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We stay wrapped up in each other’s arms, our heartbeats finding the same rhythm as we breathe and love as one. I feel it. I feel her in my soul, as insane as that sounds. This amazing, strong, caring, gorgeous woman has carved out a spot in my chest for her heart and placed it right next to mine. I’ll treasure it, care for it, protect it with my life. She’s mine now. All mine.
8
JORDAN
Iwake up feeling deliciously sore and thoroughly loved. Huxley is curled around my back, one arm draped over my hip to keep me close. Our legs are woven together under the warm blankets, and I know in my heart I want to wake up this way every single morning of my life.
There’s only one thing standing in my way.
My phone dings with an incoming text and then another. That must have been what woke me up in the first place. Huxley is still sound asleep, barely stirring as I carefully untangle myself from his embrace. I take one last look at him over my shoulder, committing to memory how peaceful he looks in the morning light.
I pad my way across the one-room cabin to where I set my purse down last night. My stomach drops when I take out my phone and look at the screen. I have several missed calls and a litany of text messages from my father, each one more unhinged than the last.
5:33 am - MISSED CALL
5:34 am: Where the hell are you?
5:36 am: I came home early because I was suspicious of you and that man.
5:38 am: I knew I was right. Is that who you’re with right now?
5:45 am - MISSED CALL
6:01 am: I raised you better than this. To think, my own daughter, a whore.
6:03 am: You wanted freedom so badly, and what do you do with it? Spread your legs for the first man who paid you any attention.
6:15 am: Your mother would be so disappointed in the woman you’ve become.
I stop reading his texts after that, too heartbroken and angry to even process what’s happening. My whole life, my father told me everything he did was to protect me. I couldn’t play soccer or softball or volleyball with any of the kids my age because it was too dangerous. What few friends I had never stayed long because my father didn’t let me go to the mall or out to the movies, and a sleepover was completely out of the question.
All of this done under some false pretense of love.
As I read over his texts, I don’t see any hint of love or even concern. If his goal was my safety, I would think at least some of these texts would show his worry. But no, every hurtful word is aimed right at my heart, where he knows he can break me. Bringing my mother into this…
It’s the last straw. I should have woken up earlier to the fact that my father went from protective to a psychotic level of paranoia and control. I’m unsure when the scales started to tip, but now that his true colors have been revealed, I know I need to get out. For good.
Gathering up my clothes, I quietly slip into my outfit from last night, minus the panties and bra. They’re still damp, and besides, it gives me an excuse to grab one of Huxley’s plaid button-down shirts to wear as a cover-up.
I pause with my hand on the doorknob, looking back at the man who has changed my life forever. I want to be the woman he sees in me, someone brave and able to face challenges head-on. I’ll take care of my father, tell him I’m my own person and he has no power over me anymore, and come right back. Maybe Huxley will still be asleep.
With that thought in mind, I exit the cabin only to realize I have no way back down the mountain. It’s not an impossible hike, especially going down versus climbing up, but still. It would take at least two hours to walk back home.
I notice movement off to the right and see Huxley’s friend, Cassian, stepping out of his cabin across the small field. I’ve met him a few times before, though we haven’t had much of a conversation.
He notices me and crosses his arms over his chest, nodding his head in my direction. I look back at Huxley’s cabin, then over to Cassian, knowing what I need to do.
I make my way toward Cassian, my mind racing with what to say to the man when I get to him.
“Uh, hi,” I squeak. Great job. Super chill.
He nods at me. “You okay?” comes his grunted response. Cassian may be gruff and grumpy, but I know he’s a good man. His first question is about my safety. Unlike my father.
“Yeah, I… I need a ride back down the mountain,” I say all in a rush. When Cassian doesn’t react, I continue babbling. “I need to take care of a few things,” I start, not wanting to give away too much. I want to show Huxley I can take care of myself, and he won’t always have to come to my rescue.
Cassian stares down at me, his expression completely unreadable. I think he might refuse for a moment, but then he drops his arms from where they were folded across his chest and tips his head toward the truck Huxley drove us around in last night. I suppose it makes sense that they share vehicles.
I follow him to the truck in silence, not wanting to say anything to make him change his mind. When my fingers wrap around the passenger side door handle, I hear Cassian clear his throat.
