Brayden's voice was thick with sleep when he answered my call. "Jenny?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, trying to sound normal. "Sorry if I woke you up. I'll just call back in the morning. You should get some rest."

"No no! Stay." I heard some rustling and a grunt and then a sigh. There was a faint click. "You've got me here, and I'm not going anywhere. Surely you have a reason to call this late."

I looked at my phone. It was well past ten. "You're just in bed early," I teased. 

"Maybe so," he said with a chuckle. "I've had a lot going on, but it's all related to the store. What about you?"

I chewed my lip and my mind flashed back to Wendall, his face right before I closed my eyes. "I'm leaving this house," I said adamantly. "I'm going to be living in the college dorms. I'm going to enroll in a driving school and get my license, too. I'm coming to you eventually."

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Good. I've been missing you like crazy. It's hard to not have you right here where I can see you're okay and see you're not going through something. The last thing I want is for you to experience anything like what your dad put you through. You're strong, but even the strong have their limits."

His words resonated in me. "You'll tell me if something happens to you?" I asked.

He sighed. "I think I've told you everything about Charlie. He went home last week. I told you all about his dad punching me. There's nothing else to tell right now. Promise  me you'll do the same for me?"

Tears welled up. "Brayden, I'm not okay here. Mom doesn't see anything going on, but I can't stay here."

"What happened?" he asked gently. So gently. 

"I want you to hold me in your arms," I said instead of answering. "You make me feel safe."

There was a pause. "Did her husband do something to you, baby?"

I nodded as I wiped at my face, sniffling. "I love you. Only you. There's only ever been you, and ever will be you. You know that, right?"

Pause. "You're scaring me, Jenny. I love you too, and you're my one and only. What does this have to do with what's going on with you?"

"Humor me, please?"

He sighed. "Okay. For now."

"Have you ever been with someone else?"

"Like, in a relationship? Or in a more... physical way?"

"Physical."

"Well, I've been in several relationships, but I haven't done more than make-out with someone at a party once. That's something I wish I could take back, not just because of the situation, which is a very long story that I don't want to get into, but because I was young and dumb. It's not something that should have happened." He paused. "I know this sounds old-fashioned, but I want to now there's a solid commitment before I give too much of myself, no matter how crazy I am for her. I want to know that she's the one and that I'm going to have her to myself for the rest of my life. If that means I'm fifty and still haven't gone beyond kissing, so be it."

I giggled. "It sounds like you want to marry the girl first." 

"I do, actually. I want to know that we're committing out of love, not lust. If I give in and we have sex right away, how do I know she won't be easy for another man? Or how do I know she wants me for more than my body? I also want to make sure of that about myself. If she gives in early, am I in it only for her body? I don't want to engage in something that shallow that I know I'll only regret later if I find someone who means more than her."

"That makes sense," I said after a while. "I think that sounds a lot like what I want, too."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm glad I found my way to you," I said, dodging him again. "Is it weird of me to say that I want to just be with you? Like, not in a sexual way, but just lie in your arms and let you hold me until I feel the world melt away? You smell good. It's intoxicating."

"Jenny."

"What?"

"I'm begging you. Please let me know you're okay or not. You're killing me over here. I'm just a few more dodges away from driving over there myself to make sure you're safe."

I wiped at my face again. "Wendall trapped me on the sofa. He scared me is all. Nothing really happened. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry."

"I worry about you all the time, babe. There's nothing that's going to stop that. Stay away from him until you move out. That's all I can say. I'm not there, so I can't do or say anything else. You knew that already, though, didn't you?"

I nodded and wiped at my eyes again before remembering he couldn't see me. "Yeah," I said. "I didn't expect anything, honestly. I know our situations. It would be unreasonable."

"I can still come get you," he said quietly. "Our guest house is empty. You're more than welcome to stay there."

"I'm already enrolled in college here, so I can't." I was regretting putting down roots in this place. What was I supposed to do? "I have the option to live in the dorms, but my mom begged me to stay, so I'm not on the roster."

"So you're basically trapped there," Brayden summed up, sounding defeated. "If anything else happens, I guess call the police. I wish I was there with you." He sighed and I could picture him running his hand through his hair. Silence came from his end for a long moment. "I'm driving over there next week. I can't take it. I need to see you."

"We could always video chat, you know." 

"That's not enough," he whined. "I want to be able to touch you, hold you."

I smiled and bit my lip. "You have the grocery store to care for."

"What grocery store? Dad took back over while I was gone and swears he's not letting me back in the office of it until after I've run my own store a while."

"You should open one up here," I blurted out without thinking it over. 

"I wish I could, but it would take a while to even open, let alone convince my dad to let me open one on my own."

My heart sank. "You're right." I closed my eyes and sighed. "I should sleep and try to figure out what to do next."

"I really think you should tell your mom."

"Brayden, I can't. She had it bad enough with my dad. Knowing she married a pervert would just make her life horrible all over again. I can't do that to her."

"What if he tries to do things to the baby?"

I froze and my body started to go into panic mode. "He wouldn't. I mean, Kyle is a little boy."

"That doesn't mean much to people like him. What if he starts to abuse him when you could have protected him?"

I swung my feet off the side of my bed. "But he's a baby."

"For now, yes, but babies grow up."

Thoughts swarmed me. There was no way I could kidnap Kyle. Mom loved him, and I had no idea what to do with a child. But what if Kyle was right? I had no experience with this stuff. I know I was very sheltered, and never experienced harassment from anyone besides my father that someone didn't end up putting an end to. 

"I need to think," I told him again. "I'm going to bed. Love you."

"I love you too. Goodnight."

"Night." I hung up and fell back on my bed. A moment later, my phone vibrated and I looked at it. A text from Mom.

Sorry honey, but I had a little too much to drink. I'm staying the night. Sleep well.

My stomach dropped just as the handle to my door rattled. "Jenny? Did you see the text from your mom?" Wendall knocked on my door and tried to push it open again. The chair stopped him, but I knew it wouldn't last. 

An idea hit me. It was stupid and reckless. In more ways than one. I jumped up from the bed and yanked on my shirt, balling up my bra and sticking it in my pocket. I grabbed my suitcase and moved it to one of the windows in my room. I looked outside. Not too high, and no landscaping. 

That would make this easier.

I opened the window beside my bed as quicky and quietly as I could. The screen pushed out easily. The pounding at the door got louder. I ignored what Wendall was saying as I hefted my suitcase onto the edge and slid it until it dropped to the ground. I glanced around my borrowed room and saw nothing else worth taking besides my phone charger, which went into my other pocket. My shoes weren't in here, and I wasn't chancing getting them from the front room, so I would have to be fine as I was.

The struggle to get out the window left me panting heavily. By this time, the pounding on the door had stopped. I was sure he hadn't given up, but was he listening at the door now? Or was he getting wise to me?

I crept below the windows, dragging my suitcase behind me. When I reached the edge of the house, I slowly glanced around the corner, heart pounding. Wendall was standing outside in a pair of boxers and nothing else. There was a strange smile on his face. "I know you're out here, Jenny," he said a moment later.

My heart picked up the pace. If I went across the lawn, he'd see me. My eyes landed on the edge of the property. Beyond it was dense forest. I didn't know what creatures were lurking there, but it was inky blackness between me and it, so that's where I went. As quietly as I could manage, I scurried across the lawn and into the foliage. 

Leaves rustled around my body and twigs snapped under my bare feet. By that point, I was sure he knew I was in the forest, but I doubted he would chase after me. Not in his underwear. Not in the dark forest.

After what felt like a marathon, I heard a car. I could just barely see the road through the trees. A lone car was slowly cruising from the direction of the house. I had a feeling it was Wendall, looking for me. I backed up further into the brush and crouched behind some undergrowth, my suitcase behind a tree. From there, I watched the car's headlights go by. It was too dark to be sure, but it looked like his car. 

Once it was out of earshot, I resumed running in the same direction the car went. I followed the route I remembered would lead me back into Denver. The closer I got, the more cars I could hear on the road. Any of them could be Wendall. I didn't want to draw attention to myself, so I kept in the brush as much as possible until it abruptly ended at a road. I looked around and saw no one, so I crossed and kept going.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, I crested a small hill and saw the city of Denver. There wasn't anything between me and freedom now. I could do this. My grip on the suitcase handle grew tighter as I walked down the hill. I was finally at the edge of a much larger problem than I wanted to acknowledge, but it was too late to look back now. 

My phone began vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw the number to the police station back in Rapid Falls.  What did they want at this hour? I answered and a voice I didn't recognize sighed. "Is this Miss Jennifer Herrington?" he asked.

"Yes, it is." 

"I'm Officer Donovan from the Rapid Falls Police Department. Have you had any recent contact with your father?"

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"Would you happen to know of anywhere he may go?"

My mouth opened and closed a couple times, but I still couldn't make sense of his question. "Sir, I don't really know him well, so left to his own devices, I have no idea. His girlfriend's maybe, but I don't know who she is. I just know he has one. Why?"

"Um. Well, Mr. Herrington got out of his holding cell this afternoon and we've been searching for him, but we were checking to see if you knew where he may go."

"The grocery store. Milton's. He may be looking for Brayden Milton. If not there, then maybe their house."

"Okay. We'll-"

"Actually, scratch that. He's probably looking for me." I tried to swallow the fear trying to fight its way up into my chest. "He's probably going to go the apartment first, and then find Brayden."

"Where are you? Rapid Falls?" There was some rustling and whispering. 

My neck tingled and my gut told me something was wrong. "I'm staying in Brayden's guest house. I'm fine. He hasn't found me yet. I have to get to bed. Keep me posted, officer." I hung up and stared at my phone for a long moment. Surely they wouldn't track me on this thing. Surely. I mean, they had no official reason to. 

I slipped it back in my pocket and gazed out at the glow of Denver. My new home wasn't going to be home for long. After wanting to be here my whole life, I could feel Rapid Falls dragging me back. Nothing was turning out like I wanted or expected it. Everything was going wrong. What was I supposed to do? 

It took everything in me to move my bruised, cut-up feet in the direction of the glowing lights. I had to figure out what to do, and soon. Things were about to come crashing down, and the best place I could think of being when that happened was in the arms of Brayden.