Page 29 of Forbidden Dreams

“No,” she snaps at me, “you put yourself in this, so you get it all.”

“Harmony.” I put my fists on the counter in front of me with her standing on the other side of the island.

“We used to fight often, obviously, when he would come home drunk and shit, and smelling like…” She stops. “Well, you get the picture.”

I close my eyes. “That is another reason I had to leave him. He was getting old enough, and if I stayed, he might think that’s normal, and it’s not.” She stops. “We have to talk about us staying here.”

“There is nothing to talk about,” I finally say, and she looks like she’s about to argue with me.

“We have a protection order now,” she repeats what the deputy told her.

“Yeah, and we all know that Winston follows all the rules,” I counter back at her.

“He’ll get in trouble if he comes back.”

“The sheriff is in the Cartwrights’ pocket,” I inform her of something she should know, “so we both know that he won’t care. So unless you get a judgment, you aren’t staying in that house.” I point at the window that shows her house to the side.

“But—” she tries to come back with an argument.

“I have four bedrooms.” I tap my finger on the counter. “Two of them have never been used. You talk to Ryleigh tomorrow morning, then she can tell you that you can’t go back there.”

“And if she tells me I can?” she asks, and I just smirk. “Exactly, so regardless of what she says, you aren’t going to let me go back there.”

“You would be right about that,” I confirm.

“I have to go over to my house and get things,” she mentions, looking out at the house, and all I can do is shake my head.

“No.”

“Brady, I need things.” She closes her eyes.

“Whatever you need, I have here,” I tell her.

“I need my baking stuff.” Her voice is quiet.

“Baby, you aren’t going to be baking.” All she does is shake her head.

“It’s a side job I have and I need my things.” She turns. “I’m going to go and get the stuff and bring it here.”

She takes one step out of the kitchen. “You take one more step,” I almost bark but she stops walking, “and I’ll turn you over my knee and make your ass red.” She halts and I make my way over to her, stopping with my front to her back. “Make a list.”

“But what if he’s out there?” She doesn’t turn to look at me.

“Even more reason that you aren’t going out there. You are going to make a list, then I’ll go get it and come back,” I tell her as she looks over her shoulder at me. My hand goes to her side while my mouth comes down to kiss her lips. “List.”

“Okay, Brady,” she concedes softly, “I need a pen and paper.”

“Where is your phone?” I ask, and she pulls it out from her back pocket. “FaceTime me, and it will go faster.”

“Okay.” She presses a couple of buttons, and the phone rings from my own pocket.

“Lock the door,” I remind her, pulling open the door, and her hand grips my wrist before I walk out.

“Be careful.” Her face and voice are both filled with worry.

“I will,” I assure her, kissing her before walking down the steps and heading toward her house, turning when I don’t hear the sound of the door clicking. “Did I not tell you to go inside the house?”

“Brady, we would hear him coming,” she tells me, and I stop walking, turning to look at her.