Tommy Sallow is onto better and brighter things. After working a small hometown beat in upstate New York, he's finally in sunny California. As expected, it's the same shit in a different town. Except, you know, now he's near the ocean and miserable...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It's 8:00 am, which means Tommy has been on shift for exactly two hours. That's two hours with one phone call and countless texts. The texts are more on my end. Pictures of breakfast, Mia cracking the eggs and attempting to roll his burrito, and a pretty on point video of Mia and me dancing to Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Yeah, okay, maybe that one was a bit much, but I'm pretty sure he still enjoyed it. I even snuck in a photo of Stella watching the madness. She seems a bit concerned.
When the gentle knock on the door sings through the house, both Mia and I jump like a couple of school girls. Mia grabs the plate with the breakfast burrito, complete with a fruit flower, courtesy of Mia, while I grab the fresh coffee.
Last night was a lot. I've grown used to the scare antics and degrading words thrown my way by that man, but Tommy hasn't. He's never actually seen what Vince does. And the fact that he restrained himself to only hitting Vince once, shows me the kind of man Tommy is. He's stronger, better. Add to that the fact that Tommy was the one left feeling guilty after everything makes him a damn saint.
When Tommy got up for work this morning, he didn't feel comfortable leaving. He was trying his best to convince me to let him call in sick, but I couldn't let him. My past is always going to be there. I can't keep altering my life, or his, because of what might happen. Our compromise was that he would stop by every other hour, call in between, and I would make sure to check in throughout the day. It may seem like a bit much, but Vince is still here, and he's angry. A bruised face and an even bigger bruised ego isn't going to sit well with him. I know that. Tommy knows that.
I know that I'm safe in my house. That all I have to do is refuse to answer the door if he shows up, but I also know the worry that is racing through Tommy at the moment. If checking in is going to keep his mind at ease and his focus on his job, then by all means, check in. Besides, it's not so bad when I get to see him all day long.
When I swing the door open, that smile of his fills the entire room. Mia is the first one to spring forward.
"We made you breakfast!" she jumps, the burrito nearly tumbling from the plate.
"You did?" he smiles, reaching for the plate before swooping her up in his other arm. "This looks amazing. Did you make it all yourself?"
"No, Mommy helped. But I did a lot," she proudly states.
His smile falls to me as I hold up the coffee. "Breakfast and caffeine as promised."
"You two are amazing," he exhales as he walks further into the house. He slowly sets Mia down by the table as he turns to me. Mia chases Stella outside, his eyes following the two of them, watching as they make their exit before pulling me in for a hug. "Everything's okay?" he whispers against me.
"Yes, everything is good."
He nods before taking a small step back. There's still a slight tense in his jaw, his eyes on alert. I can tell he won't fully relax until he's off work. Until he can actually be here with us.
