Sway has been itching to get his hands on my thick, long mahogany hair. He was shocked the first time he styled it, when I told him I didn’t touch color products. I have always been blessed with perfect hair. Dark brown with so many different shades of auburn that when the sun hit it you could almost see it set fire.

Exhausted from my shopping mission with Dee, I sat down and told him to go for it, whatever he wanted.

“Sweet baby Jesus in a manger…sweet child, oh Lord have mercy, please tell Sway that I am not hearing things?” He turns his excited eyes on me with a look of elation, pure elation.

“Go for it, Sway, just please don’t make me regret this.” Smiling at him through the mirror, I let myself drift off.

The first time I met Sway was when Dee and I arrived in town two years before. He was our second stop after unloading all of her stuff and my few boxes at our new house. Dee had explained to me on the drive that this was our new chapter in life. A chance to start from scratch and become new people. I knew what she was giving up to run with me. She had a very successful insurance company in Bakersville, North Carolina. Luckily she was your typical trust fund baby, so it wasn’t hard for her to up and leave. She left her second in command in charge with plans on expanding wherever we landed. We took everything we owned and drove South. The one and only saving grace I had was an account Dee had helped me set up with the money my grandfather had left me when he passed away five years ago.

Her money had bought us the house, but mine had insured I had time to heal before I needed to make any plans.

The one plan I did make immediately was to get rid of the Stepford wife look Brandon had pressed upon me. Sway had tried but it took time, and finally my hair was long and lush again, falling almost to my ass in thick waves. I didn’t look a lot like that scared housewife anymore, thank Christ for that.

Sway is muttering off and on about the newest purses he just picked up at the Coach store, the earrings he planned on matching with each new purse, and which heels he would wear with what. I swear that this man was done a great injustice when he came out with a dick.

“Oh honey, did I tell you about the new man that just bought up the space next door? Oh sweet love of all the Gods above, he is huge, darling, just huge. I bet he is huge everywhere, if you know what I mean?” He looks down at me with such seriousness that it takes me a minute to follow the flow from purses to man candy.

“What? Oh, right…good looking, huh?” I respond, hoping I am following.

“Girl, you have no idea. What Sway wouldn’t do to catch the eye of that walking wet dream. He was at least seven feet tall, at least. Huge, I am talking muscles on his muscles. I do not know how his shirt stayed together it was stretched so tight against that sexy chest and those fine arms. Makes me want to just fall at his feet and pray he swings my way. But, I tell you this, there is no way a man as man as him swings for the rainbow. No way. Shame for Sway, but girlfriend, as beautiful as you are, this is good news. Best news. We should set something up. You would love him. Thick black hair, now I would love to get my hands on that thick mop of lusciousness…yes I would.” Did I mention Sway could exaggerate slightly when he got excited?

I’m starting to get a little concerned about the orgasm Sway seems to be having about this man while he is holding scissors to my head. This could be bad.

I smile hesitantly up at Sway and his dreamy eyes, “Sway, babe you know I love you, but I have no interest in you fixing me up. None, so get it out of your head right now.”

“Oh girl, one of these days you will meet a man and he is going to knock you right on your ass! Mark my words girlfriend. Knock you straight on that perfect little ass!” He replies with a naughty grin.

“Doubtful, Sway, I am done with the male gender. I might even take a page out of your book and start batting for my own team.” I laugh and sit back, allowing myself to relax now that the scissor wielding man has calmed down.

Dee and I finish up with Sway, and his minions of beauty, right around five, with just enough time to rush home and get dressed before Greg comes to take us to dinner.

Pulling up to the house I notice a package on the step. Calling out to Dee, I step out of the car and grab a few bags, stopping to pick up the package and unlock the door. Dropping the bags in my hand, I quickly disarm the security system and make my way into the kitchen. Dee comes in right when I drop the package on the island and turn for a knife.

“What’s that?” she asks.

“Not sure, no return address, probably something from a client for my birthday.” I reply, distracted by my mission to cut away the tape.

Dee goes about her own business, walking down the hall to her room, surely to start her getting ready process.

Cutting the rest of the packaging tape away, I peel open the flaps and start moving around the packaging popcorn.

I move a folded piece of paper out of the way, placing it on the counter and remove what appears to be a frame. Carefully turning it over, I gasp and drop the picture to the ground, shattering the glass all around my feet.

Dee comes running down the hall at my noise, trying to figure out what has me so spooked. She bends down and picks up the frame, turning it over to reveal the picture.

“That motherfucker,” she says under her breath. “What a fucking motherfucker!” She screams.

Through the tears streaming down from my eyes, I look down at the frame of Brandon and myself. He’s taken something sharp and scraped away the belly part of my body. He is looking at me through the picture with that handsome, perfect smile on his face, arm around my back holding me close to his body. I look sad but still smiling. I think this was taken our last Christmas together, at one of his company parties. The arm not behind my back was resting on the portion of my stomach he had so harshly scraped and dug off the picture.

Dee picks up the paper I had laid out on the counter. Giving a quick peek, she slams it back down looking like she could spout steam at any second.

“Bastard, that bastard…I’m going to cut off his balls and feed them to him before I kill him with my bare hands, fucker.” She starts looking around for her phone, momentarily forgetting she had left the paper where I could see it.

I look down, and in his angry scrawl I read, “Feeling empty today? How old would the bastard be this year? Happy birthday, dear wife.”

Surprisingly the sobs didn’t start right away, I stood there just looking down at the paper for the longest time, and when it hit, it hit hard.

Stumbling back a few steps until my back hit the wall, I slid down onto my ass, curling my legs up to my chest and wrapping an arm around myself protectively. My forehead hits my knees and everything I had been carefully storing in the ‘do not open’ box in my head comes pouring out. Giant, body shaking sobs, gasping for breaths between them, my whole frame is jerking violently with the force of my grief.

Dee comes rushing into the room, I can hear her on the phone but she is so far away from my understanding right now. Her arms come around me and I feel her rocking with me, still mumbling into the phone. The tears won’t stop coming and the crying is getting louder.

I have no idea how long I stayed ass to the floor in the kitchen, crying and rocking. I look up briefly when I feel strong arms wrap around me and hook under my legs, lifting me off the floor. Another sob catches my breath when I met Greg’s pained blue eyes. Resting my head on his chest, I let him take the lead. Walking over to the couch, he sits down and keeps me close to his body.

As grateful as I am for Dee, for everything she has done for me, it’s moments like this when the only thing that can make me feel safe is being held tight in Greg’s strong arms.

If anyone could understand where I was in my head right now, it was Greg.

Part of the reason that our bond was so strong was because of how much he could relate right now. About a month after I had met Greg, he sat me down and explained he had lost his sister when he was overseas. Her husband was a real prick and Greg always wondered, but never confirmed, if he was slapping her around. Unfortunately, he was never able to save his sister; she was beyond his protection when he was off fighting for everyone else’s freedom. When he met me, he said his first thought was how much I reminded him of her. That conversation wasn’t an easy one for him, but it helped me understand why he got so murderous the day he saw me standing on the curb of my old house, beaten, bruised and broken. Looking back now, I understand how he was able to recognize my fear and instead of lashing out, he took it in and turned into my lifeline; my protector. He’s been protecting me ever since.

“Baby girl? I know you’re scared. Iz, mark my fucking words, he will not touch you. Do you hear me? He won’t breathe your fucking air, I promise you that.” His fierce voice rumbles in my ears. He means it, I don’t doubt that. Greg would do anything to protect his family.

“I’ll find him, I’ve got a friend who just moved to town, Reid, he’s buying into Cage Investigation and Security. He’s been more body guard and muscle but he wants to expand into systems, installs and investigations, my shit, so we got you baby girl. He’s been a big deal out West now for a few years. Ex-marine, badass motherfucker. I’ll talk with Reid, explain the situation and we will take this. I don’t want you to even think about it, you got me, baby girl?”

How do you argue with that?

Easy, you don’t. Not when it comes to Greg Cage in protection mode.

“Yeah, Greg, I got you.”

With plans for the night squashed by one unexpected package, Greg settles down with Dee and me for movies, popcorn and beer.

I’m out before Mike takes the stage for the first scene. I vaguely hear Greg’s grumbles about watching “a fucking stripper movie” when the strippers have dicks.

Chapter 3

The next morning greets me much like yesterday. Except I’m not hung over from Jack this time. My emotional hangover is much worse. My strength seems stripped from me in a way, a way that makes it hard to remember I am not that broken and weak woman anymore. I try to remember that I survived, there is no reason to fear life anymore, I’m free and I am my own person. It’s hard, God it’s hard to remember the positive in my life. I remind myself that I don’t want to be this woman anymore, I am strong and I will overcome this.

Then I remember the picture.

The carving over my empty womb.

And then all that strength and drive to overcome flies right out the window.

Fuck strong, I just want to curl up and die.

Knock, knock…

“Uhh, Dee…come back later, I don’t want to talk right now.” I whine turning my head into the pillow.

Maybe if I’m lucky I can just go to sleep and she’ll go away.

“Not Dee, baby girl, turn over so we can talk, yeah?” Greg’s deep voice hits me, leaving no room for argument. Why ask the question? I know he won’t leave until we talk.

But, then I remember, fuck that.

“Go away, G. Not interested in hashing out life lessons right now.” My voice is muffled by the pillow. He’ll get the point and if he doesn’t... fuck him.

“Iz, get the fuck up now. Love you baby girl, but I won’t sit here while you self-destruct.”