I sat there, quiet and stunned, try

I sat there, quiet and stunned, trying to figure out what to do next.
“Look at me,” she urged.
I did and fell back into the comfort of her green eyes.
“We can’t stay here,” she stated. “Where should we go?”
Leaning my head back, I licked my lips, thinking.
Fallon and I did nothing wrong. We weren’t running away just so we could have a mini-honeymoon. And we weren’t starting our marriage fearing our parents’ wrath. If we wanted to be respected as adults, then we had to face the music.
I stood up, pulling her after me. “Home,” I said. “We’re going home.”
•   •   •

It was about ten o’clock by the time we rolled into the driveway at my house. The pitch-black sky exploded with stars, and the conifer trees Addie had had planted so that we could have green all year bent with the light wind.
The cops had come back to our room for a few remaining questions.
Yes, Fallon and I are married. Here’s the signed license.
No, I did not kidnap her, of course. See? No bruises, and she’s smiling.
Yes, I threatened my stepmom, and I’m using the “daddy” card on this one. You can’t touch me, because I’m Madoc Caruthers.
Now, please go. We’re honeymooning.
They left, we showered and got presentable, and we drove the hour it took to get to Shelburne Falls.
“Wait,” I ordered when Fallon started to open her door.
Getting out and rounding the front, I let her out of the car, took her hand, and walked side by side with her to the front step.
I took her chilled face in my hands. “We’re not raising our voices, and we’re not apologizing.”
She nodded and together we entered the house.
The foyer and all of the rooms off it were dark, and the house hummed with only the sounds of clocks ticking and heat pouring out of the vents. The smell of grilled steaks and leather hit me, and I immediately felt at home. It’s what my house always smelled like.
I remembered that Tate once said she loved the smell of tires. It brought back memories for her, and it was familiar. When I smelled grilled meat, I always thought of summers out by the pool. My mom asking me if I wanted another Crush. My dad—on the occasions he was home—working the grill and talking to his friends. And me seeing the fireworks light up in the star-filled sky.
Despite the issues my family had—all families have issues—I was a happy kid. Things could’ve been better, but they were good enough, and I never wanted for anything. There was never a shortage of people to dote on me.
This house was my home, and with it came all of my good memories. Whenever I escaped, this is where I wanted to run first. Patricia Caruthers could take our name, take the money, but I’d be dead before she took this house. I had to find some way to beat her.
I didn’t know if my dad was in bed, but I knew he was here. His Audi was in the driveway.
Hand in hand, Fallon and I walked down the hall and veered to the left, coming up to his office.
“Do you think our children hate us?” a woman’s voice asked, and I halted.
I motioned for Fallon to stay quiet by putting my finger over my lips, and we both leaned into the cracked door, listening.
“I don’t know,” my father answered, sounding resigned. “I guess I wouldn’t blame Madoc if he did. Does Jared love you?”
Katherine Trent. That’s who he was talking to.
“I think so,” she said softly. “And if he got married tomorrow, I’d be worried as hell, but I’d know he was following his heart. I mean, look at us, Jason. Who’s to say they can’t make it at eighteen when we failed long after that age? Are we experts?”
Damn. Invisible hands wrung out my stomach like a washcloth. My dad knew I was married.
I heard hard footsteps. “It’s not about that. It’s about priorities, Katherine. My son needs to finish college. He needs to experience life. He’s been given the gifts of privilege and opportunity. Now he has a distraction.”
I took Fallon’s hand and held her eyes with mine.
There was some shuffling around the office, and then I heard the wheels of my father’s desk chair shift as he let out a huge breath. He must’ve sat down. Narrowing my eyes, I tried to figure out if he was angry or upset. I couldn’t tell. I heard a grunt and some more heavy breathing. It sounded like hyperventilating. But not.
“I messed up.” His voice caught, and I heard the tears.
“Shh, Jason. Don’t.” Katherine started to cry as well.
My father, I thought. My dad is crying. My chest got heavy, and I looked down to see Fallon’s thumb rubbing back and forth on my hand. When I looked up, her chin was quivering.
“My house is empty, Katherine.” His voice was so sad. “I want him home.”
“We weren’t good parents,” she choked out. “Our kids have paid for our lifestyle, and now it’s our turn to pay for theirs. He’s got a girl that he can’t stay away from. They’re not doing this to hurt you, Jason. They’re in love.” And I smiled at her words. “If you want your son back,” she continued, “you need to open your arms wider.”
I clasped Fallon’s hand tighter and whispered, “I need a few minutes alone.”
Her watery eyes sparkled, and she nodded her understanding. Walking past me, she headed for the kitchen.
Pushing the door open, I saw my father in his desk chair, leaning on his knees with his head in his hands. Katherine was kneeling in front of him, comforting him, I assumed.
“Ms. Trent?” I called, slipping my hands into the pockets of my jacket. “Can I talk to my dad alone, please?”
Both of their heads popped up, and Katherine stood.
She looked beautiful in a cream-colored forties-style house dress with red polka dots on it. Her chocolate dark brown hair—the same shade as Jared’s—hung over her shoulders in loose curls, but pieces were brought up in two barrettes on each side of the top of her head.
My father, on the other hand, was a mess. Disheveled hair he’d probably been running his fingers through, a wrinkled white shirt, blue silk tie hanging loose, and he’d definitely been crying.
He sat there, unmoving, and actually looking a little afraid of me.
Katherine cleared her throat. “Of course.”
I stepped out of the doorway as she walked past, but I reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her. I kissed her cheek and gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks,” I whispered.
Her eyes shined, and she nodded before leaving.
My father hadn’t moved from his chair, and I did a sweep of the room, remembering that I was never allowed in here as a kid. My father wasn’t hiding things. Not in here anyway. But he once said “his whole life” was in this room, and it wasn’t a place for kids.
I think that was the first time I realized that I wasn’t my dad’s top priority. There were things he loved more than me.
But looking at him now . . . his weary eyes, his physical strain, and the silence that told me he didn’t know what to say to me offered up a different conclusion.
Maybe my dad cared.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped toward him. “I never liked you, Dad.” I spoke slowly, taking my time. “You worked too much, and you never showed up when you said would. You made my mother cry, and you thought money could fix everything. And the worst part is that you’re not stupid. You knew the void you left in your family, but you did it anyway.”
I narrowed my eyes, challenging him to say something. Anything to account for himself.
But his eyes had dropped to the desk with my first words, and they had stayed there.
So I continued, straightening my shoulders more. “I love Fallon. And I love this house. I want you in my life, but if you’re going to throw your weight around like it matters, then you can go to hell.” I paused, coming up in front of the desk. “We don’t need you. But I do love you, Dad.”
My jaw tightened, and I blinked away the sting in my eyes.
He raised his eyes, and it was a look I’d never seen before. They shimmered with tears, but they were hard. My father wanted to fight. In his head he worried about my education, Fallon and me having jobs, dealing with marriage when we were still growing up, but that’s what he didn’t notice.
I’d stopped growing up when Fallon left.
And I started again when she came home.
You have to have something to love. Something to fight for to make living a goal instead of a job. Fallon wouldn’t keep me from tomorrow. My father had done that.
I held his stare, ready for whatever he wanted to throw at me, but he should know better. If he didn’t support us, we were doing it without him.
Finally standing up, he ran his hands through his hair and tightened his tie. I watched him as he went to his safe, dialed in the combination, and took out some papers. Returning to his desk, he signed the document and handed it to me over the desk.
I hesitated. It was probably a new will leaving me in the cold or some such bullshit.
“I’m keeping the other two-thirds of your trust and doling it out as was already planned,” he explained. “But here’s a wedding gift . . . if we can fight hard enough to keep it.”
Confused, I unfolded the papers again, and a sliver of a smile escaped my lips.
“The house?” I asked, surprised.
He’d given me the deed to the house, but it wasn’t in my name. Excitement and confusion rushed through my very clouded brain.
Did I want the house?
Yes.
Forever and ever and ever?
Hell yes!
I loved it here, and so did Fallon. If we could keep it in Caruthers hands, we would. But what did this mean for my father? I didn’t necessarily want him gone.
Kind of.
No, not really.
“Patricia’s trying to take the house. I’m sure you know.” My father’s eyes clouded in an expression I was more familiar with. “But I’ll drag her through court for as long as I can. It may take a year, but I’ll win. The house is in my name, but as my wife, she has rights to it until a court says she doesn’t. I’ll transfer the house to you officially when I take away that threat.” He stood up straight, reaching out his hand to me. “But the house is yours for all intents and purposes.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Aku duduk di sana, tenang dan terpana, mencoba untuk mencari tahu apa yang harus dilakukan selanjutnya."Lihatlah saya," dia yang mendesak.Saya melakukan dan jatuh kembali ke dalam kenyamanan matanya hijau."Kami tidak bisa tinggal di sini," Dia menyatakan. "Mana harus kita pergi?"Condong kepala saya kembali, aku menjilat bibir saya, berpikir.Fallon dan saya tidak salah. Kami tidak menjalankan berjarak hanya supaya kita bisa memiliki madu mini. Dan kita tidak mulai pernikahan kami takut orang tua kita murka. Jika kita ingin menjadi dihormati sebagai orang dewasa, maka kita harus menghadapi musik.Saya berdiri, menarik dia setelah saya. "Home," kataku. "Kita akan rumah."• • •Itu sekitar jam sepuluh pagi pada saat kita digulung menjadi jalan masuk di rumah saya. Langit diselimuti meledak dengan bintang-bintang, dan pohon konifer Addie telah ditanam sehingga kami bisa memiliki semua hijau tahun membungkuk dengan angin cahaya.Polisi datang kembali kepada kami ruang untuk beberapa yang tersisa pertanyaan.Ya, Fallon dan saya sudah menikah. Di sini adalah lisensi ditandatangani.Tidak, saya memang tidak menculiknya, tentu saja. Lihat? Tidak ada memar, dan Dia tersenyum.Ya, aku mengancam stepmom saya, dan saya menggunakan kartu "Ayah" yang satu ini. Anda tidak dapat menyentuh saya, karena saya Caruthers Utica.Sekarang, silahkan pergi. Kami sedang berbulan madu.Mereka meninggalkan, kami mandi dan mendapat rapi, dan kami melaju jam yang dibutuhkan untuk mendapatkan Shelburne Falls."Tunggu," saya memesan ketika Fallon mulai membuka pintu.Keluar dan pembulatan depan, aku membiarkan dia dari mobil, memegang tangannya, dan berjalan berdampingan dengan dia ke depan langkah.Aku mengambil wajah dingin di tanganku. "Kita tidak membesarkan suara kami, dan kami sedang tidak meminta maaf."Dia mengangguk dan bersama-sama kita memasuki rumah.Serambi dan semua kamar dari itu gelap, dan rumah hummed dengan hanya suara jam terus berdetak dan panas mengalir keluar dari ventilasi. Memukul saya bau steak panggang dan kulit, dan segera merasa di rumah. Itu adalah apa rumah saya selalu berbau.Aku ingat bahwa Tate pernah berkata dia mencintai bau Ban. Membawa kembali kenangan untuknya, dan itu akrab. Ketika aku mencium daging panggang, saya selalu berpikir tentang musim panas keluar di tepi kolam renang. Ibuku meminta saya jika saya ingin menghancurkan yang lain. Ayahku — pada kesempatan ia rumah — bekerja panggangan dan berbicara dengan teman-temannya. Dan saya melihat fireworks cahaya di langit penuh bintang.Meskipun masalah keluarga saya memiliki — semua keluarga memiliki masalah-saya adalah seorang anak yang bahagia. Hal-hal yang sudah bisa lebih baik, tetapi mereka cukup baik, dan saya pernah wanted untuk apa pun. Tidak pernah ada kekurangan orang menyayangi saya.Rumah ini adalah rumah saya, dan dengan itu datang semua kenangan baik. Setiap kali saya melarikan diri, ini adalah tempat aku ingin menjalankan pertama. Patricia Caruthers bisa mengambil nama kami, mengambil uang, tapi aku akan mati sebelum dia mengambil rumah ini. Aku menemukan beberapa cara untuk mengalahkan dirinya.Aku tidak tahu jika ayah saya berada di tempat tidur, tapi aku tahu dia ada di sini. Audi nya pada jalan masuk.Bergandengan tangan, Fallon dan aku berjalan menyusuri lorong dan berbelok ke kiri, datang ke kantornya.“Do you think our children hate us?” a woman’s voice asked, and I halted.I motioned for Fallon to stay quiet by putting my finger over my lips, and we both leaned into the cracked door, listening.“I don’t know,” my father answered, sounding resigned. “I guess I wouldn’t blame Madoc if he did. Does Jared love you?”Katherine Trent. That’s who he was talking to.“I think so,” she said softly. “And if he got married tomorrow, I’d be worried as hell, but I’d know he was following his heart. I mean, look at us, Jason. Who’s to say they can’t make it at eighteen when we failed long after that age? Are we experts?”Damn. Invisible hands wrung out my stomach like a washcloth. My dad knew I was married.I heard hard footsteps. “It’s not about that. It’s about priorities, Katherine. My son needs to finish college. He needs to experience life. He’s been given the gifts of privilege and opportunity. Now he has a distraction.”I took Fallon’s hand and held her eyes with mine.There was some shuffling around the office, and then I heard the wheels of my father’s desk chair shift as he let out a huge breath. He must’ve sat down. Narrowing my eyes, I tried to figure out if he was angry or upset. I couldn’t tell. I heard a grunt and some more heavy breathing. It sounded like hyperventilating. But not.“I messed up.” His voice caught, and I heard the tears.“Shh, Jason. Don’t.” Katherine started to cry as well.My father, I thought. My dad is crying. My chest got heavy, and I looked down to see Fallon’s thumb rubbing back and forth on my hand. When I looked up, her chin was quivering.“My house is empty, Katherine.” His voice was so sad. “I want him home.”“We weren’t good parents,” she choked out. “Our kids have paid for our lifestyle, and now it’s our turn to pay for theirs. He’s got a girl that he can’t stay away from. They’re not doing this to hurt you, Jason. They’re in love.” And I smiled at her words. “If you want your son back,” she continued, “you need to open your arms wider.”I clasped Fallon’s hand tighter and whispered, “I need a few minutes alone.”Her watery eyes sparkled, and she nodded her understanding. Walking past me, she headed for the kitchen.Pushing the door open, I saw my father in his desk chair, leaning on his knees with his head in his hands. Katherine was kneeling in front of him, comforting him, I assumed.“Ms. Trent?” I called, slipping my hands into the pockets of my jacket. “Can I talk to my dad alone, please?”Both of their heads popped up, and Katherine stood.She looked beautiful in a cream-colored forties-style house dress with red polka dots on it. Her chocolate dark brown hair—the same shade as Jared’s—hung over her shoulders in loose curls, but pieces were brought up in two barrettes on each side of the top of her head.My father, on the other hand, was a mess. Disheveled hair he’d probably been running his fingers through, a wrinkled white shirt, blue silk tie hanging loose, and he’d definitely been crying.He sat there, unmoving, and actually looking a little afraid of me.Katherine cleared her throat. “Of course.”I stepped out of the doorway as she walked past, but I reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her. I kissed her cheek and gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks,” I whispered.Her eyes shined, and she nodded before leaving.My father hadn’t moved from his chair, and I did a sweep of the room, remembering that I was never allowed in here as a kid. My father wasn’t hiding things. Not in here anyway. But he once said “his whole life” was in this room, and it wasn’t a place for kids.I think that was the first time I realized that I wasn’t my dad’s top priority. There were things he loved more than me.But looking at him now . . . his weary eyes, his physical strain, and the silence that told me he didn’t know what to say to me offered up a different conclusion.Maybe my dad cared.Taking a deep breath, I stepped toward him. “I never liked you, Dad.” I spoke slowly, taking my time. “You worked too much, and you never showed up when you said would. You made my mother cry, and you thought money could fix everything. And the worst part is that you’re not stupid. You knew the void you left in your family, but you did it anyway.”I narrowed my eyes, challenging him to say something. Anything to account for himself.
But his eyes had dropped to the desk with my first words, and they had stayed there.
So I continued, straightening my shoulders more. “I love Fallon. And I love this house. I want you in my life, but if you’re going to throw your weight around like it matters, then you can go to hell.” I paused, coming up in front of the desk. “We don’t need you. But I do love you, Dad.”
My jaw tightened, and I blinked away the sting in my eyes.
He raised his eyes, and it was a look I’d never seen before. They shimmered with tears, but they were hard. My father wanted to fight. In his head he worried about my education, Fallon and me having jobs, dealing with marriage when we were still growing up, but that’s what he didn’t notice.
I’d stopped growing up when Fallon left.
And I started again when she came home.
You have to have something to love. Something to fight for to make living a goal instead of a job. Fallon wouldn’t keep me from tomorrow. My father had done that.
I held his stare, ready for whatever he wanted to throw at me, but he should know better. If he didn’t support us, we were doing it without him.
Finally standing up, he ran his hands through his hair and tightened his tie. I watched him as he went to his safe, dialed in the combination, and took out some papers. Returning to his desk, he signed the document and handed it to me over the desk.
I hesitated. It was probably a new will leaving me in the cold or some such bullshit.
“I’m keeping the other two-thirds of your trust and doling it out as was already planned,” he explained. “But here’s a wedding gift . . . if we can fight hard enough to keep it.”
Confused, I unfolded the papers again, and a sliver of a smile escaped my lips.
“The house?” I asked, surprised.
He’d given me the deed to the house, but it wasn’t in my name. Excitement and confusion rushed through my very clouded brain.
Did I want the house?
Yes.
Forever and ever and ever?
Hell yes!
I loved it here, and so did Fallon. If we could keep it in Caruthers hands, we would. But what did this mean for my father? I didn’t necessarily want him gone.
Kind of.
No, not really.
“Patricia’s trying to take the house. I’m sure you know.” My father’s eyes clouded in an expression I was more familiar with. “But I’ll drag her through court for as long as I can. It may take a year, but I’ll win. The house is in my name, but as my wife, she has rights to it until a court says she doesn’t. I’ll transfer the house to you officially when I take away that threat.” He stood up straight, reaching out his hand to me. “But the house is yours for all intents and purposes.