There's nothing but stunned silence from the other end.
"Good. Don't call me again." I hang up and throw the phone into the foot well, then cover my face with my hands. I want to sob. I don't know why, but this final betrayal hurts more than anything else. I shake and gasp, trembling, and when Torben wraps an arm around my shoulders, I sink into him. I won't cry. No. I'm stronger than that. I take a deep sniff, rub my face with my sleeve, and sit up.
"Damn him," I whisper.
Torben doesn't speak. He just watches me, ready, waiting.
"Damn him," I say again, louder, stronger. "That asshole. Lying to me. Using me. Stringing me on. I'm done." I turn to Torben. "If I have to go to jail, I'll go."
"One step at a time," says Torben. "But you did the right thing."
I take a deep breath, drinking in the clean Vermont air. "I did. I did the right thing." And, oh god, it feels good. I'm not hiding. Lurking in my father's shadow. "I couldn't have done it without you," I say. "You gave me the strength."
"No," says Torben. "You had the strength all along. You did it."
"But our conversation. You helped me out of my confusion. The darkness I was lost in. I wouldn't have had this - this clarity - if not for you." I take his hand, large and callused, in mine. "Thank you."
He smiles. "You're welcome. Any time."
I laugh. "Hopefully not again."
"No kidding." He leans in to kiss me. "Let's both stay out of trouble from here on out." He puts the pickup into gear, and we pull back onto the road.
"But... if I go to jail?"
"I'll wait." He says it so simply, so easily, that it breaks my heart. He shoots me a quick glance. "What?"
"You're impossible. Where did I find you?"
He snorts. "The Bear's Book Cave, I believe."
I don't answer. I just lean over, wrap my arm around his, and rest my head on his shoulder. I gaze down the road, at peace for the first time in forever.
***
My father doesn't turn me in. He threatens me several more times, but when he sees that I'm serious in calling his bluff, he gives up on me and moves on to other prospects. At first I can't quite believe it, but as the days turn into weeks, I slowly come to trust. To believe. That I'm free. Free to be with Torben, free to start a new life. To make amends on my own terms.
Torben borrows enough money to rent a small space next to the Gypsy Cafe, and together we open a new secondhand bookstore. We agonize over the name, going back and forth for weeks, talking it over during long walks in the hills, lunches at the Wise Salmon, late-night parties at the Cairn or Honeycomb Hall. Finally we settle on what feels right, what feels true: Second Chances.
My love for Torben deepens with each passing day, with each new week and month. I come to know Honeycomb Falls, to love its nooks and crannies, its little stores and bakeries, and soon begin making friends of my own. At first I'm shy, but the sincere goodness of the people there wins me over, and before I know it I'm spending half my day visiting friends, and the other half receiving them at Second Chances as they drop in for a book recommendation or just a chat.
Months pass, and fall turns into winter. Sitting by the sole window at the front of the store, a book in hand, Torben seated in the armchair across from me, a fire crackling in the tiny stove, a glass of red wine at hand and fat flakes of snow falling slowly to cover Bridge Street, I suddenly realize something: my dream has come true. I am loved. I have a home. And I am finally happy beyond belief.
<<<<>>>>
Honeycomb Falls #7 will be published on April 10. To be alerted when it goes live, please sign up for my mailing list!
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Falling for the Alphas (Silver Dawn Saga Parts 1 - 5)
Struck by tragedy, the Silver Song pack has split in two. Neither of the new alphas can defeat the darkness that is sweeping over Fort Brixton alone, however - it is the way of the wolf that one must die so the other can re-unite the packs.
Enter Naomi, a curvaceous and determined reporter with no clue as to the supernatural causes behind her city's rapid decline. When her investigations land her in hot water, she's saved by Dylan, the searingly intense and handsome young Alpha whose bravery and good looks sweep her off her feet.
Yet even as she starts to fall for Dylan, she learns that he may soon die at the claws of Kayden, the dark and driven alpha of the new Vengeance pack. Determined to prevent this tragedy, she sets out to reconcile the two alphas - by any means necessary.
Part 1 (free) | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Boxed Set
Desired by the Alpha (Silver Dawn Saga Parts 6 - 8)
Alyssa's life has turned into a nightmare. Stolen from her home and held prisoner at the Silver Dawn Cairn, she can only wait while the werewolves decide if death is more merciful than allowing her cursed heritage to manifest itself.
Erich North is the alpha of the mighty Chicago Ink Cairn. There is no wolf he cannot defeat, but even he must bow to ancient lupine tradition. Reluctant and bitter, he's come to the Silver Dawn to fulfill his political duty and sacrifice his heart.
A chance meeting during the Full Moon Revel sets them on a course of soul-shaking pleasure and inescapable tragedy. For no matter how mind-blowing their mating, neither can avert their terrible fate that threatens to sweep them apart forever.
Part 1 (free) | Part 2 | Part 3 | Boxed Set
Don't Judge a Bear by His Cover
Cassie Wright
Copyright © 2015 Cassandra Wright
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Don't Judge a Bear by His Cover: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Honeycomb Falls Book 6) Page 10
