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He lifted Baldewin’s hand to his ain “Let’s get this over with”
The srey house near the river looked the saht before hean extra half story with bedrooms for children, and the couple had always been disappointed that they had only one child Tori’s further disappointment to them was never in question He’d never been allowed to play in or even enter the other bedroo for a child that would never come
He’d texted the, as he didn’t want to enter the house if he could help it There was nothing in it left for hi in the worst way There was a porch facing the river, and it was there that he found both parents waiting for him
Yoshua and Jona Taavi stared at their only child with stiff faces, their expressions masked to hide what they truly felt It was how they nore about it as he walked up the two steps onto the porch
“I came to tell you myself,” he said without preamble “I’ve permanently left the Taavi Clan”
“We heard” Yoshua didn’t stand fro hi lines, which was easy to do for him The deep furroeen his brows and the lines around his mouth leant to that expression naturally “Heard you took on a dragon’s name, too”
“I’m a Burkhard, yes” Tori turned and forced himself to do brief introductions “Baldewin, this is Yoshua and Jona, my parents This is Baldewin Burkhard, head of security for the Burkhard Clan Also, my fiancé”
Jona’s brows shot up into her thinning blonde hair She sat up straighter, eyes darting between the two of theons don’t take men as mates!”
“On the contrary, we do,” Baldewin corrected her The sender That seems to be an issue only with the Taavi”
She went back to frowning at her child “Is this why you left? Without a word to us? Because you wanted a man more than you wanted your family?”
“Since when has my family ever wanted me?” Tori shot back, out of patience with this conversation already “Yes, I wanted a husband Ato find it here And let’s be clear, I’ to the Taavi, and I have no intention of ever visiting You were proven wrong in alht h to wishmy mind?”
Stony silence fro the river