A Second Chance

Chapter 8 * Jordan *** trigger warning- assault ***

The next day, I was nervous. I told myself it was silly. There might not be any news yet. But I felt in my bones she’d made a decision and I desperately hoped it was in my favor. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could be around her and not have her be mine.

I considered getting her flowers but then felt like that was too much pressure. I changed my shirt 3 times. I combed my beard and styled my hair. I knew this was silly. She’d seen me a mess after the gym and first thing in the morning. But I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to present my best self in a last ditch effort to sway her in my direction.

I got to her neighborhood a few minutes early so I circled the block. There was a car I didn’t recognize in the street in front of her house. I parked in the driveway and approached the door. Typically, I don’t knock. She always unlocks the door when she knows I’m coming over and I walk right in. I hesitated, glancing back at the questionable car, and knocked lightly.

No answer.

I rang the bell. It was a video doorbell so I knew it went to her phone as well as the house doorbell.

No answer.

I decided to just go in. I opened the door slowly, peaking in. I didn’t want to scare anyone. I didn’t see anything at first. I could hear things though. I heard muffled arguing followed by a thud. Then I heard grunting and what sounded like moans. My heart dropped to my stomach. I told myself it wasn’t what it sounded like. She wasn’t ready to be with someone and she certainly wouldn’t want me to find out she was seeing someone else like this.

I took a few more steps into the house before determining the sounds were coming from the sunroom. I walked closer to it but didn’t see anything at first.

A few more steps. I felt like such a creeper. I heard another thud. I leaned forward and looked again.

That’s when I saw them. Jamie was facedown on the floor with her dress pushed up. There was a man humping her. My first thought was that she was f*****g this guy. I was about to leave and go all the way back to Florida, when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked closer and saw that a chair was on its side. I looked around the room and there was also a knocked over planter. Dirt was all over the floor. Suddenly, I could hear more clearly now that the “moans” I was hearing were cries. The last thing I was aware of before I lost my s**t, was the fact that he was kneeling on her hands.

He never saw me coming. I took 3 long strides, slid the glass door aside and ripped him off of her. She screamed and I felt a pang of guilt, realizing that it must have hurt her, but I didn’t stop. I opened the back door and literally threw him out of the house with his pants around his ankles. I called Becca on the phone while I watched him try to pull his pants up and find a way out of the yard. She and Matt lived across the street.

“What’s up?” She answered.

“Get to Jamie’s house right the f— now and call 911.” I said before hanging up.

I tossed the phone on the couch and took quick steps out of the house. Whoever this asshole was, he was struggling to get the gate on the fence open and I reached him easily.

“Where the f— do you think you’re going, you piece of s—?” I spat at him. I grabbed the back of his neck and tossed him down like a rag doll. He was not a big guy at all.

“Listen, dude. I don’t know who you are, but she and I have history! This is a misunderstanding. We dated a long time ago and we kept coming back to each other. She’s the one, you know? She always wanted to f— me but I always turned her down. When I heard she was available again, I knew it was my time. I swear she wanted it.”

His words stopped me for a second. It sounded too close to my own story with her. Was I the same as this guy? But then I remembered the scene I walked in on. And even now, I could hear her sobbing in the house. I shook my head and stalked towards him.

“It didn’t look or sound like she wanted it. If she wanted it, you wouldn’t have had to pin her down while she cried.” I said through clenched teeth.

“I know that must’ve looked bad but trust me, that’s how she likes it. She wants to be raped.”

I saw red. I may be a big guy, but I have never been a violent guy. I’ve always been more laid back and open to hearing everyone out before even getting offended. But the audacity of that mother f—er, saying, “she wants to be r***d” while we both can hear her sobbing 20 feet away….. I prayed Becca called the police already.

I jumped on him and punched him as hard as I could, square in the jaw. I was pulling back to hit him again when I felt a hand grab my arm. Instinctually, I whipped around ready to knock whoever it was out, but thankfully, I registered it was Matt and stopped myself.

“Woah, woah! Jordan, stop! He’s out cold.” Matt said quickly. “Becca called 911. He’s not going anywhere. I’ll watch him.”

I nodded and helped him lean Aaron, I learned his name was, against a tree. I rushed back into the house to see Jamie.

She was sitting on the floor where I found her, sipping water. Becca was kneeling next to her stroking her hair and trying to coax her off the floor. Her whole body was shaking and I could see her hands starting to swell up. She dropped the glass. Luckily it didn’t break.

I let out an agitated breath and knelt down beside her. Without saying a word, I wrapped one arm around her back and the other under her knees and carefully lifted her off the ground. I carried her into the house and gently placed her on the sofa. I covered her with a blanket before retrieving an ice pack from the freezer and sitting down next to her to ice her hands. She never looked at me or said a word.

When the cops and an ambulance showed up, Becca met them out front and gave them a summary of what happened. 2 policemen came into the house to question Jamie and 2 went to the back to question Aaron.

They had her tell her story at least 3 times. It was tedious. I paced around the house trying not to listen, because it was making me see red again. An officer came from the back and asked to speak to me. We went into the kitchen and they asked for my side. I told them everything I saw and did. He told me Aaron was threatening charges against me. I heard Jamie start to get upset from the next room and Becca was trying to console her. Both women pleaded with the police not to arrest me. I honestly didn’t care. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

In the end, Jamie decided she wanted to press charges and she agreed to go straight to the hospital to do a r**e kit. Becca would go with her. Aaron was arrested at the scene. The police convinced him he’d get his ass kicked in jail if he tried pressing charges against me. Matt and I drove separately from the hospital so we could drive Becca and Jamie home when they were done.

It took about two hours. Matt and I tried to make conversation while we waited but it all fell flat. There was nothing to say to make the situation better.

Finally the girls came out to the lobby. Jamie had showered and was in leggings and a hoodie that Becca grabbed for her before they left the house. Jamie looked uncomfortable when she saw me, or maybe I was being paranoid.

Becca hugged her and Matt wrapped his arms around both of them, kissing Jamie’s head, before they headed towards their car.

“You didn’t have to come here.” Jamie mumbled to me.

“Where else would I be?” I asked her, surprised.

We slowly made our way out of the building. She looked really shaky so I had her sit on a bench while I went to get the car. We drove to her house in silence. I went through a drive through to get her some food. She nibbled at it. We got to her house around 2pm. Becca texted that she’d meet the kids at the bus stop and bring them to her house so Jamie could get some rest and figure out what to tell them.

Jamie tried to walk into the house alone, but she faltered and I held her up. I picked her up and carried her the rest of the way, through the house and finally laying her on her bed. I took her shoes off and turned to go when she grabbed my hand. She looked up at me for the first time.

“Will you stay with me for a little while? Please.” She pleaded.

I nodded and laid on the bed, gently sliding my arm under her and pulling her to my chest. She curled into me and immediately started to cry softly. It almost broke me. This woman had already been through so much. She suffered through the tragic shock of losing her husband without warning. Now this ex of her comes out of the woodwork and actually viciously r***s her in her own house because she doesn’t want to be with him. I hated that while I’d never physically hurt her, I had intended to pressure her to be with me. I went there today to try and nudge her towards me. If she had said she still wasn’t ready, I’m not sure I would have been able to hide my disappointment. Was I really any better than Aaron? What kind of man tries to push a grieving widow to move on before she’s ready?

Disgusted with myself, I rolled onto my back. Jamie stilled and sniffled.

“I’m sorry. You can go.” She said, quickly wiping her eyes and sitting up, not looking at me.

“Jamie, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them like she was trying to hold herself together. I sat up too, not sure what to do.

“No, I do. I have a lot to apologize for. I haven’t been fair to you and I know you’ve changed your mind but here I am, still relying on you.”

“What do you mean, changed my mind? About what?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“About me. If the baggage of being a widow and full time mom to three children wasn’t enough, I’m sure adding r**e victim to the list will seal the coffin on us. I can’t apologize enough for you getting caught up in it today. You shouldn’t have had to get involved in my disaster. When they said you might get arrested, it killed me. You should not be ruining your life for me.”

I was truly speechless for a long moment. Jamie took that to mean I agreed with her assessment. She took my hand and looked me in the eye, seriously.

“Thank you for stopping him today. Thank you for being here for me. But you don’t have to. I’m ok and you could do much better than me. I know you think you have an obligation to me but you don’t, Jordan. You-”

“Jamie, stop! You are so wrong about everything. I don’t feel obligated to you and I sure as hell don’t judge you for the things you’ve been through except to be amazed at how strong you are. If anything, I’m sorry. I am so sorry that I’ve pressured you to be with me. I’m sorry I didn’t stop him sooner today. I’m sorry to be another problem you have to deal with when you have so much on your plate as it is. I don’t want to go anywhere unless you want me to. My feelings for you haven’t changed, except to get stronger.”

Jamie looked at me, incredulously.

“You still want to be with me, after all this??”

I gave her a small smile and leaned forward to take her hand in mine.

“Yes. Of course I do.”

She smiled shyly at me. I brushed her tears off her cheeks and she closed her eyes for a moment and sighed.

“Then, I’m ready. I was going to tell you this morning but then….Anyway, yes. I’m ready to give us a shot.”

I swear my heart skipped a beat and time stood still. I must have looked funny because she giggled and it was like music. I scooted closer to her, brushed her hair back and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. When I started to pull back, she grabbed my shoulder to stop me. She looked at me with need as her hand slid up my neck. She pulled my face back to hers and gave me a tentative kiss on the lips. I returned it and she parted her lips to allow my tongue to find hers. I kept the kiss soft and slow and I was the one to pull back first. I leaned my forehead against hers and closed my eyes.

“I don’t think that’ll ever get old.” I said to her.

I could feel her smile. It warmed my heart that after such a nightmare of a day, I could make her smile.

“So what now?” She asked, pulling back to look at me.

I didn’t have to think about it. I knew what I wanted to do.

“Will you go out with me Friday night?”

Her smile spread bigger across her beautiful face.

“An actual date?” She asked, trying to hide her excitement. It’s a good thing I was a master of control because she was making me melt into a puddle of mush.

“Yes. Get dressed up and I’ll take you out on a proper date. I’ll pick you up at 6.”

She grinned and nodded in agreement. I smiled back. It was a date.