Paragon

Chapter 21

Unbuckling my seatbelt aggravatedly, now thousands of feet up in the air, I don't even hear Victoria come up.

"Would you like anything ma'am?"

It takes a minute for my mouth to respond to my brain. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

"Sir?" She's staring at the silent man across from me. He looks over at her as if he hadn't heard a thing she'd said.

"Oh, no, thank you... Iris, you need to eat something."

After a moment of realization that I haven't had anything to eat today, I nod at her. With a small smile, she turns toward the back, leaving us alone. Patrick, noticing our chilly aura, has stayed away. Far away.

"I hadn't even realized."

He nods, looking out the window bleakly. "Yeah, neither had I."

Unable to take the detached look on his face any longer, I stand up and sit down in the empty space beside him, reaching up to pull his face towards mine. "Listen to me- you're my family. Our baby is my family... You're truly all I need, Stellan."

"Am I?" he murmurs softly, his voice removed. I nod immediately, smiling wide.

"Of course you are. We chose to leave that house together. That was a big move for us. We should be... glad-"

"You had a chance to know your mother- your sister and I'm the reason you won't. How is that supposed to make me happy, Iris?"

"Listen to me, don't pull away from me now. We-we need each other," I whisper desperately, pressing my face against his throat. I shake my head and run my hand through his hair. "I need you."

"I'm not going anywhere," he murmurs encouragingly, resting a hand on my thigh. I immediately reach out to grab it. "I'll never leave you."

I pull back and stare. "Promise me."

Pushing back a dangling strand of my hair, he nods, smiling softly. "I promise, baby."

Grasping my cheek, he leans in, pressing his lips to mine gently, a seal of the promise. I smile self-consciously as he pulls back, still holding me.

"You'd think marriage would knock some sense into us."

I chuckle at his words, pulling on the rest between us. Molding to his body, I'm relieved when he wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me in. "Yeah, legally you're not supposed to leave me."

Humming amusedly, he presses his lips to my hair. "See? Nothing to worry about."

My eyes shut tightly at his words, glad I have something- someone in this world to hold onto that can ground me, protect me... love me.