“Don’t worry, I’ve got him. Wait until you see the arrangements. We did good.” She smiles at me before turning her attention back to Ripley’s boy. Cheryl leads me through the back and opens one of the boxes. She pulls out the arrangement, and it’s perfect. There are a variety of daisies ranging from white to a deep purple, and the watering can is a purplish blue.
“These are beautiful. She’s going to love them. Thanks so much.”
She gives me a huge smile. “Great.”
We head back out front so I can settle the bill. I know it’s going to cost a mint, but it’ll be worth it to see the look on her face. Cheryl gives me the total and it’s about half of what I expected. “I don’t think you charged me enough.”
Cheryl looks to my mom and then back at me. “I gave them to you at cost. Pretty much, you’re paying for the watering cans.”
“Wow, you really didn’t have to do that. I can pay full price.”
“Oh I know you can, but consider this a thank you for your service.” She takes my credit card and slides it through the machine then hands me my receipt to sign.
My mom helps me load up the boxes into the back of my truck and then I load Alex in the back seat, buckling him in tight. We run the flowers back to their place and then he and I head to get the food. We decided to do simple, so we got sandwiches, chips, veggies, and dip. Her mom’s bringing the cake, and it’s Ripley’s absolute favorite: white cake with diced strawberries and white icing.
Her present is hidden behind the entertainment center. She mentioned once that she wanted a tablet, so I bought her an iPad mini. I really hope she loves it.
Jonah comes toward me with his phone in his hand. “Jess just texted me and they’ll be here in about five minutes.”
“Perfect. Thanks.” He claps me on the shoulder and moves through Ripley’s place, telling everyone to be ready. Alex runs toward me. “What’s up, little man?”
He wraps his arms around my waist. “Mommy’s going to be surprised.”
“I know she is. Do you think she’s going to like the party?” She thinks we’re just having dinner with our families.
“She’ll lub it!”
“They’re here!” I hear Jonah whisper-yell. Everyone gets into position and as soon as Ripley and Jessica step inside, everyone yells, “Surprise!”
Alex is the first to greet her, and I watch while everyone clambers for her attention. One by one, she hugs every person there, and then she finally reaches me. “Did you do all of this?” She wraps her arms around my waist.
I thread my fingers into her hair and bend down to kiss her lips. “I had help.” I turn to the room. “Food is set up in the kitchen. Please help yourselves.” I turn back to her. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving.” Hand in hand, we step into the kitchen. My mom hands us each a plate and then I lead her over to the food. After fixing our plates, we head into the living room. Jonah brought extra chairs, and I grab us a couple so we can sit and relax.
Ripley’s mom and mine seem to be getting along well, and are chatting away. Back when we were in high school, they spoke, just not often. Alex is sitting on my mom’s lap talking to them both. Around the room, everyone is laughing and talking, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m home. The doorbell rings and I jump up to get it; a part of me hopes it’s Kat, even though I still haven’t heard from her.
When I open the door, I smile—Cale is standing on the steps. “Hey, man. Glad you could come.” I turn until I find Ripley. “Baby, look who’s here.”
Her eyes widen comically and then she comes running toward us. “Cale! Oh my God! I’m so happy you’re here.” She throws herself into his arms and hugs him tight.
Cale hugs her in return. “It’s so good to see you again Rip. Where’s that boy of yours? I need to meet him.” She loops her arm through his, leads him farther into the living room, and calls Alex over. I watch as Cale gets down on his haunches and talks to him, then I stand to pick up some of the trash and take it into the kitchen.
Only family is left after a great evening. Ripley loved the cake and the presents, screaming and attacking me when she opened her iPad. Jonah and Jessica got her several different gift cards—one for iTunes, one for Amazon, and one for a spa she likes to go get her hair done at. Gift cards seemed to be the theme, but she reacted to each one with the same excitement as the one prior.
After singing “Happy Birthday” and eating cake, people started taking their leave. Jonah has Alex and Tiny outside, letting them expel some energy, and Ripley, Jessica, and the moms are all sitting around the living room. I decide to go outside with the guys.
I reach the kitchen and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Hustling toward the back door, first I spot Tiny on his side, unmoving. I fly down the steps to find Jonah on his back and Ripley’s neighbor Tim next to him. My heart starts hammering in my chest. Where’s Alex? “Alex!” Over and over, I shout for him.
I yell for help and everyone comes running out. “Someone call 911!” Jonah begins to groan, and Jessica helps me assess both Jonah and Tim. “Jonah what happened?”
“Where’s Alex?” I hear Ripley cry from behind me.
“She came out of nowhere.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know, she had dark hair. Fuck man, she came out of nowhere. She tased the dog and before I could react, she got me. Tim came out and tried to stop her, but she got him too. She took Alex man! She took him.”
I jump up and run around the side of the house to the front. I don’t see anything, and I tilt my head back. “Fuck!” I run around back and see that my mom’s on the phone.
“The police are on their way.”
“Someone get a recent picture of Alex,” I bark. I don’t care who does it, but someone just needs to.” Ripley is with her mom. “Baby?” She looks up and runs to me, her tears soaking the front of my shirt. “We’re going to find him, baby.”
“Who would take my little boy? Was it him? Did he do it?”
I stroke my hand over her hair. “Jonah says it was a dark-haired woman.”
She pulls back. “A dark-haired woman stopped me at the grocery store a little over a week ago. It was so bizarre. She just stared at me.”
The police get here and I lead them into the back to take statements, and give them the most recent picture of Alex.
After the police take Tim and Jonah’s statements, they ask Ripley for information about Alex. They’ve posted his picture on social media and on their website, and now all we can do is fucking wait. Ripley’s holding on by a string, and Jonah’s head is hung low. He’s got a defeated look about him, and all I want to do is hop in my truck and start searching for Alex. Sitting here doing nothing is not good for me.
The doorbell rings and I move to answer it, hoping it’s the police with some word. When I open the door, I’m struck speechless. “What the fuck are you doing here? I thought I made myself clear.” The noise behind me stops and I know they’re all watching. I just want my mom to steer clear of him.
“She has the boy. I know where they are. Come with me, we have to hurry.” Do I believe him? Do I trust that he’s telling the truth? I look at the tears running down Ripley’s face and know I’ve got no choice but to believe him.
I move across the room toward her. “I’m going to get our boy back, okay? You stay here, just in case.” I kiss her hard on the lips and then look at my family. They don’t know what to say, so I just give them a chin lift.
Outside, my dad is standing by a Ford Escort that looks like it barely functions. “Get in.”
“Who has him? Why?”
He lets out a slow and steady breath. “The day after I ran into you, I had a visitor. She said Ripley and the boy were standing in the way of you two having a happy life. She said she suspected that the boy was mine.” My stomach turns, because I know exactly who has my boy.
“Was her name Tiffany?” If that bitch hurts one hair on his head, she’s fucking dead.
“I-I don’t, I don’t know. Maybe, she never really said. She wanted me to help her get rid of them so she could be with you. I let her think I was interested so she would keep talking. She was going to take them to the Roadside Inn where a man was going to meet her and take them, to get rid of them.”
I know the place, and we’re at least ten minutes out. “You need to fucking hurry.”
A heavy silence fills the inside of the car and my knee bounces up and down nervously. God, I wish I had a gun or something. “When we get there, stop the car down the street. She’ll hear us coming.”
He tries to make conversation with me, but I don’t have time for chit-chat. I focus and get into rescue mode when I see the motel sign up ahead. “Stop the car here.” At least the son of a bitch listens. I climb out and turn back to my dad. “Call the police when I figure out what room they’re in.”
“They’re in room seven. She’s not very smart because she told me which room she was in before I even agreed to help.”
“Okay well call them now. Tell them no sirens or lights—I don’t want to spook her.”
He grabs my hand. “Son, I just wanted to say that I’m—”
“Not right now, Dad, but I promise we’ll talk, okay?” My father nods and looks relieved. “Call them, now.”
On silent feet, I move toward the motel and come up on room seven. There’s a light on inside but the room is cloaked in silence. The drapes are shut and I attempt to see inside. Of course, I can’t, and right now I need to make a decision about what to do.
I hear a noise inside. “Shut up you little brat. I don’t want to hear it.”
“I want to go home.” Alex’s tearful voice can be heard, and in that moment, I make a decision. I step back a little and with one quick movement, I kick the door until it splinters open.
Tiffany stands next to the bed and she’s got a gun pointed at Alex. She looks crazy and unkempt. Her hair is scraggly and unclean, and her clothes are clearly dirty. “Brock? What are you doing here?”
“What do you think I’m doing? I need you to let the boy go.”
“I-I can’t do that, baby. He’s why you left me, him and his whore mother. I wanted to get rid of her too, but then I thought, what would break her more? Losing her son, of course. A friend is going to come help me get rid of this little brat.” She waves her gun around and I watch her with wary eyes. I just need one opening. I’d never hit a woman if I could help it, but she’s got my boy and he’s clearly scared.
“Why don’t you let him go and I’ll stay?” I beg, my heart pumping quick, each beat filled with worry and terror. I’m hoping maybe that’ll work, that maybe with her feelings for me, she’ll agree to it. I just want Alex out of here.
“I can’t do that. I love you, Brock, but you’ve ruined us. You abandoned me for your precious Ripley and her kid.” She points the gun at the floor and fires. Alex covers his ears and cries out.
“Buddy it’s okay, I promise.” I watch her point the gun at Alex again. “Tiff, please point that at me.”
She does what I say, and then I see movement out of the corner of my eye that causes me to turn my head. My dad stands in the doorway.
“You,” Tiffany hisses, and my dad holds his hands up in a surrendering gesture.
He begs. “Let them go, and take me.”
Time moves in slow motion. She raises the gun. Her eyes are wild and without blinking, fires, hitting my father right between the eyes. The quick, deafening sound booms. My father’s head jerks back, and I freeze. Blood pours down his face. Grey matter splatters on the wall behind where my dad was standing. With quick movements, I lunge at her, clearly shocking her and knocking the gun from her hand. I grab by her hair and slam her head into the wall once, knocking her out.
The smell of blood, death and stale cigarettes make my stomach turn. I shake myself out of the shock and stand. Through the open door I see a whole string of police cars pulling into the parking lot. With a sigh of relief, I rush to Alex, picking him up and hugging him to my chest. “It’s okay buddy. You’re okay.” I place my lips against his forehead inhaling his familiar little boy scent.
His cries break my heart, but they also are soothing because he’s okay. He’s safe. With him in my arms I wipe the tears from his red, splotchy tear-stained face before hugging him tightly to my body again.
Once the police step into the room, there is a flurry of activity, and thankfully they cover the body of my father. Alex doesn’t need to see that; fuck, I don’t want to see that. I answer as many questions as I can, and I’m relieved that they don’t really ask Alex anything. They give us the okay to leave for now, and they have my number if they need us for anything. As I buckle Alex in the back seat of my dad’s Escort, I hear Tiffany screaming as they bring her out in handcuffs.
I hope she never sees the light of day again.
28
RIPLEY
Everyone has finally left and for that, I’m glad. Don’t get me wrong, their support while we waited for word about Alex was wonderful, but now that he is home, I just need some alone time with my boys.
Just before they returned home to me, Tim came back over to see if there was any word on Alex. I immediately hugged the big pervert, thanking him for attempting to stop the woman who took my son.
Once they were home, Tiny didn’t leave Alex’s side, and I swear the dog let out a sigh of relief when they walked into the house a few hours ago. Once the dog came to, he seemed out of it and his legs were wobbly, but Brock’s granddad stayed with him outside until he was steady enough to walk up the back steps.
I’d never cried so hard in my life as when I saw that my boy was home and safe. I ripped Alex from Brock’s arms and collapsed on the floor with him, probably scaring him but unable to hold back my relieved sobs.
Brock’s ex-girlfriend was behind it, and I know it’s not Brock’s fault, even though I could see it in his eyes that he felt that. I’ll just have to prove over and over again that I will never blame him for her being a psycho.
I’m not yet sure how I feel about Brock’s dad. A part of me will be forever grateful that he was able to help rescue Alex. For a long time, I wished for that man to die, but now that it’s happened, guilt plagues me because I know the last thing he did was help save my son.
Upstairs, I step down the hall to my bedroom and lean against the doorjamb, smiling at the sight before me. Brock is asleep on his side with Alex tucked into him, and Tiny is sleeping on the other side of Alex. My boy and his protectors.
I boot Tiny out of bed, and of course he’s not happy about it. Sliding in next to my boys, I cuddle in close. I kiss my baby boy’s head, inhaling his sweet scent. Brock’s eyes flutter open and he gives me a sleepy smile. “Hey baby,” I whisper.
“Hey. He passed out pretty quick, and so far so good.” I’m concerned about Alex having nightmares about what happened, though Brock assured me Alex didn’t see his father get killed. Of course, it’s only the first night, so we’ll have to see how everything goes. “We just need to keep an eye on him, and if necessary, we’ll get him some help.”
“Okay, that sounds like a good idea.” I grab his hand and pull it toward my lips. “I’m sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks baby. I guess I can rest easy knowing he died trying to make things right.”
“How’s your mom handling it?” His mom was still here when he got back with Alex, and after learning about her ex-husband, she became very quiet.
“I think she’ll be okay. It’ll take some time, but she’s a lot stronger now than she was before.”
We both settle in, and it’s a long time before either of us finds sleep.
SIX MONTHS LATER
So much has happened these past six months. Tiffany got tried and convicted for first-degree murder and kidnapping. That bitch will never be free again. She tried to plead insanity, but they didn’t buy it. After that didn’t work, she pled guilty to get the death penalty taken off of the table.
&nbs
p; Brock and Tiny officially moved in five months ago. It made sense since they were at our place all the time anyway. Brock was hired by the Aldridge police department, and he’s got two more months of training then he’ll graduate and become a cop. Although it is a nonresidential academy, which means he comes home every night Monday through Friday, he sometimes doesn’t get home until late. I’m so proud of him, and he works so hard for us.
For the academy, he had to cut his hair off and shave his beard. He looks sexy like that, and honestly I hope he keeps the look when he’s done. The man excels at everything he does, and I’m really not surprised he’s excelling at the academy too. Our plan once he graduates is to look into buying a house.
Four months ago, we got married in a quick ceremony at the courthouse with only our moms, his grandparents, Alex, Jonah, and Jessica in attendance. We just didn’t want to wait, and neither of us wanted something big. He looked so handsome in his black suit, and I looked pretty amazing in my white strapless sundress with an antique lace overlay, if I do say so myself. I wore my hair in a fishtail braid with flowers strewn through it, and Alex was dressed just like Brock—it was so cute.
Brock’s mom and Cheryl arranged for flowers to be brought in as a surprise. The smell of Gardenia’s filled the courtroom giving it a warm, happy vibe.
Alex is doing fantastic. We did have him talk to someone a few times, and they said he really didn’t show any signs of mental trauma. Even so, we’re still watchful, and I get a little anxious if I can’t see him when he goes outside to play.
My attention goes to my boys out in the back yard, where Brock is grilling burgers and hot dogs. Standing by the open window, the smell of fresh cut grass makes me smile, I love it. I turn my attention back to my boys when I hear Brock say, “Hey, bud. Come here. Let’s talk.” I move to stand closer to the screen door and watch as Alex sits next to Brock. “I wanted to ask you something.” Alex is looking up at him. “You know I love you, right?”
Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 57