Leah has a lot to deal with - going back to school and having a baby son, and with her whole face tattooed to look like a skull. Can she find love as well?
The handsome Jace is assigned to help her with maths and give her private tuition, but he ha...
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((Jace is above))
I tell Jace my story.
"I was abducted by a drug ring and forced to go through an initiation. The leader held me down and raped me and then forced me to learn how best to please him..."
My heart's beating a little faster as I think about it and there are tears in my eyes, but I'm comforted by the presence of my son at my breast. Skin to skin contact with my little one is important.
"You were raped? I'm so sorry."
There's a pained look in Jace's clear blue eyes.
I force myself to smile. "I-I had a plan to escape. I said I wanted initiation into the gang. One of them was a tattoo artist, and he tattooed my whole face, as you can see. The process was pretty painful, with a machine that had lots of little needles injecting ink into my skin. Really painful on my eyelids. Now I look like this. This is me now."
"The ink looks well done," says Jace.
"Yeah, the work is good, but the theme is macabre," I reply. "After that I pinched a sample of their drug and introduced myself to a detective who was on the case. He confronted and beat up the leader. I got a medal, but the only really good thing I got from the whole episode was my son."
"Very cute he is too," says Jace.
"He hasn't got a daddy," I say, gazing steadily at Jace. "Me and my boy, we're a complete package."
"Your story's so sad," says Jace. He looks at his feet. "That is something we have in common."
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," I say softly. "But maybe it'll help to talk about it?"
"My mother died of a drug overdose. I saw it. The subject of drugs is painful for me."
Oh my gosh, that's so sad it's like a punch to my gut. I gaze at him anxiously and budge up on the armchair. "Please sit by me?"
He squeezes in beside me and Ori and I take his hand in mine while I hold my son in the crook of my other arm.
"I've been around a lot of different foster homes," says Jace. "I've had to look out for myself and for my foster brother."
I lean against him and my cheek brushes against his jaw so that I get the scratchy feel of his designer stubble. It's a feeling I want more of. "You're a brave guy."
Ori wakes up and gurgles.
"Ori thinks so to," I say. I put Ori in his arms and my baby coos. "Ori wants a daddy like you. I think it's time we had tea."
I put some burgers in the frying pan. They're easy to fix quickly.
I grin at the sight of Jace bouncing Ori on his knee. Ori's chuckling and smiling his gummy widdle smile. They looks soo picture perfect together.
