Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 670(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 447(@300wpm)
“The problem isn’t you, Lyric. You aren’t doing anything to make me feel this way. It’s leftover crap from the things that happened when I was a kid.”
He’d even talked to Savage. Savage held on tightly to Seychelle, but there was a good reason. Seychelle had several older friends she was very close to. One recently had a stroke, and it was all Savage could do to keep Seychelle away. The way her gift worked, she would take on the damage herself in order to heal her friend. Savage had every reason to keep Seychelle close to him.
“I’m not complaining, Keys. I went into this relationship knowing what you’re like. You even warned me.”
“But I told you I’d get over it. I believed that. I’m worried I’m going to drive you away from me by holding on too tight.”
“You said it would take time, and I have no problem giving you time.” Lyric didn’t sound in the least bit worried. “I know you love me. I also know you want us to have a good relationship. When I ask you for something, you give it to me immediately.”
“Babe.” He brought her hand to his mouth. “You never ask me for anything.”
“That’s not true. I told you I wanted to go to the restaurant Crow 287, and you made arrangements for the next evening. You brought me a skirt and blouse from Label 287, which were gorgeous. You even remembered to get me a pair of boots, no heel, soft as butter. I’ve never had anything like that in my life. You did all of that because I mentioned I’d like to eat there.”
“I like taking you out, Lyric. That’s not what I’m talking about. Other than your car, you don’t seem to need anything.”
“I’m making money at the salon. Torpedo Ink won’t allow me to pay them back. You don’t let me help out with the money here. If I needed something, I could easily get it myself. Caspar Market is directly across the street from Lyrical Waves. I can get us the supplies we need for our home. I honestly don’t need anything else.” She leaned into him. “You make me happy, Keys. I’m truly happy just being with you.”
“And when you’ve had enough of me picking you up and dropping you off?”
“It’s called communication. Weren’t you the one who told me that was what made a good relationship? I’ll tell you when I need the car, and I’ll expect that you’ll get it here.”
Keys resolved that her car would be in the garage the next day. She deserved it and he was acting like an idiot, trying to overcome fears he’d developed from his traumatic childhood. Lyric was compassionate, caring and kind with everyone, but especially with him. She’d had a traumatic childhood too, perhaps in a different way than he’d had, but she’d developed such a sense of compassion for others, while he had done just the opposite.
He trusted her. She was the first person he’d allowed himself to be vulnerable around. She saw him and simply accepted him, flaws and all. She understood his need to maintain contact with her throughout the day. She sent him little text messages telling him what she was doing. Who she was with. Telling him she was thinking about him. Just small things throughout the day that made him feel as if he was her focus, despite her busy schedule.
“You’re discounting the fact that I have anxiety attacks,” she added. “What do you do when I freak out? You never get angry with me. You don’t make fun of me or storm off, saying I’m impossible, even when I’m being impossible. You always let me vent, and then you do your best to talk me off the ledge. You surround me with your love and protection, Keys. I feel that from you in some of my worst moments.”
“I want you to always feel safe with me.”
“You make me feel that way. You do. Especially when I’m having an anxiety attack. I don’t feel any judgment from you. If anything, you give me all the tools I need to succeed. To refocus. Bottom line. You actually listen to me. You hear me when I tell you I need something from you, not the kinds of things you were talking about earlier. Your reassurance that I’m enough and will always be enough for you. That I’m not leaning too heavily on you. You give me that.”
She sighed and leaned over to kiss his hand. “I don’t like myself sometimes. I’ve had so many people throw me away, family and people I thought were my friends, that I just knew it was my fault. I was the one who had to be at fault. I was different. I couldn’t be me because no one would accept me. Until you. You see me, Keys. So when I fall apart and have doubts about us, when I question you about how we can stay together, I fully expect you to be angry or dismissive of me. You’ve never been that way. Not a single time. You always validate my feelings, no matter what they are.”