Chapter 21.

I woke with the dawn nestled in Colby’s arms, my mind swarmed with feelings both freer than they were the day before and tormented with last night’s revelations.

A protective instinct I didn’t know I held washed over me and I tightened my arms around Colby protectively. No chance in hell was I gonna allow him and Theo to return to that house of horrors he called a home.

They could both live with us at the very least. He had become my home in the past few days and there was no way I wouldn’t let him into mine.

I knew without a shadow of a doubt that both mum and dad would be welcoming if they knew the circumstances. Especially to Theo; no young child deserved to grow up in a house like that.

Looking around us the trees danced in the wind waving to us as if saying good morning.

Frankly, I had discovered this to be the best possible way to wake up - free, looking out upon nature, waking along with the sun.