"I've never had that happen to me before. It was like having one of my nightmares, but I was awake, yet out of my body at the same time." Holding my arms around my waist, I take in a breath to steady the beating of my heart. It was like I was right there. The images were so vivid, if I reached for them, I could grasp them.

"Babe, listen to me, you had a flashback. Many people who have been through trauma in their life suffer from them. It can sometimes be associated with PTSD. Maybe you should look into seeing someone about it."

Maybe Jake is right. Perhaps I need to talk with someone. I think therapy might be something both Remi and I could benefit from.

"Talk to me, Grace. Tell me where you were after dropping the bowl on the floor," Jake urges.

Releasing a thick, heavy sigh, I stare at my lap and wring my hands together. "Ronan wouldn’t tolerate anything less than perfect, and that included me. Over time berating me for little things like a dirty glass in the sink or toys on the floor turned into more. You've seen the marks on my back," I pause and close my eyes.

"Shit," Jake mutters.

"We had guests over one evening. Some judge, I can't remember his name. Ronan had been on edge the whole day because this dinner was important to him. Like always I was in the kitchen cooking dinner, while Remi was upstairs in her room. I think she was nine at the time, anyway, I dropped a large platter holding the rack of lamb. Aware Ronan was in the other room I knew it was coming. He flew into the kitchen so quick I didn’t have much time to react. I was frantically trying to pick up the mess before he started in on me. With company on the way, I didn’t think he would do much more than raise his voice, but that wasn’t the case. In a flash, his belt came off and as I was hunched over the first strike of the leather strap made contact." Lifting my head, I glance at Jake's face expecting to see pity. I don’t know why I was waiting for him to look at me that way. He wasn’t. He never has. Jake has a determined look in his eyes.

"You may not know it yet, Little Bird, but you are a fiercely strong woman. You've been through the kind of hell no woman, or person should have to go through, especially by the hands of someone claiming to love you. You survived. I have so much respect and admiration for you, Grace. Don’t ever think or let anyone ever make you feel or tell you different. That son of a bitch sealed his fate the moment he put his hands on you, I promise you." By the time Jake finishes I've calmed down.

The rest of the night feels like it has gone to shit. Wanting nothing more than to go home, I let Jake know, "Take me home. The only therapy I need tonight is you."

A few days have passed and Remi gets to start her first day of public school today, and I believe I heard her in the kitchen earlier not long after Jake went downstairs to make coffee. I've been laying here for the past thirty-five minutes listening to the two of them go on about his parent's horses and Jake's little talk about strangers. It was his brief mention of boys that had me in a fit of giggles now.

Throwing the blanket off my body, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed. After making a trip to the bathroom and getting myself ready for the day, I head downstairs towards the kitchen to join Jake and my daughter. I find them sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Good morning," I kiss the top of Remi's head once I've reached the table. Jake stands and pulls me into him.

"Go ahead and sit down. I'll bring you some coffee and a plate of food." Leaning into one another, we share a kiss. It's still a little odd to have someone who loves to dote on me as Jake does.

Taking a seat across from Remi I take a moment to stare at her. She went through several outfits and hairstyles to wear on her first day of school over the past couple days. I even allowed her to buy some makeup as long as she kept her look natural. Like me her style is simple. A pair of burgundy jeans paired with a white shirt, navy blue hoodie, and black converse on her feet. She has managed to tame her wild red curls by braiding her hair into a fishtail braid which drapes over her left shoulder. The braided style she spent hours learning how to do.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look okay?" Remi worries, immediately looking down at herself.

"No, Peanut, there is nothing wrong with you or your clothes. You look beautiful as always. It's hard to see you growing up so fast, that’s all," I tell her with a smile.

Nervously twirling her hair, she remarks, "I'm so excited to go to a public school, but I'm a little nervous about being the new kid. What if no one talks to me?"

Jake saunters over to the table and sits my plate filled with scrambled eggs, jelly toast and two pieces of bacon in front of me along with a mug of coffee. Lifting the cup, I take a sip enjoying the warmth.

"You won't have a problem making friends, sweetheart," Jake says before I get the chance to say it myself. "And if there happens to be that one dumbass who has a problem with you then fuck them. Don’t ever let someone make you think they are better than you. No one will ever be better than you," he finishes and pops the last piece of bacon on his plate into his mouth.

Watching Remi's reaction to Jake's words makes my day. Her smile reaches her eyes in one big expressive emotion. To have someone, a man in our lives to care so much to love her so much is overwhelming. Jakes love and devotion is fierce. It reminds me of how my papa was with my mom.

Looking at the time, I take a few bites of my breakfast, and down the rest of my coffee. "We need to get going. I have a meeting with the principal this morning, and we don’t want you to be late on your first day." After gathering our things, Remi and I load up in the car while Jake locks the door before getting on his bike to follow us to town.

As promised, Austin is sitting outside the school in the parking lot across the street. He and Grey will take shifts throughout the day to keep an eye on things. Technically, we are testing the waters on this whole idea. I want it to work for Remi's sake because she wants normalcy in her life so bad, as do I. The threat of her father, however, is still a shadow over our heads.

Parking the car my daughter and I make our way inside while Jake stops by the large black SUV Austin is keeping watch in. Standing, with my hand on the entrance to the school, I turn to Remi. "You ready?"

Hoisting her bag to her shoulder, she says, "Ready."

Once we make it through the two secured doors and into the office. Remi and I have a brief conversation with the school counselor before she introduces her to Sarah, the office helper for the day who looks to be around the same age as Remi. I was hoping for a least a hug goodbye, but instead got a quick wave and a smile over her shoulder as she walked away and quickly got lost in girl chat with Sarah who was tasked with taking Remi to her homeroom class. I felt a sudden ache in my heart watching her disappear around the corner, but it subsided as soon as I heard her laughter echo off the stone walls accompanied by the other girl's giggles. She's got this.

"Ms. Cohen, Mr. Kelly is ready for you," the counselor, Mrs. Sullivan addresses, and points to the right of me towards a door, "no need to knock," she adds with a smile.

Pushing the door open I find a middle-aged man sitting behind a desk stirring a cup of coffee. He looks up from the paper in his hands, "Ms. Cohen, how are you this morning? Would you like a cup?" he gestures holding up his mug.

"I'm okay, and thank you for the offer, but I'll pass on the coffee," I tell him and take a seat in the chair across from him.

He clears his throat, "I've been made aware by your lawyer of the custody matter at hand and that your ex-husband is not to have any contact with..." he looks down at the paper in front of him, "Remi."

Lawyer? I do my best to keep my face neutral though I'm very confused by his statement.

"I can assure you that we will take great care and exercise extreme caution with her safety. I've also talked with your fiancé, Mr. Delane." I raise my brow and lean back against the back of the chair while he continues to talk. "Jake's a good guy. I've known him for several years now. He keeps my touring bike in top condition."

"Well, Mr. Kelly, I feel a little better knowing you and the staff have been made aware of my current situation. We are hoping Polson will be a good place for my daughter to finish her schooling." I play along as best I can to the storyline Reid and Jake hatched. I honestly do feel better knowing they will be more alert to her wellbeing and safety. Jake seems to know everyone in town and has a lot of respect from them as well.

"You have nothing to worry about, and may I also say welcome back. Your bakery was closed for awhile, and I missed those wonderful double chocolate chunk cookies my wife would bring me every week." He leans forward, "She tried her best to create them. Not that they weren’t good. They just weren’t yours. I don’t know what you put in them, but those cookies are addictive," he leans back and pats his stomach.

"It's good to be back and send your wife to the bakery; I'll send her home with a fresh batch tomorrow. As a thank you for understanding and helping keep my daughter safe," I tell him.

"I look forward to it. Once again, Ms. Cohen, rest assured your daughter will be fine. He stands, and I do the same as we end the meeting. Mr. Kelly walks me out of his office. I thank him one more time before leaving.

Jake is waiting by my car, kicked back on his bike. Deserving a kiss, I walk straight to him, and a light tug on his beard brings his lips to mine. "Thank you for making sure she stays safe," I say between pressing my lips to his a few more times.

"No thanks needed, Little Bird. Let's get to work before I decide to take you home and keep you to myself for the day," he states.

A few hours later as I am putting out a batch of fresh double stuffed cookies the front door chimes. Peering through the glass case, I watch Bella and Emerson walk in, and Bella has Breanna in her arms.

"Hey girl, how are you doing today?" Bella walks to the counter and waits for me to reply.

"I'm better. Sorry about the other night, guys. I didn’t mean to ruin the evening," I admit.

"You didn’t ruin a thing. The important thing is you are okay." Bella tells me as I close the display case and walk around the counter to greedily take Breanna from her arms.

"You know who puts a smile on my face? This little girl right here," I snuggle Bella's daughter in my embrace. "I missed the moments when Remi was this little with little cherub cheeks, and full of innocence," I express as I inhale the soft smell of baby shampoo from her hair.

"So, the other reason we came by was to tell you a new kickboxing class opened over by the gym, and the instructor is offering self-defense classes. Bella and I were thinking about checking the place out later and wanted to know if you might want to join us," Emerson adds as she walks over to the cookie samples and lifts the lid grabbing one.

"Yeah, I've talked about taking some classes like this for a long time now, and Logan thinks it’s a great idea. The doctor cleared me," Bella rubs her small baby bump. "And I know Alba wants to check it out too," she adds.

"Sure, I can close a little early today. I want to be the one to pick Remi up from school anyway. I'm anxious to hear how her first day went." Handing Bree back to her mommy, I retrieve my phone from my pocket and shoot a text to Jake letting him know of my plans.

Jake: Closing early to pick up Remi. Taking her with me to spend time with the girls.

It doesn’t take long for him to respond.

Me: Alright, babe. Take Quinn.

"Where's Quinn?" asks Emerson looking around the store.

Wearing a smile, I tell her, "Jake wants me to put him to work while he watches over me, so he has kitchen duties now that Remi is in school and I don’t have her helping out. It would go a lot quicker, but my dishwasher went out this morning in the middle of the wash cycle, so everything needs to be cleaned by hand."

"I bet that burns his ass." Emerson giggles with amusement.

"Not really. He's so laid back. I don’t think there is anything I could ask of him that would make the man mad. Besides, Quinn sings when he works, and he has a nice voice." As soon as I say that, Emerson perks up. "He sings?"

"Yeah, I haven't let him on to the fact that I listen in on him. He only does it when he's alone or when he's helping Remi in the kitchen, but he's pretty good," I tell her. I check the time. I've got about forty minutes before I close up for the day and head to the school to pick my daughter up. "How about I meet you guys there. If this place is by the gym, then I won't have any problems finding it."

"Great," Bella sings. "Oh, and don’t worry about workout clothes. I need to stop by the house and drop Bree off. Sofia offered to watch her for an hour. I should have something you can use."

"Sounds good. It saves me a long trip out to Jake's and back. So, I'll see you guys in an hour?" I ask to make sure I won't be late.

With all the baked goods stored until tomorrow, I flip the open sign to closed and head to my car while Quinn locks the door.

"You going home after picking Remi up, darlin'?" Quinn inquires as he swings a leg over his bike.

"I'm meeting Bella and Emerson at a new boxing studio that opened next to the gym. The instructor is holding self-defense classes, and they asked if I wanted to join them." Pushing the button on my key lock, I unlock my car door and swing it open.

"Emerson will be there?" he asks. Nodding my head, I confirm what I said with a knowing smile. "Aw hell. This I got to see. Lead the way, darlin'. You just made my fuckin' day," Quinn proclaims as he pulls his shades over his eyes and secures his helmet on his head.

I wait outside the school in the car rider lane for about ten minutes when the bell finally rings. Eagerly I scan the sea of kids milling out of the school doors until I spot my daughter's red hair amongst all the heads. She's walking with the same young girl who walked her to class this morning, and she's wearing a huge smile on her face. I can't wait to hear about her day. Waving goodbye to her new friend, she opens the door and sinks into the passenger seat and chunks her bag between her feet.

"Mom, I had the best day," she beams closing the door and buckles in. "I've been asked if I want to join the cheer squad," she claps her hands in excitement.

"That’s great, Peanut."

"Thanks, Mom," she adds as we follow the line of cars out of the parking lot.

"For what, sweetie?"

"Letting me go to school. Being home with you. I'm happy, that's all," she shrugs her shoulders as to say it's no big deal. It's a big deal. My baby is happy.

"Bella and Emerson have invited me to take a self-defense class this afternoon. If you have any homework, you can tune us out by working on it at the gym," I inform her as I drive down the road.

"And miss you kick some butt. No way. And I don’t have any homework. I did it in class. It was super easy."

The girls don’t know Finn taught me self-defense right after I disappeared. He teaches all the women he helps to defend themselves. I haven't practiced in a long time though, so I'm hoping I haven't forgotten anything. Noticing Bella's car, I park next to her, and we climb out. Quinn backs in on the other side.

"Hey, Quinn," Remi waves.

"Hey there, shorty. How was your first day? Do I need to kick any shitheads in the balls?" he smirks, causing Remi to giggle.

"No. The boy who talked to me was nice." She tells him then quickly tries to disappear through the gym door, but not before Quinn has something to say.

"Oooh, I'm telling Jake you talked to boys," he picks at her and laughs.

Leaving Quinn, I join my daughter inside, where she has already found Bella and Alba standing near the back by some lockers. Waving me over, I wind my way around floor mats laid out across the floor.

"Here. You can use the bathroom behind us to change. The instructor should be out in a few minutes, and Emerson will be showing up in a minute too," Bella says handing me a pair of workout shorts, sports bra, and a tank.

Retreating to the bathroom, I change. When I emerge with my other clothes in hand, Bella takes them and places them in a locker where her things are located. Quinn walks in scanning the room until spotting us and strides over.

"Prez said he'd be here in thirty minutes to wait and follow you home," he informs me. Just then Emerson opens the gym door and walks inside.

"Jesus Fuckin' Christ," Quinn mutters as our eyes follow his across the room. Emerson is a beautiful woman. It's not often anyone sees her not wearing her scrubs. Her tattoos are sexy. She has a beautifully detailed peacock tattoo that starts at her ribcage, and the feathers span her hip and partly down her thigh. It's breathtaking. It's on full display with her gym outfit.

"Who the fuck is that douchebag?" Quinn points, and glares.

My eyes follow the direction of his finger. The guy he is referring to is speaking to Emerson and making her laugh, which I'm positive Quinn won't tolerate for too much longer judging by the scowl on his face.

"That's Rhett the instructor. We met him earlier today when we signed up." Bella announces with her arms above her head as she puts her long hair into a ponytail.

"Alright, ladies. My name is Rhett. Let me begin by saying this is a safe environment. Learning to defend yourself against an attacker can be an overwhelming thought for some, but trust me when I say you are stronger than you think you are. Now, Emerson here," he motions for her to walk on the mat, "just started taking Muay Thai classes last week. She has agreed to help me show you a few moves to get us started."

"I'm not sure I can watch another man touch my woman like this," Quinn runs his hand through his shaggy blonde hair before shoving them both in his front pockets. Emerson takes her stance. The instructor is demonstrating how to get out of a hold if an attacker should grab her by the arm. He teaches how to twist the elbow upward, yanking downward using our core muscles, then fleeing. Next is a simple grab from behind and lifted off the ground move. He instructs her to use the heels of her feet to kick the shins of the attacker repeatedly.

Feeling good about herself so far, Emerson smiles when Rhett praises her, "Perfect. Ladies, that was a great example of how to make these two moves." Motioning for her to leave the mat Emerson saunters towards us. Holding our breath we wait for Quinn to say something, but he doesn't. Instead, he makes his way over to the side of the room where Remi is watching, but not before he makes sure Emerson sees his eyes lustfully roam her body, which causes her to blush. When the two of them; or I should say whenever Emerson decides to give into the chemistry the two of them have, anyone within a hundred mile radius will feel its effect it's that intense already.

"So, which one of you ladies is willing to help demonstrate a few more moves," The instructor asks.

Feeling brave I raise my hand, and it takes my friends off guard. I know this by the shocked looks on their speechless faces. As I step my foot on the mat, the sound of the front door closing catches my attention, and I find Jake standing there. Our eyes connect, and butterflies flutter in my stomach with his heated stare.

The instructor clearing his throat grabs my attention. When I turn my head giving him my attention he provides a quick glance to Jake. I give him a shoulder shrug and smile before introducing myself. "Hi, My name's Grace," I tell him and wipe my sweaty palms on my hips. You've got this. I say to myself and focus.

"Grace, nice to meet you. Class this is Grace, she's going to help me demonstrate two more defensive moves," he announces and instructs me to face forward and that he is going to grab me from behind. I turn my back to him, take a deep breath and ready myself. "Now," he says once he wraps his arms around mine, pinning them at my side, "you want to grab your attacker's arms and pull them in."

He doesn’t get to finish his explanation because my training kicks in and I kind of zone out. Swinging my hips to the side, I shift my body, make a fist and land a solid punch to his groin area, which gives me the opportunity to pivot around. Interlocking my hands behind the back of his neck, I proceed to bring my knee upwards and again striking him in the groin causing him to double over which gives me time to run. When I turn to flee, I don’t get far because I face plant into Jake's chest.

"Little Bird," Jake grabs my attention.

I turn my head and look over my shoulder to find the instructor on one knee holding himself and catching his breath. Shit. "Grace," he coughs, "I think you should have warned me that you've had training before, that way I could have been better prepared," Rhett says standing.

A soft chuckle vibrates through Jake's chest as I bury my face. "You're fucking perfect," he rumbles.