Pawned Virtue - #wattys2015 BK4 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

Epilogue

Not edited. I can't believe we've come to this... and I'm posting early! This is the end. The finish. The kaput. OMG! I had this written months ago but posting it now makes me cry. It's been an awesome journey with many ups and downs, laughs and tears and lots of falling in love with Lucas and Tara. Thank you for sharing my writing journey through this story. xxxxxxxxxxx

Tara stood with Maggie's arm wrapped around her shoulders and watched as the car pulled away. Her tears of pain were more than real.

Watching Lucas speed down the driveway like a madman wasn't what she'd expected to happen. But happening it was... he was driving away... he'd left.

"It's ok sweetie. He'll be back. When he realises what he's done he'll be back." Maggie's soothing voice calming her.

"It hurts so much Mum" she whimpered.

"I know my lovely" she brushed the tears from her daughters' cheeks "it'll all be over soon. He'll be back and..."

Maggie stopped talking as the sound of tyres cutting up gravel with hard braking reached them and they saw the red lights of Lucas' car dim as he started again but this time he was driving towards them and not away.

Her body gripped her as her insides felt like someone had ripped them out, stomped on them and shoved them back in without a care. She felt like buckling over and giving in, to let the pain she felt take her over.

Lucas stopped the car in front of the steps and with the engine running he jumped out and went to the front of the car and opened his arms wide.

"What the fûck Tara?"

Tara whimpered as another wave of pain coursed through her.

Lucas' eyes softened and with two large leaps he was by her side.

"I thought you were in the car."

He bent down and tucked an arm around the back of her legs to pick her up bridal style. Carrying her to the car he reached and opened the back door and gently placed her inside.

Across the seats he could see Maxon at the drivers door and getting in behind the wheel.

"What the fûck Max?"

Maxon turned in his seat and with a hard face he spoke to Lucas.

"Get in the fücking car with your wife. You're in no state to drive, You're not thinking straight so I'm driving."

Lucas shared a look with him, memories passed between them and he nodded. He knew this was something that Maxon wouldn't budge on and indeed he had to agree. He wasn't in the best frame of mind for driving. He did, after all, leave his very, in labor, pregnant wife on the steps of their home and drive away without her. Something he knew his brothers would never let him live down.

The ride to the hospital was joined by the crushing of every bone in his hand as wave after wave of pain racked through Tara's body. He wasn't sure if it was the physical or the emotional turmoil that had him wanting to cry. He just knew one thing... this wasn't how they told them labor would be in lamaze class. They'd expected the labor would go on for hours but the pains that Tara was feeling were less than three minutes apart.