I'll Be There For You

Gabby's POV

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I couldn't stop my hands from clenching and unclenching.

Bobby called me.

And if he can find my cell phone number, then he can definitely find my home address.

I sent out a silent thank you to Zacky for being such an amazing man and not running when he found out all of this shit.

Anyone else would have.

And no one would have blamed him for it either.

And instead of that, he's welcomed me and Nadia into his home with open arms.

And Nadia is loving it.

She has a big backyard to run around and play in, which is one thing I've never been able to give her.

She's got a nice house and even a dog.

She also has a man that loves her more than her own father.

And that is willing to protect her no matter the cost.

I took in a deep breath.

I'm in love with Zacky.

There's no other way to put it.

I am head over heels in love with him.

It's not just because he's insanely good looking and he's taken me and my daughter in out of the kindness of his heart.

But because he's sweet, and gentle, and is never too busy or tired to play with Nadia or ask me about my day.

And because when his arms are around me, absolutely nothing can hurt me and I can forget about my problems for a little while.

That's what he gives me.

A safe place.

And that's something I've never had.

I blinked my eyes quickly to chase away the tears.

No crying.

There's no time.

Zacky's police buddy, Ben, was gonna be stopping by to talk to us about any information he was able to scrape up about Bobby.

Which probably isn't much.

I took in a deep breath and sighed when I felt his arms go around me.

I leaned back into his chest and he supported me, just like he does in so many other ways.

"How are you doing?" Zacky murmured in my ear.

"I'm nervous." I said honestly.

He kissed my temple and turned me to face him.

"Everything is gonna be okay." He promised.

And I could tell by his voice, that he meant that.

I heard the doorbell ring and we both looked toward it.

I took in a shaky breath and I looked up at Zacky.

"Let's do this." I said.

He nodded and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to my lips.

"I'm here." He said in my ear.

I nodded and felt reassured that Zacky was near.

Zacky's POV

Ben had been here for about twenty minutes and I could tell that Gabby is already feeling overwhelmed.

I wanted to protect her from all of this.

But in this situation, ignorance isn't bliss.

It's a hindrance.

And we can't have that.

"I've looked in all major databases and I don't see any crimes on Bobby's file. According to neighbors he's a nice and friendly man. He gets along with all of his coworkers. No one has a bad word to say about him." Ben said.

"Because he knows if he were to talk to a man the way he did to me, they'd knock him on his ass." Gabby said through gritted teeth.

I squeezed her hand reassuringly and Ben gave me an apologetic look.

"I didn't mean to make it sound like I don't believe you Gabby. I do. I'm just trying to make you realize that it's going to be extremely hard to prove to a judge that your claims are justified. From what they can see, Bobby is a stable and upstanding citizen. Now you, come from a harsher past and you took his daughter across state lines without his consent. That's kidnapping." Ben said.

I heard Gabby gasp and I badly wanted to hit something.

"Kidnapping? She's my kid!" She exclaimed.

"His name is on Nadia's birth certificate, you need consent from him if you want to take her out of state since a custody arrangement was never met." Ben explained calmly.

"He's a drunk! He didn't even want her! The first week she was in that hellhole, he tried to shake her three times to get her to be quiet!" Gabby screamed, her face red and her hands clenched into tight fists.

I could feel my face heating at Gabby's memory of what Bobby had tried to do to his own daughter.

My blood was boiling.

"I will NEVER let him get near her again! He's poison! And I will run again if that means keeping her safe." Gabby said.

I whipped around to face her.

The thought of not having her or Nadia around scares the crap out of me.

"Gabby..." I tried, but she wasn't even looking at me.

"No Zacky. I can't let him hurt her." She said firmly.

"He won't as long as you're with me." I told her.

"I have to do what's best for Nadia. No matter how much it hurts me." She said softly.

My eyes widened.

"Do you know what it does to me to think of you and Nadia not being here? Do you? Because I can't go through that. I won't lose either of you." I told her.

Her eyes were locked on mine and after a moment, she nodded.

"I'm sorry. I'm just scared of what will happen if he finds us." Gabby said softly.

I wrapped my arm around her and held her tight.

"I'm not going to ever let him hurt you like that again? Do you hear me?" I asked her.

She nodded again and laid her head against my chest.

I heard the small foot falls of my little girl and soon enough, she made her way into my arms.

I held her tightly and wrapped my arms around both of my girls.

I looked up to Ben and the look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.

He would help me protect my family.

He nodded and we went over our plans of how to watch over both Nadia and Gabby.

Gabby wouldn't be going anywhere else alone.

Nadia was to be with one of the guys and her mother at all times.

At least not much would change with that.

Gabby already keeps Nadia in her view at all times.

This is gonna work.

I'm going to keep my family safe.

And Bobby's going to go to jail if he comes anywhere near them again.

I felt my arms wrap tighter around my girls.

Because I know what I stand to lose if I don't protect them.

And I can't let that happen.

Not ever.