Chapter 44

The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn Chapter 44 ~AUTUMN~

I spot Atticus walking towards the jeep.

I watch his hair fall against his forehead while he walks. I watch the angry frown on his face, like something or someone was bothering him.

I saw his eyes sweep over the jeep, searching for me. At least, I hoped it was me he was looking for.

He doesn’t look like he has anything to say to me. He tried hiding his annoyance after spotting me, but I’d already seen it. Was he angry with me for finally confessing to him? Whatever it was that had him angry had changed his mood for the worse.

I didn’t want to care about any of that, but I would be lying to myself if I pretended it didn’t bother me. Anything that affected Atticus would also affect me. Our bond would always ensure that happened, and even before we were bonded, things had always been the same. They were more prominent now, however.

Despite all of this, Atticus still looked good.

He looks like he hadn’t been beaten just a few hours ago. Maybe that’s why they let him out of the hospital so quickly. He had already healed at an impressive rate. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone like him.

His family is not far behind, and they’re all separating into their vehicles. I can’t imagine what they were thinking about me. I wasn’t in the hospital while they were treating him, and I also left his room crying. It wasn’t a good look for me. And I was positive that Anya had tried to make me look worse.

Anya and Damon had left earlier than everyone else. She looked unhappy when they’d left, and it had surprised me. She had been happy just a while ago when she saw me crying and leaving Atticus’s room. What could have possibly happened in such a short space of time to cause her to leave the hospital in that state?

I don’t have time to think about Anya right now. Atticus was nearing the jeep and I was going into panic mood.

I tried to stay calm as he opened the door to the driver’s side. I held my breath when he jumped into the vehicle and shut the door behind him. He was quiet to my surprise. He was not saying a word. I’m not sure what he’s thinking or if he’s planning on staying this way for the rest of the night. I didn’t give him a chance to say anything after running out of the room.

I know that I’m not prepared for his response to everything I’d said to him. That’s partly why I left, but I also knew I couldn’t avoid him for the rest of my life.

I know that Atticus doesn’t love me. I knew that he loved Anya. I didn’t expect anything in return for my confession. I didn’t expect anything to change between us. I was just relieved that I’d gotten it out of my chest; it’s been inside of me for too long, dragging me down, keeping me back from being happy. It was finally out in the open, and I felt like I could breathe again.

“Autumn—”

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say, Atticus.” I interrupt him. “I don’t want you to try to make me feel better or make up lies just to comfort me.”

His hands tighten on the steering wheel, and he doesn’t try to say anything else as he starts the jeep and pulls out of the parking lot. My heart was racing in my chest, and it felt like someone was squeezing it in their hands; I felt like I was bleeding inside.

I’d poured my heart out to Atticus, and I did it sooner than planned. He knew my deepest, darkest secrets. Things I’ve kept inside for so long. He now knows them all.

The rest of the drive was a quiet one; my mind was racing, wondering what he wanted to say to me. Did I do the right thing by stopping him? Part of me had wanted to listen to him, but the other half was too terrified.

The jeep comes to a sudden stop, and it startles me.

“Why are you stopping?” I demand as I look around us for any signs of a threat. I was worried that Carter and his friends were up to no good again. Today had left me traumatized; I was constantly worried about him.

His family was ahead of us, just like Damon had been ahead earlier.

Atticus leans against his seat and closes his eyes; he looks in pain.

“What’s wrong?” I demand. “Do you need to go back to the hospital? Is somewhere hurting?”

He opens his eyes after hearing the concern in my voice. His gaze is now entirely on me, and he isn’t looking away. He’s looking straight into my eyes, almost like he’s seeing me for the first time in a completely new light.

My bottom lip trembles as he stares at me, breathing hard; it’s like he’s trying to read me, trying to confirm everything I’ve said to him. Almost like he didn’t believe that someone could love him as much as I claimed to.

He swallows, and his expression is one of sadness as he unbuckles his seatbelt so that he can reach forward toward me.

I’m not sure what he’s doing, but I’m not stopping him; I’m letting him do what he wants, at least for now.

He lightly touches my chin and slides his hand up my cheek so that he is holding it gently in the palm of his hand.

“Do you know how beautiful you are to me, Autumn?” He whispers.

W-what? That was the last thing I was expecting him to say to me.

“What are you talking about?”

I’m so stunned that it’s the only thing I can ask. There were many things I knew Atticus would try to say to me, but I didn’t expect this to be the first words to come out of his mouth.

“Even before our marriage was announced, even before we got closer to each other, to me, you’ve always been beautiful. To me, you’ve always been a threat to my peace.”

My lips part.

A threat to his peace? What did he mean by that? How could I possibly be a threat to his peace?

“A threat to your peace?” I asked; I wanted him to explain more.

He nods, “yes, a threat to my peace. I kept my distance from you because I always felt something around you that terrified me. I don’t know how to f*****g describe it. But all I can say is that it’s threatened my peace; that’s why even before we got married, I kept my distance from you. Even though you were Anya’s closest friend, I chose to stay away from you for my own good.”

I’m not sure how to feel about this. He wasn’t making any sense to me. His feelings for me terrified him? And did this mean that he had feelings for me even while he was with Anya? What kind of feelings were they?

“You’re the most beautiful woman in my eyes, and you’ll continue to be the most beautiful woman for the rest of my life.”

My heart skips a beat, and I don’t want it to. Does this mean he wasn’t angry that I’d loved him while he was with Anya?

His gaze drops to my lips, “there are so many things that I want to say to you. So many things that I want to explain. But I’m afraid that you won’t believe me even if I told you. I’ll spend every day proving how much you mean to me.”

He has left me speechless; what could I say to that? He slowly drops his hand from my cheek and turns the jeep back onto the road.

It doesn’t take long to get back home, and when we do, his parents are waiting for us. I’m surprised when his mother pulls me into a long hug. “Thank you, Autumn. Thank you for protecting my son.”

I freeze; how did they know that I protected him? Did he tell them everything that had happened?

“Atticus told us that you stood before him, not once considering your safety. You’ve proven we made the right choice by choosing you for our son.” His father praises me.

I look at him, and I can tell he kept the part about me using magic from his parents.

“You are so brave for what you did.” His mother tells me. “I’m so proud of you. You’re a wonderful addition to our family. Thank you, Autumn. Thank you for being the woman I’m happy that my son got married to. You both have a bright future ahead of you.”

They weren’t the only ones; Clarissa held me tight, thanking me. She also said that she had something important to tell me.

“Autumn needs her rest.” Atticus cuts in. “Everyone can talk to her tomorrow when she wakes up.”

I peer up at him in shock. Since when did Atticus care if I needed to rest?

Clarissa sighs, “it’s the one time I agree with him. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. Get your rest, Autumn; you deserve it after today.”

I was curious; it seemed like good news. She looked excited to tell me about it.

Atticus waited for me to join him in the bedroom, and I didn’t know what to think of this sudden change in his behavior. I knew I had to be careful because of how much he affected my heart.

He opens my drawer, chooses my nightgown, and starts the bath for me. What did this mean? What was he trying to do? Was he trying to be nice to me because of everything? I didn’t want his sympathy.

After I bathed and got dressed for bed, Atticus did the same.

We were both lying on the bed, and neither of us was saying a single word.

It was just like last night, only much, much different. Now Atticus knew that I was in love with him. Now he knew how quickly my heart beats and only for him. The truth was out in the open and screaming in my face. Was this another night when I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep? Would I ever be able to get a good night’s rest again? The way I saw it, things would always be uncomfortable between us.

“Autumn.” Atticus tries once more. There is desperation in his voice, and this time I want to know what he has to say to me.

He’d called me beautiful before; I didn’t ever once think that Atticus considered me to be beautiful, let alone the most beautiful woman in the world.

My breath hitches when he moves closer to me, so our bodies are inches apart. He knows how much his closeness would affect me; he knows everything. It makes me feel even more vulnerable than before. I know he’s listening to how my heart raced while near him.

His nose is under my ear, he’s inhaling the mark he left on me, and I can feel how happy it makes him that it’s still there. How happy it makes him that I didn’t put perfume over it tonight.

I’d listened to him even though I was tempted to test his patience. I loved when he got all hot and bothered because of me. I always wanted to have him on his toes around me.

“What are you doing, Atticus?” I ask in a breathy manner. Now it was my turn to be affected by his actions. He knew exactly what he was doing to me. He knew how much it made me want him. He knew it would make me forget about everything I’d promised myself in order to stay away from him. He was intentionally messing with my mind and heart.

“Autumn,” he whispers as he gently cups my cheek in his hand while still leaning into my neck. I can feel my pores rise from the way he said my name.

I swallow without answering him.

“Let me love you.” He begs. “Please.”