Criminal(45)

The drive is long, giving me ample time to fret about what I'm doing. What choices I'm making.

I could've just flown, but I was afraid that I'd get there and be stuck with no way out, and I wanted options. That was worth the extra time.

Plus, it gave me an opportunity to mull over in my head precisely what I'm going to say to him. Or, more accurately, what he's planning on saying to me.

He wouldn't invite you all the way out here if it wasn't for a good reason, I remind myself, and I know it's true.

For all the things I could say about Kaiden, he wouldn't waste my time and my energy like this unless it was important. He has something planned, I just don't know what.

He made it pretty clear that being with him is too dangerous for me to handle, and now that I have a baby on the way?

Do I really want to get involved with the life he leads?

But then, he did go back to the old home, away from all of his 'friends' and associates, and he gave away his nest egg. But wouldn't that just make him want to break the law more?

I didn't bother asking what job he was working at when I came to see him because I was afraid of the answer.

Is that the life you want, Abigail? I ask myself, and I don't honestly know the answer to that. I'm getting close to the lake, and the beauty of the location manages to quiet my thoughts for a few blissful moments. There's a certain serenity to it, a peacefulness, and excitement and fear can't completely quash that.

We never had a cabin up here, we weren't as lucky as that, but there was a rental that our parents' friends had once in a while at the east end of the lake, and I drove the mildly familiar roads towards it.

I had dressed in a simple pair of pants and a sweater, knowing the lake would be cool this time of year, but I have the window down, the breeze blowing in my face. I never managed to get used to the brown hair and went back to blonde once more a few days after I saw Kaiden.

Maybe he just reminded me of who I was, and I like that girl. I don't want to be someone else.

And for all he's done... I don't want him to be someone else either.

But when I pull up in the driveway, and see him standing there in a fitted suit, my mouth hangs open in shock.

He still has the tattoos, still has the piercings and that deadly seductive glint in his eyes, but he's cleaned up, his hair slicked back, and my panties instantly grow wetter.

"Fucking Kaiden," I mutter to myself under my breath as he comes to the door, opening it for me and offering me his hand.

"Princess," he greets me, his dark voice so rich and alluring, "your Prince Charming has been waiting."

I have to bite down on my lower lip to keep it from trembling, blinking more rapidly to keep the tears from building in the corner of my eyes. The sun is beginning to set, the clouds in the sky turning beautiful pink and purples, only highlighting how much like a fairy tale this feels like.

He wraps his fingers within mine, guiding me towards the boat that waited for us at the docks. It isn't the same one that we'd been in all those years ago, but it's close. Small and intimate.

He hands me a life jacket, and I laugh, but the look he gives me says not to protest, and I put it on, watching him do the same. It's funny to me to see him being so cautious, especially after all we've been through.

He helps me into the boat, following after me, our knees brushing against one another's as he begins to row us out. He's been silent, and I don't know what to say. I'm a bit apprehensive about being away from dry land, but the water is a brilliant purple, the color of the sky reflected back at us, trees all around and giving us some privacy.

It's not until we're a good ways from shore that he puts aside the oars and looks at me earnestly.

"I owe you an explanation."

"You do," I say, though I'm having a harder time being upset with him.

His being my Prince Charming, my hero... it brings back so many powerful memories, so many memories I'd tried to bury over the years.

"I thought I was protecting you. That's why I ran. This time, the last time... I didn't want to corrupt you, drag you down with me, Abby. Look at me. I'm a mess without you," he says, nervously running his hand through his hair. It's endearing to see him so addled, though I try not to show it.

Instead, I just stare, waiting for him to continue.

"When I left, you were still just a kid. It would've been wrong to stay, to believe that there could've been something between us."

"I was fifteen, Kaiden," I say with a roll of my eyes, "and you were only eighteen. We were both just kids."

"Yea, well, most people aren't going to look at it that way. Especially since... us... we were never supposed to be. Can you imagine what our parents would have said?"

"I try not to," I admit.

"Exactly! And the people of the town? They'd look at me like I was some... predator. So I left, I did the right thing, Abby. I wanted to give you a chance, to be your own person. To find a guy your own age and..."