Page 22 of Theirs to Keep

Jamison told her that her job and her room would be waiting for her whenever she was ready, but she didn’t want to return to the farm as an employee. She wanted to go back to Jamison andAsh as their woman, but she wasn’t brave enough to admit that to them.

Regan rolled over and cupped her hand over her little bump, “What are we going to do, kid?” She laughed at herself when she realized that she was waiting for the baby to answer her back. “Right, I’ll figure this out for us—that’s what moms do.” Regan couldn’t help her sob. She missed her mother so much more now that she was going to be one herself.

“I just wish that I knew what to do,” she whispered.

There was a light knock on her door, and she got out of bed to open it, silently hoping that Mrs. Lucas didn’t hear her crying. That poor woman was going to think that was all she did and lately, it was. She pulled the door open to find Mike, her stepfather, standing in the hallway. He was holding Mrs. Lucas by the arm and the poor woman looked scared to death.

“What are you doing here, Mike?” His laugh was mean, and she didn’t miss the way he tightened his grip on Mrs. Lucas’s arm. She yelped in pain and Mike told her to shut the fuck up, tossing her into the room so hard that she landed on Regan’s bed.

“I’ve been looking for you for months, Regan. What, no kiss for Daddy?” Regan felt nauseous at the thought of Mike getting close enough to kiss her or do anything else to her for that matter.

“You aren’t my father, Mike. You’re nothing to me. Why are you here? I’ve been gone for months, why would you come looking for me now?” Regan sat on her bed, pulling Mrs. Lucas into her arms. She wouldn’t let Mike touch either of them again.

“You own me, Regan. I took care of you and your mother for years and how do you repay me? You just up and leave without even a second glance back? I heard you got a job around here and a guy at that place told me where I could find you?”

“No one would ever tell you where to find me. What did you do? If you hurt anyone at that farm, I’ll—”

“You’ll what? You are in no position to threaten me, little girl. Remember the fun we used to have? I have no problem reminding you of your place.” Mike took a menacing step towards her, and she immediately backed down. There was no way that she would put her baby in harm’s way.

“That’s what I thought, you were always a smart girl, Regan. And, no. Travis, I think his name was, didn’t readily share your whereabouts. I needed to give him a little persuasion, but he’ll be all right in a few days. He’ll just be a little bruised but I’m sure he’ll bounce back.” Mike’s smug smile made Regan sick.

“Let’s cut to the chase, Mike. What exactly will it take for you to leave me alone?” Regan knew that her good old stepdad always had a bottom line in mind.

“Well, I think about ten thousand will be a nice start. Then, I figure half of what you make a week will keep me out of your hair for a bit.” Regan gasped. She had managed to save a little money since living at the farm for free but nowhere near ten thousand dollars.

“I don’t have that kind of money,” Regan said. “Where do you suggest I come up with ten thousand dollars, Mike?”

“How about you ask those nice bosses you've been sleeping with? I bet that pretty little pussy of yours is worth at least that.” Regan stood, furious that he talked to her like that. What she had with Jamison and Ash wasn’t about money, it was about love.

“You don’t get to talk to me like that Mike, I’m not a slut.” He laughed as if enjoying getting a rouse out of her.

“You’ve always been a little too uppity for your own good, girl. How about I take some of my payment out with that luscious little body of yours and we’ll see how high and mighty you are then?” Mrs. Lucas tried to pull her back down to the bed,but Regan shrugged her off. She squared her shoulders and met Mike’s mean stare head-on.

“You won’t fucking touch me, asshole.” Mike took another step towards Regan but this time she didn’t back down. She knew something that good old Mike didn’t—Ash was standing behind him and from the look on his gorgeous, angry face, he heard the whole conversation and was ready to kill her stepfather.

“You can’t bully me anymore, Mike. I’m not afraid of you.” Regan felt like she finally had a voice to stand up to the man who pushed her down for so many years. Seeing Ash in her doorway, ready to fight for her gave her courage that she never felt before.

“You should listen to the lady, asshole,” Ash spat. Mike spun around in surprise, meeting Ash’s fist with his face. Ash knocked Mike out cold with one punch.

“Is he still alive?” Regan was too afraid to get close enough to check.

“I just knocked him out, baby.” Ash stepped around Mike, pulling Regan into his arms. “Tell me he didn’t lay a finger on you, Regan.” Ash took a step back, looking her up and down.

“No, I’m fine. But he hurt Mrs. Lucas.” Regan sat back down on the bed and checked her over. “We should get you to a hospital to make sure that your arm is all right.” Regan felt awful that Mrs. Lucas got caught up in the middle of her mess.

“I’m fine dear, just some bruises. We do need to call the police to have this scum bag arrested though.” Mrs. Lucas stood and kicked Mike in the side, causing Regan and Ash to laugh. “I’ll go down to the kitchen to make the call, you two find something to tie him up with in case he comes to.” Regan watched as the older woman disappeared down to the kitchen.

“Why are you here, Ash?” Regan watched as Ash removed his belt and bound Mike to her bedpost.

He stood in front of her looking as if he was lost, not knowing what to do next. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you this morning to help you move your stuff. I just couldn’t handle watching you leave,” his voice cracked. She couldn’t help herself; she closed her bedroom door and crossed the room to where he stood, wrapping her arms around his waist. At first, he remained rigid in her hold but sighed as if giving up the fight and pulled her into his body.

“I don’t want to lose you, baby. I couldn’t watch you leave me; it would have been too much.” She knew that her leaving was especially hard on him since he had to watch his mother leave so many years ago.

“I know Ash and I’m so sorry that this is hurting you. But I just needed—”

“Time to think,” he interrupted. “I know and we get it—you felt betrayed that we weren’t one hundred percent honest with you from the start. But you weren’t honest with us either. Can’t we all just start over? Especially now with the baby coming?” Regan wanted to tell him yes. Every cell in her body was screaming for her to pack her stuff and go back to the farm with him but she also knew that she needed this time for herself. So much had happened in the past three months, her entire life had changed. Regan felt like she just needed to get off the merry-go-round to give herself a minute to catch her breath.

“Ash, I can’t. I need to do this for me, just give me some time.” Regan made the mistake of looking up at him and the sadness that she found in his eyes made her physically hurt. She sat down on the bed, her world felt like it was spinning too fast, and she just needed an anchor to help her steady it.

---