Her Beast

“I think I’m going to be sick.”

He led her toward the bathroom, and she made it just in time as she threw up everything she’d eaten, and a great deal of stuff she hadn’t. Her stomach turned, but after a few minutes, and a glass of water, everything settled down.

Beast made her sit on the sofa as he collected their things. She didn’t have a clue what he’d packed, but right now, she didn’t want to talk about anything. Sipping her water, she watched him bring in two cases before closing and locking the door.

She sat on the chair watching as he held their things, putting them away in one of the bedrooms. Sitting there on the sofa, she felt … strange. Aunt Tay had never liked her. In fact, they’d never liked each other, even when her father had been alive. Tay was such a nasty woman, someone determined to make everyone around her as miserable as she was. She’d even heard the men say that Aunt Tay was great until she opened her mouth, and then everything got spoiled because her bitterness knew no bounds.

Staring down at her hand with her engagement ring, Hope smiled. From that very first moment she saw Beast, there’d been this fire inside her. Even before she realized it herself, she yearned for his touch, desperate for him.

Beast was now hers. She carried his child, and she had his love. They were going to get married, and she didn’t for a second believe it was going to be the most perfect happily ever after, but she believed it was going to be something.

She wanted their life together. She looked forward to being with him every single moment of every single day.

He came back, and took a seat in front of her, taking her hands. She saw the guilt in his eyes, and she hated seeing it there.

“I gave him the gun.”

“I don’t care,” she said, reaching out to touch his face.

She chuckled at the frown and cupped his face, pressing a single kiss against his lips.

“What? You looked so sad.”

She shook her head. “Aunt Tay is a horrible human being. All she wants to do is make everyone around her miserable in a way to justify her own misery. I don’t know. You gave my dad the gun, he paid for it whatever, and he came home, killed my mother, shot me, and killed himself. Do you see the point I’m trying to make?”

“I’m the one responsible for your mother’s death.”

“No. You’re not.” She licked her lips, wondering if she sounded crazy. “It’s … you’re not the one that fired the gun, Beast. It would be like saying that someone who sold a wife her kitchen knives is the real killer of her husband. I can’t think of a really good example right now, but you gave him the gun. You didn’t know what he was going to do. You didn’t think for a second that he was going to go home and kill his wife and try to take his kid.” She smiled at him. “So you gave him a gun. Did you tell him to do what he did next?”

“No. Never.”

“Then you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about. Guns are bought and sold all the time. I don’t blame you. Do I wish you hadn’t given him the gun? I can’t take back what happened. But would I still have my mom? Dad was going to do all those things regardless. It could have been a knife or his hands, or anything.” She took his hand and pressed it against her stomach. “This is all I know. I love you more than anything else in the world, so that I’m changing my life plan to stay with you. I’m going to get married to you, and we’re going to have a beautiful baby. I don’t know if it’s a boy or girl, but I don’t care. I only know that I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” She laughed as tears fell down her cheeks. “We’ll probably get a few weird looks. You know, the age gap and all.”

He pulled her close and slammed his lips against hers. “I don’t give a fuck what anyone says, Hope Miller. You are the love of my life, and I’m going to spend the rest of mine loving you, keeping you safe.”

Beast picked her up in his arms and carried her through to the bedroom. “I’ve never belonged to any woman, Hope, but know that I am yours. Every single part of me is yours. I love you more than anything else in the world.”

“Now you’re really making me cry.”

He lowered her to the bed and took her lips as he ran his hands over her body.