“She came down for food, so I decided to make her some soup,” Drake replies as he removes the pot from the stovetop. “I told her to sit down, but she’s being just as stubborn as you are.”
Ash gives me a look before he marches forward.
I let out a squeal as he scoops me up into his arms before he carries me over to the table.
Drake chuckles and shakes his head as Ash sits down with me on his lap.
“Now you can’t get away,” Ash whispers into my ear while wrapping his arms around my waist.
While Ash nuzzles his face against my neck, Drake pours the soup into a bowl before bringing it over to the table. He places it in front of me before handing me a fork.
I take the fork and begin eating while Drake sits down across from me to watch.
Silence fills the room while I erase the ache of hunger in my stomach.
“Are you alright?” Drake questions as I pause for a few moments.
I nod. “I am, but I’m nearly done, and I’m still kind of hungry.”
“I can get you some bread. You can dip it in the chicken broth. That should fill you up better than just the soup.” Drake replies.
“That sounds good,” I reply.
Drake nods and then gets up from the table before moving towards the cabinets again.
Behind me, Ash releases his hold to stretch his arms above our heads while yawning loudly.
“I hope you’re going to go back to sleep after this.” Ash breathes out a moment later.
Turning my head slightly to look at him over my shoulder I sigh. “I’m not that tired, but you can go to sleep if you are. You don’t have to stay with me.”
“I’m not going to leave you all alone,” Ash argues.
“You two could always hang out in the living room with me. I’m going to put on a movie. We could watch it together and sleep there for tonight.” Drake suggests while returning with a few slices of bread stacked on a plate.
“That sounds good,” I reply.
Ash grunts in response before wrapping his arms around me again while resting his chin on my shoulder.
“Alright, I’ll grab some blankets and pillows and then meet you in the living room when you’re finished,” Drake replies before looking at me in question. “Is there anything from your room that you want me to get for you?”
“I just want my red and black plaid blanket and one of my pillows,” I answer.
“Grab my pillow and blanket too.” Ash mumbles.
Drake nods once and then leaves the kitchen.
I return my full attention back to the bowl of soup in front of me and the bread that Drake had brought for me.
Without a word, I pick up a piece of bread before dipping it into the broth.
Chapter Twenty Four
“Ah, Scarlett, just the person I was searching for,” Benjamin states as I walk through the door to the garage and into the house.
Ash and Drake had just dropped me off after school.
“I have some rough news.” He then sighs before motioning for me to follow him. “We should sit down in my office to discuss this new information that I’ve received.”
I nod and then follow him through the house and then into his office.
As he sits down in his large leather chair, I sit down in one of the smaller leather chairs in front of his desk.
I watch quietly as he pulls some papers out of his briefcase.
After a few moments, he looks up at me with a sigh. “I’m going to jump right into it.” He pauses dramatically before continuing. “Your mother is fighting us, and she has somehow been able to push things to go faster than we were expecting.”
“What’s that mean?” I press.
“She must have found someone with money to help her or she made a significant connection with someone on the other side of this,” Benjamin replies gently.
“What happens now?” I whisper, unsure if I wanted to know.
“We’re not going to be able to wait until you’re eighteen.” He answers. “What I need to know is whether you want me to fight for you; do you want me to do whatever it takes to make sure that you don’t fall back into your mother’s hands?”
“I can’t ask you to do that,” I reply.
“You’re not asking me to do anything that I’m not already willing to do.” He insists. “Like I’ve said countless times, Scarlett, you are a part of this family. My sons care deeply about you, and in these last few weeks, I’ve come to think of you as a daughter. We don’t want to lose you.”
Living with just Benjamin had taken some getting used to at first, but I had grown to enjoy our early morning breakfasts together and our late night snacks while watching old movies.
Benjamin had become the father that mine never had the chance to be.
“Then I want to fight her. I don’t want to lose you, Drake, Trevor, or Ash either.” I reply.
“Good.” He replies with a smile. “Then we’ll move forward. I just need you to sign a few papers before I meet with a few friends this afternoon.”
“Since I’ll be gone I’m going to have my car drive you to the farmhouse so you can have dinner with the boys.” He then adds.
“Okay, but do you mind if I stay here for a little while so I can do my homework?” I reply while signing my name on the lines that he points out on the papers that he had pulled out of his briefcase earlier.
“Of course…” Benjamin replies. “But I don’t want you here alone for too long. There’s no telling what your mother might try to do.”
I nod in understanding while standing.
“Is there anything else that you need from me?” I ask.
“No, I think we’re all good,” Benjamin replies before waving for me to go.
Without another word, I leave his office and then slowly make my way through the house before going into Ash’s bedroom.
I drop my book bag onto the floor before falling back on the bed.
Ash had insisted on me sleeping in his room, and I hadn’t argued with him. I actually felt safer in his room than I did in mine. It helped that his door had three different locks on it.
Also, I doubted that his room would be the first place my mother would look for me if she managed to get inside.
On the plus side, I could smell Ash’s scent on the blankets and pillows which made it a little easier to be so far away from him.
Closing my eyes, I relax.
And within seconds I fall asleep.
****
I wake up with a gasp before sitting up. I glance back at Ash’s clock before releasing a long string of curses as I run to my room to grab some clothes to change into.
As I pull on a fresh pair of jeans, I move towards the window to look outside.
In front of the house was a black car waiting for me.
I curse again and pull off my shirt before replacing it with another one.
Once I’m dressed I exit my room and then grab my book bag from Ash’s room before I run through the house to get downstairs.
As I reach the front door, I pause and take a deep breath to calm my racing heart.
After a moment I reach for the door handle and then open it. I walk outside slowly as an uneasy feeling begins to grow in the pit of my stomach.
The car that was waiting for me wasn’t the typical one that Benjamin used.
A driver exits the driver’s side as I move closer.
He greets me with a bright smile. “Miss Scarlett…?”
I nod and give him my best smile as he opens the back door for me to get into the car.
The closer I get to the car the more uneasy I get. My mind was screaming for me to run away while my legs wouldn’t follow directions.
Before I get too close, I turn towards the driver. “Actually, I forgot something inside. Do you mind waiting a few more minutes for me?”
“Not at all, take whatever time that you need.” He replies.
“Thank you,” I reply before walking back towards the house.
“Don’t let her get away.” My mother’s voice suddenly commands. “If she gets back into the house we’ll never get another chance.”
My heart beats wildly as I glance back to see my mother standing on the other side of the car.
This couldn’t be happening.
Feeling brave I turn towards my mother. Thankfully the man pauses in his tracks.
“What do you want from me, Mom?” I shout.
“I’m not going to let some strangers take my daughter from me.” She replies.
“You’re a stranger to me.” I snap.
She rolls her eyes dramatically. “They’ve messed with your head. It’s just more proof that I need to get you away from these people before it’s too late.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did she really think that she was saving me from Benjamin, Ash, Drake, and Trevor because it was the other way around; they were saving me from her.
My mother had lost her mind if she thought that I would go anywhere with her.
“Leave me alone.” I cry out. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Glaring at me my mother marches around the car before pushing her way past the man. Without warning, she grabs my arm roughly.
She tries and fails to pull me towards the car.
“For once in your life can you think about someone other than yourself?” I scream as I shove her away from me.
Before she can respond, I continue. “These people actually care about me. They want me to stay. I want to stay.”
Once again she rolls her eyes. It was as if I was a child throwing a tantrum to her.
Instead of giving her the chance to speak I continue. “Aren’t you tired of dragging me around everywhere that you go?” I then motion towards the house behind me. “Wouldn’t you rather leave me somewhere like this where you’ll know that I won’t be hurt?”
“I’m not leaving you here.” She bites out.
“Do you even love me?” I whimper as my vision blurs.
“Of course I do.” She huffs out.
“Then why did you leave me alone all of those times. I was twelve the first time you left for two months, Mom. I needed you so many times and had no idea where you were.” I cry.
“Instead of ever helping me you’ve put me into awful positions where I was all alone,” I add as my tears stream down my cheeks.
“Do you even realize that two of your so-called boyfriends tried to force themselves on me?” I then ask.
Mom’s eyes widen with shock for a moment as she actually listens to my words.
“One of them beat me every time you left the house. I was always too afraid to tell you because I thought that you’d never care.” I whimper. “And you obviously didn’t care enough to know that I had been hurt.”
“Did you even once notice all of the bruises?” I question.
She opens her mouth to speak, but I glare at her. “I have had enough. If you care about me at all, you’ll get back into that car and leave. You’ll let Benjamin and his sons care about me the way that Dad never had the chance to.”
“And if you love me at all then you’ll let me go.” I end.
As I watch my mother, her eyes begin to glisten with unshed tears. It was the most real emotion that I had ever gotten from her in years.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” She questions. “Because once I leave, I will never come back. If I leave, then you’re no longer my daughter.”
“This is what I want. I have a future here.” I reply.
She nods once. “Okay.”
With that, she turns and then walks back to the car. The driver joins her and then reopens the back door for her to get in.
Mom pauses for a moment before climbing into the car.
The driver shuts the door and then hops into the driver’s seat before the car’s engine roars to life.
Seconds later the car drives off.
I watch as the taillights disappear down the road before I fall to my knees as I grasp my chest.
Even though I was glad to see my mother go it still hurt. I had thought that she would at least say something motherly before leaving me.
Instead, she had cut all ties.
In her mind, I was gone forever. I was dead to her. I saw it in her eyes before she had left.
As I watch the road, a familiar car appears. Tires screech against the pavement as it pulls up to the house. Before it even has the chance to come to a complete stop, Ash and Trevor jump out.
They run towards me before Ash kneels in front of me.
“What happened?” He asks quickly. “Do I need to call the police or an ambulance?”
I shake my head before throwing myself into his arms. “My mother came for me.”
He curses. “Trev, call the police.”
“She left,” I state quickly while pulling back from Ash slightly. “I told her to leave for good, and she left.”
“Wait, what?” Ash replies with confusion.
“Do I need to call the police?” Trevor questions.
“No,” Ash replies. “Just call Dad instead.”
“Are you sure, shouldn’t we be worried that her mother will come back?” Trevor stresses.
“She’s not coming back,” I assure.
Trevor grunts in response before pulling out his phone to call Benjamin. While he does that Drake runs to join us.
“What happened?” He questions.
“Vivian happened,” Ash answers before explaining. “She evidently came to take Scarlett away but ended up leaving for good.”
“Are you sure this isn’t one of her crazy tricks?” Drake questions me.
I nod while looking up at him. “I’m sure. She nearly had me kidnapped. If she wanted to, she wouldn’t have left me behind.”
“That woman has some nerve.” Drake breathes out.
“Let’s get you inside.” Ash states after a few moments.
Before I can stop him, Ash lifts me in his arms before carrying me inside the house. He carries me into the living room before placing me down on one of the couches.
I remain in Ash’s arms as he sits down while Drake and Trevor sit down nearby.
“Dad is on his way home now,” Trevor announces. “The social worker is also coming with the police. Dad said that no matter what this needs to be documented.”
“I’ll get the security tapes,” Drake states abruptly.
“Scar, do you want something to drink?” Trevor asks softly.
I nod. “I need water and my pills. My stomach is hurting really badly.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.” He replies before leaving the room.
Silence surrounds Ash and me as his grip tightens. I gaze up at him as he looks down at me as a hundred different emotions cross his features.
“I’m never leaving your side again.” He whispers fiercely. “There’s no way I’m going to let them keep us apart another second.”
“Ash…” I whisper.
“I don’t care what they say, Scarlett.” He replies sternly.
Instead of arguing with him I press my hand against his cheek. “I love you, Ash.”
He smiles in response. “I love you too, Scar.”
With that, he presses his lips firmly to mine.
Chapter Twenty Five
“We’ll keep a car out front tonight, Mr. Anderson.” The officer, who had come to take a statement about my encounter with my mother, states. “I’ll also make sure that the attendant at the gate makes sure not to allow Mrs. Higgins through.”
“Thank you,” Benjamin replies as he escorts the officer and his deputy to the front door.
“That’s a nasty bruise.” Sally breathes out as she motions towards my arm.
I was still in Ash’s arms and refused to let him go.
I glance down at it briefly before shrugging. “It doesn’t hurt.”
This bruise was one of many that I had endured over the years, and it didn’t come close to some of the worst ones that had been i
nflicted on my body.
Silence fills the room until Benjamin walks back in.
“What happens now, Dad?” Drake questions abruptly.
“I don’t know.” He replies before looking towards Sally for her response.
Before Sally can respond her phone lets out a shrill ring.
“I’m sorry, I have to take this. Do you have somewhere private that I can talk?” Sally asks.
Benjamin nods and then motions for her to follow him while she answers the call.
“This is maddening.” Drake breathes out as he sits down next to Ash and me. “I can’t stand the thought that we nearly lost you today. Your mother had some nerve to try and kidnap you right in front of the house.”
The surveillance video had shown them every last detail of what had happened.
Every single word that my mother had said and everything that I had confessed was out in the open now.
Ash hadn’t said much, but he hadn’t stopped holding me either.
Thankfully now that the police had proof that my mother was a danger to me Benjamin believed that any judge would favor me staying here.
I wasn’t worried so much anymore though.
My heart told me that I would never see my mother again.
Benjamin returns to the room before scrubbing his hand over his face. “I want you boys to stay here tonight.”
“We weren’t going to leave anyway,” Trevor replies.
“I should have called when the driver said that you never came out.” Benjamin sighs as he looks towards me. “I just assumed that you decided to drive yourself.”
“You didn’t know,” I reply.
“But I should have been more careful.” He argues. “I knew that she would try something. I should have taken you to the farm myself.”
“I’m the one who should have been more careful. I fell asleep and then rushed outside. I knew something was off as soon as I saw the car.” I reply.
“Thank god you didn’t get in.” Benjamin breathes out.
Silence fills the room as Benjamin glances between Drake and Trevor before his attention falls on Ash.
“Son…?” He whispers.
When Ash doesn’t respond Ben takes a step closer. “Ash…?”
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