Chapter Fourteen

Jonah

Eric glares at us as we make our way up the steps, and I want to smack him. I know he isn't happy about the way things went down, but seeing his daughter, his only child, for the first time in almost a week should be enough to make him smile.

"Are you ready to put this mess behind you, Autumn?" he asks. "I can arrange to have this mating put to an end."

Not a "Hello, how are you doing?" He doesn't give a shit about her happiness, that much is easy to see. He just wants to put this entire situation behind him.

"I'm here for my belongings," she says. Her posture is stiff and I hate it.

But she stands tall beside me, her hand clasped in mine. Never once letting his glare affect her. She is probably used to him treating her like a possession. But I want to pummel him. The longer we stand here with his disdain coating the air, the harder I have to fight not to kick his pompous ass.

"Everything that was in your room has been boxed up and put in the garage."

He turns on his heel and slams the door in our faces, the deadbolt clicking loudly.

Pain radiates from the woman beside me, but she doesn't allow it to stop her.

"Fuck you!" she yells at the house. "You're going to die old and alone in this empty house. You'll never see me again. You'll never know your grandbabies!"

Spinning around she releases my hand as I stand there filled with equal parts of shock and pride. She heads down the stairs and around the side of the building, out of sight. That spurs me on to follow her, and quickly.

I find Autumn, glaring at the ten big boxes standing in the middle of a concrete floor. The garage is beside the house and I go get the truck so we can get it all loaded.

"Are you okay, love?" I ask when I return.

She turns to me with a frown.

"I thought I wouldn't be, but I am. I don't want his toxic bullshit coating our lives. Honestly, even if he apologized right now, I don't think I would want him in our lives."

"Do you want me to kick his ass?"

She throws her head back and laughs loudly.

"Thanks for the offer but I don't want anything to do with him ever again. Why don't you take me home instead?"

It takes us maybe all of ten minutes to get the boxes loaded and then we leave. Neither of us looks back. We are closing a chapter on our lives and moving forward. Together.

****

Autumn

We drive home at a leisurely pace. I sing along with the radio loudly, and off key, making my husband smile and laugh. This is the life I want. I don't want to be trapped. This freedom is what I have craved for as long as I remember.

A billboard along the road catches my eyes and I shut down the radio.

"Pull over."

"Is something wrong?" Jonah asks.

"Just pull over," I reply.

Once the vehicle comes to a stop, I face my husband.

"Today, we start our lives together. Free and clear."

"I thought we'd already done that," he replies with a frown.

"We got married. We still had to deal with my father. But we are free now."

"Okay…"

"I want to start this the right way. So I'm going to run and you're going to give me a head start," I say as I open the passenger side door. "I hope you catch me before I reach the house. I'm kind of recreating my favorite memory here."

And then I bolt.

I hear my husband's laughter boom behind me and the joy he feels surges through me via our mate bond. My legs pump as I try to run as fast as I can. I have a basic idea of where I am this time and which direction to run.

In the distance I see the elm tree I am aiming for and veer in that direction. I am five feet away from my intended location when Jonah wraps his arms around my body.

"Got you," he says into my ear.

"I let you catch me," I say and giggle.

"Are you going to let me have my way with you or are you going to fight me?" he asks, palming my sex through my dress.

"Why don't you find out?"

The End