Always There

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Three

For Blossom's sake, I press a kiss to her cheek, whisper a quick "I love you" into her ear, and then plaster a bright smile on my face when Michael notices us and pauses his pacing.

"Charlie wanted a moment alone with John. I'll tell him you're here if you want to go sit with your dad," Michael says to Blossom.

When Blossom doesn't respond, I glance down at her to find her gaze fixed on Kathleen.

"Has Mom gone home yet?" she asks softly. Her voice sounds so frail, so vulnerable. The sound of it makes my heart squeeze within my chest.

"No, Lex. She hasn't. She won't listen to me. You should try talking to her when she wakes up," Michael responds.

Blossom nods solemnly before finally looking away from her mom and back towards me. Our eyes meet and she whispers, "You should head out. You'll text me though, right?"

There is so much fear, so much vulnerability in her eyes. She's the strongest, bravest person I know, and I hate to see her like this. She's been through so much hell already, and I can't let what's happening with her dad be the one thing that finally breaks her.

"Of course I'll text you, angel. Let me know when you want me to come pick you up." I glance towards Michael to see if he's listening and find that he's now seated on the floor, his back against the wall opposite Kathleen. He's staring at his daughters rather than at Blossom and I, and so I have the chance to quickly lean in and brush a kiss against Blossom's mouth.

"I love you, baby girl. I'll see you later," I murmur.

She tries to smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. I can tell that even though she said she's okay with me leaving her here, she's missing me already. "I love you too. I'll see you later."

Lexi's POV

I watch Bryce's retreating figure until he turns a corner and disappears from my line of vision.

"You're talking again."

I turn around to face Uncle Mike. The dark shadows under his eyes and the defeat in his expression remind me so much of how my dad would look after listening to me and Mom bicker for hours on end when I was a teenager.

"Bryce made me angry enough that the need to yell at him was stronger than my brain's resistance to speaking," I mumble.

Uncle Mike lets out a loud snort. His eyes flutter shut momentarily, but they open up again when he speaks. "One day, I hope to find love like you two have."

I take a few small steps towards my uncle before gingerly taking a seat on the floor beside him. Instinctually, I pull my knees up and tuck them into my chest. "Trust me, you don't. It's a total pain in the ass."

This makes Uncle Mike let out another very loud snort, and the sound of it finally brings a small smile to my face. "You've grown up a lot since I saw you last. It was Christmas, wasn't it? It's been almost a year."

I shrug and rest my chin on my knees. "A lot has happened to me in a year. I've been living what I had always anticipated to be my dream life, except some big mean jerk came along to ruin it. He messed me up so much, Uncle Mike. I still don't think I'll be able to let anyone other than Bryce touch me without my brain melting down for a long time."

"I know what it's like to be trapped in an abusive relationship, Lexi. I spent nearly two decades in one. I'm glad you got out of it. It takes a lot of courage. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, and I'm so incredibly proud of you. We all are," my uncle says gently.

I can't help but to glance over at my mom, only to find her still fast asleep. Her hand is raised against her chest, and in her fist she's clutching the locket that Dad got her one Valentine's Day when Charlie and I were still little kids. She used to wear it everyday back then and gradually started to wear it less and less as Charlie and I got older, but I can still remember that inside, it contains a photo of her and Dad from their wedding day.