She was a broken woman!
This book triggered me reading what Mrs. Hump endured for love. Elizabeth Perkins thought Trey loved her and would marry her. She allowed him to thoroughly use her for his own gain. When she finally came to her senses, it left her a broken shell of a woman. Trey McAlister turned out to be no more than a high society pimp. She spent her adult life killing for a fee, exacting revenge on her abusers or busting down human trafficking. She vowed that anyone who had previously abused her or women and children would feel the wrath of Mrs. Hump. She built a wall around her heart that would not let love in. She got herself into a life-threatening predicament that brought her the life-saving love she so desperately needed. Elizabeth "Lizzy" Perkins died to give birth to Carol Thomas. She now has the family and love she needs with a man who appreciates her for who she is. He saw her capacity for love.
Dr. Elden Thomas was tired of coming home to his ranch alone. He'd loved Lizzy from the first time he saw her. By saving her life under his medical care, he now had the chance to make his move to convince her to be the woman he saw in her the capacity to be.
This is the first story I've read by Olivia that was totally serious. She usually has some comic relief in her books. But I understand why as abuse and trafficking are no laughing matter, and not to be taken lightly.
NOTE: My favorite excerpt. “Stop it,” she said as tears burned in her eyes. “I’m damaged on so many levels. Who would want to love me? Who would want to bring me home to meet their mother? I’m rotted from the inside out. Please, just let me die.”
“I can’t,” he told her. “Letting you die would damage that child and more than likely kill me and the man in the other room. I’m offering you love, Elizabeth. No strings. No conditions. It is not dependent upon what’s between your legs. Open your heart and try to let me in. I will not hurt you.”
“Elden, I can’t,” she told him. “I’ve been Ms. Hump too long to be anything other than a weapon. I can’t give you the life you want with children. I’m so broken that God saw fit to allow those horrible men in my younger years to take away my ability to procreate.”
“And Miguelito? God saw fit to give you another child to raise and protect. God saw fit to make you into a weapon to rescue other children who were being harmed,” The Doctor said. “Maybe, He saw fit to take away the ability to have your own so you could be His weapon. You could be His Michael to save the babies others have thrown or given away. Maybe, my dearest Elizabeth, he brought me here to Louisville to save you and tell you these things.” ....
Elden Thomas did what he’d wanted to do since Slow brought her into the cabin. He climbed into bed beside her, cradling the woman in his arms. The tears she never wanted to let go were now running down her face and she had no shame. In his arms, she felt a peace she’d craved for years. Perhaps it was time to give it all up, to let it all go, and take a cue from Wrong Way to take a seat.
“I’ve got you, Elizabeth,” The Doctor said. “Use my strength; hold onto me and I promise to not let go.”
Gaines, Olivia. Blind Side (The Technicians Series Book 9) (pp. 68-70). Davonshire House Publishing. Kindle Edition.