35
Ava
Sunday morning, I wake to the smell of fresh bacon and eggs. I crawl out of bed and toss on a shirt of Mark’s before moseying into the kitchen to see him at the stove, bobbing his head to some music.
“Uh-uh. Nope.” He points to the kitchen counter. “There’s your coffee already made up. Take it and go crawl back into bed.”
I smile and do as he asks, grabbing the thriller I’ve been working on along the way.
I curl back up under the covers as I sip on the fresh coffee.
Mmm, that’s good. Some odd minutes later, a bookmark is sliding in front of the words I’m reading, and my book is being shut. I hadn’t even heard him come in.
“Good book?” he asks with a crooked smile, his hair disheveled and his gray joggers slung low on his hips. He did have a shirt on in the kitchen, but it’s gone now.
“What happened to your shirt?” I ask quizzically, eyeing his patched up abdomen. He is beautiful.
“Bacon grease,” he says with a quirked brow, eating up the way I’m checking him over. He sets the tray down in front of me then crawls up next to me, grabbing a piece of bacon. He put plenty on my plate, and there are two forks, so I assume we’re sharing.
“This is so good.” I hum in appreciation as I take another forkful of scrambled eggs. He smiles and leans back happily against the headboard, content to watch me eat. I hand him another piece of bacon. He munches thoughtfully. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“There’s no darkness for my secrets this time.”
“Tell me anyway,” I say around a bite of eggs. He chuckles.
“I love you,” he says, looking at me dreamily.
“I know.” I smirk.
“Nice Stars Wars reference.”
“I had to,” I answer, winking as I take a sip of my coffee from Jenna’s hot pink mug.
“You were my never girl.”
I frown, looking up at him with confusion. He reaches forward and smooths my frown line before blooping my bottom lip. We snicker together.
“I told myself, ‘Nope, never’. Boy did I eat those words. You wrecked me. Came crashing into me like an unexpected wave and drug me back out to sea.”
“Hmm, interesting analogy. Continue,” I crack back, earning a grin as I stuff another bite into my mouth.
“It’s funny how my ‘never’ turned into my ‘forever’.”
I gulp down my bite and look over at the gorgeous man next to me. Is he?... Nah… That’s crazy.
“I meant what I said last night. You’re my future.
I don’t want any part of something that doesn’t have you and me in it.
I want forever. With you, Ava. You’re the dream I never thought I wanted.
You became everything I’ve ever needed. You showed me just how much time I’ve wasted, living a restless life, and I don’t intend to waste a minute longer.
You make me want to be a better man, someone who deserves a place at your side.
Will you let me spend forever proving myself to you? Ava, will you be my wife?”
I’m at a complete loss for words. I gulp back the emotions trying to choke me. Mark reaches up and thumbs away a tear from my cheek, resting his palm against my cheek.
“Breathe, Bella,” he says softly, eyes darting back and forth between mine. I suck in a breath, searching his eyes back. Another tear slips down my other cheek as I nod. His eyes light up, misting over with emotion.
“Yes, Marcus, I will–”
Mark cuts off my answer with a kiss as he leans in and grabs my face with both hands, happily crushing his lips against mine. If I’m his wave, then he’s my rip tide, sucking me under and dragging me further out into the uncharted waters. I’ll drown in him any day.
“Front door open,” the alarm announces, and Mark curses, grabbing his phone and pulling up the screen.
“I’ve gotta fix that door. It’s a bit breezy today. I must’ve not latched it properly. Be right back.”
He pecks my lips one more time, muttering ‘love you’ before climbing off the bed.
I blow him a kiss as he walks out the door.
Less than a minute later, I hear a grunt and a weird thud.
I frown and pull back the covers before chuckling from the mental image of him fidgeting frustratedly with the door.
“Sometimes you just have to put your hip into i–”
My word lodges in my throat as the picture painted before me curdles my blood. Mark lies crumpled on the floor with a shocked and panicked expression as Eric stands above him with a dripping knife, a sadistic smile taunting the corners of his lips. His malicious gaze zeros in on me.
“Hi, Ava. Oh darn, looks like someone forgot to lock the front door.”
I can’t hear anything except for the rapid pounding of my blood whooshing in my ears.
I look down at my fiancé as his eyes widen with horror.
He’s attempting to tap something on his phone, and I realize it’s the emergency button.
The system he installed has a panic button that connects directly to Colin and the police at the same time.
Help is coming. A sob chokes me as we lock eyes.
I’m scared. He mouths for me to ‘run’. I turn back and sprint toward our room as Eric steps over Mark’s body to chase after me.
I hear a scuffle and know that Mark is trying to buy me more time.
I slam the door and throw the deadbolt the guys added yesterday morning. There’s one in the bathroom too.
Grabbing my phone off the bed, I run for the bathroom as I hear the wood start to splinter from Eric’s body fighting to break in.
I whimper, afraid for the man I love out there with that lunatic.
I lock the bathroom door as I open up the app to make sure the panic button was actually triggered.
I huff out a breath of relief. It was, almost two minutes ago.
Colin will come. The police should be on their way too.
I hear a roar as the bedroom door gives way and know that Eric will be at the bathroom door any second. I search around, spotting the metal baseball bat Trystan made me put in here. A loud kick against the door makes me yelp.
“You’ve got nowhere to go now and nobody to save you, Bitch!
” Eric sputters angrily from the other side of the door as he kicks and throws his body into it.
The wood splinters slightly, and I whimper, knowing that it’s not going to hold for long.
Even though my heart is bleeding out across the living room floor, I try to take deep breaths.
I’m going to need every bit of my sanity to fight this motherfucker.
“If I can’t have you, then he can’t–” Eric slams into the door with his body, splintering the wood to where he can almost get his hand in. I scoot closer so that I can smash his hand the minute it slides through the crack. “--have you! Nobody will have you!” Thud.
My heart is hammering so hard, I think I might pass out. I’m starting to hyperventilate. I concentrate on sucking air through my nose and breathing out through my mouth. If I pass out, I’m done for. I will not die by this motherfucker’s hand.
The wood makes a sickening crack as it breaks. Eric’s hand slides through, and I rear back and swing with all my might before he can flip the lock. He howls with pain. I know I broke at least one finger.
“You fucking cunt! You will suffer for that!” Eric bellows, slamming his foot into the door. It comes through, and I aim for his kneecap this time. The blow connects and he screams, reaching in and flipping the lock before I can connect again.
“No!” I scream.
The door flies open, and I’m greeted with the face of a monster.
“Your turn.” A sinister smile slides across his face. I don’t even recognize him as the man I thought I’d someday marry.
“Take one more step, motherfucker, and I’m aiming for your skull.”
“You wouldn’t kill me.”
“Wanna bet your life on that, buddy?”
“You should’ve seen the look on Mark’s face when the knife slid in.
It felt like puncturing through a hard piece of leather, but once that barrier of skin gave way, it slid right in like butter.
I wonder how it will sound tearing through your skin as I slice you open.
I’m hard just thinking about watching the life drain from your eyes.
This would’ve happened either way. If you had come back to me, I would’ve done it in your bed in the wee hours of the morning.
I never intended to fix things. I just wanted to get close to you so that I could finish things once and for all.
Just think, Mark would still be alive, but no, you had to do it the hard way. ”
I scream at him with all my pent up fury, but I don’t charge at him.
That’s what he wants. I won’t give him that satisfaction.
He sighs, shaking his head at me as if I’m just a petulant child throwing a tantrum over a dropped ice cream cone before launching himself at me.
I swing hard and connect with his shoulder.
He grunts, grabbing at the bat and kicking me backward.
I refuse to let go of the bat though, even as my lower back slams into the vanity.
I wince, trying to keep my wits about me as the force of the hit renders me breathless.
“He calls you Firecracker, huh? Oops, I mean “called” you Firecracker. What do you give him that you never gave to me?” Pain lances my heart, and I scream at him again.
“EVERYTHING!”