Chapter 160: No Thorns
- RAYA -
It’s been more than two weeks since the funeral for Dex’s father that turned into a nightmare. More than two weeks since we found Rory at that cabin. More than two weeks since Luciano shot and killed Lawson when he saw him on top of my sister.
If I thought meeting Dex changed my life so much before, it’s entirely unrecognizable now. On one hand, it’s bliss with him—perfection. It couldn’t be better.
I’m officially living with him now, and it’s so natural. It’s like I’ve always been here. We’ve moved my things out of the guest house—even my plants—and now Dex’s closet is a combination of both of our clothes. He even moved a dresser from one of the spare rooms so that I wouldn’t have to leave his room for the rest of my clothes.
It’s like a dream come true—literally.
But Rory is also living with us, and there are so many difficult emotions revolving around that day of the funeral—for everyone. And they haven’t even really begun to be dealt with.
After what happened at that secluded cabin in the woods not far from the old saw mill, Rory has descended back into a really difficult place. She couldn’t return to her apartment for fear of being alone, so Dex immediately offered to have her stay with us.
Dex feels responsible for what Lawson did, which is crazy. It’s not his fault. He doesn’t talk about it now, but when we found Rory he did say that he should have made sure Lawson was dead the first time. And I can feel the weight that he carries around with him about it. It’s particularly apparent when he’s around Rory.
Part of the reason why we moved my things out of the guest house was to make room for Rory once she was ready to stay out there, but she is still sleeping in the spare room by us. Even the guest house feels too far away and isolated, and I understand that feeling completely. I shared it not that long ago, and it was for an experience far less traumatic than hers.
Many nights Rory wakes up screaming, and I find myself in bed with her, holding her until she stops shaking and is able to fall back asleep. It’s heartbreaking, because I know my sister to be so formidable—so brave and capable of facing anything. But the experience with Lawson brought back old nightmares.
Trauma lives in the body as well as the mind. I remember hearing that somewhere. Even if we feel that we have moved on from a traumatic experience mentally, the memory lives in our muscles, in our bones... in the deep parts that have been with us all through life and endured. Those memories never really leave. They can’t. They are part of us.
Last night was another night Rory woke up in a panic, and her voice reached me. I jumped out of bed, heart racing from the sound, and curled my body around hers until her screams transformed into quiet crying. I cried, too.
Now Dex is at the office, and I’m in the kitchen making more coffee. I’ve been working from home on the Verdure account and doing any administrative tasks Dex needs.
This way I can be with Rory so she’s not alone. There is also the added benefit of avoiding the scrutinizing, judgmental stares at the office after everyone saw Dex and I together at the funeral. But that is definitely a lesser concern.
I hear Rory’s steps descending on the stairway, and I pour a second cup of coffee—this one for her.
"Good morning!" I call and smile brightly when she appears in the entry of the kitchen.
"Morning," she grumbles and shuffles over to the island where I place her mug down.
"There’s another bouquet of flowers for you," I smirk.
She scoffs and shakes her head. "I’m sure Dex hates that flowers have taken over his house."
"Why would he hate that?"
She shrugs, not committing to the comment.
"Maybe you should at least talk to Luciano. Have one conversation..."
"He’s in the mob, Raya," she says, glaring at me. "I’m trying to avoid bad guys."
"He’s not a bad guy..."
She groans, her head sinking onto the counter between her arms. "I don’t want to have this conversation."
I bite my lip, refraining from what I want to say. It’s true that Luciano is in the mafia. That became obvious, and Dex finally told me as much as he could about it. But... Luciano is obviously very committed to these feelings that he has for Rory. And it makes me sad for both of them. She is avoiding him, and he is doing everything in his power to make sure she is safe.
After Rory started staying here, he had someone evaluate the security that Dex had on the house. Even though it was just installed, it apparently wasn’t top-of-the-line, so Luciano paid to have it replaced. He also hired a private doctor to evaluate Rory and make sure there are no lasting effects from the drug she was given to knock her out or from the concussion that Lawson gave her.
And Luciano also has someone watching the house. Rory doesn’t know that, and I’m not going to tell her. In my opinion, that’s going a little too far. But Rory won’t give Luciano the time of day, and for some reason he is determined to make sure she is safe. If he can’t be here to do it, then he’s making sure someone is. And apparently I’m not good enough.
I appreciate it, of course. It’s sweet. It’s also a little obsessive... something that Rory is not going to like. I know her, and this is too much. It’s sweet, but it’s just way too much.
The daily bouquets of flowers are just another example. At this point, Dex just groans or rolls his eyes when he sees them. He can’t tell Luciano to stop. I don’t think there’s any point in trying to argue with his cousin. For whatever reason, Luciano is completely smitten by Rory. And I don’t imagine it letting up anytime soon—at least not until she is able to talk to him and convince him herself that it’s not going to work between them.
"I don’t get it," Rory says, finally lifting her head and taking a sip of her coffee. "He doesn’t even know me. We’ve barely had a conversation."
I nod silently. "But maybe finding you like that..."
"I was fine. I am fine," she says, frowning. "I..." she groans and rubs her eyes. "I’m grateful he found me, of course. And for what he did."
"I know," I say quietly.
She’s not really fine, and I know she knows that. But I understand what she means. She doesn’t want a guy fixing it, least of all a guy who she thinks is bad news.
Rory looks at the bouquet of roses on the island and shakes her head. Then she plucks one from the vase and lays it next to her on the island.
"No thorns," she mumbles to herself. "Even the rose is a lie."
