Her Reluctant Husband by Erica Marselas (books to read for 12 year olds .TXT) 📕

that will listen to me for us to make it home. A horn blares, and then we are jolted forward with a loud crunch. Kathleen is screaming. We are hit again, and my head hits the steering wheel before everything around me fades away.

 

 

My eyes peel open and the overhead lights hurt my eyes. My head still feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. Every muscle in my body hurts and then I remember the last second before everything went dark. The scream from Kathleen. It's a sound I'll never forget.

Kathleen. Where is she? "Kathleen?" I yell but it comes out choppy. My throat is on fire.

"Oh, she's gone, sweetcheeks." His voice slices through the air and his face fills my vision, making my nightmare continue. He steps closer to me, the evil smirk spreads across his lips as he grabs my wrist and squeezes. Hard.

"Gone?" My voice shakes. How can that be? She was right next to me. She has to be okay. “What are you talking about Deacon? Where is she?”

“Oh, sweetcheeks,” he pushes back my matted hair as he tsks, “is that any way to talk to me? You’d think you’d know better by now.” I try to wiggle out of his hold, but it's no use, he’s too strong for me.

“Deacon, please.” I hate having to beg him for information, but he’s the only one who knows. “What did you do?”

"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this, but it works. Now I have you to myself, and I don't have to worry about you opening your mouth again." Deacon brushes his hand down my cheek. "Oh, don't cry, baby."

“How could you?” I rasp out. More tears fall down my cheek. There’s no use keeping them at bay, even if my crying thrills him. It just hurts.

“Oh no. This is your fault, and everyone will see it that way. Even your precious Alex.”

“No, they won’t. You hit my car.”

He chuckles darkly. “You really have been disappointing me. You know who I am. Who my father is. Also, my uncle is a technician here.”

"Deacon." A ruff voice calls from the curtain, and I turn to see Deacon's father in his full beige sheriff's outfit. He’s a man set out to protect and serve those in need, but when it’s time he’ll only protect his blood, despite that it’s riddled with evil. "We need to go."

"I'll be back for you," he whispers.

He plants a kiss on my cheek, and it’s as if the devil has officially marked me.

Once he’s passed the curtain, I lose all control and cry like I never have before.

It feels like hours of crying. My chest and throat hurt, and my heart feels as if it has been ripped and shredded into a million little pieces, scattered in places I’ll never find again. When I close my eyes, I’m plagued by the final moments of the night. Bright lights and screams.

A loud thump rouses me out of the nightmare I was in, and I see Alex. My Alex. Thank god he’s here. It’ll be okay now. He’ll protect me when I tell him. His hair is an unruly mess, his cheeks tearstained. He looks years older than the man I left this evening and all I want to do is hold him.

"Alex!" I reach out for him and he turns away from me, but I didn’t miss the dark, empty look in his eyes that opens all new wounds inside of me. "Alex, what happened?"

His jaw tightens, and his head snaps back to mine. “What happened?” he grits out. “Are you for real?”

"I am. Where's Kathy? Tell me she’s okay," I beg of him, not wanting to believe what Deacon has told me. I can't. I won't. I have to know it’s more lies to hurt me.

“You have some fucking nerve,” he snaps, and his empty eyes now flash with anger. I go to reach for him again and he steps away from me in utter disgust.

"Don't fucking touch me. This is all your fault she’s gone."

"No!" I argue. He can’t possibly believe that. "I didn't…No, please don't believe him! You have to believe me. Me!”

"Believe you? You told me you quit drinking, but it was just a fucking lie! Instead, you get fucked up and go out driving. What the fuck?" he roars. “I trusted you to take care of her. I trusted you!”

"I didn't. I swear. I only had sodas. Sodas.”

“Right, and that’s why your blood alcohol level was through the roof. I saw the results. I even saw the scene.”

“That’s impossible—”

“But you know what?” he growls, not even listening to me and cutting me off, “I don’t know why I’m surprised, it’s not the first time you pulled shit like this.”

"Alex, please. Let me explain—" I cry.

"There's nothing to explain. My sister is dead because of you."

"No, no." I feel like my soul has been snatched out of my body. I feel lifeless, though the heart monitor goes insane beside me. "Deacon…"

"Deacon what? Saved your ass. I'm only pissed he didn't get to the scene in time to save Kathleen first."

My heart thuds in my chest, and I swear it shatters on the impact. "You have it wrong."

"Wrong? No, I’m not wrong."

"Alex, I would never."

"You're not the girl I thought you could be. I trusted you and then you go out to a party and get drunk…and then…” He chokes on the next words.

“Alex, please, you don’t understand. De—”

“No!” he yells, and I can hear the venom saturating his voice “You deceived me. And to think I thought we…” He drifts off and shakes his head as he looks away from me. “Liz should have sent you away