The Forest Next Door

Chapter 2

        I ran out the door and up to the top of the hill to tell my dad goodbye. I'll be home later and I rushed back down the hill into the woods. When I finally made it to work I started with feeding the animals and then I was headed to finish the barn when I had seen a man with his back turned to me and the boss standing in front of him giving him orders. I've never seen this man before knowing he was new in town. I walked over to them and the boss greeted me "hey there darlin, we have a new comer today and he's moved right in front of where you live, I was hoping you could help him out and show him around, and I'll pay you extra if you show him around town later after your shifts end." And he turned around and I saw his dark green eyes, he was so handsome I caught myself not breathing for a moment. I caught my breath still not looking away from his eyes, I said " sure so is he going to be working with me?" Yet I was embarrassed because I was wearing a white tank top and cowboy boots and dirty high waisted jeans from work, I wasn't much embarrassed about what I was wearing but the fact that I didn't hide my bruises and scars because to get to here I can go through the forest on the trail right next door where no one ever goes and I didn't know we would have a newcomer this was the first time in years since we had a new worker. The boss looked at me then looked at him and said " yeah he'll be working with you helping you out with heavy stuff and heavy equipment…." but before he could finish I look at tom our boss breaking eye contact with the new guy and said " but boss I can handle it, you know I'm strong and I have no struggle at getting any of it done." He looked at me and said " look darlin I'm gonna be paying you both the same with a bonus and your paycheck is only going to be going up I think it'll be better for you to not be as tired and I'm gonna be cutting your hours and paying you more because your young and you don't need to waist all your time working go out have fun." I keep quiet and I shake my head to agree looking at my feet. We get to work and once the boss leaves the new guy walks up to me and sticks out his hand I shake it as I feel all the warmth and electric flow through my body. I'm not gonna lie, he was fine as hell. He introduces himself and his voice is so deep and dominating " Hi my name is Jasper I just moved here across from you" I sat back wanting to know more about him. " Why did you move here?" I asked. “For you darlin.” His answer was quite unclear but I ignored it, waving it off. I turned around not thinking clearly but my face had grew red, I was trying to hide the fact that I liked him, and I didn't want him to see my face. So red like a cherry tomato ready to be plucked off the vine. But then I felt a hand. His hand tracing my scar on my shoulder blade and I looked at him scared and all of a sudden I ran tears filled my eyes as I was embarrassed for him to see me like this. I was ugly and I was ashamed of my scars so I ran and ran till I couldn't no more and I felt the hard cold ground on my face and then I felt his hand on my shoulder as he picked me up holding me. " Look darlin I don't know how you got these and I don't know why but you shouldn’t be embarrassed not at all." and I realized that it was time to get off work. Trying to ignore him no matter what he said. We walked to tell Tom we were headed home and I began to head home when I heard him holler " hey you want me to walk with you home?" Knowing what was waiting for me at home I didn’t want him to see any of it at all. “I have some stuff to do but i’ll meet up with you later.” I said with a smile.

I was so happy I got the chance to meet him and that he’ll be working with me. He's so handsome and sexy and fully built I wanted to be close to him at all times but I couldn't.... I finally reached home and I walked in not knowing that Jasper was home already. I opened the door and that's when it hit. A bash to the head with a lamp.  My mom had hit me! The smell of all the booze hit me as well and I knew she was already drunk with the door still open. She grabbed me by my hair dragging me yelling " where have you been you little good for nothing w***e where's my money!" I had to sneak some money for myself but she always got almost all of my money never leaving me any. I felt eyes staring at me angry eyes but not my mother's they were  Jaspers eyes. He began walking out of his house when I shook my head at him no. My mom grabbed the hammer off the stand and turned it to the back of it where she hit me in the hip with it and dragged it cutting me wide open. Blood everywhere. I couldn’t do anything as my memories of father popped up in my head, all I could do is think that I deserve this. Then, in that exact moment my mother knew I wasn’t paying attention and with one hand she was pouring the whiskey on my womb pulling me out of the painful memory causing me to scream from the burn. Jasper had enough, he grabbed my mom and put her in the closet, locking her in there as he picked me up and took me over to his house and that's all I could remember is looking up at the sky and seeing the pretty cotton looking clouds as everything went black and I couldn't hear a word.

 Finally, waking up in a bed that's not my own and it's dark pitch dark. I removed the cover that lied on me forgetting about my leg I stood up and pain shot through my body I hit the ground landing on my torn hip and it felt like something ripped I looked down and my stitches had ripped and I was bleeding like never before I lied there in my pool of blood wondering if I could move and so I tried I dragged my body over to the door leaning up to open it once I got it open I sensed someone was near and I didn't want him to see me like this I began to cry as I used the door to help myself  up and reach the kitchen chair practically running over there I could barely see tears streaming down my face and I finally sit down wiping the tears from my face, I feel his eyes on me again and I lose it and scream "don't look at me!" I didn't want him to see me in this state, weak, a loser, a coward. And he walks over there anyway and I place my face in his chest. "You don't even know me. Why are you helping me? why!?" He grabs both sides of my face and looks deep into my eyes and I can feel his gaze, sadness, regret but not about me, something else but he's so hard to read. "I will always protect you. I am sorry I haven't been here but do you want to know who I really am?" I stopped crying to hear what he had to say and he saw I was giving him my full attention. “Darlin we had met before,.... 11 years ago I saw you. You were so beautiful up at the top of the hill, picking flowers. My uncle was apart of this drug lord gang and that night they killed a man and was planning on killing everyone in the house your mother hid in the closet but when I seen you up there I knew I couldn't let them hurt you and so I had you hide in that bush to protect you your father had spoken to me before dying and asked to protect you and when i seen you up at the top of that hill i knew i would ALWAYS love you!” That was him. I didn't know what to feel, I should have felt angary but I felt nothing. All I could say was, “Why?” “Why me? I could  have saved him…. I could have PROTECTED MY FATHER , yet you saved me and now he’s gone!” “ Darlin they would have killed all of you.” and in that moment I passed out. Waking up I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over and I saw my father. Was this real? Am I dreaming? You know what right now I don’t care. He touched my face and said “Honey don’t blame the boy I asked him to protect you. I asked him to because I knew what was going to happen and wanted nothing to happen to you. You are my one and only treasure, and I truly have only one regret.” “What's that daddy?” I said with tears running down my face. “Leaving you with your mother. None of it was your fault. The story your mother tells you is a lie, she wanted the money and she was a part of the drug thing. They killed me to make her pay. It was never your fault. I love you and always will my baby girl.” Soon I woke up to Jasper next to me that And that's when he kissed me. I felt his hands roaming my body as he took off my shirt and I stopped "are you sure you wanna see me like this?" And he leans down to my scars tracing them with his finger then gently kissing them "Yes I want you I can barely contain or control myself around you. Are you ok with this?" I unbutton his pants as an answer. He unhooks my bra taking it off and smiles and me he picks me up and I wrap my legs around him ignoring my open womb and he takes me to his bed. He looks up at me worried because he knows my leg is beginning to bug me and he stops. “Darling, lets go slow ok?” “Yeah, I agree” “Come on let’s hit the kitchen.” we head to the kitchen as he picks me up and sets me on top of the counter surprising me. “Ok put your leg up here if you can.” I place my leg up and he begins to stitch me up. “Jasper…. Are you worried I'm going to get blood on your shirt?” “Darlin you are fine. Quit worrying so much hahaha.” “Okay”.