Only You (Greyson #1)

The Greene's

"Now, listen here---"

"Listening, but I will tell you now. I am going to marry your daughter. Claire will never want for anything and will be treated with the respect and love she deserves ", I didn't know Claire's parents enough to judge them. They gave Claire the best they could. They wanted the best for her and by pushing excellences they killed her confidences every time she failed. I think that's partly why Claire doesn't take risk. Safe is better than failure. Maybe that's where the low-slef-esteem comes form? It's a deep-rooted perception that came from her past. 

Not having anything else to say I made my way back to the bedroom to find Claire frantically cleaning. She changed into a red scoop neck swing dress and threw her hair up into a ponytail. She threw anything on the floor into the closet. I found my underwear and pants and sat quietly on the bed. "No! I just made that! Off please". 

"Dose it matter?" I pointed to the broke leg," The frame is broken".

"No", Claire corrected pulling out two old college text books form under the bed,"Lift the bed?"

"Are you hosting your parents in this room? We can shut the door", I suggested standing up. Before I could even turn around to lift Claire like one woman army lifted the bed and jammed her books into place evening out the bed. 

"It looks fine, right? Right? You couldn't tell if you walked in off the street? Right?" Claire's frazzled nerves jumped all together, and in different directions. The more anxious she became the more pronounced became her intellectualization of the whole process.  Pacing Claire started to have a panic attack. "You can tell! You can totally tell! I live in a pigsty. WHY DIDN'T THEY CALL!"

"I don't know", It was kind of funny watching Claire lose her mind at every spec dust."Your parents make you uncomfortable?"

"What? No, I just..just... Who meets someones parents this way! I want them to like you".

"Why dose that matter what they think? We love each other that's all that matters", I stated. 

"Because it dose", I caught Claire around her waist as she headed to the nightstand to clean it up. I held her in place hoping that would clam her down. "My parents liked Jordan. I want them to like you too".

I don't think that's going to happen I was quite blunt about my intentions. I didn't give a damn if they liked to me or not. "They didn't know he liked touching little girls, emotionally abusing their daughter and cheating", I whispered as I pressed my forehead against Claire.

"What do I tell them about Jordan?" She whispered.

"Nothing they don't already know. He abused you. You confided in me. I took care of the situation and Jordan is gone. You don't know where and you don't care. You've moved past it", that's the lie she needed to stick to; it was the one she was going to have to tell officer Owens. This will be good practice.

"I can't lie to my parents. They'll see right through me", She worried.

"Whatever you decide to tell them I'll follow your lead. It's not hard", And you need the practice.

"Clarissa! Please come out here", Claire's mother demanded.

Claire jumped as she looked back to the door. She pulled away from me and rushed towards the door. "Pull on a shirt".

"I only have the one", I stated reaching under the bed in finding it.

"You didn't bring any other clothes?" Claire asked spinning around with her hand on the doorknob.

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd let me stay", I confessed.

"You look like a burglar", She commented.