Escaped Daughter (Morrigan University #1)

13

Kelton

The first time I laid eyes on Bevin, she was so beautiful that I stopped in my tracks. My body just stopped walking as if saying I could not move on from the most gorgeous woman I’d ever laid eyes on and like I needed to make sure she was real. My buddy crashed into my back and the group with me sort of piled up.

I apologized with a chuckle, trying to brush it off, but one of them caught what was going on and snorted. I looked at him and he told me I had no chance with the oddball freshman princess. Apparently, she was a super bitch who thought she was better than everyone and didn’t even bother with others.

I frowned and glanced back at the breathtaking woman who had her head buried in a book while sitting outside by the big owl on campus. She glanced up and in our direction, and I was struck stupid by her gorgeous doe eyes. I couldn’t tell the color from so far away but fuck, she was unreal.

She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, almost like she was appreciating the moment before opening them again and focusing back on her book. My friends moved on and the spell was broken, but my gaze seemed to try and find her from that moment… And I was very sure people had her wrong.

She didn’t seem pompous. If anything, she appeared shy. She didn’t plow through crowds but seemed to divert around them. Her strides were confident, but she didn’t act like others should move for her. That wasn’t how a bitch would act. And a few times groups seemed to approach and she merely adjusted course.

Almost as if she didn’t register them, simply something was there.

I understood why people said she was odd though. She was, but I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Odd was just odd .

I had an easier time in life as a man, I knew that. I wasn’t stupid. I was also pretty easygoing and let a lot roll off of me which made most people like me. I tended to be a bit too nice with women and a doormat, but I got along with people. I was decent-looking, and people were nicer to attractive people.

Sad, but true, and society sucked as a whole, but I recognized that was life.

I wasn’t ignorant and rolled with things to make my life easier and just get through the day and school.

Bevin didn’t seem to be the same. If anything, she gave off the impression of… Not alien, but she frowned sometimes, not like she was upset, but almost like something didn’t make sense? It was odd, and I found myself watching her more than just because she was smokin’ hot.

Like ridiculously hot. Having seen her up close now, I couldn’t get over she was real. She had a figure that was like she just stepped off an airbrushed photoshoot. It wasn’t nice, but I did understand why jealous women kept calling her Barbie.

I got annoyed when the others called her a princess or Bimbo Barbie. I really didn’t think that was who she was. I didn’t think Bevin was stupid, simply not… Maybe ignorant as to how school worked? Sometimes she seemed surprised by things in the cafeteria or the way people moved, how loud they were or—things that were totally normal to me.

And it wasn’t obvious. It was because I watched her.

Always.

Constantly.

Over the line probably.

But there was a mystery there, and after I saw her get overwhelmed a few times, I knew I had to get the answers. So when I saw her walk into the coffee shop, I knew I had to take the chance and talk to her.

Funny how that worked out… But wow, could that woman run. Holy shit could she run. There was no chance I was catching her if she took off from me.

I just hoped she liked the feeling of being in my arms as much as I would never forget how holding her felt.

Maybe next time we could do it without the panic attack? That would be nice.

But a miracle happened, and the prettiest girl in the world agreed to go on a date with me… And without the normal games. Right away even.

Praise the gods.

My phone rang as I finished my shower getting ready for my date with Bevin. I saw it was my older brother Kevin and swiped to answer.

“Hey, bro, I can’t talk long,” I greeted.

“School just started and already you’re bogged down?” he worried.

“Nope, I’ve got a date with the hottest woman in the world,” I bragged.

Kevin snorted. “Yeah, sure you do.”

“Hey, nice to have my back. I do. We’re grabbing dinner.”

He was quiet a moment. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” I sighed when he was still quiet. “Come on, I’m not that much of—”

“We’re both a bit of a momma’s boy and not very assertive with women,” he mumbled. “Not judging, just being real. Good for you though.”

I sat down heavily on my bed. “It was good timing more than I was smooth. She had a panic attack and I was useful.” I explained the situation and admitted I was a bit worried I was in over my head.

“Hey, you’re the right person for her after she was attacked because you’re not the normal bro college guy, Kel,” he comforted. “Just be aware and conscious of what she’s been through. Even at dinner. Check before you pass her things. Don’t touch her drink. It will be something that’s a thing for a while or will pop up after you both think it’s long over. Poor woman.”

“Yeah, that helps, thanks.”

“Good job on the panic attack. Nice that you listen when I talk.”

I snorted. He could take credit, but our dad had been big on showing us that kind of stuff since we were young. He and Mom always made it clear that knowing what to do when there was a problem saved time and lives.

And yourself pain later. Bevin hadn’t been in danger in that moment, but the bullshit she could have endured later if the wrong people saw her going through a panic attack was… Yeah, pain.

“So what’s up?” I asked him, remembering that he’d actually called me. I was worried when he sighed.

“I was going to ask if you could maybe pick up another shift helping out Ma, but I doubt it if you’re starting to date someone.”

“I probably still could. Why are you asking me though? Talk to me,” I pushed, curious what I was missing.

“She did that thing where she almost talked to me like an adult but then remembered I was her son and tried to brush it off like she was just mentioning it in passing,” Kevin grumbled. “I get it, we’ll always be her little boys, but I’m fucking twenty-five. I hate my bosses too. I’m not stupid.”

I rolled my eyes. “And I’ve worked with her bosses. I know they’re tools.” And I didn’t need three guesses as to what was going on. “They added more clients to her already overloaded schedule and won’t add someone full-time to her team.”

Yup,” he confirmed, even making game show bell noises like I’d won a prize for guessing right. “I was hoping if it was a part-timer like you since you cost less and bust your ass…”

“Yeah, I get you,” I agreed. “Or I might have a friend. Ma could say they could take on one more job for a night if they had a part-timer for that day. That’s not the same as a full-timer, but it would really cut through their workload.”

“Yeah, if the person actually worked and didn’t just fake it like that one woman on her team.”

“The manager’s niece ,” I drawled, nodding when Kevin groaned. I was more tapped in having worked with Ma’s crew. He didn’t even know that and how she ran to her uncle for every little thing and made Ma have to deal with all kinds of bullshit.

We talked for a bit more as I hurried to pick out a shirt and get dressed. I told him that I’d do my best and keep him in the loop, also I was glad he came to me instead of all of us trying to save each other’s feelings or not wanting to be a burden.

I was glad when it was clear that he heard me and that I wasn’t a kid anymore either. Our family was just the three of us, and the world was too harsh for us not to work together and protect each other.

“Hey, call me when the date’s over and let me know,” Kevin said as I was about to hang up.

“Don’t be weird,” I drawled.

“Shut up, stupid,” he chuckled. “Not like that. “I just—I’m rooting for you. Plus, I forgot what it’s like to be on a date. Let me live vicariously.”

I laughed and promised I would, hanging up with him and heading out.

And then the date happened. Bevin was… Everything.

She was smart, funny, beautiful , and really, really complicated. Like seriously complicated.

But I was damn sure she was worth it. The puzzle just didn’t add up. There was more to her than the surface or even the fear in her eyes when she talked about her family.

The connection was unreal. It wasn’t simply the physical or the sparks between us. When she caught me checking out her chest like a perv, the fact she unbuttoned her shirt a bit was so… Gods, it was just everything.

Only because it was her. If it had been someone else, I wouldn’t have reacted that way. I knew that deep in my heart. I would have been too embarrassed or not liked feeling like they’d maybe mocked me? I wasn’t sure, but it was because of our connection that it had been the perfect move.

And yes, I absolutely went back to my room and jacked off twice thinking about her perfect fucking body. The way my hand felt against her lower back as I led her out of the restaurant. How her breasts rubbed and pressed against my chest when we hugged. How soft her skin was when she kissed my cheek.

All of it.

Gods, I wanted her. I’d never wanted someone the way I wanted her.

I didn’t know it was possible to want someone the way I wanted her. It felt almost obsessive. No, not that negative. I ached for her and more than just lust; I wanted to hold her. I wanted her in my bed, in my arms, and to hold her all night.

Fuck. I was so fucking sunk.

I cleaned up and was ready for a long night thinking of her when I saw a message from my brother telling me not to blow it. I winced.

I hadn’t, right? I winced again.

She probably wanted me to kiss her goodnight instead of me wanting to see her breasts. That would have been the better move.

“Shit,” I hissed, scrubbing my hand over my face. Then I groaned as I thought about how I pushed her at the restaurant, grilled her about the background check and more before she was ready. The awkward pauses from her and the looks full of disappointment and grief like she thought we weren’t going to work out.

And that was before I was an asshole about her picking up the check.

Fuck. Just… Fuck .

I called Kevin, and I wanted to groan at how he answered.

“Yeah, so dates don’t end that fast,” he drawled. “Even I remember that much, dork.”

“No, that part was planned.” I cleared my throat when he snorted. “No, really. She—it was her first date and she admitted that. She said just dinner would be less pressure, not on the weekend when more people would be out, and the dorms have different rules about the hours and people—”

“She had an out in case you guys didn’t click. Smart girl. Good for her.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. Especially since—I don’t think she’s normal.”

“Okayyyy, weird thing to say about your own date.”

I sighed and rubbed my hand over my face. “No, I mean—I was a jerk and pushed.” I let out a huff and told him a bit. Not much and definitely not enough to betray Bevin, but I was honest that she pulled a background check on us. Millen wasn’t her real last name, some basics like that.

And that I didn’t handle it well.

“Look, that’s rough, and as much as I want to tell you to be young and have fun, to not get involved with complicated when you’re so young—”

“I’m old enough to—”

“You are, that’s what I’m saying, so let me finish,” he cut in, sighing when I shut up. “You are young. Hell, I’m young, Kel. That’s what I’m saying.” He let out a slow breath. “Look, Ma never talks about her family or parents, and I was a bit older, so I know more, but I don’t know why, you get me?”

“Yeah, I know enough to know it’s not good there,” I muttered. “I heard Dad call Grandpa a sexist piece of shit once.”

“Right, but it’s more than that and bad. That’s all I know. A few months before Dad died, you were at a friend’s house and Ma got a call. She was a mess. I think they tried to contact us or maybe one of them died and… I don’t know. Not the point, and Ma will tell us if she’s ever ready.”

“Yeah, I don’t care about those people,” I admitted, knowing we both felt that way. If they mistreated Ma, they were dead to us.

“Dad had a few too many drinks after Ma settled down and went to bed. You were sleeping over so it was fine. He was out on the porch, and he said to me that he was glad he didn’t walk away. He never regretted not walking away. I asked him what he meant. He told me that even though they were so young and things were complicated with Ma, he didn’t walk away.

“That his friends told him to find another girl and he didn’t need one with a messed-up family. His parents didn’t want him with bad in-laws. Ma had issues because of her fucked-up family. It was too much for them when just dating. That he thought about it, but he looked at her and knew in his gut he would regret walking away from her.

“And now he knew he made the right choice. All these years later he was glad he made the right choice even if it was hard at times. He loved her and she was everything and she gave him us and we were everything. That it had been the right choice.” He got a bit choked up and I wiped my eyes as well.

“You never told me that,” I rasped.

“He died right after and our worlds have been—we’ve been living in grief ever since, Kel,” he whispered. “I honestly forgot until you said she’s complicated and her family is too messed up. It made me feel like I was talking with Dad.” He cleared his throat. “Look, nothing is easy in finding the right fit.

“You’ll meet women who won’t want to date the family of a cop. Or a momma’s boy. I know that one well. They’ll look down on Ma being a fucking cleaner. There are tons of things we have too. Right or not, it’s the world. Right or not that we’re talking about her issues after the first date, it’s life. That’s not the issue here.”

“What is?” I hedged.

“Will you regret walking away?” he asked gently.

My stomach immediately soured at the idea of not having another date with Bevin. “Yeah, I’d regret walking away.”

“Then you accept she’s got issues, and you do your best to help her with them. As long as that’s the answer, you accept it. If that changes, you walk away. It’s that simple. You don’t throw them in her face or use it as ammo in the relationship. That’s toxic. She can’t use them against you either. That’s abusive.”

“No, she was apologetic and offered me an off-ramp a few times,” I muttered.

“Then listen to her because it seems like she gets it. You’ve got a good head, Kelton. Listen to it.”

I frowned when he snorted. “What? What was that?”

“No, I just think a momma’s boy might be the right person for someone like you’re describing.”

“I don’t get it,” I admitted after a moment.

“I’ve seen victims of abuse—too often already. They need people to move at their pace and be understanding. Yeah, that’s you, and you’re easygoing. They need people not aggressive. Check. Patient. Check. Willing to put in effort. Check. Like, you’re looking good here, bro. If she’s as hot as you say and will have other attention, you will be ahead with your personality.”

“I’m not exaggerating her looks, Kev. Legit, I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in person. She looks better than airbrushed models. I didn’t know women could be that hot. And when she smiles at me, it’s like… Everything feels better. I have to smile too. It’s infectious and just—I melt.”

“Oh boy, you sunk, bro.”

“I so am,” I groaned as I fell back to my bed. “But I was pushy and a dick about her picking up the check.”

“I like her better that she treats you right if she’s got issues,” Kev chuckled. “You drove and she bought dinner. Good for her being an equalist. Something you say you are . So yeah, bad Kelton.”

I groaned deeper, feeling more like an asshole.

Which made my brother laugh.

“What do I do now?”

“My answer is going to be a bit counterintuitive because I just yelled at you for being pushy, but what I’ve found most with people who were abused by their families is they need a bit of pushy.”

“Yeah, that sounds like you’re setting me up to fail,” I drawled.

“Show up and keep showing up,” he elaborated. “If she doesn’t have friends or anyone to rely on, hasn’t had anyone to rely on, that’s what she needs most. Don’t be annoying, but let her know you’ll be there. So not pushy, but be there at the cafeteria. Walk her to class. Ask if she needs help. Just be there. That’s what people need. All of us.”

“You good, Kev?” I asked after a moment, worried about what he was saying as much as I was grateful for the advice.

“Stressed and maybe need a weekend off,” he grumbled. “A better place to harvest magic. My familiar is having a rough time and—work is… I’m struggling, but I’ll figure it out. So not the point. I can handle it. Help me worry less about Ma and I can figure it out.”

“Yeah, that I can do, and I think Ma will like her which could help Bevin too,” I muttered, liking the plan.

And I would try and find a place for Kevin to harvest magic. I was pissed he didn’t have a place as a cop. For real. They used their magic in the line of duty, so that was fucking stupid.

I refused to lose my brother like I lost my dad. Not when I could help.