The Dreamhouse (Paperdolls Book 2)

by Nicole Thorn

  I shoved him and sat up, keeping my head turned to him. “Now that you’ve won, we should get up and start our day. We have hours to pick up tonight, and I was hoping we could get more of the room set up.”

  Bennett sat up too, utterly smug in the cutest way. “What else is there to do before I get my stuff?”

  We worked on getting our room in order for a while before we needed a break. Bennett and I headed downstairs and to the kitchen. Bennett set me on the counter and looked through the cabinets for something to snack on. He found the cookies we made last night, and he handed me a couple. And we may or may not have fed each other little bites of them. It was cheesy as fuck, but I loved every second of it. He looked so happy when we did stuff like that. How could I not love it?

  Moulder decided to run up to us to stop any of the shenanigans that were about to go down. Just because Bennett had his hand on my thigh, and his lips at my neck didn’t mean that we were about to do bad stuff in the kitchen. I wasn’t a monster.

  “Cool it,” I said while the dog scratched at Bennett’s leg.

  Bennett bent down to pet him, scratching him behind his ear and giving in to all of Moulder’s demands. The dog sank to the floor and presented his belly, hoping for rubs that he got immediately. Oh, I really needed to get Benny a puppy.

  “We have work to do, love,” I reminded him, swinging my feet off the counter.

  “Very true.” Bennett patted Moulder and stood up, making an old man sound as if his bones were sore. He picked me up and carried me to our bedroom.

  We grabbed the last of the bags and headed back down to stuff them in the car. I locked the front door after making sure Moulder was taken care of. He didn’t enjoy being alone for very long, so I wanted to make the trip short. Melissa normally took him wherever she went because he was spoiled rotten and she was obsessed with him. I’d been told he was a frequent guest at Frank’s for dinner.

  The last of the bags were tossed into the backseat of my car, and I cursed myself for picking a damn bug when my parents asked what I wanted. I was under the impression I would only ever have to tote around my sisters and Wilson. Now I had a wonderful hubby, and we wouldn’t all fit inside. I would have to work on getting Bennett a car of his own that was a little bigger.

  Huh… I wonder if we should make sure it’s big enough that another person could fit in case Adalyn ever meets someone. I didn’t think she was looking, and the odds of someone catching her eye were slim. We’d been on the surface for months, and I hadn’t seen her checking a single person out. No one seemed to interest her. I didn’t know if that should worry me.

  I closed my car door and leaned against it, eyeing Bennett and waggling my eyebrows. “Hey, Good Lookin’. You from around here?”

  He smirked and slipped his hands into his back pockets, beginning to saunter over to me. Sounding more confident than he normally did, he said, “Just wandered into town.”

  “Hmm.” I crossed my ankles. “What brings you by?”

  He shrugged it off. “I like to wander.”

  I smiled, but quickly hid it away. I took one step to him, putting myself maybe two feet away. “You looking for something, or do you just wanna drift?”

  He clicked his tongue, and his eyes slowly raked up and down my body. Twice. Fuck, I needed to get him in a leather jacket. And then out of a leather jacket…

  “Well I hadn’t been looking.” He stepped forward. “But I might have found it.”

  I smiled wide, and I rested my hands on his chest. “What are you gonna do about it?”

  I hadn’t thought anything about the car coming down the street. I wasn’t even paying enough attention to recognize that it belonged to Bennett’s mother; I was too busy playing with him to figure it out. He was kissing me when the car stopped.

  The door slammed shut, and we both startled. Reflexively, we looked over as the woman approached. All my instincts put me between her and Bennett, leaving me in front of him in case the bitch wanted to try something.

  “Pretty sure I told you to fuck off,” I hissed. “What do you think you’re gonna do here?”

  She looked unharmed, but she was covered with a winter coat that went down to her knees. There was no telling how bruised I’d left his mother, but I was sure she wasn’t as bad off as Bennett. My poor sweetie had to deal with photos of his injuries being taken when we talked to Officer Wigmore. He got to relive everything that happened to him the last time his mother hurt him, and there was nothing I could do to make up for that. At least that part of it was over. There would be court dates and all kinds of uncomfortable things, but it would all be over one day.

  “I came to talk to my son,” she said, her tone soft. She kept about five feet away from us.

  My arms crossed, and my feet stayed planted. “You don’t get to call him your son, you psychotic bitch.”

  To my surprise, she didn’t change her expression at all; she just looked to her son. “Bennett, please.”

  I wasn’t his keeper, so I looked over my shoulder at him. “Do you wanna talk to her?”

  He ran his tongue over his teeth, looking at the sky as he thought about it. At least he seemed more put out than sad. “I guess I have to give her a couple minutes.” He looked down at me with raised eyebrows. “She’ll only keep bugging us if I don’t. Trust me.”

  I nodded and moved to his side, ready to beat a bitch to death if she tried anything. I cocked my hip out and stayed firmly at the side of my husband. “Speak,” I ordered his mother.

  She gave me a glance before she turned her head to Bennett. “The police called me in to talk to them yesterday.”

  Oh shit, here we go. I cut her off before she could go on. “Are you here to tell me you ratted me out?”

  “No,” she said, as softly as before. “I didn’t tell them what happened. I didn’t tell them anything. I’m hiring a lawyer, but I was hoping to talk to you first, Bennett.”

  He watched her with contempt, his hands still deep in his pockets. “Why? You’re going to try and convince me to keep quiet? Too late, Mom. I told them what you did. I can’t take it back.”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. “I know. That’s not what I’m asking for. I want… I want you to come home now. You belong in our house with your family.”

  It took a lot of self-control not to laugh at her. As if there was a chance in hell that he would leave me to go back to her and her freezer. Bennett was kind enough to crush that little dream of hers pretty damn quick.

  “No,” he said harshly. He left it at that.

  His mother’s face sank, but she didn’t give up. “Yes. You might not be a child anymore, but you need to come home. This mess is going to get cleared up soon, and we’re going to be a family again.”

  Bennett lightly scoffed, and he smiled bitterly at the ground. “You’re right; I do belong with my family.” His mother smiled, and then I did. “And I’m with her, so you can go now.”

  He pulled his hands from his pockets, and an arm came around my shoulder to pull me in. I watched Mrs. Posey’s eyes find the ring on his finger, and then she saw mine. It was slow, her reaction. At first, it was all in her eyes. They widened, and then the lids fell and left a narrow opening as she glared at the silver band he wore. It was hurt on her face, not anger this time.

  “You married her,” she stated.

  Bennett nodded confidently. “Yes, I did. She’s the only family I need and the only family I’ve ever had.”

  She shook her head. “No, we can undo this. It’s not too late for you to fix this. Don’t ruin your life.”

  God, I wanted to fuck her up, but I needed to keep my mouth shut and let Bennett handle this one himself. He had to move past this without me dragging him along. It was the only way to make it real.

  “Staying with you would ruin my life,” Bennett said, sounding almost harsh. “I let you hurt me because you made me think I deserved it. Who does that to their kid?”

  “You don’t
understand.” She raised her hands in defense. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  Bennett pulled away from me and moved toward his mother, making her flinch with the coldness in his eyes. “You didn’t want to hurt me?” he barked. “You didn’t want to beat me and lock me up and make me hate myself? How about Layla? Did you mean to hurt her? Did you mean to pick up that racket and beat the hell out of her like you did with me? I’m done with this shit, Mom. You need to go.”

  “But I didn’t tell them what she did,” she said, cowering back like a child.

  Was she only now realizing how much bigger than her Bennett was? How, if he wanted, he could hurt her far worse than she hurt him? I wasn’t sure, but a woman like her wouldn’t realize that he could never lay a hand on her. No matter what she’d done to him.

  “I kept my mouth shut, because I didn’t want to hurt you anymore. I promise if you come home and let me fix this, I’ll never hurt you ever again.”

  The words stung my chest and not for the obvious reasons. I couldn’t care less that she thought the wedding was a mistake. Most people on the street would totally agree with her. What killed me was that she promised not to hurt him again. Bennett’s told me a lot about the woman, and I knew that she’d said these words before. She would make promises when she was in the mood and just as quickly take them away from him. Bennett’s heart had been broken enough that he didn’t believe her anymore.

  “Leave,” Bennett said, turning around and walking back to me. His face was perfectly blank, but I could read it so clearly. The words hurt him as much as they hurt me, so I put my arm around him to at least remind him that I was here.

  “What?” Mrs. Posey asked, heartbreak in her eyes as they watered. “But I won’t hurt you. I lose my temper sometimes. I can control myself. Maybe I can start seeing a counselor, get some help.”

  Oh, she was almost impressive but not quite.

  Bennett shook his head, locking his gaze on my house. It was neutral. “Mom, I let you push me so damn far. I hated every single thing about myself, and I thought I was as worthless as you said I was. I didn’t want to be alive anymore because of you.” He looked back at his mother as her mouth dropped open. “If it wasn’t for Layla, then I wouldn’t be here anymore. So, don’t you ever suggest that my marriage is a mistake. Do you understand me?”

  The woman was paralyzed in silence for what felt like minutes, but she finally found her voice. “You wanted to die?”

  “Yes,” he said flatly.

  “Because of me?”

  “Yes.”

  She made a choked sound, and she blinked, unleashing more tears as she slid her foot back a step. “Oh, my God. Bennett… I…”

  “Go,” Bennett said, running his fingers through his hair. “I need you to leave. I’m happy here, and I’m not going back with someone who made me so fucking unhappy every single day. You’ve done enough damage to my life.”

  She took another step back, and her voice was so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear her. “I love you, Bennett.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said back, just as quiet. He took my hand and started tugging me to the door. “Come on, we’re going inside.”

  I didn’t say anything, and I didn’t protest him. I followed behind, only taking one look over my shoulder to see his mother. She watched us, and I saw nothing but horror in her bloodshot eyes.

  ennett had been so quiet that night, only talking when he had to. I didn’t ask him how he felt, not only because I knew, but because I knew him well enough to know that when he was quiet, I needed to give him time. I planned on a couple more hours before I started poking at it.

  I made him breakfast in the morning, and I sat beside him to eat. He ripped his pancakes to pieces, dipping them in syrup before tossing them in his mouth. Once in a while, I would press my lips to him. Either his hand, his shoulder, or his cheek. He responded then, smiling and kissing me back. There was still something so wrong in his eyes, and I couldn’t do a thing about it.

  “You wanna leave soon?” he asked before tossing back a gulp of O.J.

  I bit my bottom lip, and my back hit the chair I sat in. “You still want to do that today?”

  He shrugged, pretending not to care. “I need my stuff. They’ll be gone in about a half hour. We’ll go then.”

  I nodded and went back to my food.

  Our house was empty as well, and I hadn’t told my parents about what happened yet. Dad worked all night long, and Mom needed her sleep. I didn’t think to tell Melissa at all. She didn’t need to feel bad about what was happening. Her life was as simple as it could get, and I wanted it to stay that way.

  After I finished the dishes, Bennett and I headed upstairs to get ready to leave. We’d also finished getting rid of all my unneeded things from the house, making all the room Bennett would need to live in here with me. All we needed was the stuff from his house to make this really feel like our space. I intended on putting up lots of pictures and trinkets to make it feel warmer.

  I walked out of the bathroom in a yellow dress, tying the ribbon around my back. Bennett helped me when I was about to give up, making a neat bow for me. He kissed my neck and headed in to shower.

  While I waited, I fielded some texts from Riley. She said that since she got back home, her parents assumed she planned on running away to marry Wilson like I did with Bennett. Because I guess every couple was the same, and Riley would do anything either Adalyn or I did. Riley was the kind to want the whole thing: a wedding, a dress, and flowers. Her parents would know that if they ever asked her about how she felt instead of assuming that she was completely broken in the head.

  God, I hated them. I wished that Riley could move out, but she and Wilson didn’t have the money for that quite yet. The shop was doing pretty well, but it was a careful balance, and the well could dry up without warning. They were still paying off some repairs, and the bills weren’t all that cheap. Riley also needed to go to school to learn what she needed for a business degree. So much needed to get done.

  I told Riley that she should make them think she was getting married just to fuck with them. She didn’t agree and was trying to calm them down. Riley didn’t even want to get married for a while. She wanted her own place first and to be financially stable before she and Wilson took the plunge. Wilson wanted whatever she did. If she said she wanted to get married tomorrow, I thought he’d do it. If only for the lobster buffet.

  I put my phone in my pocket when Bennett walked back out of the bathroom, bringing the pleasant scent of steam with him. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, causing little drops to fall onto the carpet.

  “Ready?” I got off the bed and went to the closet to get my boots. I slipped them on and looked over my shoulder.

  “Yeah,” Bennett said, and he went to put his shoes on.

  When we met at the door, I stopped him from opening it. I wound my arms around his middle and looked up. “Honey, you need to tell me what’s going through your head right now. Please.”

  Bennett wrapped his hands around my arms, holding me with a pensive look on his face. “I’m not really sure what I’m feeling right now. I’m relieved, and I feel like a piece of garbage for being so harsh.”

  I arched a brow. “You don’t need to feel bad about what you did. You weren’t mean, and you only told the truth to her. She needed to know what she did to you. I kind of think your dad does too.”

  “Dad?” he asked blankly.

  I sighed. “Benny… you know he did something bad, don’t you?”

  I watched his brain working as he ran over what had to be some painful memories. It flashed in his eyes briefly, and he swallowed. “Yes.”

  I nodded. “Good. He knew what she was doing to you, and he did nothing. He didn’t try and protect you, and that’s almost as bad as what she did.”

  I thought he understood what I was saying because he didn’t protest it or give anything away in his eyes. This was such a step forward, not blaming himself for the things tha
t they did to him or for what they didn’t give him at all. Their lack of love wasn’t because he didn’t deserve it; it was because they weren’t capable of loving anything in the right way. They were broken, and I realized then that there were so many ways to be broken. It didn’t have to be from bad things. Some people were born wrong.

  “You’re right,” Bennett said with a nod. “Dad should have helped me, but he didn’t.”

  “No, he didn’t, but it’s over now.” I rubbed his arms and smiled. “We’re going to make the future happy, and we’re not going to dwell in the things that have happened to us.”

  “No, we’re not.” Bennett kissed my lips, and then we went to get in the car.

  I drove the short distance to Bennett’s house for us. I turned the corner, and red and blue lights flashed in the distance. I slowed down and tried to get a better look at which house they parked in front of. An ambulance was parked on the street, and my stomach dropped before I could even confirm which house it was in front of.

  The neighbors gathered on their individual porches, watching the people in front of Bennett’s house as two men wheeled out a stretcher. I thought a curse fell from my mouth as I parked on the street.

  “Stay in the car,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt.

  Bennett ignored me, getting out at the same time I did. We rushed the house together, and an officer blocked us off, holding his arms out. “Stay there,” he ordered us.

  Bennett pointed to the house, and he barely didn’t shout at the man. “My parents live there. Let me through.”

  The stretcher reached the ambulance, and I stared at the lumpy black bag, all zipped up. They loaded it onto the back of the truck, and I couldn’t begin to guess which of them was inside.

  “Stay here,” the man said, not letting us past.

  Bennett panted, staring at the men closing the back of the ambulance with one of his parents in a body bag. I couldn’t do anything, so I took Bennett’s hand. He moved closer to me, holding on, and watching the truck drive away.