Never Again

Part Twenty Five

Living in the same house as Jack, under the same roof, being dependent on him for everything, seemed like suicide to Erin. But the one thing they agreed on was that she had to do the right thing by the baby. And if that meant stopping work, then so be it. But she didn’t have to be happy about it. She’d never as much as seen his home, so she had no idea what to expect. She had very little to take with her, the flat she rented was already furnished, so she’d stored furniture and lots of bedding, kitchenware in a storage unit. So all she had was a box of CD’s, clothes and a few soft furnishings. For that reason it took her about half an hour to pack up her things. Though she requested a lot longer than that.

Getting her head around moving to his home was a lot harder than it could have been, and she had many lengthy phone calls to Michelle trying to talk her way both in and out of the idea. Michelle was quick to point out the effect she’d have on Jack, that this was difficult for him too, but Erin was being selfish and wasn’t ready to see another side of the argument. Her independence was the one thing she swore never to lose again after her demise at the hands of Max and his financial meltdown. But here she was diving in feet first yet again.

Jack wouldn’t let her as much as lift a box into the car, so once she was done, she had to call him. He turned up with his huge four wheel drive - he was obviously expecting her to travel a lot heavier than she did.

                “Is this it?” He was shocked; he’d seen women take more baggage on a weekend away.

She nodded slightly embarrassed, “most of my stuff is in storage.”

He grinned, “no problem, we can get that all delivered when you’re ready.”

She gulped, he was planning on her living with him long term. She’d presumed this was a temporary thing. Yet again she’d underestimated him and his desires.

They’d spent the previous evening working out guidelines for this tenancy agreement of sorts. Erin didn’t want to be dependent on him, and she didn’t want him controlling her life either. So she’d insisted that she had her own room, her own space, sex was not a prerequisite for this deal, and that was a non negotiable fact. If he was surprised or disappointed he hid it well. Nodding easily, he broached the second item on her list, money.

                “I want you to have a bank card...take what you need.” She shook her head. He sighed, “A weekly figure into your bank? Monthly?”

She shook her head again, it felt too much like Rent-A-Womb, he was paying her for carrying his baby. That felt morally wrong. She had no real outgoings and she had a few thousand pounds savings, she could cope until the baby was born, and that was also non negotiable.

He groaned again, “you are one stubborn woman.”

Erin smiled, “I’ll take that as a compliment!”

There were a lot of unwritten issues, but she was happier to join him once they’d agreed those few things.  But as he loaded her bags and boxes into his car she couldn’t help the feelings of fear, almost suffocation that this move was causing.

He was reluctant to let her drive behind him in her car, the thought that he was going to be so protective of her was more damaging than any physical exertion. At her insistence he agreed, after all she’d need a car once she got to his home. And so she followed him on a long winding journey out to a gated estate in the Cheshire countryside.

Erin was stunned, they drove past a dozen drive ways that led to imposing modern houses, all secreted away from prying eyes. There was an element of over dramatic about some of the places, gargoyles on gates, stone urns topping pillars, but she wouldn’t dare comment on that to Jack. The driveway he pulled into was a lot more austere, friendly, but not embellished the way some of the others had. He stopped his car in front of the arched doorway, and jumped out onto the gravel driveway, marching up to her car to open the door for firstly her, and then letting Barney out.