Coming Home

Chapter 19.

The next morning I wake to feel Adrian's strong arm draped over me. A feeling of bliss washes over me and I nuzzle in closer against him.

He feels me move and lets out a sleepy groan into my ear before tightening his grip. "Good morning gorgeous."

I roll back and kiss him. His hand reaches up to stroke my cheek before speaking slowly. "How do you feel this morning?"

I flash him a small smile and blush. "After last night, I feel like a brand new woman."

He smirks at me and leans up to look down at me. "Then it was a job well done."

I giggle and push against his shoulder. He rolls over and gets out of bed to dress.

I smile and roll over to watch him. "What a view."

He turns and lets out a laugh as I wink at him. He pulls his jeans on and leans back in to kiss me tenderly. "It's pretty great from here."

I spend the next week trying to ease back into my routine. The bruises have mostly healed and I feel ready to get back to work. My co-workers give their best smiles and tell me how glad they are to have me back. I'm thankful they don't know the extent of what happened that night, and accept their well-wishes.

I know they want to ask me about it, but I'm so glad they won't. I'm ready to move past it. I'm stronger than my circumstances.

After work, I stop by to see my mom and she gives me a tearful hug before trying to convince me to move back home. I convince her I'm safe where I am and head around the corner to Emma's.

Emma opens the door and gives me a sad smile before hugging me tight. "Oh Car. I'm so glad to see you. Come in. Come in."

She ushers me over to the couch and closes the door before sitting down in front of me.

"Emma, you look great. How are you doing?"

She waves dismissively, smiling tightly. "I'm fine. Seriously, I'm ok. Bruises are mostly healed. It's just my pride that's hurt. I thought Luke really did want me. Turns out he's actually as terrible as you said. Car, I'm so sorry for not believing you."

You grab her hand and give it a squeeze. "I don't blame you. He's gorgeous and rich, and gave you no reason not to believe in him. It could've happened to anyone. Hell, it happened to me. What matters is that we're both ok."

"Yeah. Thanks to Adrian. If he hadn't shown up, I don't want to think about how it would've ended."

We both shudder and I flash her a smile. "Ok. We can't hide away and let them get the best of us. They're all locked up now, and it's time to move on. Why don't we go grab some coffee?"

She nods and the two of us head to the coffee shop down the street. As we walk in, I see Adrian standing at the counter waiting for his order. He sees us and flashes me a smile.

I walk up to him and give him a quick kiss. "I didn't know you'd be here. Emma and I just needed to get out for a bit."

He smiles at Emma as she gives him a sheepish smile as he acknowledges her. "I just needed some better coffee than my own before finishing up with those contracts."

"Still not going well?"

He shakes his head and grabs his coffee as it's placed on the counter.

"Thank you Mr. Donahue. Your order will be ready in just a moment." My ears perk at the sound of the familiar last name coming from the barista behind me.