“Why?”
“I never even gave walking away from them a thought. How stupid is that?” She’d really not, and right now, it felt crazy not to have thought about it.
“It’s not stupid. We’re not supposed to be thinking about leaving our family, and having nothing to do with them.”
Addison smiled. “It still feels very wrong.”
Shaun shrugged.
“Would you do it?” she asked.
“Would I do what?”
“Leave them behind?”
“Yes. If they make life hard for us, I will walk away, Addie. You mean more to me than they do.” Shaun took a step toward her. “I love you, Addie.”
“You love me?” She hadn’t expected that, and she quickly pinched her arm to make sure she was actually awake and hearing him.
“I do, with all my heart.” He took the charm out of the box, and placed it around her wrist.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I just know from the first moment I saw you, you were different. We had a rocky marriage, and I didn’t know how to reach you. I’ve finally gotten you, Addie, and I’m not letting you go. I love you. We’re in this together, and if that means we’re in this together, alone, then so be it.”
“Together?”
“Together, against the world.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips to his. They would be okay.
****
Everything was tense in the Woodside house. Addie’s parents were at his family’s place, and it was just a tense nightmare. Evangeline wasn’t present, and it was just him and Addie against their parents.
His mother had thrust her snobbish nose up in the air, and they were sitting at the dinner table, on opposite sides of the table. He didn’t like the distance between them, and with the way their mothers were glaring at Addie, it was getting on his last nerve.
This was what he didn’t want his own family to be like. He despised the fake smiles, the nasty remarks.
I hate my family.
The realization had Shaun glancing over toward his father, who looked bored with the whole affair.
You don’t need to be here.
He was over thirty years old, and no longer controlled by his family. Tonight, he was going to cut all ties with his family, and build him and Addie a better future.
“Mom, did you hear about the success of Addie’s book?” he asked. He was so damn proud that he’d even got a printed out copy of the bestsellers list, had her name and book circled, and placed on the wall.
His mother snorted. “I never heard anything like it. You should be focusing on having a family, Addison, not making a spectacle of yourself on the internet, or the television. Seriously, you need to see what you look like. You need to slim down some. You look like a whale that should be back out at sea.”
“I’ve told her many times about losing weight, but does she listen? No. She’s more interested in eating, and sitting down all day. It’s really not proper.” This came from Addie’s mother.
His anger grew, and when he looked toward Addie, and saw she had lowered her fork, he’d had enough. Glancing at the clock, he saw they had spent ten minutes in their families’ company, and as far as he was concerned, it was still ten minutes more than they deserved.
“That’s enough!” He yelled the words and slammed his fist on the table. “Don’t you ever think of talking about my wife like that again.”
“Son?”