Free Trust Again by Christy Newton Page A

truth. And let him know that she was okay now. She took a deep breath and paused to look at the jack-o’-lantern with the big toothy grin on the porch before knocking on the storm door. No scary Halloween decorations here.
    May, his nurse, opened the door. “Ellie, hi. It’s been great working with your dad, but I think he’s okay on his own now, so this was my last day.”
    Ellie’s eyes widened. “It is? He’s walking on his own?”
    May nodded. “He is. But don’t take my word for it. He’s out in the backyard. Go see for yourself.”
    Ellie rushed past May through the house to the back. Her dad was standing in the middle of the large fenced-in yard, holding a controller. He waved at her.
    “What are you doing?”
    He chuckled. “I’m flying my new plane.” He pointed up to the sky. “Check it out. I found my new hobby.”
    She shielded her eyes from the sun to see a small toy plane circling the yard. “Playing with toys.” She laughed. “Sounds like the perfect hobby for a retired toy store owner.”
    His plane crashed into a tree and he walked over to get it. His pace was slow and steady, but he was indeed walking without a cane or a limp. “I’m not just playing, though, I built this myself.” He handed the cherry red plane to her.
    “Nice. I’m so glad you are doing better.” She glanced over at the old picnic table that had been painted more times than she could remember. “Can we sit? I need to talk to you about something.”
    Her dad pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Of course.”
    Ellie swallowed. How did she tell him this?
    He looked at her expectantly.
    “Dad, New York wasn’t exactly like the picture I painted for you.”
    “No?”
    She rubbed her dry lips together and shook her head. “I lived with a man named Bryce.”
    Her dad raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. “It’s okay, Ellie. You’re an adult. If you chose to live with a man out of wedlock that is up to you.”
    “No, it’s not that, Dad.” She could feel tears stinging her eyes.
    Her dad’s expression grew serious. “What is it?”
    She opened her mouth to speak, but instead tears spilled out of her eyes. “He hurt me, Dad. He... he hit me.”
    The look of horror on her dad’s face was something she had been avoiding. He pulled her into a hug and smoothed out her hair as he had when she was a little girl.
    “Shh, you’re safe now.”
    Ellie swallowed back her tears. “I know. I didn’t want to tell you.”
    He frowned. “How long did this man hurt you?”
    She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “It doesn’t matter.”
    His hand covered hers. “It matters to me.”
    “The whole time I was gone. But it’s over now. I left. I finally left.”
    “Oh, baby girl.” Her father's blue eyes swam in tears. “Did you call the police?”
    “No. Please, can we just put this behind us? I don’t want to think about it anymore.”
    Her dad sat quietly for a few minutes. “Promise me.” He placed his hand gently on her cheek. “Promise me you’ll never go near him again.”
    Ellie nodded, heartbroken.
    “If a man ever hits you again, you’ll call me or the police. Abuse is wrong and it is not your fault.”
    She pressed her lips together and nodded again. “I was afraid. I’m not afraid anymore.”
    He kissed her forehead. “Good.” He sighed. “Good.”

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eight
     
     
    Ellie left her dad’s feeling lighter. As much as it had pained both of them, it was the right thing to tell him what had happened to her and why she’d not made it back home until now. But she needed to see Jacob. When he opened his door, his wide smile confirmed he was happy to see her.
    “I missed you.” He lips caressed hers and he pulled her inside.
    “I missed you, too.”
    He kissed her again, this time making her want more. So much more.
    She pulled away before she changed her mind. “Can we go out somewhere?”
    A smirk played across his lips. “You mean you don’t want to stay here