Page 25 of Bound By Threads
I finish getting dressed quickly, pull my now brown hair into a ponytail, and head downstairs. Claire is already in the kitchen, humming to herself as she chops fruit with bacon frying on the cooker behind her. Will is sitting at the dining table, watching his wife reverently with coffee in his hand.
They both look up as I enter the room, their faces warm and welcoming. “Morning, Lottie! Breakfast is almost ready.” Claire greets me.
I smile at her. Claire has been nothing but kind since the day I first stepped foot in their home, ruffled and half dead. She and her husband, Will, had opened their arms to me like I was part of their family, just like Archer promised they would.
It was overwhelming at first. The idea that these people would look after a stranger for nothing in return wasn’t something I could wrap my head around, and for a year, I always expected the worst to happen, though I’d never let them know. I didn’t want to feel like I owed them anything, especially not when I had spent years clawing my way out of the pit of darkness that still likes to lurk in the corners of my mind now and again, threatening to pull me back under.
“I’ll pass,”I sign back.“I’m heading to pole fitness.”
Claire gives me a disapproving glare. “You need to eat. Otherwise, you’ll wear yourself out.” I laugh as she passes me a plate filled with fruit and a side of bacon. “You’re favorite.” She winks. “Now, eat. You’re always on the move. You need fuel.”
I smirk, thinking about how many times I’ve heard that sentiment in the last two years. I’m always “on the move,” always juggling multiple things.
It’s a way of life for me now. Better this than letting the memories surface.
Shadow.
Pain.
I shake my head, expelling those thoughts, and pop a strawberry in my mouth. Will slides a smoothie over to me, clearing his throat. “Just so you know,” he starts, his eyes sparkling with the familiar excitement that I know what’s coming. “Archer’s final deployment ends this week. He’ll be home by the weekend.”
My heart flutters in my chest at the mention of his name.
Archer.
The man who saved me from the abyss below the water’s surface when I was drowning. Who saved me from a life I didn’t want to live anymore, because the pain of being alive was too much.
The man who saved me and turned my whole world upside down in the best way possible, and the man I can’t have.
His parents never asked for my whole story. Only wanting to know enough to keep me safe and change my identity. They saw me as family, and that was the end of that, by order of Claire, of course.
“That’s amazing!”I grin.“Can’t wait to see him.”
Claire’s smile softens as she looks at me, almost like she can see the longing on my face. “He can’t wait to see you, too.”
The words settle into my chest. Claire and Will have been so kind to me, but sometimes, in the quiet moments when I’m left alone with my thoughts, I have this deep fear of letting them down.
Archer’s parents are wealthy, successful entrepreneurs with an empire that stretches across the coast and more. They’ve offered to give me anything I want, but I can’t bring myself to accept their generosity more than I already have.
I don’t want them to hate me.
Standing up,I thank Claire for breakfast and quickly wash my plate, placing it on the drying rack.
“Remember to use your credit card if you need it,” Will says, a knowing look in his eye.
“I’ll be okay,”I say. I’ve been doing fine for my own money, and the idea of using their card makes shivers run down my spine. No, they’ve already done enough for me.“Thank you, though.”
“Don’t be afraid to lean on us, kiddo. You’re our family, whether you like it or not.”
I nod, but deep down, I know I will always be careful with how much I rely on them. It’s not that I don’t trust them — it’s just that I had learned the hard way that people who are supposed to love you can turn on you quickly. The betrayal cuts deeper when it comes from those you thought would never hurt you, and I won’t let myself be hurt like that ever again.
I finish my coffee, give them both a quick goodbye, and grab my bag.
As I walk out the door, I can’t help but think about everything that led me here and how different my life has become in just two years.
When Archer pulledme from the water, I was at the lowest point of my life, and the leap I took from the cliff was the only way I could see out from everything that everyone had done to me.
Mom had sold me like I was nothing. Only good for clearing her debts for the drugs she inhaled into her system, and the three boys who I once would have carved out my heart for had turned on me in my worst moment... worse, they set it up.
