[Avery’s POV]I sit on one side of the kitchen table, staring at Atlas while he easily watches Aiden and me together. In a way, it was infuriating that he was so at ease given the situation, but I was learning that was just Atlas.“Why is he still here?” Aiden asks stubbornly, tightening his hold on my neck. “He should leave before Uncle Gregory comes.”Gregory… A feeling of unease begins to build in me as Atlas’ eyes darken and what happened between Gregory and me the previous night begins to appear.Shit, how was I even supposed to explain this to Aiden?“Listen, sweetheart,” I begin, deciding to be as honest as possible. “Uncle Gregory…” Dammit, how to even explain this to a four-year-old who recently voiced his desire to have the man in question be his father?“Is your brother,” Atlas finishes for me, causing Aiden’s eyes to snap to him. “Due to certain circumstances, he has been taking care of you and your mommy in my stead, but he can never be your true father since that positio
[Atlas’ POV]I doze off and on due to the pain medication the doctor prescribed for me after my injury, and from all the energy I exerted fucking Avery for most of the night. Although I knew that being productive would be a better choice, I couldn’t help myself given the sense of comfort that I felt after years of pain.For the first time in such a long time, the world was finally perfect, and I wanted to stay in this little bubble for as long as I could.Rolling over, I inhale Avery’s scent from her pillow before deciding that maybe taking a full-blown nap wouldn’t be too bad. However, before I can even begin to relax enough to fall fully asleep, my cell phone begins to buzz, ruining the moment entirely since I was sure it had something to do with work or was Tonia being irritating due to the fact I hadn't come home after our last confrontation.Frowning, I reach out and grab it, then go on high alert as I take in Duncan’s name on the screen.For a moment, I continue to stare at it
TRIGGER WARNING: Some scenes in this chapter may be uncomfortable for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.[Gregory’s POV]I pull into the driveway of my father’s home, where I first saw Avery. I felt that this place was fitting for us to become one since it was where we first met. She probably didn’t know that even back then I had taken an interest in her and couldn’t quite understand why she would give that fucking idiot Connor the time of day.Whatever, it didn’t matter now since she would soon be mine, and then neither Connor nor my father would dare attempt to touch her. Maybe she would hate me at first, but I would take my time making her come around eventually.“How are you feeling?” I ask, fixing my gaze on her in the rearview. Fuck, she looked beautiful laying there on my back seat with her shirt hiked up just enough to give me the perfect view of her stomach. “I hope you aren’t too uncomfortable yet.”Instead of responding, she shoots me a glare that is fucking
[Atlas’ POV]I stare at Gregory as his elbow drips blood from where it was cut due to his shattering the window behind him. His eyes hold a look of madness, and I find myself wondering where exactly I went wrong for him to end up with this person in front of me.“Calm down,” I say, holding up a hand. “You don’t have to go to this extreme.”“But I do,” Gregory counters. “You’ll send me straight to jail, and I don’t plan on going there. I’d rather die first, and I’ll be damned if I go down alone.”As he speaks, he slowly begins to sit on the ledge of the window while holding Avery close, and despite my continuously expecting her to fight back, she doesn’t, causing my fear to grow even more.Frowning, I continue to take her in and find that her skin is clammy and her cheeks are flushed pink. Even her eyes, which are usually so clear, look glazed, and I realize that something is definitely wrong.“What do we do?” Dean murmurs from his place behind me. “He’s lost his mind.”“I don’t know,”
[Avery’s POV]I stare up at Atlas’ face, taking in how his features shift as he exerts more and more energy that he clearly doesn’t have. What in the world was he even thinking by doing this anyway?Frustration growing, I look down at the ground, which isn’t that far, and then back up at Atlas. Something needed to be done; otherwise, we were all going to end up falling.Beside me, Gregory began to move his body in an attempt to break free of Atlas’ hold, and the promise caused his hold on me to loosen as well.“Dean,” I hear Atlas hiss from above. “Pull!”As he speaks, Gregory reaches out and grabs me by the hair, attempting to pull me to him once more while I fight to use even my arms.“Dammit,” I hiss, feeling a flare of heat rush through me where his skin touched me. “This has gone on for long enough.”I needed to end this before things got worse, and the only way to do that was to lessen Atlas’ load, but I knew he wouldn’t simply release me or Gregory.Even if Gregory crossed the
[Atlas’ POV]I stare into Avery’s sparkling eyes and find myself getting lost in them. Fuck, she was beautiful, and right now hearing her tell me to make her cum until she couldn’t anymore makes her even more so.“Do you know what you’re saying?” I growl, pushing her down on the hospital bed and then undoing my pants to release my painful erection. “Because I want you to be fully aware of exactly what we are doing.”“I’m aware,” she confirms, giving me a devilish smile. “Very aware.”Nodding, I grab her thighs and then pull, positioning myself between them so that my dick presses against her soaked core.Letting out a grunt, I shove deep into her while she tilts her head back and screams from just how good this single motion makes her feel.Dammit, what the hell was it that Gregory gave her? To make her body this fucking sensitive and make her go through that much pain if she wasn’t pleased. It was disgusting to think that he did it to many others right under my nose.Feeling my anger
[Avery’s POV]I remain on the other side of the door, listening as Atlas speaks privately with Tonia. Despite pretending to be asleep, when he got up, I couldn’t stop my curiosity. Maybe it was a desperate need to know whether or not he was being honest with me; I didn’t know, but the minute he got up, I followed.Now, I remain silent as Atlas lays into Tonia, not bothering to spare her feelings, and I feel something bubble up in me.“I was wrong,” I whisper, feeling tears prick at my eyes.This whole time, I was wrong about everything, and I cost Aiden the chance to live with his father because of my stupid decision.Letting out a shaky breath, I slide down to the floor and bury my face in my knees as anger and sorrow, not only for myself but also for Aiden, hit me like a ton of bricks.When Atlas finally returns, I’m still in the same place, and a gasp of shock escapes him before he is kneeling and gathering me into his arms.“What’s wrong?” He demands, lifting me and carrying me to
[Atlas’ POV]For the next few days, I don’t leave Avery’s side as she heals from her fall, and I make sure that everything is done to make sure that Tonia is out of the condo, including throwing out all her stuff and changing the passcode on the elevator. Once I’m sure everything is safe, I head out and make the proper arrangements for both Aiden and Avery to come live with me.The guest room is renovated to be Aiden’s bedroom, and my room is redone entirely, so nothing that would upset Avery remains. And by the time she is finally released, everything is ready for both mother and son to move in so that we can be a proper family.However, there was one thing I didn’t plan for, and that was how clingy Aiden would be once Avery came home.Of course, I didn’t expect him to warm up to the idea of all of us being together, but I also didn’t expect him to be with Avery every second of every day when he wasn’t at daycare. It was like he had some sixth sense that went off anytime I tried to g
[Avery’s POV]"Congratulations, Mrs. Jennings!” My doctor beamed, handing me a long sheet of ultrasound pictures. “You’re pregnant!”Nodding, I took in the tadpole-looking creature in the pictures that I had been handed. Although I expected that this was what was wrong with me when the nausea and dizziness started, it was still amazing to see.Atlas and I had been back together for two years, and despite our best attempts, we hadn’t managed to get pregnant. Just when I was beginning to lose hope, here I was, pregnant.“Thank you,” I beam, hopping off the examination table.“Of course, be sure to give this to whatever pharmacy you use.”Smiling, I take the prescription for a prenatal from him and then head out. After dropping off the prescription, I head to the store to buy a few things before heading home.When I arrive, Atlas and Aiden still haven’t arrived, giving me the perfect opportunity to set up my surprise for them. By the time I’m finished, both appear, and before I can even
[Atlas’ POV]The feeling of an empty space beside me jolts me awake as irrational thoughts begin to overcome me, each worse than the other. Since a week before mine and Avery’s wedding, nightmares of her disappearing on me again began to haunt me, and even now that we were married and even on our honeymoon, the fear that she would just vanish forever still left me in a panic.As I take in the large empty room around me, the fear continues to grow until it is damn near suffocating and I feel like I’m going to throw up.Jumping up, I rush out and take in the empty living room. The sight only makes my panic grow.“Avery!” I call, starting to move again, this time in the direction of the kitchen. “Where are you?”The sound of the fridge door closing comes in response to my question, and before I can stop myself, I’m rushing forward until I see her standing at the counter with a bowl of fruit in one hand and whipped cream in the other.“Atlas?” She asks, her eyes widening in shock. “What’s
[Avery’s POV]I stare at my reflection in the mirror in front of me. As I take in the woman staring back at me, I feel my heart fluttering with anticipation and my stomach churning with nerves.After a year of planning, it was finally the big day where Atlas and I would become husband and wife. I was both excited and terrified, as the thought of forever still scared me.Taking a few deep breaths, I push my long, dark hair, which is curled to perfection, over my shoulder so that my bare shoulders are exposed. Frowning, I let my gaze come to rest on a single hickey that Atlas placed on me the night before.“Asshole,” I grumble, reaching for some foundation so that I could cover it.“Let us, miss!” Melanie, my beautician, gasps. “Today is your day to relax and be pampered!”“It isn’t that big of a deal,” I point out, but allow her to take the blending sponge from me. “You’ve already done enough!”As I speak, I take in my reflection once more, admiring the professionally placed makeup on
[Atlas’ POV]My dick throbs at Avery’s words, and I can’t control myself. Reaching out, I lift her into my arms and beeline straight for the bedroom. Once inside, I throw her on the bed and then go to the dresser to find a belt.“Hands out,” I announce after I’ve found it.Nodding, she does as I say, holding her wrists together in anticipation of being confined.“Such a good girl,” I murmur, wrapping the belt in place. “Now lay on your stomach.”I watch as she moves around, laying on her stomach and sticking her ass up in the air for me. Giving a giggle, she waggles it about until my hand connects with it.“Oh, Atlas!” She gasps as I smack her ass again and then slowly run my fingers over the beautiful handprint that now colors her porcelain skin. “More.”“Do you like it when I spank you, little minx?” I ask, smacking her ass again. “Does it turn you on that much to be punished by me?”“It does,” she confirms, laying her head on the bed and closing her eyes. “I love it when you do any
[Avery’s POV]I stare on in disbelief as Atlas looks up at me with so much love and determination that it makes my heart feel full.“Avery King,” he begins, opening the box so that I can see a diamond ring with opalesque accents. “I’ve been waiting five years to ask you this, and I don’t want to wait any longer. Since the day you came crashing into my life, I couldn’t get you off my mind, and with each second, minute, hour, day, week, month, and even year, I grow more and more enamored with you.”With each word, my heart beats faster until I’m sure it is going to beat out of my chest, but I want to hear more.“I’ve said it many times, but those five years without you were torture. Your smiling face, adorable gestures, and strength and beauty haunted my every waking moment. Never in my life have I met someone who could possess me so wholeheartedly—mind, body, and soul—but you managed to do it, and now I never want to let you go. I want you to be my first good morning and my last goodni
[Avery’s POV]My cheeks flush ferociously as Atlas stares at me, unspeaking. Dammit, couldn’t he say something? The silence was beginning to make me feel like I had said something wrong.“Wait til I get you alone,” he finally growls, his eyes darkening. “I’m going to..."“Mr. Jennings!”Saved by the doctor. Letting out a sigh, I turn my gaze to watch him walk in with a push cart filled with the items needed to remove the bullets from Atlas’ body.“Now isn’t a good time,” Atlas tries, but stops as I narrow my gaze on him. “Fine,” he sighs, letting out a chuckle. “But make it quick.”For a moment, the doctor doesn’t speak as he looks from Atlas to me and back, but when he decides that whatever was going on wasn’t too serious, he focuses on Atlas.“Whatever it was, I can wait.”After that, he busies himself digging into Atlas’ skin so that he could pull out each and every bullet that was lodged in him. Once he finishes, he stitches the holes closed and then wraps them.“Now,” he begins,
[Atlas’ POV]“Can’t you go any faster?”I fix my gaze on the medic that is working on wrapping my injuries as my impatience grows more and more.“Sir, I’m going as quickly as I can,” he responds, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “You’ve got bullets lodged in your body, and you’re demanding that we simply wrap your injuries and allow you to go.”“If you’re just going to fuss, then I'm..."“Going to allow these nice men to continue their job,” Dean offers, pressing a finger against one of my wounds.Hissing in pain, I shoot him a glare but remain silent until finally the medic finishes and steps back.“That should keep you from bleeding out,” he says, still looking uncomfortable. “But you really do need to come in and let us perform surgery to get those bullets out.”“Only once I’m sure my wife and child are okay,” I counter, getting up and throwing on my jacket. “Dean, let’s go.”Nodding, Dean follows me to his awaiting car. I climb inside and wait until he slips into the driver's
[Avery’s POV]I stare at the hole where the elevator had just been while my heart hammers in my chest. It was hard to believe that I was just mere minutes away from plummetting to my death, and that left me frozen to the spot, but I knew that I couldn’t continue to stay here.“We need to get out of here,” I announce, tearing my gaze away and fixing it on the man and woman who had helped me. “What floor are we on?”“Tenth,” the man responds.Right. So we had ten more floors to reach freedom.“Then there are ten floors between us and safety,” I continue, getting to my feet.As I stand, a hiss of pain escapes me as the cloth of my shirt pulls against the injury on my back.“Oh my goodness,” the woman gasps. “You’re hurt!”“It’s fine,” I assure her, trying to ignore the pain I feel. “Which way are the stairs?”“This way,” the man responds.Nodding, I motion for him to lead the way as I pick up Aiden and cradle him in my arms. Despite everything that he was currently experiencing, he was a
[Atlas’ POV]The feel of nails running along my skin rouses me from the darkness that I’m encompassed in, but something about them feels wrong. They’re much too sharp, and instead of feeling pleasant tingles from them, I feel nothing but disgust.Grunting, I attempt to roll away from them, but find that my wrists and ankles are bound.Prying open my eyes, I take in Tonia as she lays beside me with a look of contentment and pride on her face.“Oh, did I wake you?” She giggles, continuing to let her fingertips caress my skin. “I wanted to let you sleep a bit longer, but when I see you without a shirt, I just can’t help myself.”Without a shirt? What the fuck was this woman talking about?Frowning, I tear my gaze away from Tonia and take in my naked torso. Further down, I can see my briefs, but they’re the only thing that I’m wearing.“Where are my clothes?” I growl, attempting to move again, only to be reminded that I’m currently trapped. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”Was she reall