Page 87 of Nevermore
“Yeah, it fucking was.” I quickly check to make sure my girl is ok, hooking my arm around her neck and bringing her close. “Let’s get out of here.”
I’m fucking rattled.
Between everything she’s had going on, that fucked up memory I definitely forgot until now, and this stupid car showing up again? Maybe rattled isn’t a strong enough word.
“I didn’t get any clothes.”
My brows lift as I slowly look down at Leo. “What?”
“We didn’t even make it into one of the shops.”
“No…”
“I don’t want to do this again, Lucius,” she says with a grin as she finally catches her breath. “We’re out now, so let’s go shoppingnow, that way I don’t have to go out again. And after trying to chase your ass down the street, I need to get clothes I can jog in because I amsuperout of shape.”
With an unexpected laugh, I press a kiss to the top of Leo’s head before walking us in the opposite direction.
I’m surprised she didn’t jump at the chance to go home right now but all it does is prove my point.
Leonor is scared.
And knowing our warrior feels that way has my own fear clawing at my chest.
21
LUCKY
We spent four hours shopping for clothes.
Four fucking hours shopping for clothes with a woman who hates shopping for clothes.
I don’t know if I’m ever going to go shopping, even for myself again after that.
It’s very possible Leo smacked me somewhere along the lines of eighty times, cussed a blue streak every time I made her try something on, and threw her boots at me whenever I reminded her they had to come off before her pants. Leo almost cried—she couldn’t hold it back after the stress of all this shit—when the lady in charge of the dressing rooms made a comment to her coworker about Leo’s scars. They talked about mine, too, but insecure or not, I’m past caring what people have to say about me. Talking about my girl, though? That shit will get you a reality check so fucking fast your head will spin.
Those bitches are lucky their heads didn’t roll after I was done with them.
I put all our shit back and they lost what would have been a huge sale, complained to the manger about how they hiredjudgmental assholes so we wouldn’t be coming back, and as soon as they recognized who we were, I told them to fuck off.
Neither of us need their phony sympathy or compensation in order to prevent us from suing.
Which I threatened to do on the way out, even though I won’t.
Then we switched stores and started all over again.
Leo was pretty deflated after that and she was finally ready to scrap the whole thing.
When Leo looks at herself all she sees is her scars and years of self neglect. She doesn’t see how fucking beautiful she is, how strong and resilient she is. Leonorcan’tsee those things, not anymore but I’m determined as hell to get her to open her eyes again. And once all of our ducks are in a row, I know she’ll start seeing herself the way we see her, the way we’ve always seen her.
Until then, Leo sees a broken girl who has spent years burying trauma and living in fight or flight mode.
I brought it up to her primary and psychiatrist when we hit those appointments—yes, I go to them and Leo lets me sit in and ask questions—and that’s how they put it. Until earlier, Leo was starting to come around. Then those cuntasaurus’ had to run their mouths within earshot.
Fucking bullshit.
Which brings us to our current stop, and hopefully this’ll go much better.
“I don’t want to do this, Lucky,” Leo says as she stops right inside the door of the next store.
