Chapter 11 #2
“It’s fine. I can—my manager’s been letting me work more some days in case—he knows things are crazy. Plus, I’ve been training—it’s time to make some hard choices, but I don’t want to commit to anything with this…”
I reached out and took his hand, giving him a comforting squeeze to show support but feeling it was lacking. I cleared my throat and gave a tug on his arm when we were in the elevator and he took the hint, leaning down and letting me kiss his cheek.
“Thanks.”
“Have you come to any decisions?” I asked.
“The decision isn’t mine, Aurora,” he sighed.
I went to drop his hand, but he only tightened his grip. “I believe the matter on the table takes two people to agree and you were firmly against it when it was first brought up.”
“Yeah, I was an ass in shock,” he mumbled and raised our joined hands to his lips, kissing my skin. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve already apologized. There was nothing to forgive,” I told him firmly. “But you have to—there has to be a discussion if your feelings have changed, Creed.”
“Have yours?”
I sighed as he let go of my hand so I could unlock the door as we stepped off the elevator. “I’m going to sound like a child, but I asked you first.”
His deep chuckle followed after me. “Yeah, but you did.” He sighed again.
“It’s too soon for us to mate. The idea is fucking bonkers to me.
” He moved closer when I stuck the key in the lock.
“But the idea of mating anyone else makes me fucking pissed off and my lion goes ballistic. It’s you or no one. I know that.”
“I don’t want you to die,” I rasped.
“I don’t want to die.” He moved his hand over mine and unlocked the door, letting us in. “But I also can’t trap you after you’ve been in one prison or another your whole life, beauty. I’d be a monster a whole other sort of way.”
I turned to face him as I locked the door. “Put all of that aside. Your guilt, the insanity of mating so soon—all of the logistics, and tell me if this is what you want of the available options.”
He took in a long slow breath as his chestnut brown eyes bore into my soul.
“I want you as mine, Aurora. I want us to pick a different last name as ours and start our lives over—heal each other however the fuck this might work and figure it all out in a way that doesn’t break us more than we’re already fucking broken.
I just don’t know how and I’m scared shitless. ”
I blinked at him for a full minute before I found my voice. “I finally understand what women mean when they talk of swooning. That—my heart—me too. I didn’t even think about the last name but yes, I want that too. I want to add that to my list.”
His eyebrows shot up. “List?”
“That’s what I was working on in my session today,” I told him.
“A path to how we might do this in a healthy way. What I need to make this work with my abuse. She wants to talk to both of us—she said we don’t have time to do this gently because of the stress of your clock.
I agree. We need help to navigate this.”
“Agreed.” He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “She makes me—I think we should have couples counseling. Anyone pushed together like this should even if—we’re not even officially dating. We need check-ins.”
I beamed at him. “I have that on my list too.” I hurried towards the kitchen and brought out some food since Creed was always hungry and it was good to have something to munch on when discussing stressful topics.
Plus, I’d been denied so much for so long and never allowed my own choices, so I loved to have snacks now.
“First, my doctor wanted me to give you this,” I muttered, handing him the note I promised her that I wouldn’t read. I frowned when he read it and chuckled.
“I like that you’re jealous, beauty,” he said quietly as he moved closer to me. “She said something nice about you that I fully agree with. That’s why I chuckled. Nothing nefarious. I’m relieved to see how much she’s on your side like I am.”
“Here is my list and some extra notes of ideas on how to make things happen, though I’m open to discussion and your input.”
He took the hint and asked for extra pickles on his sandwich… As if I’d ever forget. He didn’t know his nationality or heritage, but I would answer Italian for all the guesses someone would give me. Though it could be how he was raised, but he loved all Italian food way more than a normal person.
Including Italian sandwiches. I had half a dozen types of cured meats in my fridge at any given time now and loved making him overloaded subs that he happily devoured.
“‘Keep our finances separate for peace of mind and outside stressors,’” he read, snorting. “Meaning your daughters would eat me alive if we didn’t thinking I’m going to take your money.”
“Neither of us like headaches, and I agree with this new push for women to always have their own money so they’re never trapped financially. One account for household expenses we both contribute to should be more than acceptable and—”
“I agree, Aurora,” he said gently. “You were just awarded millions and millions of dollars. You should absolutely keep that safe and protected. We sign a prenup—all of it. I’ve talked to Alexis about getting at some of my own funds my family absorbed that shouldn’t have happened.
I didn’t know who to trust, but—she’s good people. ”
“Good, I hope she does.” I chuckled. “I enjoy feeding her and her diet is a disaster. I think she will be our attorney just for meal planning and prep.” I cleared my throat, not sure he was ready to hear that part of what I wanted for my future.
But Creed paid attention. “Is that what you want to do? Have a big kitchen and take on clients to be like a private chef?”
I blinked at his finished plate and then at him. “Yes, that’s—I didn’t think of it like that way and such a professional title when I don’t have experience but…”
“You like taking care of people, Aurora,” he said gently.
“In a world of too much stress and abuse, you like seeing people well-fed and helped. I’ve heard Ellie say how you were the one who organized meals at the coven and always took note of what people needed.
You like it. I was going to suggest you start a party planning company with all of your soon-to-be freed relatives. ”
I gave him his sandwich and then fixed my own much smaller one as I thought about what he said. It was a very complicated topic.
There was such a huge fallout after my interview and the damage done that too many parties tried to stuff it all back into the dark, but we weren’t allowing that.
And Father finally realized this was serious after he was arrested.
He couldn’t legally stop me from testifying if I was called in to answer questions, but a settlement was reached that I wouldn’t push to file additional charges as long as every Graves woman—born a Graves or mated into the family—sat with an independent panel and was asked if they wished for freedom.
Plus, I got a fat payout. Eight-figure payout.
They wanted to give it to me so much each year, but Theresa immediately shut that down knowing the game and that they would spin it as some sort of support like I was an idiot who couldn’t make it on my own.
They would be kind and giving charity to their damaged daughter instead of paying damages for their wrongdoing.
So it was four lump payments in the next year or I was free to break the agreement… And I got to keep any payments already made including the fifteen million safely sitting in an account.
The people on my side were smarter and were careful on the stipulations. Plus, Father and my eldest brother Andrew always underestimated women. They thought this would be the end of it for all Graves women, any who left and came with me. No more suing for abuse or damages—none of it.
However, I couldn’t even legally make that agreement for other adult women. That would be fraud. The actual agreement was that I, nor the attorneys involved, would be included in any legal matters involving the Graves family as long as they held to the agreement.
Or there were no new infractions against me.
Great, there was a whole world out there of other attorneys to help the women I would be saving.
Fools.
He focused on the list as he ate. “I agree with couples counseling and checking in with your doc. No secrets that affect or involve the other. Done. I hate that fucking shit and it protects no one.” He froze in taking his bite. “You don’t want to stay in Atlanta?”
“Not forever,” I told him.
“Okay, then lay it out for me, not on a bullet point. What do you want for your new freedom?”
“I’m open to ideas and how to change it,” I hedged, waiting until he nodded, his gaze curious and without judgment.
Creed never judged me.
I told him about having almost a halfway house—but a good one. An estate of peace for all the Graves women to find themselves and heal. What I should have experienced after being pulled out of my marriage with Kenneth instead of what it was. Supporting each other and finding our way safely.
He nodded and listened. “Yeah, they set it all up so you’re chum in the water if you leave, not just financially. It’s a great idea assuming someone isn’t an asshole and actually wants it. I’m sure most of the halfway houses start good for ex-cons even. Someone always ruins it.”
“Yes, but we won’t rely on government funding, and they will have to sign agreements like a lease to live there or I toss them out.
” I shrugged when he seemed shocked. “I’m not helping bad people, Creed.
They have to fight for their future as I am.
Yes, they can help with the personal chef meal plans idea or party planning since all Graves women are trained that way. ”
“So you’re talking more like a commune but without the cult implication,” he mumbled. “Yeah, you could make that work, build other houses on the property for those with kids and—it could work. But start it all in Atlanta and when we don’t need the protection of here, we bounce?”
“I don’t want to be on Ellie’s turf forever. It’s not fair to either of us,” I answered.
“Fair, but as a lion, I will need somewhere that gets hot or access to hot regularly,” he reminded me. He read over the list and nodded. “I’m fine with the rest, but there’s one thing I want.”
“I’m willing to listen, of course.”
He let out a slow breath. “I want us to be intimate before we mate.” He nodded when I blinked at him in shock.
“I want us to have the confidence that we click and still can pull the emergency brake before we tie souls together. I want to have a week of courting—dates, sleeping in your bed—all of it. Xavier’s going to be gone and you shouldn’t be alone even. ”
My face flushed so hot so fast that I honestly felt a bit lightheaded.
I hadn’t seen that coming.