Pick You Up

Caroline had made her way straight to my bedroom, noticing she was already cocooned under the sheets. Kneeling by the bed, she managed to thin smile as I ran my fingers through her hair. "I'll be back soon, okay? I promise, you won't hear from him again. And this weekend, I'd love it if you would want to move in with me so we can be together permanently."

"I want to be with you," she whispered.

"Good, as I want you here with me too. You and your kids."

"Better father than he ever was."

Kissing her forehead, I whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, and make sure you come back."

"I promise."

After a last check on the kids, I headed back out to the garage. He was still passed out on the backseat. Pulling out of the garage, I made sure the door was closed before I drove us away. I'd been driving for an hour when he came around, hearing him struggle and groan. I told him to shut up, pulling over for a second, turning around to meet his eyes. There was a mixture of fear and anger, which made me smile, though wearing the balaclava, he would have only seen my eyes.

Another hour and we were driving through thick bushland, only using the side lights of the car to make our way down the bath. The track was bumpy, checking the GPS to see we were a good half an hour from the nearest road. Finally stopping the car, I got out and helped him out of the car. I knew his name, age, occupation. Everything. It's amazing what you can find online, and also what people will do when you're owed more than one favour.

Opening the boot, I grabbed the shovel. Using a knife to undo the zip-tie around his ankles, I cuffed his hands at his front, ensuring he held the shovel, before duct-taping his upper arms, just in case he got any ideas. After grabbing a couple of other things, I gave him a shove, using the single torch to guide the way.

We walked for another half an hour. I wasn't going to get lost, ensuring I'd put a mark on my phone for where my car was. Telling him to stop, I ripped the tape from his mouth.

"Fuck!" he shouted.

I pointed at the ground. "Start digging."

"What?"

I smacked him on the head. "Start digging." When he didn't move, I raised the pistol, pointing at his forehead. "Either start digging, or I shoot you, then I'll just bury you myself."

He started digging, sobbing after every couple of shovelfuls of dirt. He started to beg and plead for his life but I ignored him. He couldn't see my face, barely could see my eyes in the darkness. I made sure the torch was shining on the ground so he could see where he was digging.

"Deeper," I ordered, "Got to be deep enough to cover your body."

"Please," he begged and sobbed, "Please don't kill me."

"Keep digging," I ordered, putting the barrel to the back of his head, "Don't stop. The quicker you dig, the quicker this will all be over."

I watched until he had a hole dug, not big enough for a coffin, but big enough for a body. Taking the shovel from him, I ordered him to his knees. He did so slowly, still begging and sobbing for me to let him go. Placing the barrel to the back of his head, my nostrils were quickly infiltrated by the scent of urine and shit.

"Not so tough now, are you? Ever wonder how you made Caroline feel every time you bullied her?"

"She was my wife. I own her!"

I smacked him with the gun, causing him to almost topple over. "What fucking year do you think this is? You don't own people. A marriage is a union of two people. You come together as equal partners. You certainly don't treat the woman you love as a fucking slave, nor do you spend nearly every day assaulting and abusing her, whether physically, psychologically, verbally, financially, or just being an intimidating bully to your wife and children.

The bad thing for you is that I've reached the end of my tether. Walked into one too many scenes where an arsehole like you decides to use fists against someone he claims to love. I said the next time I saw it happen, I'd drag the sorry arsehole out into the bush, make him dig his own grave, then I'd put a bullet into his head, leaving him there for animals to pick over his carcass."

"You can't kill me! That's murder!"

"You haven't seen my face. There'll be nothing here to show I was ever here. No fingerprints or anything. And that's all dependent on whether they even find your body. No-one is going to put in a missing person's report for someone like yourself. You'll be quickly forgotten by everyone. Caroline won't care. Little James will find a better father figure. Melissa will get a new father who will show her nothing but love. They won't grow up in a house of fear, but they will grow up in a house of love."

Placing the barrel at the back of his head again, he whimpered, "Please..."

"Make peace with whatever deity you believe in as you'll find no forgiveness here."

I took a deep breath and placed the barrel in the perfect position at the back of his head.

I pulled the trigger.

There was the sound of a gunshot. It echoed through the trees surrounding us.

He fell forward into the hole.

A few seconds later, he started to cry. Stepping down into the hole, I crouched down so I didn't have to raise my voice.

"Take this as a warning. We'll be watching you. For the rest of your life, know that whatever you do, someone will be watching and we will know. Every time you look over your shoulder, someone like me will be there watching you. You ever think of treating another woman how you treated Caroline, rest assured, you'll end up back here in a shallow grave, though next time, we'll ensure you're buried alive. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"Good. Make sure we never see you again. We even hear of you being in the same postcode as Caroline, you'll be receiving a knock on the door. Do you want me to knock on your door?"

"No," he whispered.

"Good answer. Stay here and think about tonight. You can find your own way home. Don't bother going to the police. They won't help you. No-one will help you. You are alone. The best thing you can do for everyone is disappear."

Grabbing the shovel, I stepped out of the hole, turning and walking away without a backwards glance. Arriving back at my car, I put everything in the boot before sliding into the car. Taking off my balaclava and gloves, I raised my hands to see they were shaking. I'd approached the line but hadn't crossed it. When I'd taken the pistol from the safe, I could have taken live rounds or blanks. I'd been sorely tempted to take the live rounds, but I was never going to kill him. The intention was to scare him so he'd never come back.

Finding a place to turn around, it was half an hour before I was back on the main road. I'd barely driven five minutes before I needed to pull over, getting out of my car to throw up. It wasn't through any feelings of guilt of what I'd done. I'd kept a promise to myself about what I'd do the next time, and the fact the next time was for Caroline, the woman I now loved, she knew in her heart what I'd do for her by now.

Arriving home later, now the early of the morning, dawn only a couple of hours away, I headed inside, showering first before I joined Caroline in bed. She woke up as she turned around, snuggling into me, her hand resting on my shoulder.

"Is he alive?"

"He is. I'm no murderer. But he won't be bothering you again."

"Did you hurt him?"

"Physically? Only a little bit. Psychologically? He will now live the rest of his life in fear. He'll never raise his hand or voice in the direction of someone like you again. It's now his turn to live his life looking over his shoulder."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"I did it for you, Caroline. I love you, and no-one will ever harm you again." I paused. "I don't want to do that again. It's not me, but I needed to know you were safe and free from him for good."

"I do feel safe with you, Mark. I love you. And when you're ready, I'll definitely say yes." I met her eyes and I could see nothing but her love for me. "Maybe you can take me ring shopping?"

"It's not too quick?"

"There's no timetable to things like falling in love or marriage, Mark. If you love me and want to marry me, then just do it."

"And nothing I did tonight scares you?"

"You did it because you love me, Mark. I've never felt as safe with anyone as I feel with you. Far as I'm concerned, you're a big teddy bear."

We made love in the morning, Caroline climbing up onto my body, waking me as I felt my cock slide inside somewhere warm and wet. When I opened my eyes to see her face near mine, she kissed me immediately as she moved faster and faster. Feeling her orgasm made me feel a lot better, rolling her over onto her back and slowly thrusting into her until enjoying an orgasm of my own.

"So we move in here. We get married. How about kids?"

"We've already got five." She smiled as I added, "Your kids are mine, and mine are yours."

"What about having a child together?"

"Are you sure?"

She rested a hand on my chest. "I wish I'd met you so long ago, Mark."

"Well, if you'd like, we can at least spend the rest of our lives together."

Caroline and her two kids moved in the next weekend. Melissa and Cindy were happy to share a room. Only had to add a second bed and another wardrobe, otherwise the room was large enough, even offering to get bunk beds so they'd have a little more space. I had an office which I only rarely used. I spent a week emptying that so James could use it for a bedroom. As for Caroline, all she brought over was her clothes and a box full of mementoes. Other than that, she said I had a lovely house and she was delighted to move in.

I didn't take her ring shopping, confident enough that I'd pick the right ring, simply asking what sort of stone she'd like and if there was a particular design that she'd prefer. Within a couple of weeks, I found the perfect ring. By this stage, she'd met my parents more than once, and they absolutely loved her, and had already adopted James and Melissa as their grandchildren. I'd spoken to her parents and siblings on the phone more than once, and there were a couple of Skype calls. They promised to come and visit before any eventual wedding.

Friday night was always date night. As far as I was concerned, Caroline and I would never stop dating. Taking her back to the venue of our first night out, I gave nothing away as we ordered a three course meal while sharing a bottle of wine. It was during dessert that we fell silent for a moment. She was busy enjoying her dessert as I watched her, knowing I was smiling.

"What?" she asked, starting to blush, "It's really good!"

"I know, but I've got something else on my mind at the moment."

Her eyes sparkled as she leaned forward, pressing her breasts together so her cleavage was even more substantial. "Well, that's for later, big boy," she breathed, "Just remember I'm not on birth control at the moment, and I'm approaching my most fertile time of the month."

Sliding out of my chair, I was down on one knees immediately, taking the small box from my trouser pocket. She covered her mouth as I glanced around, the entire restaurant falling silent. Meeting her eyes again, she was simply waiting for me to ask the question.

"I want us to be a family, Caroline. I'll adopt your children, you'll adopt mine, and we'll have at least one together. But doing all that, I'd love to introduce you as my wife. Will you marry me?"

She just about squeaked out a 'yes' as I slid the ring onto her finger, hugging and kissing her as I felt her shake in my arms. There was applause from everyone around us and we received a free bottle of wine. She giggled as she took a few moments to dry her eyes, spending the rest of our dinner moving her eyes between mine and the new ring on her finger.

The kids were ever so excited when we told them that we were engaged. Katie just told me that it was about time, while the other four kids were excited that, soon enough, they'd be related. New passed quickly around the neighbourhood so we organised a small gathering for the next evening to make it official. My parents visited while we ensured her parents were informed at the same time.

Standing out on the decking as the kids enjoyed the pool along with some of our guests, Mike handed me a beer as we gazed out over the backyard. "I know what happened that night and morning," he said quietly, "I remember what you told me."

"What do you think I did, Mike?"

"You came back alone. I remember reading the story in the paper about the man who was found wandering along the road after getting lost in the bush for three days. Claimed he was kidnapped, forced to dig a grave, all that sort of thing. Thing is, he had no idea who did it. Said he was kidnapped while trying to contact his ex-wife and kids."

"Interesting story. What else did it say?"

"Police were making some enquiries, but with little evidence, they've asked for information but also insinuated that, considering his track record, a cop off the record pretty much said it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. The sort of guy where nearly every previous partner had a restraining order, multiple AVO's, the kind of guy who should be behind bars as he's a danger to everyone."

Sipping at my beer, I glanced in his direction to see him grinning at me. "Quite the tale, Mike. But I'm no longer a copper and I generally try not to break the law."

"Mark, between you and me, I know you did it and I fucking applaud you for it. Most other guys here know the story and would have done the same thing if it was their mother or sister suffering that sort of abuse." He patted my shoulder. "You don't have to say a word, mate. The one thing I'm sure of is I see how Caroline looks at you and there's no missing how much she loves you."

"I love her just as much. She helped restore my trust in people."

"Much as you've likely done for her."

Caroline found her way to me as always, hugging my side as Mike suggested he'd go find his wife. After enjoying a light kiss, I suggested we go get changed so we could join the others in the pool. Her eyes lit up as I found myself dragged inside towards our bedroom. Watching her strip naked was always a turn on, and once I joined her in nudity, she pressed her body into mine.

"I would ask if you want a quickie, but I'm fairly sure once we start, we won't be re-joining our guests anytime soon."

Grabbing her arse, she giggled as she felt my erection press into her. Leaning down to kiss her, she started to smile within second as we ended up on the bed together, my cock sliding against her pussy though not trying to insert it. "You're a tease," she whispered.

"Once our guests are gone, we'll return here to carry on."

"Maybe we could just send them home now?"

"I'll just keep teasing you in the pool."

She put on a new bikini, a red one that looked fantastic against her rather pale skin, giving me one last toe-curling kiss before we wandered back outside to join the others. We spent the rest of the evening in and out of the pool, everyone having a great time. Upon leaving, we assured everyone that they'd soon receive invites for the wedding.

After making love later that evening, Caroline was cuddling into my side. "When do you want to get married?" I wondered.

"As soon as possible."

"Big or small wedding?"

"Smaller, the better. Family and a few close friends. All I want to do is walk down the aisle to see the man I love waiting to marry me. I want his ring, I want his surname, and soon, I'll have our child growing inside me."

"Guess we'd better make sure about that last thing."

"This week will be best. Good thing you're home more often than not, and I work from home too."

"So we send the kids to school and spend all day naked?"

"I think I can handle that idea." She kissed my cheek. "I love you."

"I love you."

She fell asleep long before me. I held her in my arms and felt the smile form. I knew I'd done one or two things that most people wouldn't agree with, but the most important thing was that she would now feel safe with me and no longer feel it necessary to look over her shoulder.

Would I do it again for her? In a heartbeat.

*****

Epilogue

We delayed the wedding until we knew she was carrying our child. Once we learned she was pregnant, we kept the announcement until our wedding day. She looked utterly beautiful in her white dress. I went with a simple black suit. Many of her old friends reconnected once she was on social media, and quite of a few of them managed to make the ceremony. Along with our friends from the neighbourhood, we soon had a large social circle.

It was a memorable day and our wedding picture takes pride of place in our house, alongside photos of our blended family. Her kids were calling me 'Dad' as soon as they moved in, and it didn't take long before my daughters were calling her 'Mum'.

Regarding her ex-husband, we never saw or heard from him again. Friends kept tabs on him and he took my advice to heart. He left the city and eventually ended up in Perth. Once he was there, I suggested we no longer needed to worry about him though Caroline's family did occasionally drop a little information. Within five years, he was in prison for a crime we all knew was coming. Adopting his children was quite easy considering he'd abandoned them.

As for my ex-wife, she only returned to the country once, and I handed her paperwork as she was packing up the house she'd lived in after leaving me, asking her to relinquish her parental rights so Caroline could adopt them. I asked for nothing in return except that. I wasn't surprised that she did so willingly. It was the last time any of us saw her. Far as I know, she's married and living with her new partner somewhere in Europe.

Caroline gave birth to our son five months after our wedding. As soon as she was home from hospital and able to have sex again, she circled a week on our wall calendar with big letters in red stating 'FERTILE'. I didn't even have to ask if she was sure about having another one, though I did eventually suggest we'd need some more room if we were going to have more children.

That meant either extending the house or adding a second floor. Not an entire second floor, just enough for another couple of bedrooms and a bathroom. We were both making good money, so extended the mortgage and had the building work done quickly. She was pregnant again by the time the work was complete, our children delighted to have more room, not surprised the oldest took advantage of the new rooms.

We eventually had three children together, two boys and a girl, before we agreed that was more than enough, getting her tubes tied while I got the snip too. At least it meant not having to worry about any form of birth control. As I promised her, we continued dating long after we were married. Friday night was date night. When they were old enough, Katie and Alice loved babysitting their siblings. Most nights, I'd book a hotel so my wife and I could spend a night enjoying some very hot and kinky sex. We'd long agreed that we'd try anything except introducing other people. We loved each other far too much to even contemplate doing such a thing.

It's ten years since our wedding. Caroline and I are still going strong, and we're as in love today as we were the day we exchanged vows and rings. I'm currently standing outside a door, Caroline by my side. I knocked lightly, hearing a voice telling me it's open.

Walking inside, I'm fairly sure I would have started blubbing if Caroline hadn't gripped my hand. Katie turned around and instantly said, "Don't you start, Daddy. We've just got my make-up perfect!"

"Sorry, sweetie. It's just... I knew this day was coming."

I hugged my oldest daughter tightly, feeling her arms grip me in return. "I love you, Daddy. And I love you too, Mum."