Rocky Ground

by Kaylea Cross

  “Ya fuckin’ bastard,” Aidan snarled, gasping for breath, his body exhausted, his strength spent. He drew his numb fist back anyway, and drove it straight into the fucker’s slack face.

  Brian’s head snapped back. Aidan didn’t even feel the impact. He drew back for another shot, then realized the wee shite wasn’t moving. Brian was hanging like a sack of flour in his grip, pinned against the rock by the force of the waves crashing against them. A deadweight.

  “Mac!”

  Jase was running over the rocks toward him. Aidan kept hold of Brian until Jase got there and dragged his limp body up onto the rocks. Aidan grabbed hold of the one closest to him and hauled himself up, his chest heaving, and lay there for a few moments, spent.

  Slowly he got to his hands and knees. Jase had Brian stretched out on his back on a flat rock. He was performing chest compressions.

  Aidan wasn’t sorry the bastard had inhaled a lungful of seawater and bashed his head against the rocks.

  Still gasping, he summoned the strength to turn his head, his gaze searching for and finding Tiana. Noah was with her. She was okay. And Beckett was speeding Ella to shore in the boat.

  Aidan closed his eyes and dropped his head, his heart expanding until he feared it might burst.

  As long as his girls were safe, that was all that mattered. As for Brian…

  Aidan hoped the bastard died and spared Ella the trouble of enduring a trial.

  ****

  Tiana couldn’t stop shaking as Noah wrapped her up in a blanket. It cut the wind but didn’t warm her. She was numb all over, shaking so hard her teeth chattered and her breaths came in ragged gasps.

  Noah was talking to her, his voice urgent, but she wasn’t listening. Her attention was divided between the boat carrying Ella, heading away from her to shore, and on Aidan just in sight on the other side of the point. He was on his hands and knees, his head bowed in exhaustion.

  Close by, Jase was doing compressions on Brian’s chest.

  Just let him die, she thought savagely. She wanted him to die. He deserved it. She only wished it could have been slower and more painful. And by her hand. That monster had tried to take her baby.

  “Tiana, look at me.”

  She forced her gaze to Noah’s. “I’m o-k-kay,” she grated out. “W-want Ella.” She needed to hold her daughter. Craved it with every cell of her being.

  His worried expression softened. “She’s okay. Beckett’s still with her and paramedics are on the way. I’ll get you to her as soon as I can, but I can’t if you’re hypothermic.” He rubbed his hands briskly over her back, her arms, trying to warm her.

  “A-Aidan. N-need Aidan.”

  “We need to get you away from the water and out of the wind so we can warm you up.”

  It was then she noticed the people coming down the cliff path toward them. Men wearing sheriff’s deputy jackets, and firemen carrying medical supplies.

  She shook her head, the motion jerky. “A-Aidan,” she insisted. She wasn’t leaving without him.

  Noah grunted in annoyance, held her gaze for a second, then bent to hook an arm under her knees. “You’re as stubborn as my sister. I’ll take you to him for a minute, but when the firemen get here, they’re taking a look at you.”

  She didn’t argue, wrapping her arms around his neck, her gaze riveted on Aidan. He was watching her too, and pushed back to sit on his heels. He was shaking hard, his chest heaving. She wanted to go to him. Hold him. Thank him for what he’d done. Warm him with her body heat and never let him go.

  “She wasn’t going to cooperate until she saw you,” Noah said to Aidan as he made his way across the rocks with her.

  Aidan slowly pushed to his feet, shivering so much it made her want to cry again. When they got close she pushed at Noah’s shoulders. “P-put me d-down,” she begged.

  Noah lowered her to her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as she wobbled, meeting Aidan halfway. His arms closed around her as she swung her blanket around them both.

  She grabbed the back of his neck with one hand, her icy fingers clamping tight while she pressed her face into his chest and hugged him around the back.

  “Y-you ok-kay?” he demanded, shaking even harder than her.

  She nodded, managed to choke out a yes and kept clinging. He’d been in the water longer than her. Without him, she would have drowned and Ella might have too. “You s-saved us,” she whispered, so overcome with gratitude and emotion for this man that she wanted to weep.

  “H-how’s Ella?” He looked over his shoulder.

  “Safe. N-need to s-see her.”

  “Right after the firemen check you both out,” Noah promised, waving the other first responders over.

  Tiana tamped down her impatience as two firemen approached her. Two immediately moved past her to Aidan, and two others to Brian, taking over CPR from Jase. The firemen peeled off her sodden clothes, put her in sweatpants, a sweatshirt and thick socks, then wrapped her up in more blankets.

  Their friend made his way over the rocks to them wrapped in his own blanket, panting from the prolonged exertion. “Is h-he dead?” Aidan demanded.

  “Not yet.” His aqua gaze cut between them. “You guys both okay?”

  “Yes, but I need to see Ella,” Tiana said, holding Aidan’s hand. It was every bit as cold as hers but even though she couldn’t feel it she needed to touch him. She needed to see her daughter now.

  Finally, they were allowed to start for the beach. A firefighter carried her, steering clear of whatever was going on with Brian while Jase and Aidan walked beside her. “I just need to see my little g-girl,” Tiana said to him, her heart racing.

  “I understand. She’s all right. Just wet and cold and shaken up.”

  God, the trauma that child has sustained already. Tiana bit her lip. Partway up the beach a group of first responders were gathered around someone, presumably Ella. She needed to get to her daughter.

  The awful pressure in her chest expanded and pushed up into her throat, shoving against the backs of her eyes. She blinked to clear the haze of tears, shivering as the wind whipped around her. Once again, she’d failed to protect her daughter from a mistake she’d made.

  Ella. My poor, sweet Ella…

  The effort of carrying her across the sand began to wear on the fireman. He was slowing, his breathing strained and he kept shifting his grip on her.

  “It’s okay, put me down,” she insisted, pushing at him.

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.” She was cold and tired but if she didn’t run to Ella right this instant, she would explode.

  He set her down on the damp sand. Without waiting for either Aidan or Jase, Tiana broke into a lope, going as fast as her wobbly legs would allow. The firemen and paramedics gathered around Ella saw her coming and made way.

  As soon as her gaze landed on her little girl, huddled in a blanket in the midst of all the first responders, a sob tore from Tiana’s chest.

  “M-mom,” Ella cried, and stood up.

  Tiana dropped her blanket, her numb feet racing over the sand for those last few torturous yards, and then Ella was in her arms.

  A low, wounded sound ripped from her lips. She clutched her daughter to her, one hand on the back of Ella’s little blond head to hold her daughter’s face to her chest, her free arm locked around Ella’s waist.

  She couldn’t get a single word out, the feel of her daughter safe in her arms breaking something inside her. Locking Ella to her, she fell to her knees.

  Uncaring of the spectacle they made, she rolled to her side there on the sand, buried her face in Ella’s hair and cried, hard, agonized sobs ripping through her. Ella clung tight, the muscles in her little arms shaking with the effort.

  Someone lifted them upright. Pressure and warmth slowly registered.

  When the sobs finally eased enough to allow her to open her eyes, she looked up into Aidan’s face. His cheeks were streaked with tears as he cradled them both to his chest, his big body sheltering t
hem and blocking the worst of the wind.

  Tiana leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, pressing fervent kisses to her daughter’s wet hair, every part of Ella’s face she could reach.

  The wind receded even more. She looked up to find Poppy, Sierra and Molly there. The women wrapped them in quilts and Molly gave them all hot tea to drink from a thermos. They’d brought warm clothes and shoes as well.

  Everything after that passed in a complete blur.

  Tiana refused to let Ella out of arm’s reach when an ambulance crew met them at the top of the cliff. They were taken to the hospital to be checked out.

  Tiana stayed with Ella as her daughter relayed the entire harrowing tale to Noah, who wrote it up in a report. He’d told her that Brian had died on the beach, that based on the liquor bottles they’d found in his car, his blood alcohol level was likely way above the legal limit, making him succumb to hypothermia faster.

  She was glad he was dead. And she hoped hell was real, because she wanted him to suffer the worst torture it could throw at him for the rest of eternity.

  “Miss Fitzgerald?” a nurse said to her, pulling her out of her ruthless thoughts. “There’s a man here asking to see you and Ella. He said he’s her father.”

  The word no immediately shot into her mouth, but she stopped it before it could come out. Evan had his faults but Ella had clearly enjoyed his visit and he’d tried his best to protect her, tackling and fighting Brian.

  She swallowed her own feelings and put the question to Ella. “Do you want to see him?”

  Ella nodded and sat up straighter, her expression anxious. “He was hurt.”

  “All right,” Tiana told her nurse. “Send him in.”

  Evan came in a minute later, his face bruised from his struggle with Brian. His gaze shot from Tiana to Ella and his face filled with a mixture of grief and relief that softened Tiana’s hardened heart. “Oh, God, sweetheart,” he breathed, dropping to his knees in front of Ella to cup her face in his hands. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m okay. Mac and Beckett saved me.”

  “Well then, I owe them big time.” He reached his arms out, then hesitated, watching Ella. “Can I hug you?”

  A tiny smile curled her lips upward. “Yes.” She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Evan’s neck, and Tiana had to look away for a second, her throat tightening.

  She couldn’t hold on to her bitterness. It would only do more harm than good and Evan clearly cared about Ella. This had to mark the start of a new beginning for all of them—if Evan proved he’d really changed.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” he whispered, then his eyes came back to Tiana. “Both of you,” he added.

  Ella let go and sat back, seemed to sag in her chair as she met Tiana’s gaze. “Where’s Mac?”

  “They’re checking him over in another room.” She intended to cover that man with kisses the moment she was alone with him again.

  “I want to go home now. I’m tired.”

  “I know, baby. We’ll go as soon as the doctor says it’s okay.” As soon as Ella’s core temp came up to normal.

  Ella drifted off into a doze. Tiana sat beside her, stroking her hair. “She’s been through so much,” she whispered, then bit her lip.

  “But she’s safe now.”

  She looked up at Evan. Nodded.

  He sat forward, clasping his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. “You’re one hell of a fierce mom, Tiana. Diving into the water to save her.” His smile was genuine, full of admiration. “Our daughter’s lucky to have you.”

  For some reason his words pushed her near tears. “Thank you.”

  “It’s the truth. And please don’t worry about the custody issue. I swear I won’t try to take her from you. She belongs here with you. I’ll be satisfied with seeing her once a month or whenever your schedules permits it.”

  “Do you mean that?”

  “Yes.”

  She believed him.

  Evan stayed for a little while longer. Tiana found it easier to be around him as the minutes passed, and the goodbye was only mildly awkward. She was never going to be friends with him, but she could deal with him being involved in Ella’s life as long as he proved to be a good father now.

  Finally the doctor cleared them to leave. Aidan was waiting for them in the hall. He gathered them both into a fierce hug that was returned twofold.

  Ella wound her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, refusing to be put down, so he carried her down to the entrance where Beckett waited for them in his truck. He drove them home, asked if they needed anything, then left.

  “Hot showers all around?” Aidan said to her and Ella.

  “I want a bath,” Ella said.

  “I’ll get her settled,” Tiana told him. “You go shower.”

  She stayed next to the tub in the spare bathroom while Ella had her bath, refusing to leave her for even a moment. She studied every single detail of her daughter’s face, drinking them in. Every time she thought about what could have happened, that she’d almost lost Ella, panic shot through her veins.

  “Am I going to have to see Missy again?” Ella asked her.

  Tiana’s college friend in Seattle, the child psychologist. “Maybe. Would that be a bad thing?”

  “No, I liked her.” She sighed, rested the back of her head on the edge of the tub. “I just want to have a normal life.”

  Oh God, her little girl sounded so grown up. “Me too, sweetie.” She took Ella’s hand, squeezed it as she smiled. “Only normal from now on, I promise.”

  Ella eyed her, a calculating gleam there. “Maybe if I had a cat, it would help. You know, give me something to focus on after all this.”

  Manipulative little brat. Tiana fought a smile. Lost. “All right. You can have Bruce.”

  Ella shot upright, her eyes wide with excitement. “I can?”

  “Yes, you can.” Tiana would have given her any damn thing she’d asked for at the moment, so a pet her daughter clearly adored was a simple request to grant.

  “Oh, thank you,” she breathed, launching forward to envelop Tiana in a wet, enthusiastic hug. “You’re the best mom ever. I can’t wait to tell Miss Sierra.”

  “Tomorrow. Right now you’re getting dried off, bundled up in warm clothes, and put to bed.”

  “Okay. Can I sleep with you and Mac again?” she asked.

  “Sure.” Tiana had planned on it anyway. She needed both of them close to her tonight.

  Aidan was freshly showered and dressed in sweats when Tiana carried Ella into the master bedroom a few minutes later, her daughter half asleep on her shoulder. “She’s exhausted,” Tiana whispered, “but she wanted to sleep with us.”

  “Bring her on over.” He climbed into the bed and pulled the covers down, reaching for Ella.

  This time there was no jolt of alarm at the thought of Ella being next to him in the bed. Nothing but tenderness and a feeling of rightness as Aidan took Ella from her.

  Tiana’s heart turned over at the way he gently positioned Ella against his chest and tucked the blankets around her slender shoulders. Ella yawned and cuddled closer, already sliding into sleep.

  Because her daughter knew even on the deepest subconscious level that she was safe with him. Tiana knew exactly how that felt.

  Aidan looked up at her, his warm gaze raking over her. “You must still be chilled. Go have a shower.”

  This time there wasn’t even an ounce of hesitation about leaving Ella alone in the bed with him. And that felt amazing.

  She took a long, hot shower, continually battling to force the awful images from today out of her head. After blow-drying her hair she put on her thickest, warmest pair of socks, a sweater and yoga pants, then brushed her teeth and went back into the bedroom. Ella’s soft, even breaths greeted her.

  “She’s out cold,” Aidan whispered, folding the covers down on Ella’s other side for Tiana to slide in. “Dropped right off to sleep in the middle of telling me
about Bruce. You caved, did you?”

  “Like a badly constructed snow fort.”

  “If it matters, I fully support that decision. Feel warmer?”

  “Much.” She climbed in beside her daughter and settled on her side to snuggle in close, her top arm draped over Ella’s ribs to curl around Aidan’s waist. He rolled toward her more and wrapped a strong arm around her back, his big hand splayed across the middle of her spine.

  It was still light outside, the sunset filtering through the window above the bed. She searched Aidan’s eyes, falling into them. Into him.

  “I’ve fallen for you, lass,” he murmured. “I didn’t plan on it or even want to. But I think I fell months ago, and today I knew for sure.”

  Her heart hitched, then swelled, a sweet, warm ribbon of elation threading through her. “Me too.” She lifted her hand to stroke her fingers over his bristly cheek. “Now what the hell are we going to do?”

  “We find a way.”

  He made it sound so obvious and simple, but it wasn’t simple. She’d gone into this knowing he would be leaving at the end of the month. Had gone into this relationship with the strict understanding that their time together had a definite expiration date, hoping her heart would be safe.

  Instead, she’d lost it to him completely.

  She shook her head, a torrent of grief welling up to twist her insides. “How am I supposed to live without you when you go?” she whispered miserably. Ella was going to be devastated too.

  There were so many logistical problems and hurdles for them to combat if their relationship even had a prayer of continuing. He would be gone overseas for at least six months, maybe up to nine if things dragged out on his assignment, fulfilling the terms of his contract with his friend’s security company.

  He could come back here to the States to visit, but without a work visa he couldn’t earn money and would have to return to Scotland eventually. And now that Evan was seeking a legal parenting time agreement, even though he wasn’t a bad guy, Tiana couldn’t see him allowing her to pack Ella up and move them to Scotland.

  Aidan smoothed a hand up her spine to slide into her hair, his fingers rubbing over her scalp. “It’s less than a year. We’ll figure it out. I’m not letting you go. I’m not letting either of you go,” he added, looking down at Ella with an expression of such fierce devotion that Tiana almost started crying again.