Brokenly Found

by Nikki Bolvair

  "They were just beating up on you. Even when I got to you-you were fighting me," he continued, "What happened? You were just gone. It took me a few seconds to get you back."

  My head fell in shame as I let out a long breath. "This is not the first time I've been beaten like this," I stated gesturing to all of me. "It's not that bad really."

  "What do you mean not the first time, Faith?" he started bringing a finger up to my chin to lift my head, but I pulled away. My head ached as the adrenaline began to wear off.

  "Not now," I told him as I grabbed my shirt, trying to avoid the pounding in my head.

  "You bet it's going to be right now! Who's been beating you? Was it your old foster parents? Was it..."

  I snap my head up to glare at him. "It was once, Kayden. My father beat me one time and almost killed me."

  "What?" he stumbled, almost disbelieving, "Raina always said Austin's parents were nice."

  "They were, before. Just not after." I finished putting my clothes on and folded my arms across my body, protecting myself.

  Would this information make a difference in how the guys viewed me? Would they not want someone so... broken? My worries were plain as day as I tried to hold my tears again. I was stronger than this. I proved that, but it always kept going back to those two nights. I had emotional triggers like my earlier therapists had said. I needed to be careful.

  Kayden came towards me and folded me into a hug as his hand went up to my head, drawing it into his shoulder. He smelled spicy and masculine, and I felt grounded, more centered now that I was surrounded by him.

  "Shh, Faith. It's ok. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he broke. He leaned back, kissing me to give me comfort, holding me as if his arms could keep me safe. We left the amusement park emotionally drained with ice packs on our faces as we drove back.

  To lighten the mood, in a soft teasing voice, I said, "Epic date night, Kayden. Next time, let’s just skip the fight and settle our sexual frustrations another way."

  He snorted and carefully took a hold of my bruised hand that held an ice pack to his face. "We still have time." He was silent for a moment, glancing over towards me then back to the road again before he whispered, "Brady's gonna kill me."

  "Maybe we can cover it somehow," I suggested, leaning on Kayden to ease some of the aches in my ribs.

  "I can see if Raina has something that will do that before you go back." I lifted my hand to touch the right side of my face, cringing when it stung. "Hey! Hey, don't touch it."

  "Maybe we should stop at a corner store for pain medication. I'm starting to feel it," I whined.

  "Hang on. I think we should see my Uncles. One of them is a vet. He could look us over to make sure nothing's seriously wrong."

  "Being a Veterinarian is vastly different than a doctor, Kayden."

  "Yes, but, at least, it's a start."

  "I don't have udders."

  Kayden busted out a laughing. "I beg to differ, Sweetcheeks."

  I pulled away from him, cupping my size C mounds. "These are breasts, not udders and—wait, what kind of animals does your uncle work with?"

  "Horses."

  I dropped my hands and folded them across my chest. "Point. Made."

  "What would you have us do then, hmm? Want to go back to the hospital?"

  I wrinkled up my nose. "It's smells there."

  "Want Brady to find out you've been in a fight?"

  I made a noise of displeasure. That was the last thing I wanted. "Shoot, no. I lasted all of two months without throwing a punch. He'd burn me if he knew."

  "Two months, huh? Why?"

  I sat back on the bench seat and chuckled. "A guy copped a feel, and I retaliated. He wasn't expecting it. That's probably why I got him good. Brady was the officer that showed up at the school. He knew me and after taking statements, he gave me one of his own lectures. I think some of it stuck."

  "Like what?"

  I shrugged, "Something like, 'tighten your fists more when you take a swing, it maximizes the force of the hit on your attacker."

  Kayden laughed. "Really? Officer Brady, condoning violence. Never thought I'd see the day."

  "He didn't 'condone' it in the beginning, but after my statement, he wanted to sign me up for self-defense classes. I refused, but now I'm currently rethinking that idea." I closed my eyes taking in the ride, willing my body to stop its throbbing pain. "Which uncle are we going to see?"

  "Uncle Jake, but we'll most likely see Uncle Denny and my Aunt too. Raina talked to you about them, remember?"

  "Yeah," I yawned, the fight going out of me. "How did your family come to be like that anyways? It's definitely not something people did back then, and that lifestyle is still quite taboo."

  Chapter 15

  As we drove, Kayden's told me a more in depth history of the McGuire family. "It all started with the Triple G grandfathers. They-"

  "What? Triple G? What does that even stand for?"

  "Great-great-great-grandfather."

  I nodded. "Ok. That makes sense now. Continue."

  "So they lost their dad at a young age, and their mom couldn't seem to accept it. When the Triples saw their mother slowly drifting away, it affected them. They were young and still needed her. Even though she married again to keep her land, she was never the same. Their mom did the best she could, but she was still only living a half-life. The brothers never wanted their wives to go through that, so together they decided they would share a wife between them. So if one died, the other brother would be there to care for her. After that, it became a tradition of sorts."

  "Wow."

  Kayden shifted in his seat to pull out his cell phone. "I forgot. I need to call Uncle Jake and let him know we're coming." He pressed a few buttons and then held it up to his ear. I could hear the ringing in the quiet of the cab and then the click of someone picking up.

  "Ello," a rough voice floated over the line.

  "Hey, Uncle Jake. It's Kayden."

  "Boy! What have you done this time? I swear if you weren't my brother's child..."

  "Uncle," Kayden groaned. 'Why do you always think something's wrong when I call you?"

  "When's the last time you called?"

  "After the rodeo, but that's—"

  "And what for?" his uncle interrupted him.

  "So you could stitch up my leg."

  "Had you listened to your mama, and not tried to ride that bull in the first place, you wouldn't have had to need stitches."

  "Ok, one time." Kayden sighed.

  "How about the New Year's incident? Or the drag racing a couple of years ago?" Uncle Jake taunted.

  Kayden's mouth ticked up into a smile. "Ok Uncle, you got me, but that last one, you have to admit, we came out on top."

  I heard a grunt on the other end, "When are you going to be here? And what's wrong?" he asked, dismissing Kayden's comment.

  We pulled onto Uncle Denny's farm road and turned right onto the road that led up to the house and away from the pond. "We're here, Uncle."

  "We?" But Kayden hung up before his Uncle could ask anything else, and then he turned to me. "Prepare yourself. They can be a bit much at first."

  When we parked up at the farm house, the front door opened and a large man stepped out, followed by another man and woman. I recognized the second man as Uncle Denny.

  Kayden helped me out of the truck, and we met them on the porch.

  "Hello, son. You didn't have to hang up on me." The man I didn't know spoke.

  "Hi, Uncle Jake. Didn't mean to," he totally lied. "Uncle Denny. Aunt Marlene."

  "Whatcha doing all the way out here this late at night?" his aunt asked as she came forward with a hand out. "Hello, dear, I'm Marlene McGuire, but you can call me Aunt Marlene."

  I shook her hand, grateful for the dull lighting that hid my face. "Daniels."

  "Hello, Darlin!" Uncle Denny spoke up when he realized who I was. "I wondered when I'd be seeing—" He paused when the two of us entered their home.

  "What
on earth?" he boomed when the lighting in the home glowed on us, showing the bruising that was already forming. I guessed that with the dimly lit porch none of them realized that we were hurt.

  "Marlene, get these kids some ice packs," the man that was Kayden's Uncle Jake barked, then he turned to Uncle Denny. "Take them to the living room. I need to get my bag."

  "It looks a lot worse than it is," Kayden called out as we watched him head up the stairs.

  "I'll be the judge of that," he barked back.

  "Come on kiddos, let's see what the damage is and why," Uncle Denny said, "you and your girl are looking like you been through the wringer."

  Kayden grabbed my hand as we both sat gingerly on the couch, and Uncle Denny took notice as he stood eyeing us.

  "What happ—"

  "Got the ice packs!" Aunt Marlene called out as she came over to us, handing us both a cold cloth pack. It looked like a beanbag that you would use to play some kind of hand tossing game, but I didn't care as I took it with my free hand to put it on my face. It was cold.

  "Some idiots at Seabreeze decided to pick a fight with me, and Daniels got caught up in it."

  I grunted at Kayden's explanation as the cold from Aunt Marlene's homemade cold packs seeped into my face.

  "They were crazy. I'm pretty sure they were on something," I voiced my two cents.

  "Alright," Uncle Jake uttered, as he came into the living room carrying a brown bag. "Ladies first."

  He looked at my face first, removing the cold pack, then he poked and prodded. "Mmm, you have some swelling, but nothing seems to be broken." He gave me the cold pack back. "Keep this on there while I look at your hands and—"

  "Ribs." Kayden interrupted him, and his uncle raised a brow. "She hurt her ribs before, and they weren't fully healed."

  I glared at him. "I'm fine."

  Kayden didn't listen. "She's lying. She was having trouble breathing earlier, and I've seen the bruises."

  I sighed, and I couldn't help the whistle that came out with it.

  "See?" Kayden insisted. "Just have him look at you to make sure. Please."

  I glanced at him and realized he was really concerned, and my ribs did hurt. "Ok." I agreed. I lifted up my shirt to the bottom of my breasts, and his uncle was not pleased.

  "Do her parents know yet, Kayden?" Uncle Denny asked as his brother felt my ribs for any broken or floating ones.

  "Not yet."

  I hissed as he pressed a tender one. "Sorry," he said, moving on.

  "How about your Momma?" Aunt Marlene questioned as she stood in front of us, looking worried.

  "No."

  Uncle Denny had begun to pace as he grumbled something about trouble. He stopped and dragged his hand through what little hair he had as he sighed.

  "Done."

  I shifted my shirt back down, and he moved on to look at my hands.

  "You are going to be sore for a few days, but you'll live," he finally concluded, as he went to check out Kayden's injuries.

  After a brief look at him, he stood and looked towards his wife. "Marlene, honey, will you get them a glass of water? I want to give both of them some pain meds and some relaxers. They both need it." He turned back to us. "I don't like it, Kayden," he stated as he gave us a stern look. "You kids aren't going home tonight. If I had it my way, you'd both be up at Rochester General, but I can't make ya. What I will be doing is callin’ your folks, and you will be explaining why you're having to spend the night here. In fact, I'm not sure either of you should be driving tomorrow anyways. Denny or I will take you home. Are we clear?"

  Kayden tugged me towards him as he leaned back against the couch cushions. "Yeah, Uncle."

  I stayed silent and just cuddled with Kayden, but I did worry about what Brady might say. It was so quiet, like someone was waiting for something, that I tucked my head out of Kayden's chest and looked towards Uncle Jake.

  He stood now with his brown bag in hand, but he stared at us, at me.

  "Darlin?"

  "Yes?" I spoke hesitantly, not understanding what he wanted.

  "I need your parents’ number."

  "Oh." I rattled off Sarah's number, hoping I could avoid Brady for tonight.

  "What's the name?"

  "Sarah Brady."

  He walked off after dialing, and Aunt Marlene and Uncle Denny came over with water and pain medication. We both took them and leaned back in the same position. I was so sore now that I had been poked and prodded.

  "....yes. Here she is," Uncle Jake stated, coming back to me and handing over the phone.

  "Sarah?" I asked hesitantly.

  "Daniels," Brady answered back. I shouldn't have been surprised. He would have known eventually. I swallowed, nervously.

  "Hi, Brady."

  "When you get home tomorrow we’re having a talk, and you are never dating again." He sounded furious.

  "But—"

  "No." That was definitely a deadly sound.

  "Brady!" I heard Sarah yell in the background. "Give me the dang phone. You can't threaten her like that! Then we'll never get grandbabies."

  "Quiet woman. I can and I will. Daniels can adopt!" he growled.

  "Brady?" I worried.

  "You. Are. Grounded."

  "But it wasn't our fault!" I erupted.

  "Tell me all about it during your thirty-year grounding."

  "Brady. You are not going to ground me for thirty years. And I'll date if I want to! I'm seventeen! It's a magical number, ask Sarah. She knows!" Brady was silent, but I could still hear Sarah grumbling in the background.

  "Brady?" I asked nervously, afraid that I had gone too far. They were all I had. I didn’t want him to be too upset. He was just trying to protect me, but I wasn’t going to let him ground me for thirty years either.

  Brady sighed. "Just tell me one thing; did you tighten your fists?"

  I grinned and relaxed. "To the nails."

  "How hurt are you?"

  "Nothing a few lazy days can't cure, but I can't afford to miss any more days."

  Brady grunted.

  "I'm going to date, Brady."

  "We'll see. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Sarah wants to talk."

  I heard some fumbling, and then Sarah came on.

  "Oh, Faith, how on earth do you get into these messes?"

  "I don’t mean to," I told her as I sighed, glancing over to Kayden. He got up and walked over to the window to talk with his parents. I glanced around until I saw Uncle Jake whispering to his wife. I could still hear Sarah, but I was only half listening. How did Kayden’s aunt do it? How did his uncles convince her to go along with their crazy idea? Aunt Marlene shook her head, not agreeing with something he said. She looked towards Kayden, then to me. I ducked my head and tried to figure out what Sarah was saying now.

  "... of all things, Faith. A fight. I’m sure you were in the right. You never do something without reason. Except running away. You’re not doing that again, right? Are you really ok, Faith?"

  "Yes. And you’re right, it wasn’t our fault."

  "You know Brady’s going to try and get the police report on it, right?"

  "Yeah." I turned to look back towards Kayden and saw him shift as he talked quietly. He hung up and turned my way, giving me his signature happy go lucky smile as he came to sit down next to me. I finished my phone call with a promise to call in the morning. After our calls, we didn't have to wait too long for both of our phones to ring. I'm sure Tyler and Lincoln were both the callers.

  We were both still on the couch while Uncle Denny pulled out an air mattress from an old chest while Uncle Jake and Aunt Marlene went to get blankets, I guessed.

  I leaned back into the crook of Kayden’s shoulder and answered my phone.

  "Hello?"

  "I only heard half of it. What happened?" I could hear the worried strain in Lincoln's voice.

  Kayden tensed beside me, but his voice never changed as he softly spoke to Tyler. It was still strong and sure, and I wondered what Tyler was
saying. I relayed to Lincoln all that had happened and told him it was a date to remember, even if it ended like it did.

  "I’m just glad you’re ok. Are you guys coming back tonight?"

  "No." I yawned. "Your Uncle Jake gave us pain meds, and we can’t drive."

  "Well, I’m going to make sure our date is danger free." Uh-Oh...

  "About that... I’m grounded for thirty years."

  "WHAT?" I pulled the phone away from my ear. Dang that boy could yell. "I’m going to kill Kayden."

  I snorted. "No, you won't. I’m keeping him, and if you ever want to date me, you best be wooing Officer Brady. He’s bribable."

  Lincoln sighed. "I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not."

  I smiled as I let out another yawn, covering my mouth. "I’d just take what I could get at this point."

  I started to feel droopy and tired and realized the meds were kicking in. I told Lincoln goodbye and hung up. Aunt Marlene came in with pillows and blankets and made up the bed, then came over to the couch. She looked pointedly at Kayden, who was now very relaxed beside me. We both were.

  "I'm hoping both of you have enough respect not to get down and dirty in my living room." Kayden chuckled. "Even with your banged up selves, I highly doubt anything would happen anyways. With that said, you both can sleep on the air mattress."

  "Thanks, Aunt Marlene."

  "Thank you," I responded quietly. I was grateful to her. I hurt, but with the meds, kicking in, I was starting to feel awesome. Kayden and I both crawled into the bed, and he tugged me in close. "Night, Sweetcheeks."

  I smiled sleepily, as I put my chin on his shoulder. "Night, Sir Kayden."

  He pulled back to squint at me. "What?"

  I smiled as I let out a big yawn and my eyes closed. "Yeah." I snuggled into him. "You came out of that fight like a knight defending his princess."

  He snorted. "You’re no princess."

  My eyes popped open, and I whacked him on his arm. "Ow!"

  "You take that back," I grumped.

  He rubbed his arm and then tugged my head towards his to kiss the tip of my nose. "You’re too easy. You’re not a princess in my book. They are helpless wimps that get their guards to do their dirty work.” He kissed my lips then pulled back, "You’re a queen, who fights for what she wants and doesn't back down."