Married to the Devil

Chapter 44

"You can't just move out!" My mother screamed to me over the phone.

I sighed, "Mom, I'm 26 years old. I can do anything I want."

A pause, then, "You can't if you're moving back with him."

"Mom-"

"Don't 'mom' me, Kate. You know what he did to us, especially you." She said angrily, in a conversation I'd avoided for months.

"I know." I said thoughtfully as I suddenly missed Callumn, my dead twin brother, "But I love Derek. And I forgive him. It was a mistake."

"A mistake?" She echoed, "Are you serious? He killed our family! And he was driving drunk! That's a choice Kate. Not a mistake."

In the background I could hear Dad huffing and sputtering curse words under his breath. He was angry and that didn't often happen. Which meant this was serious.

"I know-"

"Clearly you don't or you wouldn't be frolicking off with the enemy!" She argued.

"He's my husband Mom!" I said, my words practically sizzling in the air, "I signed a bunch of contacts with him, there's nothing more I can do."

Another pause on her end, then, "I'll tell you what you can do. You move out of that bastard's company and move back in with us."

I scratched my head. Didn't she get it? I couldn't do that.

"Mom, you know I can't-"

"Then we're going to have to cut contact until you see sense." She said angrily before hanging up.

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I touched my palm against Derek's cheek lovingly, "What's wrong?"

He looked back at me from being distracted just previously, "Nothing."

I frowned, "It can't be nothing."

He took in a big breath, prepping himself for our conversation, "I'm nervous, that's all."

I raised a brow, "Nervous? What about?"

He sighed, "This," He moved his finger from me to him, "I'm afraid that it won't go as planned. That I'll mess it up somehow."

I laughed, relieved that he wasn't having second thoughts about our relationship, "There's nothing to be worried about there. I'll stick with you through thick and thin."

He smiled, "I'm glad to hear that."

I leaned in and kissed him as I caught his face in my hands that were planted on either side of his cheeks.

As I pulled back I smiled, "I hope that's incentive enough that we're still going strong."

He laughed, "Of course."

We stayed on the rooftop of the barn watching the stars float above us in the night sky.