Her Protector

Leap of Faith

It's been a couple days and things seem okay. Johnathan was making breakfast after my workout yesterday and we ate in silence. He said he had some errands to run and I was welcome to tag along but I chose to stay home and have some me time which I mostly spent dancing around my room and drawing some sketches. Mother still isn't home, but I'm used to that and it means less time under her hateful glares so it doesn't bother me at all.

I'm in the kitchen staring into the fridge trying to convince myself to eat something when Joseph walks through the kitchen door, he's home early I think to myself. I see a flash of sadness in his eyes as he glances up and realizes I'm standing there. It was fleating so I'm not even sure it wasn't my own eyes playing tricks on me. "Hey sweetheart, finished up at the new site early and caught a flight home, didn't really have time to let anybody know" I just blankly stare at him. "Oh, well.... mother isn't home" I state and he shrugs "Yeah, I know, but I wanted to talk to you anyways. I'm famished and you're obviously searching for something" I realize I'm still standing in front of the open fridge and quickly shut it. Mother hates when I waste electricity like that. Joseph continues "Why don't we pop out to Sweet Tomatoes for a light lunch and have a chat?" He knows that's my favorite salad bar, it's one of the few places I can eat to my hearts content and mother doesn't comment on my weight, as long as I don't use ranch, which happens to be my favorite. "Okay" I respond smiling. I like Joseph, he's nice and we've gotten sorta close. I didn't want to like him at first because I already have a dad but he told me pretty much right away that he didn't want to replace him, he just wanted me to think of him as a bonus dad and proceeded to make it impossible for me to hate him. I don't know how my mom snagged this one, but I hope she doesn't send him running for the hills like all the others. He's a good one, I like having him around.

I'm sitting down at our table with my salad, no dressing, when Joseph slides a bowl of ranch towards me and I look up to his winking face and laugh. See what I mean, he's hard not to like. "So Adaline I wanted to talk to you about a boarding school you might enjoy" I freeze mid bite staring at him, tears welling up. "I'm sorry, what did I do wrong?" He looks shocked, "What? No...nothing, why would you think that sweetie?" he asks. "Because you're trying to send me away, you don't want me around?" A tear slips out, weird. I'm usually good at holding them in. I don't cry in front of people. Except Johnathan and now apparently Joseph as well. "Oh no sweetheart, that's not it all. You have a choice in this." "What do you mean?" I ask. "I'm not going to force you to go somewhere you don't want to, I'm offering it as an option because I think it would be good for you and that you'd enjoy it." "Adaline..." he pauses and I nod to let him know I'm still listening. "These last two months you've been here I've noticed some things and Johnathan told me what happened." I gasp "W...wh...what did he tell you?" He sighs, "He told me he saw you cutting yourself that night before I left and that he saw a suspicious bruise" He pinches the bridge of his nose the same way Johnathan does before he continues. "This is a bit harder than I expected" I'm just sitting in silence watching him curiously, wondering why he hasn't mentioned the kiss, did Johnathan not tell him that part? "Oh hell, I'm just gonna throw it all out there" he says "Look your mom and I were on thin ice when you came to stay. I can't have kids because of an injury I sustained when I was young. She thought that bringing you home would appeal to my paternal side and fix things. I was not excited about this idea, I wanted to just separate and be done with it, but she convinced me and I like having you around, you're a good kid, I want to do everything in my power to help you have the life you deserve. I care about you like you're my own" Hearing him say that last part warms my heart but I don't fully understand what's going on. "So, what does this mean? I'm confused" I tell him "It means that I like being your bonus dad and I'm offering you a chance to attend a prestigious school for girls that offers trauma therapy for whatever it is you have been through that makes you harm yourself. You don't have to go if you don't want to. I will never force you into something you don't want." I smile at him, a genuine smile, "I kind of want to, but mother will never agree" "Don't worry" he says "I'll take care of your mother. You won't have to stay away either. We'll come visit and you'll come home for holidays and such" We finish our lunch in silence and return home.

When we get there I see Johnathan standing on our wrap around porch watching us. He looks guilty as I approach. "Everything okay?" he asks "Why wouldn't it be?" Joseph responds. Johnathan is looking me in the eyes. I don't know why but I feel like he needs to be comforted so I wrap my arms around him. He stiffens and when I say thank you he let's out a breathe like he'd been holding it the whole time. I turn to Joseph and also hug and tell him thanks. "I'm gonna go check this school out online, but I look forward to going, I'll come down for dinner later" and with that I run upstairs to my room. I really am kind of excited about this. I knew we'd gotten close but I didn't know he cared so much. Seriously, how did my mother snag this guy?