Meredith felt like she was on fire as Tyler reached around and grabbed the tie that held the top of her bikini in place. She felt the give of the string as he pulled on it, then she pushed back against his strong forearm so that it could fall away. Her eyes met his before he broke the gaze and looked down at the flesh he'd just bared. There was something about the look of concentration that fell into place over his features that excited her."You get more beautiful every time I see you," he whispered before bending his head so he could capture her hard flesh in between his lips.This was what she loved about him. Before him, she'd been extremely self-conscious about herself, especially after the attack. He had taken all those feelings and thrown them into a box, shoving it somewhere she would never be able to find them again. With him, she did feel beautiful, she did feel wanted, there was no doubt in her mind that her husband loved and wanted her. Those feelings were worth more th
Meredith awoke to the sunlight streaming brightly between the blinds of the dorm room. Wrapped in Tyler's arms, she was content and at peace—more than she'd been in a long time. She sighed deeply, allowing herself a few moments to think about the changes that had come about in her life. If this had been a time not so long ago, she'd be lying here wondering why she was defective, why she couldn't give herself and him the one thing they both wanted. Not being able to get pregnant had been a major blow to her self-esteem, in some ways even more so than the rape. It had made her feel like she was less of a woman, like something was wrong with her. That only doubled the frustration she felt when she went to the doctor and they told her there was absolutely nothing wrong with her or Tyler. In her darkest days, she'd fallen to her knees and questioned God. She'd not only questioned, but she'd begged. Promises had flown from her lips like a river. If God would give her a child, then she'd do a
"Do we have any new ones today?" Meredith asked as she went over some of the paperwork that greeted her once she got to CRISIS. She'd quietly worked her way up from volunteer to director. She wasn't sure how that had happened, but she knew that things were getting done, and that's all that anyone cared about."Yeah," one of the volunteers told her, picking through the packets the new people filled out. "This one." She handed her the packet. "She came in late last night. Looked familiar to me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. She's already gone for the day, said she wanted to go find a job."That was good. It never did any of the newbies any good to sit in the house and think about how they'd gotten there. That never did anyone any good. "Does she have any family nearby?" Meredith asked, doing a once-over of the registration forms."She mentioned a sister somewhere, but that was it. They aren't close, and she refused to name her, only said that they were actually half-sisters a
"Are you sure you don't wanna go to the clubhouse and hang with everybody? We'll probably be pretty late tonight," Tyler questioned Meredith as he put his leather chaps on over his jeans and shrugged into his leather cut. She admired the view for a moment before shaking her head. "This isn't the first run you've ever been on at night. You forget we've done this a long time."There had been times in the past few years where they hadn't done many runs and she'd not had to worry about him or be alone at night, but these runs had picked up significantly in the last few months. He couldn't tell her anything and she was okay with that, but she didn't feel as if she had to be treated any differently now."I know that." He had a seat, slipping his boots on. "I worry now that you're here with Addie. It seems pointless to me, since there's a clubhouse full of people who would love to see you."The argument she voiced was gentle. "And I want to stay here in my pajamas, going over my budg
"Why did Mandy run outta here like her ass was on fire?" Liam asked Denise as he grabbed his leather cut. He'd been tucking Tatum in and had heard raised voices, but knew if anyone had the details, it would be Denise.She sighed. "Drew and Dalton. I'm not sure what all was said, but they were bragging about getting girls.""Were they braggin' about gettin' girls or bangin' girls?" He grinned and blew out a gust of air as she smacked him in the stomach."As long as I have no proof, my son is still my little boy," she told him, running a hand through her hair. "Anyway, whatever they said really upset Mandy. She threw some stuff in a bag and was gone.""These teenagers are gonna be the death of us," he breathed out, pulling her into his arms, circling her in his embrace.She melted there a few moments, letting the stress of the day go away. It was the best place she had ever been and the best place she ever could be. "Don't I know it? I don't understand what happened. I moved in
Two weeks later and Meredith had moved on to the yearly budget for CRISIS. Their fiscal year ran from September to September, and she liked to have it done by the middle of August. They were a week away from August storming in like a lion, and she knew she couldn't put it off anymore. Deciding what to pay and what to solicit donations for was always a hard decision. Even though Heaven Hill gave them quite a bit of capital to do things with, it was never enough for a nonprofit. Taking care of women and children was expensive. Especially when all of them had needs and some of them had never had adequate medical care. She sighed, throwing her laptop to the coffee table."You okay?" Tyler asked, his eyebrow raised.This should have been a nice Saturday afternoon for them. Addie was taking a nap, and the house was completely still for a few hours. She rubbed at a headache that was beginning to form in the middle of her forehead. "There's never enough money for the things I want to do
Meredith was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. After she'd said yes to Tyler about a mini-vacation for their family and he'd gotten it approved from Liam, she'd started doing things at CRISIS so she could take a few days off. They had decided they would leave after work on Thursday and head down to Gatlinburg that night. They'd have the whole day Friday, the whole day Saturday, and part of the day Sunday for making the trip back."Are you sure I'm not asking too much of you?" Meredith chewed on her bottom lip as she questioned Christine. There was no one she trusted more with this place than her friend. If Christine hadn't loved doing hair so much, she'd ask her to leave the Curly Q and come manage CRISIS, but Meredith knew how much she loved doing hair. It calmed her in a way nothing else could. "You aren't, I promise. For the most part, this place runs itself with the two workers you have on payroll and all the volunteers. If you're going to leave, now is the
Getting up early had never been one of Meredith's strong suits. Tyler was used to it because of his morning workouts with Drew, but Meredith liked to sleep. This morning, however, wasn't one of those mornings. She was up with the sun, getting the three of them ready to hit the road."I don't think I've ever seen you this excited about anything." Tyler laughed as she all but bounced through the house, directing him on which suitcases and bags to take."I am excited. I'm excited to spend a couple of days with my family, knowing that neither one of us are going to be called away for something. Plus, this is our first vacation with our daughter. I can't help it." She shrugged.His excitement matched hers, but he'd had a lot more experience over the years hiding his feelings from others; it was much easier for him. "You ready?" he asked Addie, who lay on the couch, drinking her morning sippy cup of juice.The little girl was sleepy, and they figured she'd be out like a light before