Chapter Eighteen #4
She heard the Family protesting behind her, but she didn’t pay them any attention because Telford had kissed her like she was drowning.
And he held her so close. He looked furious but not at her.
His blue eyes snapped, crackled, and skewered the three people now grouped on the bottom stair of the hotel.
“I doubt your marriage was legal,” he scoffed. “And I think the local sheriff will have a high degree of interest that you force children to marry grown men and then keep them prisoner and attempt to kidnap them back on American heartland streets.”
“You misunderstand our religion,” the woman said, wringing her hands. “Ayana never did what she was told. She explained it wrong.”
“No means no,” he said. “In any religion. In any language. She has the right to live how she chooses. If she left your church and her Family”—his voice gave the word twisted air quotes—“then that’s it. Her choice. You made your case. She said no. Be gone.”
“This country has freedom of religion,” the older man fussed.
“Not when people are unwilling it doesn’t.”
“Let us escort you to your car.” Rohan and Cole stepped forward and flanked the three of them. “And out of town,” Rohan said.
“And this is not optional,” Cole added.
The two former soldiers practically frog-marched the three people to an old Subaru Forester in the Graff parking lot.
Boone ran for his truck so he and his brother and Cole could follow them out of town.
“Well, that is some dramatic end to our bachelor and bachelorette party,” Maddy said. “You’ll be shocked to know I didn’t film a bit of it.”
Cash gathered her close and kissed the top of her head. “Shocked? Yes. You had an opportunity to catch a combo prodigal son and deadbeat dad and a religious cult coming out of the woods all in one night. How will my clicks survive?”
“It would be an epic storyline,” Maddy teased, her eyes shining.
Cash laughed. “You are a menace.”
“But we would have had some great evidence for all of Telford’s future lawsuits. And maybe a reality show. Sue Thy Neighbor—Frontier Version,” Riley said spreading out her hands like she was pitching a story and seeing the title in lights.
“No thank you,” Telford said. “I said I could sue our bio dad. That doesn’t mean I want to, but I will. And now that the drama is over, I have to woo my wife.”
“Woo?” Ayana echoed. “Wife. I don’t even know if we’re married, and I thought you’d be sending the next group of cowboys to escort me out of town in the Jeep with the business end of a rifle.”
“The Jeep is mine. I don’t own a rifle, and the only place I’m escorting you is back to our room. Night, all. See you tomorrow. Apparently, it’s spa day.”
There were extended goodbyes, and they all waited until Boone drove back laughing that the group got a ticket because they’d roared out of the city limits so fast.
Ayana sagged against Telford, not sure she could walk up the stairs to their room. The exhaustion hit hard and fast and the conversation floated around, but she couldn’t focus on any of it. Her head felt like a balloon, and her eyelids felt sealed shut.
And then she was being carried.
“What are you doing?” She tried to stir herself to walk, but Telford moved deftly into the Graff lobby and into the elevator.
“I’m being romantic,” he said. “This isn’t our home, but I’m still carrying you across the threshold.”
And then they were in the room, and he had her on the bed, helping her out of her clothes and urging a cup of tea on her like she was an invalid.
“I thought you’d be mad.”
“I am. You thought of leaving me.”
“I didn’t want to,” she defended herself. “But for so long, the Family loomed so large and scary and controlling, and when I saw them, I became a child again. I ran but I heard a kid playing a Jason Isbell song about vampires, and I came to my senses—sort of.”
“Vampires,” he said. “Somehow that feels on brand for the surreality of the night.”
He sat on the bed, leaned against the headboard, and held her on his lap while she sipped at the tea. It really did revive her a little.
“I’m naked and you have clothes.”
“That’s temporary. But I want to talk.”
“Okay.” She blew on the tea and sipped again.
“I love you. I want to rip up the contract and have a real marriage.”
Hand shaking, she reached over and put the tea on the nightstand.
“And if we’re not married, we’ll get married again on Monday. Let Cash and Maddy have their weekend wedding and then we’ll sneak away when the court opens.”
She couldn’t hold back her smile. “You might just be a little goofy like Boone and crazy like Cash.”
“Good, then there’s hope for me.”
She settled against him, curling up, her fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt.
“I didn’t want to leave you. I’ve been happier these past couple weeks than I thought possible, and I was hoping that I could do something—to borrow Maddy’s word—epic, so that you would fall in love with me.”
“You did.”
She raised her head and looked into his beloved serious face that looked hewn from granite, but his eyes sparkled, giving him that boyish look that was so fleeting.
“What was it so I can do it again?” she demanded.
He kissed her lips lightly. “You found me. You exist and for that I am the luckiest man in all of Montana.”