Cherishing His Forever

by LeAnn Ashers

  But oh, what a death it would be.

  River sits beside me, and everyone is staring at her then back at me.

  “This is my sister, River. Can you see the resemblance?” I tease and they laugh. Luckily, Chase hasn’t gotten us mixed up yet. Hmm, maybe I will have to play a prank.

  The door to the dining room opens, and Isaac and Emily walk in carrying a bag.

  They are coming with us. We don’t know exactly what my mother’s situation is, and it’s good to have all this back-up, because we are kind of going in blind.

  Ben and Alex come in late because, apparently, they had to finish something on the farm.

  I love moments like this. I love that we can all get together and create these memories. I always dreamed of having a family and having these dinners together.

  The next hour ends way to soon, and it’s time to get to the airport. That means I have to leave Hunter.

  I am holding him on the couch, rocking him, and staring down into his beautiful eyes. He is so beautiful, and the sweetest baby. Chase is sitting next to me, holding the back of his head. Both of us are in our own world.

  I hand Hunter over to Chase, and he kisses the top of his head. I fall more in love with him every day because of the kind of dad he is. I love watching the two of them. I look at the clock on the wall; it’s time to go.

  “Alright ma, you can get him,” Chase tells her, and she walks over and picks him up.

  “I will take very good care of him.”

  “I know, Katherine, I am so thankful for you.” I kiss her cheek and hug Chase’s dads. They leave with the bags of stuff that I packed.

  They leave and take a piece of my heart with them.

  “Come on, guys, the plane is waiting,” Chase tells everyone.

  The Next Day

  Chase booked us a penthouse hotel room so everyone can be together. It’s morning, and Chase and I just got off a video call with Katherine. I needed to see my boy.

  He takes my phone and sets it down on the counter, and he braces himself above me. “You okay, angel?”

  I rub the back of his neck. “I am just worried and confused about this whole situation.”

  He runs his finger across my cheekbone and into my hair, then over my lips. “I have you, baby, no matter what. In the end, what matters most is me, you, and our son.”

  “Ride or die, baby.”

  He throws his head back, groaning. “You’re such a cheeseball.”

  I kiss him, digging my fingers into his hair. He turns serious, taking over the kiss. I bring my legs on either side of him; we are naked so we are skin to skin. I tilt my hips, grinding myself against him.

  “Is my baby hungry?” he asks between kisses.

  “Mhm,” I mumble and I grab his dick, rubbing slowly.

  He pries my hand off of him, lifting my arm above my head. He slowly enters me, my legs shaking with need.

  “My angel.” He growls, nipping down the side of my neck.

  I moan as his free hand strokes my clit. “Oh my gosh.”

  He chuckles and tilts his strokes so he is hitting that beautiful spot inside me.

  “Chase.” I try to lower my arms, but he doesn’t let me. He kisses me hard just as I come.

  But he doesn’t stop. I am oversensitive and he keeps pounding, over and over, while stroking my clit.

  “Chase!” I grit my teeth.

  “What, honey?” he whispers, moving faster. My toes curl. “Again,” he says.

  I do as he asks, coming again. I try to pull away, instinctively, but he moves in closer, flipping me onto my stomach. I grip the sheets, struggling not to scream.

  “You’re killing me.” I bite my lip, burying my face in the pillow.

  “What a good fucking way to go.” He laughs and kisses the side of my neck. “One more time, my girl.”

  He kisses my back sweetly.

  “I’m not sure I can.”

  “Never say never, doll.

  And was I wrong.

  We pull up outside a run-down house in a bad part of town. A drug deal is taking place right in front of us.

  Already I don’t like this.

  I let out a deep breath, and Chase takes my hand and guides me out his side of the vehicle. I am so nervous my hand is shaking in his. I open the door to the back seat and take River’s hand, remembering that she did this once by herself. I’m not sure how she did it.

  The others are going to stay in the vehicle, because we don’t want to overwhelm her.

  I stand outside her door. “You have this, angel,” he whispers, giving me the strength to do whatever I need to do. I knock on the door, and we wait and wait. Then I hear footsteps, and I grip Chase’s hand hard.

  The door opens and I come face to face with her. Her pictures don’t do her justice, but it hurts me to see bruises on her neck.

  Her mouth is open as she looks from me to River, then settles on me. “Jessica?” she whispers and covers her mouth, her hand shaking.

  I gather my courage. “It’s me. Can we talk to you?” It’s hard to believe I am staring at my mother. I don’t know how I feel; I just feel numb right now.

  She looks behind us, into the yard. She finally nods and we walk inside. My first thought is that it’s way too cold for her to be comfortable in this house. I notice she has a couple of layers of clothes on.

  We are all standing in the middle of her living room; what do we do next? I look at River. She is just as much at a loss for words as I am.

  We came here on a mission: to speak to her and maybe take her out of this situation, and that’s what we are going to do. I gather my balls. “Do you want to sit down?” I ask.

  She nods and sits in a recliner, leaving the couch to us. I sit closest to her, and Chase sits next to me.

  “I don’t know where to start.” I laugh slightly. “River found me, and she told me of your situation here.”

  Her eyes widen, and she pushes her hair out of her face with a shaking hand. “It killed me to give you girls up, but I didn’t want you to have a bad life. I couldn’t give you a good one, because I was trapped in a marriage to someone I was forced to marry at fifteen years old.”

  ”Fifteen years old?” I blurt out. “That’s not even legal, is it?”

  “I am not from here originally. I am from Kentucky, and it was legal there when I was a child. My parents were poor, and they chose someone for me. He was almost thirty, and I’d just turned fifteen.” She swallows hard, running her hands down her legs.

  “It’s been nothing short of hell here, and I couldn’t bring my kids into this world. I am sorry I gave you up, but I did it to protect you in my own way. I can’t even protect myself.” She stops, taking a deep breath as her eyes connect with mine. “From him.”

  My heart is just breaking; she was so young.

  “I had you when I was fifteen, and I had River a few years later. I almost died when I had you, Jessica, because I was so small and underweight at the time. It was very hard.”

  It just cuts deeper and deeper.

  Chase grips my hand, and I know he is just as affected as I am. He sees himself as a protector of all women, and she is my mom.

  “If you had a chance to leave, would you?” I lean closer and take her hands.

  She nods. “I want to get out of here. I tried to leave, but he found me, and I was in the hospital for weeks because of how bad I was beaten. Plus I have no money, no family…”

  “You have family. We came here today to get you out of here.”

  She looks shocked. “But why would you want to, after everything I did?” she whispers.

  I smile. “You did it to protect us, you were fifteen years old. That was so brave.” I know if I had been in the same situation, I would have done whatever it took to protect Hunter.

  I look at River, and she smiles at me with tears in her eyes.

  “Okay.” Our mother nods and that’s when the tears fall. She covers her face and shatters my heart into a million pieces.


  I can feel the hurt coming off of her, and I wrap my arms around her and hug her, letting her cry out the years of pain. Chase has his arm around River, hugging her as she cries along with our mother.

  Once she manages to collect herself, I say, “Wait, I don’t know your name.”

  For the first time, she laughs. “My name is Isabella, Bell for short.”

  “Want to pack your things and we can get out of here?” I ask her.

  She nods and pushes herself off the recliner. I notice right off the bat she is way too skinny. Chase puts his hand on my back, and I know he is noticing it too. I stand up. “Do you mind if we invite in our friends?” I ask her.

  “Of course not.”

  Chase walks over to the door and motions for them to come in. Lani and Emily follow us to my mother’s bedroom. I almost throw up at the sight of it. There are chains on the headboard, and the cuffs have blood on them.

  I look away because I don’t want to embarrass her. That is the last thing she needs.

  She walks into her closet and takes out a bag, and I take it from her and set it on the bed. That’s when I notice the blood on the sheets. I try not to react but that’s just a lot. Knowing that she has been hurt by this man, in every way imaginable, for almost twenty-five years.

  Lani is beside me, looking at the bed. I cover the blood and chains with the blanket so River doesn’t see it.

  “I’m sorry it’s so cold in here,” Bell says. “He doesn’t like the heat on unless he’s home.” She says this so easily; it’s her normal. That’s so sad. “You know what?” She stomps over to the thermostat on the wall and turns the heat on. “It doesn’t matter now, does it?” she asks, like she needs confirmation.

  “That’s right, Bell,” Lani says, and we get busy folding her clothes into her bag. Little by little we get her packed.

  My phone rings and I see it’s a FaceTime call from Katherine. “Hey.” I walk further into the room.

  “He just said a word, he said momma!” she screeches and I laugh. She turns the camera around to show me Hunter, who is chewing on a toy because he is teething.

  “How is Mommy’s baby?” I coo and he smacks his hands on the highchair tray. “He is getting so big, Jessica. Thank goodness y’all are working on number two.” I laugh loudly because she is ridiculous.

  “I will call you back in a few minutes, Katherine. Tell my baby I love him.” She smiles and nods. “Hurry home. I miss you guys too.”

  I roll my eyes. “Yeah, right. You love your Hunter time.”

  She winks and hangs up. She was absolutely thrilled at getting to keep him for a couple of days.

  Bell is looking at me. “You have a baby?”

  I nod. “You have a grandchild.”

  “That makes me so happy.” She smiles and zips her bags closed.

  “You ready?” I take her bag from her. The first order of business is getting her fed.

  She is so exhausted physically and, most of all, emotionally. She looks like she could sleep for weeks, and I’m sure she needs that, but I’m going to see if she’ll be willing to do therapy, because I can’t even fathom all the stuff she has gone through.

  I take her hand and River takes the other as we walk from her room. She’s looking at every room in the house as we pass. In the living room, Chase is standing against the wall.

  He walks over to me. “She ready to go?”

  She lets out a deep breath. “Yes, I am more than ready.”

  That’s when the living room door flies open, crashing into the wall. Chase stiffens and the guys move over to stand beside us. “Bitch, what did I say about turning the heat on!” he yells, slamming the door, and he finally sees all of us standing there.

  His eyes move to me, then to River, and then to our mom. “What the fuck did you do, bitch? Are those the two fuckers you gave up?” he snarls, flinging his arms in the direction of me and River.

  Chase lets go of my hand and steps in front of us, and I grip the back of his shirt because I know he wants to charge across the room at him.

  My stomach is twisting. This man is fat and his wife is skinny. He is selfish and evil, and I don’t want to spend another second in his presence.

  A man that can hurt his wife, hurt her in every way imaginable, doesn’t deserve to even be alive.

  He takes three steps in our direction. Chase moves in front of him so he can’t come any closer. I take Bell’s hand, which is shaking so badly. “It’s okay, we will protect you. He can’t hurt you anymore,” I whisper in her ear.

  She nods and grips me hard. She is terrified to disobey him; old habits die hard. He has controlled her life for so long; it’s going to be a long road ahead of her.

  I will be there to help her; we all will. It’s time for her to live, be free.

  “Angel, why don’t you ladies go on out to the vehicle?” Chase hands me the keys. The guys lead us to the door.

  “Bitch, where the fuck are you going? Get back here!” her husband screams.

  Trey slams the door closed, and I lead Bell to our SUV. I put her in the back seat and get in beside her.

  She is staring straight ahead, through the windshield. I lean over the seat and turn the heat on for her.

  We don’t speak. I just hold her hand as we look at the house. I have a feeling I know what’s going on in there.

  * * *

  Chase

  The door slams shut, leaving this fucker alone with us. He starts in the direction of the door, but I grab him by his neck and squeeze. He tries to pull my hands loose, his eyes wide as I grip hard. “You will never fucking see her again, do you understand me?” I yell in his face, and I slam his head into the wall.

  “She can’t leave me!” he screeches and tries to kick me.

  I stomp on his feet hard. He screams and I laugh right in his face, because he is a fucking pussy.

  “Yes she can and she will. You’re a fucking predator. She was fifteen years old when you married her. You make me sick.” The other guys, who are standing behind me, cuss. They can obviously tell this man is way older than Jessica’s mom.

  I let his throat go just long enough to punch him in the face, over and over. He tries to cover his face, but I just hit another body part.

  One thing I am fucking thankful for is that Jessica didn’t grow up in this shitty house. This man doesn’t even deserve to be fucking breathing, but taking Bell will be punishment enough.

  He is fucking nothing.

  Once I am done beating his ass, he rolls over on the floor, groaning, and I barely did shit to him. “Ready to go?” I ask the guys.

  They look like they want to go a couple of rounds with him too. Trey punches the thermostat, breaking it, and I grin.

  We leave him lying there, not even bothering to shut the door. I want him to watch us take her away.

  Bell’s parents are shit. How could someone fathom planning their daughter’s marriage when she is fourteen years old, and to a man fifteen years older than she is at that? I know people in this world are shit, but sometimes it shocks me that people just don’t have any emotions at all.

  I get into the truck and look in the back seat. Jessica moves into the front with me.

  “You guys okay?” I ask and they all nod. I reach over and take Jessica’s hand. “Is my girl okay?” I whisper, for her ears only.

  She smiles and I know she is good—she is perfect.

  Chapter 14

  Jessica

  I am proud of my mother; I know she is probably scared out of her mind. Chase opens the door to the hotel room and holds it open for everyone. Bell takes in the room; it’s probably culture shock.

  “Wow,” she whispers.

  “Bell, here is your room.” Chase points to the room to the right. “Want me to put your bag in there?”

  “I will, I want to change. Thank you.” She takes her bag from him and shuts the door gently behind her.

  I sit on the couch and lean my head way back, easing the tension in my neck.

&
nbsp; Lips touch my forehead and I open my eyes. Chase’s face is above mine. “Are we having a Spiderman moment?” I tease and he laughs, kissing me, giving me just that.

  “I will call and have lunch ordered. The jet will be ready to go in a few hours.”

  I totally agree with going home. I’m ready to see Hunter, and I want Bell to get settled.

  River sits down beside me, laying her head on my shoulder. “This has been an emotional day.” We were at the house for two hours, and it felt like an eternity. It’s like everywhere we looked we came face to face with things that showed the pain Bell has suffered. Two hours of that was exhausting; imagine all those years she was there.

  Bell’s door opens. She’s wearing jeans and a plain white long-sleeved shirt that looks beautiful with her red hair. I have to admit my mother is absolutely gorgeous. She has aged well despite everything she has gone through.

  “Who wants to watch a movie?” I ask.

  The others come into the room and plop down on the huge couch. Bell sits down beside me and I turn on a comedy, because we need that at this moment.

  Just as we’re all getting immersed in the movie, there’s a knock at the door. Bell jumps and looks like she is ready to bolt. “It’s just the food,” I tell her.

  She relaxes and Chase opens the door and pushes in the cart. He passes out our food and drinks. When he hands Bell her food, she is like a fish out of water, lost, and she looks at her lap in disbelief. “He brought me food.”

  “Of course. It’s my job to take care of my ladies.” He winks and I laugh, because he is so cheesy sometimes.

  Bell laughs too and we dig into our food, relaxing before we have to leave. Bell is slowly becoming more at ease around all of us. I set aside her food and cover her with a blanket from the back of the couch.

  I start to get up, but she grabs my hand. “Thank you, Jessica and River, you have saved me.” I hug her, and River takes the other side. We sit with her until she falls into a deep sleep, and we head into a game room so she can rest.