One Thursday Morning: Inspirational Christian Romance (Diamond Lake Series Book 1) by T.K. Chapin Page A
Authors: T.K. Chapin
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Newport.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you’re okay, Charlie. I have no idea short of running how to get him out of our lives. Look what I went through to leave him the first time, and he still found me.”
Charlie’s eyes looked up to the ceiling as he appeared to be thinking. “Is it all women or just you that he abuses?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If we set him up with someone, would he like . . . hit her by the end of the night?”
I laughed but covered my mouth with a hand as I saw it was inappropriate. “Sorry. No. No woman is that stupid to choose to be with an abuser from the get go. It’s not something that is just normally there from the beginning. Sorry.”
He shrugged and shook his head. “No need to say sorry. I don’t know anything about this kind of stuff. Just thinking. Hey, what if we can stage a thing with you?”
Raising an eyebrow, I said, “Continue.”
“Like a video camera or me and Brody hiding out while he beats you up.”
Shaking my head, I said, “How would you even predict that? It’s not like he just comes around and beats me every day at a certain time.”
“Dang.”
Touching his shoulder, I said, “It’s okay. We’ll figure something out.”
“I got it. What if we agitate him really bad? He’s got to have a short-tempered fuse somewhere in all that fake facade he has going on.”
“That could work.”
“There’s a community potluck at the Inn at the Lake tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be going.” Charlie slid off the hospital bed and onto his feet. Turning to his hospital bed, he scooped the papers up and set them between his sling and chest. “Look at that. It’s a paper holder.” He smiled as he seemed entertained with the slightest thing. Though he had almost been killed by my ex-husband, he seemed goofy and light-hearted in the moment, and I appreciated that. It took away a lot of the guilt I had been feeling.
“We’ll get him at the potluck,” I said. “Lots of kissing and touching between us. That kind of thing would make him go nuts.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow and came closer to me, pulling me in close to his chest. Smiling, he said, “We should practice.” Leaning in, he kissed me and then smiled again as he pulled back. “I could do this all day.”
Smiling, I lifted my hands to his face and framed his jaw with my hands as I kissed him passionately. Charlie’s arms, or rather arm for now, was exactly where I wanted to be. He was everything that I wanted in a man, and though it took a broken road to find him, I’d do it all again if it meant being with him. We left the hospital and headed back to my house.
When we arrived home, he got out first and scouted out the perimeter with the knife in hand that I left on the railing of the porch. After he finished, he came back to the car and gave me a nod. Getting out, I said, “Thank you.”
“I’m your protector,” he stated. “I might only have one good arm now, but that won’t stop me from kicking the snot out of him again.”
I touched his shoulder and said, “You can’t do that unless we have some sort of evidence against him.”
“If he’s here, that’s evidence enough.”
We went inside, and I made Charlie a big dinner even though it was after midnight. Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. After we finished eating, he set his napkin down on his plate and smiled across the table as our eyes met. “This right here. This is what life’s about.”
“Food?” I asked as I finished chewing a bite of chicken.
He shook his head and held out his hands. “Spending time with people you care about. A home cooked meal is nice, don’t get me wrong. But just . . . just sitting here with you makes me so happy, Serenah.”
“I agree.” Standing up, I took both of our plates into the kitchen and set them in the sink. “What’s the deal with your job? They going to let you come back?”
Sighing, he replied, “No. They weren’t going to let me leave, so I just quit.”
My
I smiled. “I’m glad you’re okay, Charlie. I have no idea short of running how to get him out of our lives. Look what I went through to leave him the first time, and he still found me.”
Charlie’s eyes looked up to the ceiling as he appeared to be thinking. “Is it all women or just you that he abuses?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If we set him up with someone, would he like . . . hit her by the end of the night?”
I laughed but covered my mouth with a hand as I saw it was inappropriate. “Sorry. No. No woman is that stupid to choose to be with an abuser from the get go. It’s not something that is just normally there from the beginning. Sorry.”
He shrugged and shook his head. “No need to say sorry. I don’t know anything about this kind of stuff. Just thinking. Hey, what if we can stage a thing with you?”
Raising an eyebrow, I said, “Continue.”
“Like a video camera or me and Brody hiding out while he beats you up.”
Shaking my head, I said, “How would you even predict that? It’s not like he just comes around and beats me every day at a certain time.”
“Dang.”
Touching his shoulder, I said, “It’s okay. We’ll figure something out.”
“I got it. What if we agitate him really bad? He’s got to have a short-tempered fuse somewhere in all that fake facade he has going on.”
“That could work.”
“There’s a community potluck at the Inn at the Lake tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be going.” Charlie slid off the hospital bed and onto his feet. Turning to his hospital bed, he scooped the papers up and set them between his sling and chest. “Look at that. It’s a paper holder.” He smiled as he seemed entertained with the slightest thing. Though he had almost been killed by my ex-husband, he seemed goofy and light-hearted in the moment, and I appreciated that. It took away a lot of the guilt I had been feeling.
“We’ll get him at the potluck,” I said. “Lots of kissing and touching between us. That kind of thing would make him go nuts.”
Charlie raised an eyebrow and came closer to me, pulling me in close to his chest. Smiling, he said, “We should practice.” Leaning in, he kissed me and then smiled again as he pulled back. “I could do this all day.”
Smiling, I lifted my hands to his face and framed his jaw with my hands as I kissed him passionately. Charlie’s arms, or rather arm for now, was exactly where I wanted to be. He was everything that I wanted in a man, and though it took a broken road to find him, I’d do it all again if it meant being with him. We left the hospital and headed back to my house.
When we arrived home, he got out first and scouted out the perimeter with the knife in hand that I left on the railing of the porch. After he finished, he came back to the car and gave me a nod. Getting out, I said, “Thank you.”
“I’m your protector,” he stated. “I might only have one good arm now, but that won’t stop me from kicking the snot out of him again.”
I touched his shoulder and said, “You can’t do that unless we have some sort of evidence against him.”
“If he’s here, that’s evidence enough.”
We went inside, and I made Charlie a big dinner even though it was after midnight. Chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. After we finished eating, he set his napkin down on his plate and smiled across the table as our eyes met. “This right here. This is what life’s about.”
“Food?” I asked as I finished chewing a bite of chicken.
He shook his head and held out his hands. “Spending time with people you care about. A home cooked meal is nice, don’t get me wrong. But just . . . just sitting here with you makes me so happy, Serenah.”
“I agree.” Standing up, I took both of our plates into the kitchen and set them in the sink. “What’s the deal with your job? They going to let you come back?”
Sighing, he replied, “No. They weren’t going to let me leave, so I just quit.”
My
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