Free Better (Stark Ink Book 2) by Dahlia West

take you,” he conceded quietly. “A friend, a hotel. Wherever. But you shouldn’t stay here. This is not what you need, Zoey.”
    He closed his mouth firmly because it was so tempting to keep talking, keep trying to convince her. For the first time Dalton desperately wanted to be what she needed, the only thing she needed, but that wasn’t fair to either of them.
    Zoey picked up her coat and her borrowed backpack. “You’re right,” she declared. “I can’t deal with this.” To her parents she said, “I’ll call you later. Maybe in a few days to check in. Maybe… things will be different.”
    “You can’t go,” Elaine cried. “Not… now. Not with him .”
    Zoey ignored her mother, heading past her toward the front door.
    “Zoey,” said Elaine, stepping in front of her. “I told you once before that he wasn’t good enough for you and I was right, wasn’t I? If you walk out this door with him, you are going to ruin your life.”
    Zoey sighed heavily. “Mother-”
    “It’s a sin, Zoey! A mortal sin ! Think of the baby.”
    That seemed to cut Zoey to bone, worse than anything else they’d said up to this point. “I am thinking of the baby, Mom. Patrick… Patrick doesn’t want the baby.”
    Elaine rolled her eyes. “You’re exaggerating. New babies are stressful, especially first babies. I remember when your father-”
    “Demanded you get an abortion?” Zoey interrupted. “You remember when Daddy stood over your while you made the appointment to make sure it was done? And when you couldn’t go through with it, you remember when he kicked you in the belly?”
    Elaine’s face turned white and for the first time since they’d arrived she seemed to be struck speechless. She looked from Zoey to Dalton and back again and Dalton could practically hear all the gears in her head grinding to a standstill. For the first time in probably her entire life, Elaine Cooper realized that there was someone on this Earth who was worse for Zoey than he was, someone they’d pushed her to marry without really getting to know, someone they might now have a lot of trouble trying to untangle themselves from.

Chapter Twelve
     
    The cold hit him hard, but he barely felt it. Angry as he was, though, he held onto Zoey’s arm as she made her way back to the car. He couldn’t have her slipping and falling on the slush under their feet. He did slam the passenger door, though, once he’d gotten her in. He wasn’t a saint, after all. The car rocked a little on its frame from the force of it. Once Dalton was inside he turned the ignition and started the heater, mostly in deference to Zoey. He was far too angry to drive at this point and he found he actually preferred the cold. It seemed to balance him in some odd way.
    “He kicked you.”
    Zoey paused as she warmed her hands at the vents, not responding.
    “ He. Kicked. You. ”
    “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know what you’d do.”
    “Lies.”
    Zoey stayed silent in the face of the truth. She hadn’t told him how bad it was because she knew exactly what he’d do. They wouldn’t be here now if she’d spoken up. He’d be sitting in a jail cell somewhere. Who knew where she would be?
    “Dalton-”
    “Not right now,” he snapped. He didn’t mean to be so harsh with her, but his hands were shaking a little and his mind felt like it had been set ablaze.
    He worked through every scenario that came into his mind. Confronting Grant, kicking his ass, letting him live or maybe driving him out to the Badlands to finish the job. They all seemed plausible and they all ended with Dalton wearing cuffs.
    “I need you,” she whispered.
    He put the truck in drive and pulled away from the curb. “I know.”
     
     
    They drove for a while in silence, past houses decorated with thousands of lights. He remembered she liked to do that sometimes and slowed down for the nice ones. A year ago while Zoey had been looking at Christmas decorations, Dalton had been looking