Total pages in book: 185
Estimated words: 191421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 957(@200wpm)___ 766(@250wpm)___ 638(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 191421 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 957(@200wpm)___ 766(@250wpm)___ 638(@300wpm)
That has the power to completely break me down.
It’s slightly intimidating to be doing this, facing my parents like this, but I’ll do anything to support and stand by the boy I fell in love with when I was only twelve.
I take a deep breath and go, “Mom, Dad, I love you both and I really appreciate your concern. I also get where it’s coming from, and I can see that this is not easy for you by any means. But you don’t have to interrogate him like this. He’s standing at the door. You haven’t even asked him to come inside and —”
“To fix it.”
He speaks, cutting me off.
He also unfurls his fingers and threads them with mine. And I have to lock my knees together to keep standing. At the sheer joy, the sheer relief, the absolute delicious heat and roughness of his hand, sliding into mine.
My parents have switched their eyes over to him now.
And even though it hasn’t gone unnoticed that I’m holding his hand, they choose not to comment on it.
“To fix all the things I’ve done in the past,” he says, his voice grave, his features determined. “To fix what I did last night. To not only somehow make it right but also to make sure that it never happens again. And it won’t.” His grip tightens. “It will never happen again. I will never put your daughter in a situation where she can be hurt; where I can’t protect her; where I fail to keep her safe. You don’t have a lot of reason to believe me or believe whatever promises I make but someone once told me that a promise is an oath. It’s a pledge. It’s a word of honor. It’s a covenant, a commitment and a vow. A promise is a bond and my intention is to protect that bond.”
I’m scratching him.
I’m scratching the back of his hand, his knuckles. His fingers.
I don’t intend to but it’s involuntary.
It’s out of my control. Much like how it’s out of my control, those tears that well up in my eyes again as I look at him. As I see his determined face. That angular jawline dipped in strength. Those high cheekbones, all laced with willpower. His stubborn nose. His resolute frown.
And then, I break down and plead. “Mom, Dad. Please can I talk —”
“I’d like to ask your permission to speak —”
We both say it at the same time and we both stop at the same time too. But while he has the patience, the resolution to be strong, I don’t. Because as soon as he stops, his fingers still clasped in mine, I start up again. “Please, Mom. Alone. Just for a little bit even. I —”
“Fine.” My mom nods.
“Annie —”
“Let them,” she tells my dad. Then, to Reign, “But as Echo said, only for a little bit. We still haven’t forgotten what —”
“You don’t bring her back to us within thirty minutes, I’m coming after you,” my dad threatens, and with that, he lets go of my mother’s hand and stalks out of the room.
My mother sighs and gives me a look. “No more than thirty minutes. And you will both stay out here.”
That makes me a little mad. Like Reign isn’t fit to be let inside the house, and I’m about to protest — for someone who didn’t argue or confront her parents at all, I’ve become really free and accustomed to doing it since I opened up last night — but Reign beats me to it.
“I understand. I’ll have her back in time.”
My mom nods and then steps back to close the door.
As soon as she does, I pull at his hand and turn around.
And start walking.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
I’m not sure where I’m going or even how it’s possible that I’m dragging him behind me — the guy who can manhandle me very easily and has on numerous occasions — but I need to get far away from my house. I need to get far away from the people who look at him like he’s a criminal.
Like he can strike any second now.
When I get to a place in the woods where I can only see flashes of my house and the stucco roof, I stop and spin around. I don’t give him a chance to speak as I say, “I didn’t tell them the whole thing.”
“What?”
“About your dad,” I explain, my fingers tightening around his. “As in, I didn’t give them the specifics. I didn’t give them all the details. Only that he wasn’t a good man and —”
“It doesn’t matter,” he says, his eyes staring into mine, his fingers clasping mine just as tightly. “Fuck my father. I don’t care now and I didn’t, the other night as well. I just… It took me by surprise, and I got pissed off.”