On the drive home, I thought about the recent events in my life. There has always been something in my mind telling me to walk away from Seth's case. Something also told me this would be my goodbye to the past. If I prosecuted him, that would be the final door needing to be closed from my past.

Then I realized there is nothing that can make my past go away. What happened to me will always be etched into my mind. Instead of running away, I need to create a new life. I needed to create a life that didn't make me question my happiness. I wanted so badly to be the person I used to be and go back to the life I used to have, but I am looking at the person I am now and the life I have at this moment, and they are way better.

Recovery has been nothing more than wanting to be the person I was before my sexual assault. I realized I don't want to be her. She was the girl who would have never stuck up for herself. She was the same girl who refused to be verbal about being uncomfortable. That girl was scared. This woman isn't. That girl would have turned down every opportunity in fear. This woman refuses to say no to growing.

Every day I wish what happened to me didn't happen, but I will never be able to change that. In the end, with the love and support from people I now call family, I can accept that life back then wasn't as good as it is now. I have everything I ever wished for.

This new life I have built for myself is built on stability and power. In this house, my foundation was strong. It is built on self-growth and recognition of myself. When I think about my life now, I have surrounded myself with people who want to see me succeed. Surrounding myself with people who have good intentions are the reason I am prospering.

My old so-called friends were the chipping of the paint. They were the specks of dust on the shelf. They were the creaking of the floor, I didn't want to hear it, but I enabled it because instead of fixing the issue, I gave into the comfortability of peer pressure. And that is okay because now I know it's not. Now I know I don't have to be that way anymore or have to deal with similar situations.

Warren was the flooding and the reason my foundation cracked, to begin with. He hit my house with a storm so strong, my house collapsed. The drywall caved in. There were no beams of support, keeping my head up high. Warren was the reason I became a pile of useless material on the floor.

Kinnick was the new concrete and frame built of sturdy wood. He was the support beams, keeping my house strong against harsh storms. He was also the windows. The large windows allowed every ounce of light into this little heart of mine. He gave me a foundation to start with and stayed by my side as I slowly built the rest.

He was the contractor. He was always here to make sure I never placed a nail in the wrong place. His blueprints were a struggle to follow, but I am glad I never gave up on following them. In the end, I have created a version of myself I would have looked up to as a child.

When I pulled up to the house, Kinnick was outside mowing the yard. I watched the sweat trickle down his toned back. His skin glowed in the sun. No longer a pale white, but gold like honey. His shorts showed off his toned legs. Every ounce of his body tensed as he pushed around the lawn.

I sat back in my seat, watching him as he cut the power to the mower. His arm reached up, wiping the sweat beading down his forehead. He came toward where I sat in the car. The sunlight caught his ocean eyes, and just like those waves, my heart crashed against my chest.

He opened the door. "What are you doing?"

I cupped his cheeks before I slammed my lips against his. Any other time I would have cringed at the feeling of his sweat against my hands, but I never complained after he was done in the gym or on top of me performing. He gripped my waist, lifting me on my car's hood. I tightened my legs around his waist to bring him closer.

My fingers trailed over every muscle, loving the way they flexed under my touch. He always responded to me and my gentle affections. Nothing turned him on more than my hands trailing around his body.

He pulled away with a grin that showed the top row of his pearly white teeth. "Hello, Mrs. Carson."

I leaned back on my palms. "Hello, cutie patootie."

He chuckled. "How did everything go?"

"It went great," I nodded. "Turns out he a little behind on school, so we need to work on that, but otherwise, everything is perfect."

He leaned forward on his hands. "Why does it look like you want to tell me something else?"

"I am walking away from Seth's case."

"What?"

"Chase's custody battle is what is more important to me," I admit. "He is all I am worried about. What happens to Seth is the last thing on my mind."

"This is what you wanted."

"I realized it wasn't benefiting me," I shrugged. "I am walking away from things that don't benefit me anymore."

He smiled. "Then you can get a jump start on your writing career."

"Thank you for the laptop and desk," I bring him in for another kiss. "It is very much appreciated."

"How about we get in the shower, and you show me how much you appreciate it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Where is Chase?"

"Sleeping."

"Have you checked on him?" A frown settled over my face.

"Every hour."

"It is almost one."

"He is exhausted."

"Clearly."

His hand started to slide up my legs. "So, how about that shower?"

"Thank goodness we don't have any neighbors," I say as he brushes over my underwear.

"Why is that?" He asks as he pushed the material aside. I tried to speak, but his ability to hold contact as he rubs over me makes my head spin. "What's wrong, Bo?"

I stifled my moans over the bite of my lip. He leaned down into my neck, nipping at every inch of skin on the way to my collarbone. His lips were wet as he dragged his tongue along the top of my chest. I gripped his damp hair in between my fingers, giving it a slight tug as his free hand drop down to cup my butt and bring me closer to him.

"We can either go inside and continue this," his voice deepens. "Or I can take you right here. Your choice."

"We are on my car."

"I will gladly fuck you on the porch swing," he suggests as I let out a moan. "Porch swing it is."

I yelp as he cupped my butt and lifted me from the car's hood. I stared at him with a smile as he walked us toward the porch. My fingers played with the hair on the back of his neck as he laid me down on the decorative pillows covering our porch swing.

"Are you comfortable?"

I nodded, pulling him down to kiss me. When he moved away, he tugged his shorts halfway down before he leaned over my body. His fingers trailed along my legs until they were pushing up the material of my dress. He kept his eyes on mine as he directed my panties to the side.

My breath hitched as he pushed into me. With every roll of his hips, my toes curled as they tingled. He gripped the swing as it rocked at his thrusts. The chains holding us up creaked at the force, but he assured me it wasn't going to break. He wouldn't have brought me here if he thought it was going to.

When a cry left my lips, he placed his lips on mine, allowing me to moan into his mouth. This was the only time he wasn't encouraging me to be loud. My legs closed in on his waist as he met my hips with forceful movements.

"You feel so fucking good," he grumbled into my ear as he broke away from our kiss.

Hearing him curse brought me a different kind of pleasure. It made my fingers buzz as they gripped his muscles. The dirty words continuing to leave his mouth were bringing me closer to the edge with every syllable.

"Kinnick," I whimpered as he slowly pulled out. "Please."

When his hips collided with mine, every ounce of my body went numb from the overbearing waves of pleasure washing over me. The shaking in my legs didn't stop him. He continued to drive into me until we were both crying out.

"Any other time," he sucked in breaths. "I would love to just lay here, but I think I hear the kid."

I hurried to push him away. His hands were quick to grab the shorts around his ankles, and not even a second later, the front door was opening. A sleepy Chase came out onto the porch. The sun was too bright for his tiresome brown eyes. When he saw us a smile overcame the features on his face.

Kinnick and I were trying to act normal. Well, as normal as we possibly could after the activities we just participated in. Chase, oblivious to what just happened, continued to look happily at us. This is what it would be like to have kids. Kinnick and I would have to be secretive.

"Are you okay?"

He couldn't get rid of the smile on his face. "I thought this was a dream, but when I woke up and saw I was still in that room, I knew it wasn't."

"That is your room now."

His gaze dropped to the porch. "Thank you both."

"Do you want to come sit over here?" I patted the spot in between us.

He sighed with relief. "I didn't know if it was okay or not."

"Come here."

He slid into the spot between Kinnick and me. His tired eyes told me he was dying to go back to sleep, but something else said that he didn't want to miss out on whatever Kinnick and I were doing. He looked down at the bump on my stomach.

"How far along are you?"

I looked down at my bump. "Four months. Five very soon."

He grinned. "Can you feel the baby kicking?"

"Here, let me see your hand."

He lent me his hand. The bruised knuckles and scars were something I was used to on Kinnick, but it made me sad to see it on such a young kid's hands. His fingers rested over my stomach as the baby kicked at his touch. A smile grew on his face, and his head snapped up to look at me.

A grin grew on my face as he looked down at me. "It's kicking me!"

I chuckled as he looked at me with happiness. "Do you have a name?"

"Maverick," I looked down at my stomach.

"A boy?"

"Mhm," I hummed. "I am going to be the only girl in the household. Lord save me."

Kinnick laughed. "What is wrong with that?"

"Yeah," Chase chimes in. "Boys aren't bad."

"No," I smiled at them both. "They aren't bad at all. Are we ready to go shopping? Well, after Kinnick takes a well-needed shower."

"Can we just sit here for a little bit?" Chase asked with a mumble. "I never really had anything like this. I just don't want it to end, yet."

Kinnick's legs rested in front of us, slowly rocking us back and forth as we sat on the porch swing. Birds chirped in the trees surrounding the house. The wheat fields swayed in the afternoon sun. None of us said a word. We sat there. And we enjoyed one another's company because at the moment, all we needed was one another.