Page 94 of Subbing For Santa

“Fuck.” I hiss, reaching for Aggie and pulling her to my chest. She curls into me, even while continuing her story.

“He ran off, and I got mum to the hospital. They had to induce her labour, and she had to deliver the baby. He was stillborn. My mum named him Cody.” The sob that escapes her this time is guttural, and her knees nearly give way, so I hold her tighter, keeping her in my embrace. “A-after she delivered Cody, she cried with him in her arms until the nurses took him away. I left Lizzy at the hospital and got a taxi home to get mum some clothes and stuff, and that’s when I found dad passed out on the backseat of our car with the door wide open.” She shakes her head against my chest. “I went inside to his gun box. The idiot never kept it locked, and I grabbed the gun, went back out to the car, put the child lock on the back door and closed it before driving out here.”

Aggie’s shoulders grow strong then, and she steps back from me, sniffing and batting away her tears. She steps closer to the hole she dug and looks in.

“I tricked him when we got here. He was already so drunk and half asleep. I told him there was a little country bar out in the woods, and the idiot followed me. He started getting angry by the time we reached this boulder, and I knew this was it. This was the place he would die.”

She darts her caramel gaze back up to me, and I’m sure she can see the empathy in my glassy eyes.

“I’ve never told a single person about this until now. Not even mum or Lizzy. I let them think he’d taken off and didn’t return. What I didn’t expect was for mum to be so heartbroken over it. He’d just killed her baby, for fuck’s sake. It tore me up to see her in so much pain and she turned back to drugs so easily. So I left. I was wracked with guilt that I had ruined her life.”

“Shit, Aggie. You didn’t ruin her life.” I step up to her, and she lifts her gaze to remain on mine. “If my research is right, then I think you made it better.”

“I hope so.” She sobs, and again, I pull her into my arms to embrace her.

“I’m so sorry about all of this, little elf. I totally understand if my world is too much for you. Just tell me now if you need to walk away.” I hate saying the words, and even after last night’s revelations, I know if I have to let her go for her own sanity, I will. I might suffer eternal heartache, but it will be worth it if she is happy.

Aggie pulls back from my chest, frowning up at me. “I just dragged you halfway across the country to dig up the remains of my dad and admit that I killed him, and you’re asking me ifyourworld is too much?”

“Yes.”

“Ismyworld too much for you?” She asks, exasperated, and I quickly shake my head.

“Your past doesn’t scare me, Aggie. The sex parties sound good to me… as long as I’m invited. And I’ll gladly submit to you and let you tantra the fuck out of me any time you like. The question is, canyouhandlemyfamily?Mylifestyle?Myways? Because this,” I point to the open grave she dug, “is part of my world.”

“Then I guess I’m already part of it.” She states with honesty.

Once again, I drag her in for a hug, and she finally relaxes. She’s not running from me, and I’m not running from her, and the skeletons in our closets have been revealed. Well, mostly hers. I have too fucking many.

Freddie and Eddy turn up about an hour later, not asking any questions when I order them to dig up the rest of the remains before they carry the bones of Aggie’s dad and the gun out of the national park in a drum.

They load it into the small truck, and we follow behind as they drive to their MC club house in Caloundra. I keep Aggie by my side the whole time we are there. An MC club house is no place for any female that isn’t a whore, but Aggie doesn’t seem too concerned with the brutes drinking beer and manhandling women.

To make sure the job is done, we watch the gun get melted down to molten metal in a furnace and watch the bones fizzle as acid fills the drum to engulf them.

“The bones will dissolve in a couple of days.” I mumble close to Aggie’s ear as she watches on curiously, and she nods, not able to find her voice in that moment.

The events of the last twenty-four hours have been a lot for the both of us, so I wrap up business quickly, paying Freddie and Eddy for their time and assistance before I take my woman away from that place and back to the airstrip.

We both sleep most of the trip back on the plane, and by the time we finally get back to Redfield Lake, the clock ticks over to the next day.

I ask Aggie if she wants to stay at my house or if she needs some time alone.

She doesn’t even need to consider her answer before responding.

“I never want to spend a night without you again.”

Chapter twenty-seven

Party Favours

Agatha

ThankGodforrichmen and private jets or we would have spent the entire night travelling home. Instead, by 1am, we were snuggling up together in Griffin’s bed, where we both slept soundly until late Monday morning.

“Should I cancel tonight?” I ask Griffin as he sets down a plate of poached eggs, toast, and bacon in front of me.

“What’s tonight?”

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