Page 25 of Forced Knocked-Up Mate

I will set you free, I promise. I didn’t mean to do this.

My little car can't make it all the way to New Hope down the dirt track, so we have to park and walk. If it wasn’t for the uncomfortable silence between us, it would be a pleasant hike. Warm sunlight filters through the leaves, and a cool breeze plays with my hair.

Peter turns to look at me and smiles in a real expression of joy. “Beautiful,” he whispers.

“What?” I ask, confused.

“I said it’s beautiful here.”

“Oh, yeah. It is.”

He looks away again, his shoulders set in a hard line. He doesn’t look back as he walks ahead, and when New Hope appears, he starts to jog.

Voices call out from the town, and as I get closer, I see people gathered around the back of the hall. It looks like one of the regular Sunday markets, where the whole town comes together to share their produce.

Rider waves, breaking away from the group to run towards his brother. They hug, slapping each other’s shoulders and greeting each other with enthusiasm. I walk up to the main group, trying to ignore Peter entirely.

Fiona hurries over to me, glancing over at the boys and then back at me. “Is everything okay, Lucy?”

“No,” I moan. “It’s torture.”

“Oh, babe, I’m so sorry.” She puts her arms around me and gives me a squeeze, stroking my back.

“He’s being such a jerk to me! I know I made a mistake and brought him here against his will, but how many times do I have to apologize for it?”

“I agree,” Fiona says, pulling back to look into my eyes. “Besides, he was looking for Rider. He may never have found him without your spell. He should be at least a bit grateful.”

“I said the same thing.”

“Come on,” Fiona says, putting an arm around me. “Come and hang out with the girls. Tell us everything.”

“Okay,” I answer miserably.

I don’t know if I’m really ready to talk about this yet, but at least it’s better than being stuck with Peter.

Chapter 8 - Peter

Jogging across the field towards Rider feels surreal. The bright sun above and cool breeze blowing gently through the long grass make me feel like I’ve been dropped into an idyllic movie set. Instead of it being comforting, though, I’m on edge.

Just waiting for the unseen director to scream “cut!” before my life turns to shit again.

I’m relieved when I see Rider break out of the group and run towards me. I didn’t start jogging specifically to get here quicker—I wanted to get away from Lucy. Rider running makes my little sprint look less like an escape, even if it does enhance the all-too-happy movie-like feel.

When I crash into my brother and wrap my arms around him, a fierce glow burns in my chest. It’s painful, but at the same time, it’s bliss. We rock back and forth a bit, slapping each other’s shoulders before letting go.

Rider steps back, and the wide grin on his face must echo my own. Even though it comforts me to see my twin brother again, the impossibility of finding him after all this time lends credibility to the impossible surrealism.

“So, how was your wedding night?” Rider asks with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, don’t even,” I groan. “The woman is a complete nightmare.”

I fight the urge to look over my shoulder and watch her coming across the field. Just a moment ago, when I saw her walking down the path with light flickering across her face and wind dancing in her hair, I almost stopped and kissed her.

You’re under a spell. It’s not real. She enchanted you, and that’s it. End of story.

“That bad?” Rider asks.

I nod. “She made me hunt around in the kitchen and make my own dinner. Then got on my case about cleaning up. It was brutal.”

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