𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐬

fifty-five.

I've refused to let her go since the judge slammed his gavel.

She's mine.

Willow's wishes will be honored.

And Ian will never get his hands on another one of us.

"Woody..."

He might have been calling my name over and over as when I finally looked at him, a slight amusement settled between his brows.

"Woody, let's go home."

A home.

With four walls.

Four that I'm not stuck in, but living within.

Home would be wherever we made it.

"What do you say, Raine?" I glance down at her, a solemn contentment washing over her.

"Let's go far away," Raine whispers. "Far, far away from grandpa."

Anaca pushes open the outside doors of the courthouse as we step outside.

"California's pretty far," he tosses out with a grin.

"The beach?" Raine asks, twisting her head in his direction.

"If you want to live on the beach, I'll make it happen," he vows to her.

Raine turns once more, beaming up at me. "I wear my boots?"

I nearly snort. "Of course, you can wear your boots."

She waits.

Analyzing me.

"Okay," she shrugs.

My own eyes land on him, glossy and red, but he smiles.

He smiles with the warmth of the sun.

No wander he's like a drug to me.

There's nothing more enticing than the sun itself.

Anaca stops, wrapping an arm around my waist. "I'm proud of you. How strong you were in there."

We share a glance between we both look at Raine. She's staring off into the distance, clinging to her spider and me. The two things she has left that feel safe.

I find myself watching him look at her.

He's known her a matter of hours and Anaca is already beaming at Raine like she's his.

There's a protection and admiration in his eyes that I've never seen before.

"WOODIENE!"

The word echoed off the stone building as Anaca's neck snaps in the direction it came from, while I shut my eyes for a moment, gathering myself.

I knew he wouldn't let us go quietly.

"How dare you!" Ian slithers in our direction with the blonde bitch on his heels. "How fucking dare you go in there and lie to the judge with that made up sob story?! You think this is end? No way in hell are you going to keep her!"

He jabs his finger out in our direction while Anaca poises himself slightly in front of Raine and I.

"You heard the judge's decision, leave it be," Anaca warns in a calm but controlled voice.

"You!" the vein in Ian's forehead looks like it's about to burst. "How the fuck did you get involved in any of this? I paid you to fix up that piece of shit house, not get cozy with my throw away."

At one time that would have stung.

Hit a nerve to call the place I called home a piece of shit.

But the only solace I have left in this world is standing right here.

"Ian," Anaca grinds his teeth. "Walk. Away."

The blonde bitch attempts to touch Ian, only for him to violently shake her off.

"What?! Got nothing to say now?" he spits at me.

"I have nothing left to say to you," I swallow. "All I wanted was Raine and now I never have to see you again."

"How'd you do it? Huh?" Ian starts to advance more as I squeeze Raine and Anaca holds his arm out. "How the fuck did you convince them to give you custody? I had a slam dunk case, there's no way your made-up bullshit saved your poverty line ass."

"What are you insinuating?" Anaca tilts his head.

His dead eyes drag from one to the other. "You think you're the only one she's let between her legs?" Ian slimishly snorts. "Bet she's sucked her way through the entire force by now."

"I warned you," Anaca mutters. "Walk away before I make you."

"Ian, let's go," the blonde bitch says the first smart thing in her life.

"No!" he shakes her off for a second time, planting himself right in front of Anaca.

His gaze narrowed and sloppy while Anaca remains a wall between him and us.

"Stick around long enough and you'll leave," Ian says cold as ice. "She couldn't even walk yet and I knew I wanted nothing to do with that waste of cells. She is nothing but a fuck up that I should have made her mother abort. She will never be worth a damn thing. You'll see that soon enough if you got half a brain in thick head of yours."

My heart doesn't break that he said those things about me, but that Raine heard them. That she's heard anything that has ever came from Ian's mouth.

If Anaca was a thunder cloud, he was about to strike lightning.

"You're wasting your breath, though I'd imagine you do that a lot, given how everything that comes out of your mouth is complete and utter bullshit. She could set the world on fire and I would still love her. Still ache for her soul. Still protect her with everything I am. Those two girls deserve more in this life than you could ever give them. So do us all a favor and forget they exist. Throw away your daughter, she's better off without you and don't even think about coming after Raine or I'll be sure to slap you with a lot more than just a loss."

"Are you threatening me?" Ian puffs his chest out like the pompous ass he is.

"No," Anaca cracks a smirk. "I'm promising you. Forget we exist, continue living your sitting existence with your girlfriend, but don't waste another minute thinking about what's mine."

Ian cracks his neck, taking another glance past Anaca's shoulder at me.

"There a problem over there?" a security guard catching wind of the scene, calling out.

"No problem!" Anaca calls back.

"Say goodbye, Raine," I murmur, but she refuses, tucking her face into my neck. "Let it go, Ian," I say. "I'm worthless, but Raine is mine. Bury us. Bury your memories of me and Willow. As if we never existed, just like you wanted."

"Ian," the blonde bitch snaps, noting that the security guard is now walking toward us.

"Walk away," Anaca says once more.

As she tugged him away, tucking his tail like the feral dog he is, we watched.

Watched till they disappeared and the guard retreated to his post.

"Is he gone?" Raine murmurs against my skin.

"He's gone, Raine," Anaca answers her. "And he'll never be around you again."

"Promise?"

"We promise," I breathe.