"Are you fucking serious?" I snap, eyes wide as I take in what Brett just said. Fucking idiot.
"I don't..." He trails off, "I don't know how we can after..."
"After?"
"After my Father tried to kill you." He explodes, finally letting his emotions reign free, "Everything you've been through, every single piece of pain that you've felt during your life has been because of my Father." He yells before reaching up and covering his face with his hands, "Because of me!"
"Brett..."
"Lacey's right, if I stay with you I'm only going to keep hurting you."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I can't do that to you." He declares, his voice wavering slightly as he turns away, taking a few steps towards the door.
"No!" I yell, "Don't you fucking dare turn your back on me!" I snap and he stops dead, "You are not pushing me away Brett Winters." I watch as his shoulders sag slightly.
"I have to..."
"For starters, why the fuck are you listening to Lacey, someone who only wants to get back into your pants?" I interrupt, almost yelling as I step towards him. "The only hurt in my life has been orchestrated by your Father, who isn't here anymore." I remind him, "You have only made my life better."
"We..."
"We are together." I cut him off as he turns back towards me, "We are a fucking family." I snap, taking a step closer to him, "And family doesn't give up on each other."
"My Dad..."
"Is not you." I finish for him, taking another step and noticing his water filled eyes, the sight a shock to me, having never seen this side of him ever before. He's as broken as I am, that much is clear. He just won't let himself admit it.
"She killed your parents." Brett exclaims, "My own flesh and blood killed yours."
"I know." I reply softly, tears gathering in my own eyes as I watch his face scrunch up slightly.
"They're both monsters." He chokes slightly on his words, "I was created from monsters."
"Your Mom deserves to be forgiven."
"I don't know if I can do that," He scoffs, shaking his head as he reaches up and runs a hand through his unruly hair, "I don't know if I can forgive myself."
"You have nothing to forgive yourself for." I argue, taking another step towards him as a tear finally rolls down his cheek, "This wasn't you Brett." I insist, "You've saved me at every turn, you've put your life on the line for me more than once." I remind him, "We were always in this together." I reach up, gently wiping the tear away as one rolls down my own cheek, "And we made it." I point out, smiling slightly.
"What if I turn into him Sav?" His voice cracks, another tear sliding down his face as my heart clenches at his words.
"That's not possible." I whisper, shaking my head as I reach up and run my hand down his face.
He shakes his head, shutting his eyes, his fear and heartache clear to see, "You don't deserve..."
"To be walked away from." I interrupt, "I don't deserve for you to walk away from me ever again." I exclaim, "I need you Brett." I declare, "I love you."
"You'd be better off without me." He retorts, his voice low as he looks down, away from my gaze.
"No." I object, grabbing onto his chin and forcing his face back up to meet mine, "I wouldn't." I shake my head, "You are perfect. You make me smile every day, you make me happy just by sending me a text." I smile, "Your scent makes me feel at home, your aftershave makes me as wet as an ice pop in the desert."
"An ice pop?" He smirks slightly and I shrug. It's the damn truth.
"Absolutely." I giggle, "One look at you is all it takes sometimes before I want to drop my panties." I say honestly, reaching up and placing an arm around his neck, "I'm not giving that up." I state, "Ever."
"You're sure?"
"I'm certain." I reply and within seconds we are all over each other, his hands grabbing onto my face and angling it up to meet his as I kiss his lips with desperation, craving them after so long apart. His tongue immediately demands entrance and I happily provide it, opening my mouth to him and letting him move it along the edge of my own, jitters of electric erupting in my stomach, my body reacting faster than usual, something that I didn't think was possible. I already need him, and his hands haven't even touched my body yet.
"I love you so fucking much Savannah," Brett exclaims against my lips, the desperation clear in his voice.
He's been silently hurting all this time, ripping himself to shreds from the inside out. He's locked himself away and spoken to no-one, letting his mind overthink everything, playing tricks on his kind heart. Lacey couldn't have come at a worse time and I never should have let her inside the house.
Reaching up I grab onto the front of his shirt to pull him closer into me with a small groan before moving my arms along and up to his shoulders, feeling his muscles beneath my fingers, his arms moving up to grab my waist.
We need this, we both need it so bad, our tongues clashing against each other for dominance, yet it's still somehow tender and loving.
Reaching down to my ass he grabs onto it, pulling me up onto him as I wrap my legs around his waist, feeling his bulge through our clothes. Pulling away slightly he looks down at me, his eyes ablaze as I bite my lip, lowering my lips to his neck. He moans in pleasure at the sensation as I suck lightly, my arms wrapping tightly around his neck.
He begins to move and I pull back slightly to see us leaving the kitchen, heading straight for the stairs. I place my lips back on his neck, just below his earlobe and hear him suck in a breath, his restraint clearly waning as he flies up the stairs, bursting into the master bedroom, our lips meeting once more, a slow sensual kiss as he sets me down onto my feet.
We slowly remove each other's clothing, both taking the time to admire each other's bodies as they appear, savoring the moment. He watches me with what I can only describe as awe, making me blush as I reveal every inch of myself to him. Once naked his arms quickly slip back around my waist as we deepen our kisses, our mouths together as one, his hardness pressed against me.
Without another second I push him lightly onto the bed and he falls back without a fight, moving up to prop himself up at the headboard. Climbing onto the bed I move my leg over to straddle him, his hands immediately grabbing onto my hips as I slowly rub my wet center along the length of his hardness. He lets out a sharp groan of pleasure, his mouth opening as I rub back and forth once more.
I know that Brett prefers to be on top, he likes to have the power over me but today he's allowing me to take charge, letting me know that I own and control every part of him.
I grind along him once more, his hands tightening on my hips as he throws his head back against the headboard in desire. Reaching down I grab hold of him, raising myself up and placing his tip at my entrance. I'm more than ready for him and I can tell that he feels it straight away, hissing slightly at the feel of me, head still against the headboard.
With one quick move I sink onto him and we both let out sighs of pleasure, mine far higher pitched than his. He raises his head back to look at me as I rise up and down, our eyes locking onto each other.
I can't help but smile at him as I move, him returning it without hesitation, reaching up and moving a strand of hair behind my ear. This is a new kind of sex, not even like when we admitted we loved each other. This is making love like I've never done before, our hands intertwining together on the bed as our lips meet once more, small, chaste, loving kisses as I slowly ride him.
Our hands squeeze each other's tightly, never letting go, him raising them from the bed, lifting them towards his mouth and gently taking one of my fingers in his mouth, seductively licking the length of it and causing jolts of pleasure to surge through me.
Without thinking I raise our other hands and bring his own finger to my mouth, mimicking his actions, never once stopping from raising myself up and down on his large length.
He groans in pleasure, tearing his hands away from mine and reaching them up to cup my face, forcing it to his in a ravenous kiss as I let my own hands fall, landing on his chest and raking them up and down, lightly scratching him with my nails.
I feel my high begin to build and pull back slightly, my mouth open in ecstasy as he smiles, lowering his lips to my neck.
"I love you!" I breathe out as I continue to move up and down, his hands reaching around and clutching at my ass.
"I love you too!" Brett replies as I come undone, screaming his name and digging my nails into his shoulder. He follows almost instantly, calling out breathlessly as I force myself to keep moving, pleasuring him for all he's worth.
With a grunt he falls silent, his chest rising and falling heavily as I move away, collapsing beside him. Opening his eyes he gazes over at me as I smile, his arm linking around my waist and pulling me against his bare skin.
"Together?" He asks huskily and I nod.
"Together."
*~*~*
I lean back in the comfortable seat of Brett's Range Rover the next morning and grin, already growing used to this new level of luxury. The car is bigger and far less cramped than his old one, especially for a hormonal pregnant lady.
Glancing over at Brett I bite my lip at his tense expression, his eyebrows furrowed as he focuses on the road. His hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly, almost as if he's afraid to let go. He's letting it take over once more, he's heading back into the pain and hurt of his Father's betrayal.
"Are you okay?" I ask softly, him instantly relaxing slightly, shooting me a small smile.
"Of course."
"You don't have to lie to me Brett." I retort and he grimaces.
"I've made so many bad decisions." He mutters and I furrow my eyebrows.
"Yeah," I can't help but agree, "But we all have. We're human! Remember when I wouldn't open up to the idea of being in a relationship when we found out I was pregnant?"
"That's nothing in comparison Sav." He argues, "I sat and talked to Lacey for two and a half hours yesterday. I let her fill my head with her pretend sympathy and her caring words on how I needed to let you have a fresh start."
"You shouldn't have spoken to her in the first place." I agree, shooting him a quick scowl, "I should always be the first person you speak to."
"I know," Brett replies, "Truth is I didn't want to speak to anyone." He admits, "I didn't invite her over."
"You didn't?"
"Hell no." He scoffs, "I hadn't spoken to her since..."
"Since that day." I fill in for him.
"Yeah." He visible swallows as he glances across at me.
"Alice told me what happened." I shrug, "You should have just let her turn up to the Gala. Haydon and I are friends, she only would have made a fool out of herself."
"I just didn't want you to have to deal with her." Brett replies, grimacing.
"Well, from now on I won't," I reply, "Right?"
"Right." Brett asserts, nodding his head.
"We'll be okay Brett." I assure him, reaching over and grabbing hold of his leg, "We have each other."
"And I'm the luckiest man in the world." He grins, reaching for my hand and lifting it up to his mouth, laying a chaste kiss onto the skin, warmth spreading through me at the action.
He's okay, I'm okay. We're going to get through this, and we'll be stronger than ever. All of us are hurting, none of us know how we can cope or how to address the deception and lies that have governed the family for so long now.
Pulling into the familiar driveway and shutting off the car Brett helps me out, kissing me gently before disappearing around the side of the house to no doubt find out from the staff how his Mother truly is before checking on Alice.
I make my way to the ominous front door that no longer frightens me, the shadows of George long gone. Opening it I'm not surprised to see that all the drapes are still closed, sighing under my breath before making my way towards the living room where we played happy families and played Pictionary.
"Olivia?" I say tentatively as I walk into the dark room, flicking the switch on the wall and illuminating the messy space.
"Savannah!" She exclaims, jumping up from the couch and shooting me a fake smile. She's obviously attempted to make an effort today, her hair back in its classic updo, her blue pencil skirt hugging her hips. A cigar is clutched in her hand, a glass of wine in the other.
It's nine in the morning.
"How are you?" I ask and she shakes her head.
"This isn't about me! How are you?"
"Olivia I'm fine. Just how I was three days ago. I'm here because I don't think you are okay." I reply, walking over towards her.
"Where's Brett?" She asks, looking around me at the empty doorway.
"He went to see Alice."
"Good, good." She nods as she takes a sip of wine, "It's nice that my children have each other. They need help to get through this."
"So do you." I retort and she smiles softly.
"I'm fine Savannah."
"Olivia! Stop!" I order, grabbing the cigar and glass from her hands, "This isn't you!" I exclaim and she shuts her eyes for a moment.
"No." She admits, "It's George's. They cost so much, I can't waste them."
"Yes you can." I scoff, stubbing the cigar in the ash tray and placing the glass behind me before grabbing onto her hand, "Sit down." I encourage, pulling her down next to me.
"How are your cravings?"
"The same as they always are." I reply bluntly, "Tell me how you feel."
"I..." Olivia trails off, lifting her hand to her mouth and biting at the nails. I widen my eyes as I watch, the usually manicured to perfection hands an absolute state.
"Please." I plead and she finally bites her lip, her eyes drifting down to her lap.
"I don't think it was George." She finally blurts out and I raise an eyebrow. Well, shit.
"What?"
"I... I had an accident that night Savannah." She admits, "George told me!" She continues, looking up at me with tears in her eyes, "What if it was me who hit your parents!"
"Olivia..."
"I think I killed them." She sobs, aggressively wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, "I need to talk to the police, I need to turn myself in."
"Olivia, stop!" I order, grabbing onto her hands and placing them in my lap, "George told me that you didn't have the accident. He took the car out after you went home." The lie rolls off my tongue way too easily. "He knew every detail. You weren't even on that road that night Olivia." I assert, unwilling to let her take the blame.
I have no doubt that if she knew it was her she'd happily turn herself in, she'd throw herself in the damn cell and chuck the key into a lake. I'm not willing to let that happen, not when Brett, Alice and I have already lost so much.
"But what if..."
"Olivia. You are a kind, considerate, caring woman who I am lucky to have in my life." I exclaim, "Don't beat yourself up over what your husband did."
"How did I not see what he was doing to you? To our son?" She sobs, shaking her head, "I failed at protecting my own children."
"It was impossible to see." I retort, "You can't blame yourself."
"I do though." She whispers, pulling her hands away.
"I know you do." I reply, reaching out and resting a hand on her shoulder, "But I'm not going to let you beat yourself up like this." I continue, "My baby needs its Nana." I say softly and a small smile appears on her face, "And I need you too."
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I can't even imagine having to deal with this sort of betrayal, loss and heartbreak! Truly awful!
Two chapters to go! Are Brett and Savannah truly solid in their relationship now?
Don't forget, if you're interested, add my new book, Tethered North to your library!! It's different from The Test of Time - less cliché, more violent and more mature 😈
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