Bound by Obsession (Shadowed Souls #2)

26. Chapter Twenty Six

L eaning my head on Avery’s shoulder, I watch Nixon retreat upstairs. The entire time he was speaking, the weight of his secrets were visible in the stress lines etched into his face. He’s retiring for a shower and nap before he leaves once again. Leaves us here to fend for ourselves.

How have I been so blind? So willing to accept inconsistencies over the years. My first instinct is man, I sure caught a lucky break. Watching Wyatt glare at Avery across the table, listening to Nixon try to justify his actions. Then came the dawning that Avery’s birth father, my birth father , is stalking her, intent on bringing her more pain and suffering.

Whereas, I had a mom who raised me with more love than I could have ever asked for. She gave me all of her time, her full attention and that’s something the Hughes’ money could never buy. This is why she left so quickly without saying goodbye. Like ripping off the band aid, she thought after I heard Nixon’s truth, I would disown her. The opposite couldn’t be more true. All I want to do is wrap my arms around my mom and thank her.

Once the weight of the day settles, Avery and I retreat to our room. The guys wanted to comfort her, offering me small understanding smiles. I just wanted my head to stop spinning. Dropping onto the bed, I shudder as Avery digs her backpack out from beneath the bed. She pulls out Cathy’s old diary and nestles in close.

“I’ve read this cover to cover a hundred times,” she tells me. “But maybe now we know, you should reread it with me?” I nod tentatively. Creaking the spine, Avery opens the first page, settling into my side. We fit together like missing halves of a whole. It’s so obvious, so natural. Something we’ve done a thousand times before, but has never held so much meaning. Swallowing hard, I gaze upon the words of a woman I only knew as Mrs. Hughes up until now.

I’m pregnant. With twins. And they aren’t Nixon’s.

It feels harsh to admit, but it’s my reality. From the outside, my life seemed perfect—successful career, beautiful home, a husband who once adored me. But our marriage has been crumbling for years. Nixon withdrew long before this, spending more time at the office than with me. We’ve become strangers, barely touching on anything beyond appearances.

Then Freddie came into my life. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but he made me feel alive again—seen, desired, like the woman I used to be. I know it was wrong, but I can’t regret it completely, especially not with the babies growing inside me. I already love them more than I can explain.

Nixon knows the twins aren’t his, though he hasn’t said it. There’s a coldness in his eyes, a distance between us that feels permanent. We’re both avoiding the inevitable conversation, neither willing to start it.

I don’t know what happens next. I want to beg him to stay for the sake of the children, but how can I ask that knowing the truth? I made my choices, and now I have to live with them. All I can hope is that these babies will one day forgive me for the mistakes I’ve made.

Avery kisses my forehead, jarring me from staring into the distance and refocusing on the page. Cathy makes it sound so simple. An ignored wife, an accidental pregnancy. Except nothing about Cathy’s life was simple. She’s known worldwide, her reputation carefully crafted to seem warm, content and charitable. And all she cared about was if Nixon would stick around to continue that illusion.

“ Freddie ,” Avery shudders. “It makes me physically sick to know she actually fell for that psychopath.”

“Mmm,” I purse my lips. “And to know that psychopath is our dad.” A moment of dreaded silence falls, suddenly lifted by a small smile to Avery’s lips.

“Fuck me, you’re my sister Meg.” As if the notion has just hit her, Avery squeals and throws herself onto me. The diary hits the floor with a thud, instantly forgotten. I suspect it isn’t needed anymore, not when the past Avery has been chasing is right here. I’m right here. The other half of her soul, the sister she always wished she had.

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she peppers kisses in my hair. I can’t help but laugh, the sound muffled in Avery’s shoulder as she clings to me. Her excitement is infectious, even though the truth that has just been uncovered is still sinking in. The sister I never knew I had. The father we never wanted. The mother whose perfect life was anything but.

Avery pulls back just enough to cup my face, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “We’re in this together now, okay? No more secrets.”

I nod slowly, playing catch up on the implications of what ‘we’re in this together now’ really means. Avery’s expression is filled with joy and hope, and that’s how I know she hasn’t fully understood what this means for me. If my birthright becomes public knowledge, I’ll be in Fredrick’s firing line too. He’s been looking for me.

It feels like everything has shifted in an instant. The life I thought I knew, the family I thought I had—it’s all been rewritten by one man’s declaration and a few crumpled pages. But to Avery, she’s no longer alone in this. She has someone to share the burden with, someone who’s soon to be in the exact same position of being forced out of college and chased across country.

I don’t want that. I love my life.

Avery wipes a tear from my cheek with the pad of her thumb, mistaking it for the hollow realization that it actually is. Her voice is softer now. “I wish things were different. I wish Cathy had told us everything from the start, that we could’ve been with each other sooner.”

I lower my gaze, my heart heavy. Is it selfish of me to understand why Nixon wanted to keep us apart, to keep the attention off of me? Yeah, it really fucking is. “I know. But we’re here now.” My chest expands and falls but I feel nothing but hollowness inside.

We sit there in the artificial light of our bedroom, surrounded by the ghosts of a past we didn’t ask for. The air is thick with everything unsaid, my stomach knotting from the tension. My mind keeps drifting back to Nixon, though. The burdens he’s carried for twenty-one years and is still trying to run from.

“What do we do now?” I ask quietly, more to myself than Avery. The gravity of the situation presses down on me, and suddenly, I feel small again, like a child lost in someone else’s nightmare.

Avery takes a deep breath and shrugs, a familiar defiant smile flickering across her face. One I’ve seen in the mirror many times. “To be honest, I could eat.”

I laugh again, this time a little less hollow. As if I forgot how brave my twin is. How used to these turbulent twists and turns she’s become, that now it’s second nature. She’s still the exact same person she was this morning and will continue to be. Considering I’m normally the more confident one out of us, I really need to step back and take Avery’s lead on this.

“Okay, yeah. Let’s get food.” It feels good to shift the focus, even just for a minute. Avery hops off the bed, her infectious energy pulling me along as I follow her down both flights of stairs. We step into the kitchen, where the air still feels heavy and stale from our recent family meeting. The faint scent of old coffee lingers, toying with me. Except I can’t get to the machine because Wyatt is leaning on the counter in front of it, holding a cup in hand.

His sharp, unreadable eyes flick up as we enter, and the tension thickens instantly. The weight of his judgment settles over us like an invisible fog. I watch him intently as he moves like a predator, retrieving his bag and stopping in front of us. A vein protrudes from his temple, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack a tooth. Pure hatred is swirling in his green eyes, and it all seems to be directed solely at me.

Leaning close, Wyatt puts us nose to nose. “Don’t expect my protection to extend to you. I can only handle watching over one helpless fake sister at a time.”

I don’t know what Wyatt was expecting, maybe a curtsey or for me to scurry away in floods of tears, but the shock in his face says it definitely wasn’t the full powered shove to his chest making him take a step back. Even Avery gasps and grabs for me, knowing I’d take a swing if I felt like it. I understand his world has been flipped upside down and he’s no longer sitting high up on his titanium pedestal, but I’m not meek and it’s best he realizes that from the start. Wyatt can’t intimidate me.

Dax materializes between us, holding Wyatt at bay as he tries to advance on me again. He rams his shoulder into his friend, those haunted irises glued to me the whole time. Something has changed within him. Avery and I have always known he’s a moody shitbag, but physical violence has never been one of his traits.

A hand wraps around my wrist, Axel gently tugging me away. Wyatt growls like an animal, practically frothing at the mouth as I allow myself to be removed from his firing line, pulling Avery with me. As soon as we are clear, Wyatt twists to throw his fist into the nearest wall before shoving past Dax and storming upstairs on thunderous feet.

“And here I was, thinking he’d be rolling out the welcome banner for his new sis,” I deadpan. Realizing Axel is still holding my wrist, I shake out of his grip and eye them all suspiciously. Dax has moved into the threshold between the two rooms, his hands clasped in front of him like a warden overseeing his prisoners. And then there’s Garrett, the polar opposite as usual, swinging his legs back and forth whilst sitting on the kitchen counter. A huge grin reaches from ear to ear, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Here,” Avery hands me a banana and ushers me into the living room. “Keep Huxley company while we make dinner for everyone.” I only now notice him sitting on the long sofa since he is unnervingly still, staring at the opposite wall. His pale cheeks are surprisingly hollow, no hint of the smile he used to permanently wear. Crossing the room, I take the armchair on the far side so I can watch Avery and Dax’s dynamic. Looking over to my companion he doesn’t acknowledge me as I clear my throat.

“Rough couple of weeks, huh?” is all I can think to say. No response. Wow, someone is a barrel of laughs. Sitting back against the cushions, I unpeel my banana and turn my attention to Avery instead. She is currently washing lettuce while Dax’s biceps ripple in time with his vigorous cheese grating. He flicks a strand of cheese at her, landing in her hair as she giggles and flicks water onto his face.

A topless Axel hops down the stairs, only to find himself in the middle of a food fight. Grabbing her around the waist from behind, Avery squeals as Axel spins her in time for a handful of coriander to hit his bare back. Arming himself with a chopping board as a shield and a spatula as a sword, Axel advances on Dax who fails to dodge the spatula spank he receives on his backside.

Huffing at the sound of Avery’s giggles, Huxley pushes himself to his feet and leaves swiftly.

“It was nice talking to you,” I call after him, unable to resist. He doesn’t glance back, opening the front door and slamming it shut behind himself. “Well, fuck me I guess.” I mutter. Garrett jumps over the back of the sofa to land on his side, his hand beneath his head as he watches me take a bite of my banana.

“A few months ago, I would have taken that as an invitation,” he smirks.

“What changed?” I ask out of curiosity. His eyes slide to the group messing about in the kitchen, his attention pinpointed on Avery in the center and I have my answer. Drawing my legs beneath myself and covering them with a blanket, I settle in to watch as well. None of this evening’s revelations are evident in her sparkling blue eyes, in her wide smile. That’s what sets Avery apart from everyone else. Her whole world can be falling into chaos, but she’ll find happiness in the smallest of places. I truly believe it’s what pulled her through the horrific childhood I was seemingly spared.

“She’s always been like that, you know?” I mumble. Garrett doesn’t look my way but his ears prick up.

“Like what?”

“A paradox. Avery says she hates crowds and people, hiding away any chance she gets, but everyone she meets is drawn to her. She’s magnetic.” The outline of a smile tugs at Garrett’s cheek as he slowly cracks his knuckles.

“Well as long as those drawn to her keep their hands to themselves, I won’t have to become a master at breaking fingers beyond repair.” Turning to face me at last, Garrett’s grin has taken on a manic edge.

I try not to smile back but I can’t seem to figure Garrett out. Usually, I’d write him off as a self-centered jackoff. But for some reason, I like him. It’s the way he breaks all of his own rules for Avery, how he listens to her, adapts for her. How much he clearly has feelings for her, even though I doubt he’s recognized them yet.

The others in the kitchen have returned to preparing a meal. In record time, they are transferring plates to the dining table so I move over to the table. Garrett rushes past, shoving me off the chair I try to take at the head of the table. Opting for the next one closest, the smell of spices and onion fill the room. A stack of fajitas takes pride of place, surrounded by chopped salad, both meat and veggie fillings and a range of condiments.

While all of the men present take a seat with me, Avery remains standing, preparing a plate and carrying it outside. Tracking her beyond the windows, I watch Avery sit with Huxley, who is now on the wooden swinging seat. He still doesn’t smile or outwardly show any type of joy, but he leans in and takes a bite of the food she offers him. They eat together in silence, quietly sharing and enjoying each other’s company.

My scoff and eye roll doesn’t go unnoticed. My cheeks heat as the three men around the table immediately shift their attention toward me. “I’m sorry, I know he’s your friend and everything. I get the appeal with the rest of you but…I just don’t get what Avery sees in him. He’s so different from the man who was so full of life at Sweetwater Creek.”

“Don’t be too hard on Huxley. He wasn’t raised with love and affection like we were.” Dax’s voice drifts across the table with a calm understanding that catches me off guard. I suck in a breath, noticing how Garrett has swiftly diverted his attention to his plate, while Axel’s thigh presses firmly against Garrett’s under the table, a silent show of support. Axel’s hazel eyes meet mine, softened with a quiet sorrow.

“When Hux cares about someone, nothing else matters but their wellbeing. He’ll do anything to ensure their happiness, which, in his mind, often means he’s better off keeping his distance. We’ve all been through it.” A round of low grunts circles the table. “He just takes a little more convincing that he’s worthy of love.”

Forcing myself to plate up and act normal, I take a bite of my fajita, noting how I barely taste anything now. The first tremors of a headache are beginning to settle in the base of my skull. I was fully prepared to be here to support Avery, providing a woman’s touch when the testosterone became overbearing. I figured Fredrick would be located and thrown back in jail for a basic parole violation, then we’d all go back to school and carry on.

But none of that is true. Nixon believes there was foul play with Cathy’s death, that Fredrick has plans to capture Avery and her twin. To torture and kill us both.

“We’re so happy you’re here with us, Meg. Avery’s been so lost without you.” Dax interrupts my spiraling, smiling kindly just as I lift my food to my mouth and take a large bite. I force myself to swallow, Dax’s words having an opposite effect to what he intended. If anything, he’s just torn a larger hole through my chest. I’m sitting with a group of men who are openly in love with my best friend, my twin, and a dull thud in my ears whispers that they’d sacrifice me for her.

Avery would never allow it, but that’s only if she knew. Dropping my food, I suddenly stand. Those three pairs of eyes are on me again, watching too closely. I’m trapped in a safe house with no phone signal, no mode of transport and nowhere to go. I’m a lamb being led to the slaughter.

The back door creaks open, and the soft sound of Avery’s voice tugs at me. “Meg?” Her words are tentative, unsure, but I can’t stop. Her plate clatters on the counter behind me as she rushes to follow. I’m moving faster, trying not to break into a full sprint, my chest tightening with every step as I rush upstairs.

In the bedroom, I collapse into her arms, burying my face in her neck as though I could disappear. My fingers cling to her shirt, and she holds me back just as fiercely. Her hand strokes up and down my spine, each movement a soothing balm to the storm raging inside me.

“Aves, I love you.” The words come out in a hoarse whisper, muffled against her hair.

“I love you too.” Avery pulls away so she can see the miserable look on my face. “But?”

“I need to leave.” I rush the words out, hoping they don’t slice through her as sharply as they do me. We’ve just truly found each other, after all of this time. Her body stiffens, her face a mixture of confusion and fear. “I’m asking you to please let me go. The only people who know about me are in this house, and my mom. I know it’s selfish, I’m sorry, but I….I still have a chance. I could go back to my life and now I understand the dangers, I can be careful.”

Her face crumbles as the impact of what I’m saying hits her. I’ve just found her, and now I’m tearing myself away again. “But we’re together and the guys will keep you safe. It’s all going to be okay.” I can see by the tears in her eyes, she doesn’t believe that. She knows I’m right.

“The men downstairs are here for you, not me. They will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, and that’s amazing. Please understand that you’ve been fighting this unknown evil for months, but I’ve just found out about it. I need some time, and I need my own support system.”

Avery’s arms loosen, though her hands still grip my shoulders. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and her bottom lip trembles.

I step back, breaking the physical connection between us, though it feels like ripping a part of myself away. Her arms drop limply to her sides, and I see the moment her hope falters. “Nixon has kept us apart for a reason,” she sighs. “I was speaking to Huxley outside, wondering why Nixon sent me to Waversea instead of Cedarbrook with you. He didn’t want to draw attention to us as a pair. And until this is all over, I think he might be right.”

Her face crumples. The tears fall freely now, the quiet sobs wracking her shoulders. Avery has always been so strong. But now, standing here, vulnerable, there’s nothing she can do to fix this. Nothing that will hold us together when I’m the one walking away.

“This is my choice, not Nixon’s,” I manage to get out, my voice hoarse. “It’s my only chance of freedom.” This seems to sober Avery in an instant. That strength is back, straightening her posture. I’ve resonated with a desire she’s had stolen from her. She’s been living in this storm for months, while I’ve just stepped into it, unprepared, raw.

That night, in the cover of pitch black, I hug my twin goodbye. She turns into the chests of the men waiting to comfort her as I slip into the back of Nixon’s car, the tears silently falling and my heart cracking in time with the engine starting. I look at the clock on the dash, watching one minute strike past midnight.

“Merry Christmas, Aves.” I whisper into my knees. “Thank you for letting me go.”