“Come here and kiss me,” I whispered.
His smile as he shifted higher and obliged made my heart thump. When he pulled away entirely, I felt a little bereft of his presence but I shouldn’t have because he picked me up off the bed when he stood and carried me into the bathroom. He set me down on the side of the bath before flipping the taps and letting the water run.
“Is this for me or you?”
His eyes twinkled as he dumped in bubble bath and proceeded to start lighting the candles around the bath. He’d got them after I told him I missed having a bath in my flat and it was romantic to bathe by candlelight. The topic of my flat and whether I’d move back in hadn’t really been brought up by either of us… yet.
“Both of us.”
I’d had multiple showers with James, some of which involved rather vigorous sex with me shoved up against the tiles, but we’d never had a bath together. He disappeared before I could say anything else. A few minutes later, after I’d cleaned myself up, he returned with a bottle of wine, two glasses and both our phones. He set them down on the sink counter and put Spotify on, some chilled classical music spilling out of the speaker.
When the water was high enough, he flipped off the taps and we got in. I lay back against him, revelling in his arms wrapped around me. I was right, having a candlelit bath was romantic, especially with the wine and music. As much as I didn’t want to ruin the mood, I did want to have this conversation with him.
“James…”
“Hmm?”
“I want to give notice on my flat to the landlord.”
I ran my fingers across his forearm as I waited for him to speak. He didn’t seem to want me to leave, but then again, I didn’t know if he would be okay with me officially moving in with him either. This was fast by normal standards, but we’d been living together since the day my dad had beaten me up so I didn’t think it would be an issue.
“Is this your way of asking me if I want you to move in?”
“I already basically live with you.”
He nuzzled my neck, planting a soft kiss just below my ear. His fingers trailed over my stomach, sending tingles down my spine.
“Mmm, yes you do and I was hoping it would stay that way.”
“Is that a yes then?”
I wanted to be certain.
“Yes to you officially living with me?”
“Yeah…”
His kisses on my neck grew more insistent. I squirmed, wishing he’d stop stalling and answer my question. Apparently, James was determined to make me sweat a little.
“Yes, sweetheart,” he whispered, his fingers dipping below the water and brushing across my thighs. “I want you here where I can touch you, taste you, kiss you and fuck you to my heart’s content.”
I sat up and turned in his arms so I could look at him. The devious expression he wore made my heart thump, but I ignored it.
“Are you sure? I mean I don’t have a job and I don’t want to be a burden on you or anything.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he was shaking his head and gave me a look which had me regretting my words.
“You could never be a burden. I’ve told you I’ll take care of you no matter what. You can get a job when you’ve decided what you want to do and until then, I don’t want you to worry.”
“But won’t your family think I’m taking advantage of you?”
I bit my lip when his expression darkened.
“No, they won’t. They love you, Ellie. Jen told me not to fuck it up because she likes you and Liora keeps pestering me to bring you around for dinner again. Even if they didn’t, what matters is I love you and I want you here.”
Tears welled in my eyes. His family loved me. All I’d ever wanted was a family who cared about me. Who wanted me there. That’s exactly what I’d found in James’ family and I literally couldn’t be happier that they’d accepted me.
“Hey, what are those tears for?” he asked, wiping away the stray one which slipped down my cheek.
“Happy tears,” I whispered.
He wrapped a hand around the back of my head and pulled me closer.
“Good,” he told me before he kissed me.
I turned around properly so I was straddling him. Our kiss became more heated and I was practically grinding on his cock, so close to moving so he could slip inside me when my phone started ringing.
“Fuck,” James grumbled as I pulled away.
“I should check who it is.”
I hopped up on the side of the bath, drying my hands on a towel on the sink counter before grabbing my phone.
“It’s the detective.”
James’ brow furrowed. It was six at night so I wondered why he was calling me, but maybe he had news about what was happening regarding my dad who was still on the run. I turned off the music before answering.
“Hello?”
“Miss Kirkwood, it’s Detective Evans.”
“Hi, yes… what can I do for you?”
I put the phone on speaker so James could hear what the detective had to say.
“It’s about your father. He was taken into custody this afternoon by Manchester police.”
I didn’t even stop to think why my dad would’ve gone to Manchester. All I heard was he was in custody.
“Oh, that’s… great.”
“He’ll be transferred here as soon as the paperwork goes through, but I thought you’d like to know as I’m aware you were worried about him coming after you.”
The weight on my shoulders was suddenly lifted. I’d been tense ever since my dad had arrived at the hotel that day. The knowledge he could get to me was always in the back of my mind, but now he’d been arrested.
“Thank you… and Mum?”
“She was with him when the officers arrested him.”
Just as I thought she would be. She wasn’t going to change and I’d resigned myself to that fact. Beatrice Kirkwood would always choose Richard over me. That was okay. I had James now and his family. I didn’t need her or my dad.
“Well, thank you for letting me know. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll let you know when we have further information.”
“Thank you, Detective.”
We said the necessary goodbyes and I dropped the phone back on the counter. I immediately slipped back into the water and wrapped myself around James, resting my head in the crook of his neck. He put his arms around me and stroked my back.
“I can’t believe they found him,” I said after a long moment of silence.
“Are you okay?”
It was a strange feeling. Knowing that both of our parents couldn’t get to us any longer. James had finally broken free of his dad’s hold on him and mine was in police custody. I’d have to go through another court case if he was prosecuted for what he’d done to me, but that was okay. I could handle it. I’d handled being a witness at the court cases for my previous masters so I could deal with this.
“Yeah, I am actually. It feels like I can close that chapter of my life. I’d known he was out there this whole time and it scared me. He can’t hurt me anymore.”
“You’re safe now, sweetheart,” he said before kissing the top of my head.
I pulled away and looked up at him. His smile took my breath away. I loved this man so much and he was my home.
“I’ve always been safe with you.”
And I always will be.
Chapter Twenty Seven
James
Ellie clutched my hand tightly as we walked up the path. It was a relatively nice day for late autumn. Red, brown and yellow leaves fluttered by in the wind. When I’d agreed to this, I’d been apprehensive, but it was time. I’d not spoken to her since the night of the charity gala and I missed her.
The bench up ahead had a single occupant with a pushchair sitting next to it. As we reached them, Aiden turned his head up towards us, giving both Elli
e and I a nod. I turned to my girlfriend, taking her face in both my hands.
“You going to be okay?”
She nodded, reaching up on her tiptoes and planting a chaste kiss on my lips.
“You need this,” she told me as she stepped away and sat down next to Aiden. He had Afie on his lap, but he handed her over to Ellie without a second thought. I hadn’t seen her with a kid before and it made my heart ache. One day I wanted that with her, but right now, I needed to fix things with Afie’s mother.
I gave them one last glance as Ellie and Aiden started to converse in low voices before I turned and walked towards the gravestones. As I neared the gravesite, there was a lone figure standing in front of it, her dark hair blowing in the wind. She was in a black coat, her head bowed as she stared down at the gravestone. I came to a standstill next to her and looked down at it.
Margo Adrianne Benson
Beloved Mother to Dante, Fiona, Jennifer and James
The sight of her gravestone made my heart ache further. I was glad my father had never been included in the inscription. He didn’t deserve that after he’d stolen her from us. He deserved nothing at all but to rot in his prison cell.
I felt her hand as she entwined my fingers with hers.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry too.”
Avery and I stood together staring down at my mother’s gravestone for the longest time in complete silence. I let go of her hand so I could crouch down and place the wildflowers I’d brought with me. They were Mum’s favourite. She told me she loved the simplicity of them. They weren’t perfect, but they were beautiful and wild, just like her four children.
When I straightened, Avery turned to me, her eyes wet with unshed tears. The reason we were meeting here was because my mother had been such a huge part of both our lives whilst she was alive. And I hadn’t had time to visit her grave in ages.
“I feel so stupid,” she said. “I never thought I’d lose you. I never imagined one day you’d disappear on me when you met the right person even though I encouraged you to. And I was so blind to how you were really feeling. How my actions affected you. I just… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the way I acted when we were teenagers. I’m sorry for overstepping the boundaries of our friendship. I know I forced that on you. It was so wrong. I knew that at the time, but I couldn’t stop…”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. I wanted to brush them away because I hated seeing Avery so upset, but I didn’t. I stayed where I was, waiting for her to finish.
“You’re my family and I fucked that up. I changed everything the day I kissed you. I made it impossible for us. Impossible for you. It was selfish and immature. So I’m sorry for putting you through all of that.”
She put a hand to her chest, almost as if she found it hard to get the next words she wanted to say out because they hurt so much.
“I miss you, James. I miss you every single day. I’ve been miserable without you even though I have Afie and Aiden. We’re okay by the way… Aiden and me. We’ve sorted things out. I think the stress of being parents got to us and it was made worse because you and I were so distant. Not that I’m blaming you for that because it’s mine and Aiden’s fault. We should’ve just talked to each other rather than arguing all the time over stupid bullshit. I just… I want you back. I want you back in my life where you belong. I can’t do this without you.”
She sniffed, wiping her face with her sleeve.
“I need you.”
My heart was racing at a million miles an hour. There wasn’t much I could say to that so I just opened my arms to her. She hesitated for a long moment before she launched herself at me and cried on my chest, her arms wrapped tightly around my back.
I’d always love Avery. That was never going to change. The difference now was I wasn’t in love with her. She was my sister. My family. I wasn’t about to ruin our almost twenty year friendship over this.
“It’s okay, Ave,” I told her. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You promise?” she sniffed, her words muffled by my coat.
“I promise. Best friends forever.”
She pulled back and looked up at me, her brown eyes shining as she gave me a half smile.
“I’ve missed you.”
“Even though I spend half the time being a dick to you?”
She laughed, slapping me on the chest.
“Yes, I even miss that.”
I let her go and she stepped back, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve.
“I’m sorry too, you know… for everything.”
“I know.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. There were so many things I needed to tell her, but the words failed me. She’d missed some important moments of my life, but that couldn’t be helped. I knew she’d be proud of me for telling my dad where to go.
Avery moved towards me again and tucked her arm into mine, encouraging me to walk with her. When we’d gone a few minutes without speaking, she looked up at me.
“Tell me about her.”
“Ellie?”
She nodded. I looked back at where Ellie and Aiden were still on the bench in the distance and smiled.
“She’s brave as fuck. After everything she’s been through, and she’s been through a hell of a lot, she’s never once given up. All she ever wanted was a normal life and to be happy. I’m trying to give that to her. She deserves it and not just because of her past, she’s just one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever known.”
Avery’s smile was all I needed to see at that moment.
“You’d like her, you know. She tends to say the first thing that comes into her head half the time and surprises me on a daily basis. I don’t know what I did to deserve her. Honestly, I don’t fucking care as long as she stays right by my side. She’s everything I never knew I wanted. I’m so fucking lucky she loves me because I love the fuck out of her.”
She squeezed my arm, her eyes shining, but when she opened her mouth, I scowled.
“James and Ellie sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Ha ha, very funny.”
“Just getting you back for all the times you wound me up about Aiden.”
“Whatever, princess.”
That made her scowl and shove me. We both burst out laughing the next minute and I knew everything was right in the world all over again. When we’d settled down and continued walking, she looked up at me.
“So you really love her?”
“Yeah… more than anything. I haven’t told her this, but she’s the one, Ave. The only fucking one. I can’t imagine a world where she doesn’t exist. She makes my heart race. Every morning I wake up and see her there next to me, it’s like everything makes sense. It’s easy. She pushes me to be better. To open up and not keep shit locked inside. Honestly, when you told me one day I’d meet the right person, I didn’t believe you… but it turned out I’d already met the right girl, I just didn’t know it yet.”
I could see her expression soften and a smile light up her face.
“I never thought I’d see the day…”
“Yeah, yeah, okay, don’t rub it in.”
She shook her head, leaning into me as we walked.
“I’m happy for you, but don’t keep shit like that from me again, got it?”
I shook my head, laughing.
“Yeah, I get it. Don’t worry, Mum, I’ll be a good boy.”
The resulting relentless tickling I got for that comment was worth it.
It was worth every moment knowing all was right with Avery and me again.
***
I had no idea how long we’d been walking and talking together by the time we made it back to Aiden and Ellie. She looked up at me, a wide smile on her beautiful face and I swear my heart stopped in my chest. It happened far too often with Ellie. She caught me out with one of her smiles, her laughs or the way she lo
oked at me with such intense love and affection. I had to remind myself that was my girl. The one who had my heart and soul for safekeeping.
“Did you two kiss and make up then?” Aiden asked with a raised eyebrow.
“There was no kissing involved,” Avery protested, pulling away from me and checking on Afie who was now in her pushchair.
Aiden stood up from the bench and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head.
“I know, princess.”
I put my hand out to Ellie. She was quick to jump up and take it, her sky blue eyes twinkling. She was the one who urged me to do this. I think she knew exactly how much it hurt me to be on the outs with my best friend.
“Okay, sweetheart?” I asked, stroking her cheek with my free hand.
“Mmmhmm, we’ve just been talking about Tina and what’s going on with my dad’s trial.”
The courts hadn’t set a date yet, but he was formally charged not long after he was arrested. With the evidence of what he’d done to Ellie and his flight risk, he was denied bail so was left to languish in prison instead. Ellie was glad of it. She’d washed her hands of her parents and I couldn’t really blame her for it. As much as I wished I could have my mother back, I understood Ellie couldn’t be around the woman who’d allowed her father to sell her into what was essentially sexual slavery.
I leant down, my nose brushing along the curve of her ear.
“Have you made a new friend?” I whispered.
When I pulled away, she was blushing, but she shrugged, well aware that Avery and Aiden were still standing a few feet away from us. They were too busy with each other to notice us though.
“You two need to get a room,” I said, startling the two of them.
Avery looked a little sheepish as she pulled away from him, whilst Aiden just had a smug smile on his face. I was glad the two of them had made up, but I really didn’t need to see that shit. Not that it made me feel weird any longer, it was just kind of inappropriate in a cemetery.
I turned back to Ellie, giving her a smile.
“Did you want to meet Mum?”
She glanced at the other two before giving me a nod.
“We’ll be back in a minute,” I said, tugging on Ellie’s hand.
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