Bound By Cage Box Set (Complete Series Books 1-4) : MMA Romance

by Brittany Crowley

  “Bullshit. I’m not taking any chances with you, sweetie. Ashlyn, do something helpful and shut all the blinds while I deadbolt the doors.”

  “Stop! Sit down and relax, Dad. Ash, don’t you dare touch those blinds. I need to feel normal right now, and you going crazy—well, crazier than usual—is not making me feel normal. Please take a chill pill.”

  “Baby girl, I’ll ease up, but I will most certainly not take a chill pill. Tried one in the 80s, and I thought I was dying. No way will I make that mistake again, nor will I impair my protection duties.”

  I place my face in my hands and groan. I just want this day over with.

  When Zander shows up and I fill him in on what I learned at the police station, he takes his phone out and books us a hotel room for a few nights. I guess it’s a good idea, seeing as how our house is a mess. I kiss my dad and Ash goodbye, and we head out for our temporary home for the next couple of days. Zander tells me we get to pick Daisy up in the morning. They want to watch her tonight to make sure she’s going to be okay.

  Later that night, as we are lying in bed wrapped around each other, Zander decides his house isn’t going to work for us anymore because it’s too easily accessible. I love his house, but I have to agree with him. His house is only set back about 30 feet from the main road, so it’s not private in the least, and putting a fence up in the front yard would do very little to keep people from peeking over. On top of all that, I will never feel safe in that house again. The pictures Luke took of us there make me feel dirty, like I need to constantly shower and wash it off. He tells me he already contacted a realtor and has some appointments to look at some houses tomorrow. I agree, and my eyes begin to feel heavy with sleep.

  Tomorrow we will tackle the mess of our house. Right now, I’m going to enjoy lying in my husband’s arms, locked away from the shitstorm that is my life right now.

  CHAPTER 25

  The next month flies by without a hitch. We found the perfect house, and Zander made sure to seal the deal as fast as possible. We are settling into living with each other and being typical newlyweds again. Mostly, everyone stays away from the house because we’ve been caught on more than one occasion christening different rooms. They know to call and announce they are coming over for a visit.

  Tonight is a big deal, and I’m a big bundle of nerves. Even though we’ve been married for a while now, tonight we are seeing Zander’s mom and granny for the first time since we got married. Right before the fight Judy, Zander’s mom, had to fly back to Texas to take care of her mother, who took a nasty fall. She didn’t want to move up to Massachusetts since she was born and raised in Texas, but with nobody out there to watch her, Judy talked her into moving to be with family. They had to wait until she was cleared to travel before they made their journey up here.

  Zander’s been down there a few times to visit, but I couldn’t get away from the bar. The Christmas season is our busiest, and I can’t let Ash run the place by herself with a clear conscience.

  I’m pulling a lasagna I made from scratch—yeah, that’s laughable; I’m pulling a lasagna Ashlyn made from scratch—out of my oven when I hear the doorbell.

  “I’ve got it, baby,” Zander yells from the living room. Taking a deep breath, I head for the front door to greet the two women who have played a vital role in his life.

  “There she is!” Judy pummels me with a hug and squeezes the life out of me. “I’ve always wanted a daughter, and Zander couldn’t have done a better job bringing you into my life.”

  Her words hit me hard since I didn’t have a mother most of my life, only Aunt Cheryl, and moisture begins to build behind my eyes.

  “Thanks Judy, that means a lot.” Zander comes up to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders, knowing I need his support.

  “Baby, this is my Granny Liz.”

  She pulls me out of Zander’s arms and engulfs me in a hug. I guess these people are huggers.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet the young lady who has our Zandy so smitten.” Zander cringes and groans when she uses his nickname. “Knock it off, Zandy. I have plenty of stories up in this old mind, so if you’re not careful, they might just pop out in my forgetfulness. You know the memory is a funny thing when you’re older.” She stares Zander down, and he actually cowers like he’s a five-year-old getting scolded.

  “Liz, I think we are going to get along just fine.” I laugh at Zander when he starts to pout.

  “None of that, dear. Call me granny.”

  “I’d like that,” I say shyly.

  They all walk into the dining room, and I head to the kitchen to serve the food. They all want to help, but I insist they let me do it while they catch up. When I get to the kitchen, I hear another knock on the door. Now who could that be? We’re not expecting any more company. I yell to Zander that I’ve got it and head for the front door.

  I open it to find my dad and his girlfriend, Ms. Adams, standing on the front step. I know her well since she lived next door to us my whole childhood, but I haven’t seen her since she became an item with my dad. What the hell are they doing here? He hasn’t introduced me to her as his girlfriend yet because he said he read an article on introducing your kids to a new partner too soon. Explaining to him that I’m not ten fell on deaf ears. Apparently, tonight is that special moment to do it.

  “Hey Dad, what’s going on?”

  “I taught you better than this, Savannah. Where are your manners?” He gives me a stern look and shifts his eyes toward Ms. Adams.

  “Please, won’t you guys come in?”

  They walk by me, and I shut the door. Zander rounds the corner and greets my dad with a handshake.

  “Son, this is Dee, my woman friend. Dee, this is my son-in-law, Zander.”

  Zander leans in to kiss her on the cheek before the three of them turn toward me.

  “Sweetie, you remember Dee from next door, right?”

  “How could I forget? How are you, Ms. Adams?” I ask politely, giving her a hug.

  “I’m great, dear. I know this is kind of awkward, but I hope that all fades away when you see how much I care about your father.”

  “I’m sure it will. I’m glad he found someone who makes him happy. I hate to be rude, but we have Zander’s mom and granny here for dinner.” I’m trying to get my subtle hint across to come back another time.

  “Great! I’m starving. We were on our way to get some dinner, but I love Ashlyn’s food way more than any old restaurant.”

  “Shhhhhh. Don’t say that out loud, old man, or I’ll tell Ms. Adams all of your secrets.” I stare him down until he slightly nods his head in agreement at me.

  “There’s plenty of food, and this is a good opportunity for our parents to meet.” Zander pulls me to him and whispers in my ear.

  I could strangle him. I can’t handle his mom, granny, my dad, and Ms. Adam’s all in one night. I just paste a smile on my face and usher them all into the dining room. Zander hangs back from the dining room, so I walk back over to him.

  “Just so you know, I’m revoking your shower privileges in the morning.” Zander loves starting the day with a nice shower session.

  “You wouldn’t dare. You love our morning showers just as much as I do.” He challenges me. Damn, he has me there.

  “If this goes horribly wrong, I’m holding you personally responsible.”

  I walking by him to head into the dining room, and I yelp out loud when I feel the sharp sting of a slap on my ass. I glare at him, letting him know he’s in trouble later.

  We’re all just finishing up our food when our lovely evening takes a turn for the worst.

  There is a knock at the door, so I excuse myself to go answer it. We sure are popular tonight. When I open the door, I gasp when I see Luke at my front door.

  I get ready to scream, but he rushes, grabs my arm, and slams his hand over my mouth. He pulls me just outside the door and slams me up against the house.

  “Hey sweetheart, great to see you too.”
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br />   His eyes are utterly terrifying, and he looks completely disheveled. The smell I’m inhaling makes me want to vomit. It’s like he hasn’t showered in a year.

  “I need to talk to you for a minute, preferably without your behemoth of a boyfriend,” he says, removing his hand from my mouth.

  “You mean my husband? Why the fuck would you knock on the door if you knew he was home?” I dare him to challenge me with my eyes.

  “Stop calling him that,” he gets out through gritted teeth. “I took my chances. This has gone on long enough. I let you have your fun, but now it’s time to come home, sweetie.” Hearing the pet name makes me cringe.

  “Have you lost your mind? Let me go!” I try to wiggle my way out of his hold, which causes him to slam me into the house again. Pain radiates up my spine from the impact.

  I feel him place an envelope in my hand as he leans in, pressing his nose into my hair as he inhales. “I don’t need to say anything, it’s all in here. Once you look through it, you’ll realize it’s not too late for us. I’ll be expecting you to pack up your shit and come home by the end of the week, and seeing as how my patience wore thin a long fucking time ago, that’s me being very very accommodating, Savannah. If you’re not home by the end of the week, let’s just say I have ways of dealing with the Neanderthal in there.”

  A shiver races up my spine, and my whole body goes cold at this threat. What the fuck is he talking about?

  “If you don’t let me go, I swear to god I’ll scream so loud, every neighbor in a five-mile radius will call the cops.” His eyes go crazy as he looks at me, and then he crashes his mouth to mine. He quickly lets me go and takes off when we hear heavy footsteps approach the door. I crumple to the ground, my legs unable to hold me up any longer.

  When Zander sticks his head out the door, he finds me on the ground, a sobbing mess.

  “Baby, what’s the matter? Talk to me.”

  “Luke was at the door.”

  “What the fuck?” he roars, going hard as stone.

  “He pulled me out the door and slammed me up against the house. He…he kissed me. I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Crouching down, he pushes my head between my knees. “Put your head between your legs, Savvy. Take slow, deep breaths. What did he want? Where did he go?”

  Once I catch my breath and feel like I can speak without puking, I tell him. “He told me he expects me to come home at the end of the week after I look in this packet. He told me to pack my shit up and move home, otherwise he has ways of dealing with you.” I say this all in a whisper, still shaking from the altercation.

  “What packet, Savvy? Did you open it? Baby, look at me…” I look up into his eyes. “He will never take you away from me. I don’t give a fuck what’s in there.”

  He snatches it out of my hands and opens it. I don’t remember Luke putting it there, and we look at the pages together. Realizing what they are, I gasp in shock. We are looking at page after page of pictures of the two of us in Vegas all over the place. There are pictures from the hotel lobby when I first arrived, one from outside the jewelry store where he bought me that beautiful necklace, and a few of me walking into the hotel by myself. I know these pictures were taken moments after Zander walked into the hotel before I tried to not cause a scene since our relationship was still a secret. The last picture has me seeing red. It’s a picture of us at the counter of the chapel filling out our paperwork with a guy I now recognize as the overly snoopy photographer. I knew he looked familiar that night, but I couldn’t place him. He must have been keeping tabs on us for Luke the whole time we were in Vegas, posing as a photographer. He clearly wasn’t working alone because another person had to be there to take this picture he’s in.

  “He stalked us around Vegas? How would that change anything about our relationship?” I question as Zander pulls the last piece of paper out of the pile. It’s a photocopy of our marriage license with a message written across the page.

  Isn’t it funny when you fill out the wrong forms for a marriage license? Oops.

  I quickly eye the page, trying to understand what he means. I find it, the mistake that voids our marriage. At the bottom, where the clerk’s signature is supposed to be, it says Mickey Mouse. Tears start to cascade down my face at the realization that this sick fuck made sure his friend sabotaged our wedding in Vegas. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

  Zander hasn’t moved or said a word since we finished looking over the contents of the envelope. When I look up at him, I’m taken aback by the murderous look on his face. He gently places me on the couch and begins to pace around the living room. He lets out a loud yell and punches the wall, leaving a hole where his fist landed. I run up to him, nervous he did some damage to his hand.

  “Zander, you need to calm down, please. I need you right now.”

  A sob escapes my mouth as I try to get his attention. He’s my rock, and I need my safe place right now. The commotion must have alerted everyone else because my dad flies into the living room, followed by the three ladies. They stop dead in their tracks when they see our emotional state.

  “Sweetie, what’s going on?” he asks, coming over and wrapping me in his arms.

  “Why won’t he just leave me alone? Why can’t he just let me be happy?” I wail as my dad pats my back in a soothing manner.

  “I’m not following, sweetie. Who won’t leave you alone?”

  “Luke. He just threatened Savvy and left this packet. I don’t even want to say what we just found out.” Zander takes a deep breath. “Luke messed with us the whole time we were in Vegas, even our marriage. Savvy and I aren’t legally married.” He’s getting that look in his eyes again that says he wants to kill somebody.

  “Zander, son, look at me.” After a few seconds, Zander meets my dad’s eyes.

  “Savvy here is pretty shaken up. I suggest you steer that frustration somewhere else before you do something you are going to regret.” My dad seems to get through to Zander because he stalks over to me and pulls me into his arms.

  “Baby,” his voice breaks, “I don’t care what anybody says, you’re my wife, always and forever, Savvy. We’ll go to town hall first thing in the morning and make it official as soon as possible. You will be my wife in every sense of the word again. He. Will. Not. Win.” Kissing my forehead, he steers me to the couch and pulls me onto his lap.

  I want to be his wife more than anything in this world. Is the realization that I’m not a devastating blow? Sure, it is. But now I can get the wedding I’ve always dreamed of. What if we put it off for a little while so that our loved ones can be at the wedding to share the most beautiful day of our lives with us?

  “All right, show’s over here. I think it’s best if we give these two some private time.”

  My dad gives me a kiss on the cheek and claps Zander on the shoulder. Everyone must realize we need time alone to process everything. We say our goodbyes, still in a state of shock as we shut the front door. Letting out a shaky breath, Zander entwines our fingers and leads me toward our bedroom.

  After slipping on my PJs and speed through my nightly routine, I jump into bed and place my head on Zander’s shoulder. He wraps his arms around me, and we lay in silence.

  “I meant what I said. First thing tomorrow morning, we’re heading down to city hall and getting married.”

  “What if we waited and planned a beautiful wedding so all of our family and friends could be there?”

  “That’s fine, but we’ll get married first and then plan the ceremony later like we planned. The thought of you not legally being mine right now is killing me, baby.”

  “Hear me out, babe.” I prop myself up on my elbow and look into his eyes. “I always had dreams of my wedding when I was a little girl. Having my dad walk me down the aisle in front of all my family and friends to the man of my dreams is the moment I’ve waited for since I was marrying off my Barbies to each other when I was little. Sure, we could get married tomorrow and have a celebration later but…but
having everyone there, witnessing us coming together as husband and wife, is something special I don’t want to miss out on. It kills me that everything’s been a lie, and I would give anything for you to be my husband again. All I’m asking is to give me some time to get my dream. To marry you, the man of my dreams, in front of everyone important to us.”

  Silence blankets us after I say my piece. I know he’s debating in his mind how to change mine.

  “I told you I would make all your dreams come true, and I meant it. As much as it pains me to say this, you’re right. We have an opportunity to do everything the right way, and I think we should take it. Go ahead and plan a wedding that will blow your five-year-old self away.”

  I bend over and give him a kiss on the lips. “I will most definitely plan something special. How does next fall sound?”

  “No fucking way. I said I’d wait for a wedding, not that I’d wait almost a whole year. You have four weeks, and that’s it.”

  My eyes widen in surprise. Is he crazy? Does he know how much work it takes to pull together a wedding in less than a year, let alone a month?

  “But—” He cuts me off. “Non-negotiable. We will be married, one way or the other, by the end of the month. If you can’t get a wedding together by then, we head down to city hall. Deal?”

  “Okay, married by the end of March. It’s crazy, but I think I can pull it off. I love you so much, you know that?”

  He pulls me down to him and kisses my forehead while I rest my head on his chest.

  “I love you too, Savvy. We’ll get through all of this, I promise. He can’t keep running forever. The cops will catch up with him eventually. Luke better pray they get to him before I do.”

  Sleep doesn’t come easy for me with all that is going on in my head. Between Luke, a wedding, and keeping everyone safe, it takes me a while to drift off to sleep.

  CHAPTER 26

  When I wake up, I can’t help but think that something feels off. Call it a bad feeling of an impending shitstorm if you will, but I just know that something is not sitting right with me today. I’m getting dressed to go dress shopping with Ashlyn, and I can’t shake the feeling.