EPILOGUE
“CAN YOU PASS the mashed potatoes?” Arianna asked.
“Yeah, here you go,” Jackson told her and handed her the bowl. I spooned a heaping mound of mac and cheese onto my plate and passed the dish to Jackson, who plopped a spoonful onto his plate and passed the dish on to Lynn. Happy chatter buzzed around the dining room table as we passed plates and bowls of food back and forth.
Jackson looked at me and smiled. I put my hand on his thigh, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Even though he was familiar with my family and Lynn, being around everyone at once caused a bit of anxiety for him. I had told him we didn’t have to go, that everyone would understand. He had just taken my hand and smiled, reminding me that he could do anything, as long as we were together. Plus, that dinner wasn’t just a regular meal. It was a celebration.
The trial was finally over. Nate and Zane, along with a handful of their accomplices, were behind bars for good. It took four months for the police to catch them. It had been a long, nerve-wracking time for us, but I would never forget the look on their faces when Jackson and I walked into the courtroom to testify, hand in hand. I was seven months pregnant at the time. Zane had stared opened mouthed at my belly as if he couldn’t understand what was happening. Then his eyes fastened on Jackson’s fingers linked through mine and he exploded. We enjoyed watching him get shoved around by the police.
I picked up the platter of sliced ham, tossing pieces to Scarlet and Rhett, when a baby’s cry came from the living room. I set the platter down. “Grace is awake,” I said, though it was obvious, and started to stand. “That was a short nap.”
“No, no,” Mom said and sprang up. “Grandma will get her. You eat.”
“Are you sure?” Jackson asked. “I can get her.”
Arianna smiled. “You know she loves that baby. Let her,” she said with a wink.
“As long as you don’t mind,” Jackson mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. Over a year and a half had passed since our escape, and he still had a hard time accepting help. I put my hand on his thigh and felt him relax.
“How’s wedding planning going?” Dad asked Lynn.
She turned to her fiancé and smiled. “Good. Addie’s been my lifesaver. She’s kept me sane through all this. It’s so fun!”
Luke rolled his eyes. “You two did it the right way,” he said to Jackson and me.
I smiled and subconsciously twisted my wedding band around on my finger. Jackson and I had gotten married at the courthouse a few months before Grace was born. It was a bit of a sore subject for my mother. She insisted over and over that we wait until after I had the baby and could have the big wedding that I always had wanted.
It wasn’t something Jackson could do. He had severe PTSD from being a slave for over a decade. When he was captive, he was able to slink throughout crowds unnoticed. Now that our story was out, we had become uncomfortably famous, in a weird way. The media had a fascination with our tale. We were constantly asked to do interviews or tell our story on TV. Neither of us spoke about our time at the farmhouse outside of the legal system, no matter how much money was offered.
I had my issues as well. I couldn’t help but panic when I saw any male with dark hair and blue eyes. I had crippling crowd anxiety, feeling like I could get snatched away at any moment. Though I still wanted to wear a fancy gown and have my overly ostentatious reception, the thought of being the center of attention caused my heart to race. Jackson and I both regularly saw a therapist, but the nightmares hadn’t stopped.
I was almost always scared. Scared Nate still had people out there that would come after Jackson or me—or worse, Grace—and scared I would run into another client, like what happened only a few weeks ago.
My parents took us out to dinner. Too afraid to take Grace into the ladies’ room for a diaper change alone, my mom came with. On the way back to our table I froze, eyes landing on a familiar tattoo. I didn’t know how Jackson knew but suddenly he was there, shielding me from Travis. As soon as he saw us, Travis froze like a deer in headlights. Then he got up to run.
Jackson stopped him, hitting him hard in the face then throwing him to the ground. I clung onto our daughter and broke down in hysterical tears. My mom ushered me away, and my dad rushed over to Jackson. Once he found out who Travis was, my dad threw in a couple punches before the fight was broken up.
It was one of my worst fears come true. Now Travis was in jail. Behind bars just like Nate and Zane. I tried to focus on that just like my therapist instructed.
Maybe someday Jackson and I could renew our vows and have the grand party. I looked at Jackson. I wasn’t in rush. He was all I needed.
“No fuss, no wasting time looking at flowers, no missing Sunday night football because you’re looking through book after book after boring book of invitations.” Luke grinned at Lynn. “I suppose it’s worth it.”
“It better be,” Lynn said with a grin.
“Ari, put your phone away,” Dad scolded. Some things would never change.
“Sorry,” she said and put her cell phone on her lap. “Rhia was asking me about the presentation tomorrow.”
Dad’s face softened. Arianna nodded. “All of my friends are coming, and I think all of their families too.” She turned to me. “It’s gonna be packed.”
“I hope so,” I told her, surprised I didn’t feel nervous. “People need to hear this.” For the first time, Jackson and I were speaking publicly about our time as slaves.
I started going to a local sex crime victim support group several months before Grace was born. It became apparent to me that without the love and support of a family and friends, it was hard for survivors to get on their feet and make a life for themselves. Though no one else in the group had been through what Jackson and I had, it was comforting to talk to other rape victims and know that I wasn’t alone. Once Jackson and I started going, more and more victims came, saying our story of perseverance gave them the strength to come forward. I wasn’t ready yet, and I had no idea when I would ever be, but I wanted to get more involved, offering help and support to those who didn’t have it.
If it weren’t for my family, Jackson and I would have nothing. My parents welcomed Jackson into their house with no hesitation, though it hadn’t been easy for them to accept him. They wanted their daughter back, but had envisioned the old Adeline. My therapist still had to remind me of that too. I came back not only a changed person, but pregnant and with someone I wasn’t willing to let out of my sight. It was a lot for my family to take in. Jackson had been my rock, my reason to keep fighting, and my freedom. He was just a stranger with a dark past to my family at first.
More than once my mother hinted that she wondered if I really loved him or had developed some sort of deep dependence on him while we were captive. There was never any doubt in my mind. I loved Jackson.
Our life wasn’t ideal. I never thought I’d be married with a child and still living in my parents’ house … without even graduating. Jackson and I shared my old room, and the guest bedroom upstairs and been turned into a nursery.
Even if I hadn’t suffered from crippling anxiety, I wasn’t willing to leave Jackson and Grace and go back to school. I tried going to a local community college, but dropped out after just a few days, unable to deal with the questions and the whispers. Instead, Jackson and I both took online courses.
I didn’t know if either of us would ever be able to get a job and support our family. I had cried over that many times. I wanted a normal life for us … for Grace. We still talked about our dreams. I still wanted to be a nurse, and Jackson wanted to work in law enforcement, putting guys like Nate and Zane behind bars. If it didn’t happen next year, then maybe the year after that. Someday, we’d both have jobs. Someday, we’d have our own house. Someday we would have that normal life. But for now we had each other. And that was enough.
Now that Grace was here, my parents didn’t want us to leave. They loved their first grandchild almost as much as we did. It was hard for Jackson to adjust to being free and a father. Neither of us knew what we were doing. We read every baby book we could during the pregnancy, which did little to prepare us. I loved being a mother, and I loved my daughter more than I could ever thought possible. Jackson was wonderful. He was unsure of himself and nervous, but he was a great dad who loved his little girl.
“It’s so scary,” Luke said. “I had no idea that kind of stuff happened around here.”
“Not a lot of people do,” Jackson told him, unable to look him in the eye.
“You’re so brave, Addie,” Lynn said. “Both of you are. What you’re doing is amazing.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
Mom came back into the dining room with the baby in her arms. Grace caught sight of me and smiled. She had dark almond shaped eyes just like her father, and her wispy hair was brown with a slight curl to it. She was the perfect combination of the two of us.
“Hey there, pretty lady,” Dad said and extended his arms. “Let Grandpa hold you.”
“You had her before dinner,” Mom told him. “It’s my turn.” She held Grace up in front of her and made a silly face, causing Grace to giggle. “Grandma loves her little angel, doesn’t she?”
Jackson put his hand on top of mine. I turned to him, our eyes locking. I felt the familiar flutter in my stomach that had never gone away. Despite the horrors we had gone through, we were happy. We chose to be victors, not victims, going through hell and getting out of it not only alive, but also stronger … and together.
No matter what, together is how we would always stay.