Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 472(@200wpm)___ 377(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“Alright, here’s how it’s gonna go,” I said firmly, getting to my feet. I’d let her have the high ground and talk down to me when she’d clearly needed it, but if she wanted bare knuckles, then that’s what I’d give her. “You’re not goin’ back to your parents.”
“But—”
“You had your turn to talk,” I said, cutting her off. “Now it’s my turn.”
Her mouth snapped shut.
“You’re movin’ in with me, and we’re gettin’ married. We’re havin’ a baby and we’re gonna be livin’ in the same house. I’m bettin’ you don’t wanna do that without a ring on your finger. Alright with me. I’ll get you one.”
“What?” she breathed, staring at me like I’d grown two heads.
“You got someone else you were hopin’ for?” I asked, the question burned through me but I had to ask. “You have a boyfriend?”
Esther scoffed and planted her hands back on her hips. “If I had a boyfriend do you really think we would’ve railed?”
“Sugar, that is not how you use railed in a sentence.”
“I don’t care!”
“You wanna wear a white dress?” I asked, still bulldozing forward.
She plopped back onto the bed and stared wide-eyed at me. “Where is this coming from?”
“You’re already halfway through the pregnancy,” I said, lowering my voice a little. “You really wanna wait?”
“We don’t even know each other.”
“We’ll get to know each other.”
“After we’re married?”
Now it felt weird to be looming over her so I sat down beside her instead. Reaching out, I pulled her hand away from her lap and laced her fingers with mine.
“Is that any different from what you would’ve gotten before?” I asked softly.
She jerked as if I’d slapped her.
“I’m not tryin’ to hurt your feelings, sugar,” I said, tightening my hand around hers when she tried to pull away. “I’m just sayin’ that those marriages work for the people you know, right? I’d say we have a better reason than most for gettin’ married. I won’t ever hit you. I won’t control what you’re doin’ or make you do anythin’ you don’t wanna do.”
“Why would you even suggest this?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears. “Why would you want to get married?”
I debated telling her I loved her, but I knew she’d laugh in my face. I thought about using the baby, saying that it deserved to be born to married parents—but I couldn’t quite choke that out.
In the end, I just told her the truth—or as much truth as I was willing to admit.
“Marriage is the best way I can protect you and our baby,” I said simply.
Chapter 9
Esther
“Protect me from what?” I asked gently. Otto’s jaw was clenched and every muscle from the neck down was tense.
“From your fucked-up family,” he replied flatly, staring into my eyes.
When I opened my mouth to counter him, his eyes narrowed and I swallowed back the words.
“Leavin’ out the fact that your pop set you up to be collateral damage like it was nothin’,” he said, waving his hand. “They fuckin’ left you out in the middle of nowhere as what? Punishment? Anythin’ coulda happened out there. You were livin’ like a homeless person with no power.”
“I had a home.”
“Semantics,” he shot back. “You know I’m right. Why are you arguin’ with me?”
Because I couldn’t seem to help myself. I’d spent so long telling myself that it wasn’t really as bad as it seemed and I couldn’t stop. If I stopped that meant that my family had tucked me away like a dirty secret and forgotten me.
“Marry me,” he ordered, his eyes moving from my hair to my eyes to my lips. “We’ll make our own family and yours can fuck off.”
I let out a startled and completely inappropriate giggle.
“Plus, you can have my mom. You like her. She’s nice, right? There you go.” He smiled encouragingly.
I looked down at my lap. Everything was happening so fast. Was it only the day before that I’d woken up in my little cabin completely unaware that anything was going to change? How in the world was I sitting in Eugene with Otto Hawthorne discussing marriage? My head felt like it was spinning.
It was hard to admit, even to myself, that it was exactly what I’d prayed for. That Otto would swoop in and save me. That he’d be the answer to everything and once he’d shown up I wouldn’t have to be scared anymore. That I wouldn’t have to worry that I was going to go into labor with no one to help me. That he’d take care of us and I wouldn’t have to give our baby to strangers the way my parents planned.
In my fantasy world, we’d get married and go see my parents and they’d be reticent at first, but they’d be so glad that I had a ring on my finger that they’d bend a little. Maybe they wouldn’t have us to dinner, but at least I’d get to see Noel again.