AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Danger, danger!My instincts to run war with my need to be loved and my craving for approval. I want to hide from the authenticity of it all.
I fear that getting close to them will make me too vulnerable. I know this, and yet it doesn’t make it any easier to take that step once again.
A part of me wanted to hide so that I’d have this baby alone. But even then, the thought of that kind of isolation makes me sick to my stomach.
Lyam’s talking to the driver when I reach Avril. She extends her arms for a hug, and I eagerly hug her back.
Tears spring to my eyes when she holds me tightly. I feel her warmth and her acceptance, and I yearn to have the love of a mother like her. My mother did her best, but I was never good enough for her. And my father…
“I’m so glad you two are in a better place,” she whispers. “My sons can be so harsh sometimes, and I can’t talksenseinto them.” She shakes her head. “I know it comes from being loyal, but still.” Rolling her eyes, she lets me go and squeezes my hand. “You know.”
Boy, do I know.
“Ohhh, yes,” I agree, just as a second car pulls up.
I want to tell Avril that I deserved being taken prisoner. I’m still riddled with guilt for what I did, but I’m ashamed to admit it out loud. I don’t know what to say or do but I know that I have to face the next hard thing with courage.
The car that pulled up has a driver, but I suspect it’s Thayer and Savannah.
I’m not wrong.
Avril takes one look at me as Lyam climbs the step beside me.
“Are you alright?” she asks.
“Inside.” His voice holds a note of unquestionable authority, leaving no room for debate. “We’ll see them in a minute.”
I let him lead me inside. Avril hurries back to the door to greet the other two.
Lyam and I stand in the foyer, my belly roiling with nerves and fear.
His forehead touches mine. Our palms meet, our fingers lace together.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
My nose tingles and my vision goes blurry. I try to clear my throat to counteract the tightness, but I can’t. My heart is racing and my body feels strangely tense and on edge.
“Cosette.” I snap to attention at the sharp tone of his voice and pull away, staring into his eyes.
“You listen to me.”
My heart beats even faster, my body trained to obey him on command. I nod, swallowing, when his index finger lifts my chin.
“You had a choice between two terrible things. You made the better of the two choices. So you stop right this minute beating yourself up for what you did. There isn’t a person in this family who hasn’t been in that exact position. That’s life, baby. Sometimes you’re faced with a hard choice and a harder choice. Sometimes those choices you’re forced to make will put your heart in a vise and squeeze it. Sometimes, it’ll kick you down and you’ll have to claw your way back up to the top. But you listen to me. The key isn’t avoiding the fall. That’s inevitable. The key isgetting back up.”
I hear the truth in his words. I feel them. And I know then that no one will ever understand me the way this harsh, broken man does. Because I’ve had to claw my way back up and hegets that.
And damn if it doesn’t make me love him.
“Thank you,” I whisper, as the front door opens and Thayer and Savannah walk in.
I gather up every bit of my strength and turn around to face them.
Thayer, stern and commanding and known to be ruthless, doesn’t look at me but straight to Lyam. The two of them have a silent battle only they understand, but it isn’t lost on any of us. Avril wrings her hands and mutters something about checking in with her kitchen staff. Savannah straightens.
“Okay, then, so while you two do whatever the hell it is you have to do, Cosette and I are going to have a private talk.” She looks to me, not smiling but still welcoming. “Come with me, Cosette, will you?”
“I’ll join you,” Thayer says, but Savannah puts her hand up on his chest.
