voice. "Baby! Michelle, are you okay?"

"Flower, it's all of us. We're here. You can open the door, Beautiful," Grant adds.

I slowly raise myself up off the floor and reach for the door knob with shaky hands. When I open it, I throw myself into a chest. I don't care which one it is, I just know that I'm safe now. Looking up after a few seconds, I see Sammy looking down at me with concern all over his face while Grant stands nearby looking around the hallway and Trent is staring into my office. The police start to call out as they come in the building. Sammy yells back at them as to where we are with me pulled tight against him. Trent yells out from my office door telling them that he has not cleared the building. They begin to fan out as the guys take me carefully outside.

A detective walks over to Sammy and me. "Ms. Garcia?" she asks. I nod and continue to hold onto Sammy with all I have. "Do you mind chatting with me for a few minutes? My name is Detective Yolanda Carter and I've been assigned your case."

"Um, ok. Can Samuel come with me?" I ask quietly.

She smiles back. "Of course. I know Sammy and I know that he will want you to feel safe. Please, this way. You can sit down over here on this bench and when you're ready, you can tell me what happened?" She motions for me to sit on a nearby bench used as a smoking area for employees. Sammy sits down and pulls me into his lap. Normally I would feel embarrassed but right now I just want to feel safe and he's doing just that. I tell the detective everything that happened from when I pulled into the parking lot. I didn't see anything suspicious and didn't think anything was wrong until I walked into my office. Grant had gone over to the construction site and Trent was in with the police. They both walked up as soon as we were finished with our conversation. Grant let the detective know that everything looked fine on his job site. Nothing was even moved. Trent also said that nothing else in the building had been taken or broken but he did say that the security system had glitched for about 30 minutes. I'm sure that's probably when the person came in and destroyed my office.

Grant called Chester and told him about what happened while they loaded me into his truck. Sammy offered to drive my truck home for me. As soon as I walked in the door, Tony grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I forget that he's bigger and taller than me until times like this. I lost it again and cried into his chest while he rubbed my back soothingly.

"Mom, come on. Let's sit on the couch for a while. I'm sure the guys don't mind ordering pizza for lunch and we can relax for a little while." He said looking over to Trent who smiled back and nodded his head. After Grant asked everyone what pizza they wanted, he loaded the order onto his phone and we sat down and relaxed.

Grants POV

I'm still wound up from all tha shit that's happened this mornin'. Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? Who else wants to hurt this woman? I swear I'm gonna start callin' 'er trouble 'cause it just seems to find 'er. It's never 'er fault though so I'll skip that little idear. Tony is showin' 'er 'bout 500 funny videos to take 'er mind off of what happened. Trent's on the phone pacin' 'round the room and talkin' to his team. Sammy is settin' up 'er xBox so he and Tony can play fer a while. I plan to hold my Flower till she's feelin' better or the food comes, whichever. As soon as Sammy is setup, I grab Michelle and pull 'er into my lap. At first she seems surprised, though Tony dudn't even seem to notice. She quickly tucks herself into my embrace once she sees that I'm most definitely not lettin' 'er go. She takes in a deep breath and blows it out through 'er nose and I feel 'er muscles begin to relax. I play with 'er hair while holdin' 'er tight and listenin' to Trent talk on the phone. When he's done, he turns and sees the both of us snuggled up. I see Michelle look up and tense a little, worry in her eyes, but when she sees Trent smile at the two of us, she relaxes again.

Trent sits across from us and tells us that the police are still combin' through 'er office while his team is lookin' over the security breach. He's obviously frustrated that this could happen, let alone did at all. We all want to wrap 'er up and steal 'er away to some safe place far away, but that's just not possible.

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I am constantly editing and trying to improve the book.  Please let me know if you have any type of feedback, questions, or ideas for improvement.  Thanks to everyone for your comments and votes.  You are precious and amazing and please know that there is not one single person in the world more valuable than you are!