Protecter's Love by Kayla Trautman (fb2 epub reader txt) 📖

a family and I took him away from them. It's not fair."

It got quiet. "Dad? Are you there?" I asked. Dad cleared his throat and said with agony, "Elena. You do have a family. We're your family." I exhaled and looked down at the floor, "Yes. I know. I'm sorry. That came out wrong. It's just . . . I have a lot on my mind right now. Sorry. Could you and mother come over for dinner tonight at six? It would give you a chance to meet him."

"Definitely. I want to meet him since my daughter's not going to do the sensible thing to keep herself safe." He answered. I sighed, "Okay. I'll see you later." Then I hung up, threw my phone at the bottom of the bed, and rolled over onto my back to stare up at the ceiling.


Chapter 6: Supper

"So where is he? We're all at the table?" Mom asked. I stood pushing my chair back, "He probably got lost trying to find the dinning room. Please try to be nice to him. Meaning don't question him as if you're integregating him. He's supposed to feel comfortable here. And remember, that he won't be able to answer most of your questions. He doesn't remember his life.

"Or what he was taught as a child and the basics. So if he starts using his fingers to eat then don't say anything. I'll show him."

Mom lifted her eye brows, "You're housing an animal." I frowned, "Mom. Please. Don't make me regret inviting you over to meet him. I don't want him to feel unwelcomed here when he is."

I turned and saw Ms. Grangy walking towards the room with Taliesin. I smiled, "Here we are. I was just about to go and look for you." He smiled slightly, "I got lost while I was roaming." "He called for me and I escorted him here." Ms. Grangy added. "Sorry." He muttered as they stopped in front of me.

I shook my head still smiling, "No. Don't be sorry. This is a big place. Even I get lost here and you're new here." I looked at Ms. Grangy, "Thank you for helping him here." She nodded and twitched her head towards him, "Yeah. You better draw him a map. He may end up locking himself in a room where the bellpull may be broken."

I laughed and took Taliesin's arm, "I'll get around to showing him around the place tomorrow. Or perhaps after my parents leave." We went into the room and my parents both looked up at them. They looked at him as if he were a bug. I cleared my throat and laughed, "Mom. Dad. Lighten up with the checking him out deal. He didn't just walk out of prison."

My mom put on her fake smile but her eyes hid nothing as she continued to look at him, "My apologies. It's just that you're a complete stranger and we're her parents."

"I understand. Parents are supposed to be protective of their child. I would do the same." He spoke up. I was surprised that he said anything at all. Dad looked at me, "See, honey. He understands and doesn't take offense to it."

I nodded, "Yeah. Thanks for keeping conversation light and making him feel comfortable. I guess we can throw the party hats out the window."

"There are party hats? What do they look like? I thought this was just dinner." He asked; looking at me so confused. I patted his arm and led him over to the seat next to mine, "It's just an expression. There's no party hats."

Mom, dad, and I picked up our forks and knives to dig in. I looked up at Taliesin and saw him just sitting there staring at his plate. He looked up at me and mouthed the words without saying them, Help me please

.


I took my fork and knife, showed them to him and then showed him how to hold them. He copied. Then I showed him how to cut the meat and poked my fork through a bite-size piece of roast beef. I looked up and saw that he had mastered that. I put the piece of meat in my mouth and chewed. He did the same thing.

I nodded and smiled. I did it all without letting on to my parents that he needed help. They noticed and looked up once in a while, but, thankfully, they kept their eyes down for the most part and didn't let him know that they knew about his little dilemma.

"I forgot to introduce you while I was calming my parents down. Mom, dad, this is Taliesin. These are, obviously, my parents. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts." He looked up at them and smiled after swallowing, "It's nice to meet you. Your daughter has been very kind to me. I can't thank her enough for letting me stay here until I get my memory back."

I chuckled, "No. You don't have anything to thank me. You should be angry at me. I'm the one that hit you because I wasn't thinking straight and caused your memory loss. And again, I apologize."

He shrugged, "I may not know where I came from or who I am but at least I have friends to go through this with. So this incident has only gained me good things."

"How can you say it's a good thing? Your family must be worrying terribly about you and you don't remember who you are." Dad asked. I was curious about that too. He turned to look at him, "Well I've been thinking. And the doctor said that I would slowly get my memory back. So I'll get back what's been taken from me and my family will stop worrying. But in the process I have made friends. So I'll still have everything I always had but I'll also something new."


Chapter 7: Surprise

As we continued to eat light conversation was kept and I decided that it was time to tell them. I don't know why but I needed to tell them now. I lifted my head and cleared my throat, "Mom. Dad." They looked up at me. "What is it?" Dad asked.

I looked down suddenly feeling slight. I inhaled and told them, "I went to the Western Orphanage yesterday. It's the reason I wasn't thinking straight on the way home."

Forks dropped down on plates and when I looked up they were looking at me with feared expressions. Mom swallowed, "You did?" I nodded, "They showed me the files and the lunch box they had left me. That's where I got this necklace."

I touched the necklace with the R

hanging from it. "It held the note they left with me, the red blanket they had me wrapped in, my baby picture, and a picture of them. I looked at the back if it today before I came down for dinner. It had the names Lillian and Vincent Brooks. And an address."

Their faces were hurt. Mom had tears gathering in her eyes. And dad held back his feelings but I could see the sadness in his eyes. I sighed, "I'm going to visit them tomorrow, if they're still there."

Mom gasped and tears flowed over onto her cheeks. I swallowed, "Mom. I'm not leaving you. Or dad. I'm not going to start acting as if they've raised me. I just want to talk to him. And if, in time, we become friends then what's so wrong with that?"

Mom stood and wiped her tears, "Come on, Jack. I have to go. I-I can't ..." She headed for the door and dad stood to leave with her. I stood and followed them to the door, "Mom! I didn't do it to hurt you! Please! You have to understand that I have questions!" But they were gone just like that and I was left feeling awful.

I layed my forehead against the doorjam closing my eyes tightly. Tears threatened to come out but I held them back. That's when I felt strong, masculine hands on my shoulders rubbing them in comfort like a message. "Are you okay?" Taliesin asked.

I stood and turned around, "Yeah. I'm fine. I just wish that they would understand that I love them still and will stay their daughter but that I still want to know who I came from and that I need answers."

"I hate to ask this since this is hurting you so much, but . . . what is an orphanage? And how can you change parents? I thought you couldn't." He asked.

I inhaled and sighed, "An orphanage is where you go to give your child away when you don't want them anymore. I was left their on the doorstep with a lunch box with little things in it, a note, and wrapped in a blanket when I was a baby.

"Other people can adopt you and raise you as their own child. I just found out recently." Taliesin placed a hand on my shoulder, "And this upsets you so much?"

I frowned and looked up into his gorgeous face. I was going to be angry with him but when I looked up into his face I . . . I just couldn't. I smoothed out my face and nodded, "Yes. How would you feel if the only people in the world that's supposed to mean the most to you, doesn't want you? They don't love you?"

He pulled me into a hug wrapping his arms securely around me, "I guess I would feel as upset as you are. But you are wanted. Your parents here want you and love you." I hesitated but slowly wrapped my arms around his waist, placing my hands flat on his back and laying my cheek on his chest.

"This is strange." I mentioned. He asked, "What? You don't hug someone when they're upset?" He pulled back just enough to look at me. I nodded, "Yes. People hug each other when they're upset. I just . . . wasn't expecting you to."

He smiled and I smiled back. I had to. There was no stopping it. He had this charm about him. He asked, "Wanna finish dinner with me?" I nodded and stepped out of his arms as I went to sit down, "Sure."


Chapter 8: Guilt Turns Romantic

I knocked on the door, "Taliesin? Can I come in?" "Yeah." I was going to invite him on a tour around the place since he got lost yesterday. And it would only be polite.

I opened the door and froze. Taliesin was standing there only in his trousers and boots. His chest was bare. There was some hair on his upper chest. But besides his half nakedness I gasped at the bruises on his chest.

"What's wrong?" He asked. I rushed over to him and placed my hands on his chest running my fingers through his hair over the bruises lightly, "The doctor said that there were bruises but . . . this is awful. It must hurt a lot."

"No, it doesn't." He said softly. I shook my head and continued as if he hadn't said anything, "I'm so sorry. I should've been more aware. More careful. I can't believe that I let this get you hurt."

"Hey." Taliesin cupped my face in his hands, running his thumbs back and forth slowly on my cheeks, and