"These people are some of the most well liked in this town." My social worker spoke, his head turning slightly, trying to catch my eye.

I didn't give in. I didn't want to believe him. I'd been through so much already, so much, yet so little. My life was images and pain but it came and went in snatches.

"Evelyn." I blinked and the world stood still.

The car had finally stopped in front of a large two story house, painted the light blue of a robin's egg. A cute little mint green Volkswagen Bug sat outside, next to a gleaming modern-looking Cadillac.

"Evelyn, did you hear me?" Eric's voice scratched at my ears, and finally after heaving a sigh, I turned to look at him. "You're kind of hard to ignore." I muttered.

Used to my antics, he wasn't upset at my attitude, instead put the car in park and shut it off, pausing for a moment to look at me.

"I know, I know this is going to be hard. I fought for three months to get you out of the Bronwyn's, and I assure you that you will never return to a place like that again."

I wanted to believe him, I really did. But I just couldn't.

An involuntary shiver went through my body as I fought to forget my last foster home, my eyes fluttering closed and my hands gripping the fabric seats of the car as hard as I could.

A featherlight touch on my hand had my eyes jerking open and my body flinching away. Shame burned my cheeks, I was working so hard to help my body realize that I was stronger than what those mongrels had done to me. I will rise above this.

Eric didn't move, he just let me sit here in my calculated silence. He knew from previous experience just how bad it could get if he tried to console me. It was best to just leave me be.

Finally I allowed my eyes to open, finally I turned and looked my social worker, my friend, in the eyes.

Finally I nodded my head. "Okay."

My eyes jerked open, a shudder bursting through my body as panic tightened my lungs and chased away the breath. But then the comforter shifted beside me, falling back just slightly. A sliver of copper-toned hair came into view.

Thats all it took for my breath to come rushing back in. I scooted closer, reaching my arms around the small body of my girl, pulling her to me. My breathing was still someone ragged, but Scout paid no attention to it as she burrowed into the safety of my arms.

Tears brandished my lashes, falling down my cheeks as I pressed my lips to her forehead, shaking slightly. The nightmare I had been knee deep in was unfortunately a very calculated and thought out memory. Yet just one look at this girl, and it was all gone. The weeks had passed quickly as life on the farm blossomed. Scout was progressing wonderfully with December, and even helped me coach lessons from time to time.

She would never understand how truly grateful I am for her presence in my life. Scout was hopelessly oblivious to the miracle that she is. I didn't think about the fact that my tears were dropping onto her face until a small hand palmed my cheek, brushing away the moisture. My eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of her skin on mine.

"Eve." She breathed.

"Just kiss me." I begged.

So she did.

In a blink I found myself pinned to the bed as Scout sat firmly on my pelvis, her hands holding my wrists above my head. I looked at her, my eyes wide with shock. She didn't look much better with embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

I raised a brow at her. "Well well, someone is dominant today." I smiled cheekily through my tears, laughing as she simply rolled her eyes and leaned down, connecting our lips together.

Her lips were perfect, rough and silky at the same time. We moved in perfect rhythm, her fingers tangling in my hair. My body wanted to stiffen as her fingers rubbed my scar, my brand. But I shook it away.

Scout wasn't a serial killer hell bent on murdering people who fought their whole lives to be happy.

I let out a low groan as her hips instinctively moved, her body brushing mine deliciously.

When we finally pulled apart, we were both heaving. She finally let my wrists go, and I immediately found the skin of her waist, squeezing lightly. Her forehead touched mine for a long moment.

It was a long while before either of us spoke again.

"Steaua mea." The phrase leapt unbidden to my lips, but it fit none the less.

"I love you, Scout." Her beautiful eyes twinkled back at me, bright and lively.

"I love you too, Ms. O' Brian." I raised my brows at her.

"What makes you think I'm taking your last name?" Her forehead knit together in the cutest frown.

"What's wrong with my last name?" She pouted as she slid off of me, squeezing into my side and laying her head on my stomach. I ran my fingers through her hair, my eyes half open.

I "hummed".

"Scout Thornton." I scrunched up my nose. "Okay maybe you're right."

We laughed, but the moment went serious. "What do you think about? Like, getting married. What do you want?"

"First, I want to wear an all white tux." She rolled her eyes. "And second, I want to bawl my eyes out as you walk down the isle towards me."

Scout's eyes became guarded. "How do you know that I'm the one? What if something happens and we end up not staying together?"

My eyes automatically narrowed.

"We will always be together. I know you're it for me, Scout. I've known that from the first step you took into my office."

"I knew you were checking me out behind that bitch facade' you were wearing!" She said, trying to lighten the mood. I scoffed, but my cheeks turned pink anyways as I thought back to the moment.

"I'm not going to even deny it. You always look amazing." I confessed.

Her body shook mine as she laughed. "Well, you scared the dick out of me but I was for sure checking you out. But you probably already knew that."

I did, but she didn't need to know that.

"We've never been on a first date."

My lips curled up, she would never guess what I had planned for this evening. "Oh trust me, draga inima, I know."

~~~

"Where are we going?" Scout laughed as she tugged at her blindfold. I lightly slapped her hands away, chuckling as she shrieked in response.

"Ow!"

"Quit trying to ruin the surprise." I scolded. She huffed and jutted out her bottom lip, opening up the opportunity for me to kiss her.

Call me obsessed, but I am so in love with this girl.

I led her to the spot I'd picked, and spun her around so her back was to the surprise.

"What are you-" I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her, hard, cutting off her words. I love the way her arms dropped to my sides immediately, secure in her safety with me.

As we pulled away I slid the blindfold off of her eyes, a grin working my mouth as I saw her eyes squeezed shut. I turned her slowly, until she was facing away from me.

"Okay, you can look now."

I couldn't see her face, but I felt her body inhale as she choked back the gasps. "Oh."

I lifted my own eyes to face the scene before me, speaking as I did so. "After I had become acquainted with Brian and Ellory, I still had a lot of trust issues. Ellory came to me one night, carrying a glass bottle in her hands along with some paper. She looked me dead in the eyes and said to me; "Evelyn, I know that you're tough, that you think you don't need anybody. I won't tell you that you're wrong. I don't know what you've been through but I refuse to baby you."

My eyes closed for a second as I immersed myself in the memory. "From then on whenever I had a good thought about myself or the world around me, I put it in a glass bottle. Before I knew it, I had hundreds of them stored away in the garage." Tears burned behind my eyes.

"When they died, I packed them all away. But when I came here, I found this tree," walking around her and towards the tree I spoke of. The bottles were brilliant in the light, rainbows of color danced around the structure of the huge treehouse my father had built me.

"Collin built this for me when it became apparent that I couldn't function inside a house for a little while. I hung every bottle, every memory, around this tree. In their memory."

The scene was as majestic as I'd ever seen it. The tree was a large and twisty oak, stretching nearly twenty five feet above us. The treehouse was made of white wood, delicate yet strong. A wrap around porch secured the space. I felt for the first time, peaceful in this space.

Behind the house was a lake, not a large one, but it was beautiful none the less. A few paces away was a little gazebo decorated with twinkling lights and equipped with a circular mattress, piled high with blankets and pillows. The ceiling was open and allowed us to look at the stars.

Scout turned to face me, tears falling down her face. "This is incredible." She breathed as she took my face in her hands. Heat blossomed through my face at her touch.

"I know that sometimes I am not open with you. I know that I need to be better. Scout," I burned my gaze into hers, not allowing myself to look away. "You are my forever, and when you are ready, I am going to make that official."

She pulled my face to hers, "Deal," she spoke before crushing her lips to mine.

❤️😊

❤️