The next thing she knew she was released, and Mr. Williams was on the ground screaming with a bullet hole in his shoulder. Patrick was at her side instantly. His lips were on hers before she could ask what happened. Bear was sitting calmly just staring at Mr. Williams on the ground screaming profanities. Every time he moved too close to her; Bear growled.
Officer O’Neall showed up and took Mr. Williams into custody as he was being loaded into the ambulance. Patrick looked at him, “If you come near Kiplyn again, I won’t miss next time!” Officer O’Neall shook his head, “I have to take you in now, Patrick, you know that.” Officer O’Neal started to walk toward Patrick with his cuffs out, and Kiplyn stood in front of him. “You are not taking him anywhere, he did your job,” she yelled. Officer O’Neall placed his hand on her arm to stop her. “You don’t want to touch her,” Patrick snarled at him. Another officer showed up on the scene and placed cuffs on Patrick. She was sobbing uncontrollably, she refused to let go of him. “Baby, you have to let me go. If they put their hands on you, I can’t promise I won’t do anything,” Patrick growled. “NO!! You can’t leave me,” she screamed. She felt physically ill at the thought of him not being here with her.
“Donovan restrain her,” Patrick growled as Donovan showed up. “If there is a mark on her from anyone, there will be hell to pay,” he snarled, looking each man in the eye. “Calma síos, cailín leanbh. Beidh sé ceart go leor. Tarraing anáil agus bí ar do shó!” Donovan said calmly. She still had no idea what he was saying, but it was calming hearing it. She just wished it were Patrick. Kiplyn was fighting against Donovan’s hold. His grip was like an iron bar across her waist. He finally just picked her up and carried her in the house as they were placing Patrick in the back of the squad car. She was scratching and hitting, anything she could do to get loose.
Donovan didn’t let her go until she was in the living room, and Declan was placed in front of the front door. “Sorry, sweetheart, I can’t let you back out there,” Declan said as she ran toward the door. “I hate you,” she glared at him and stomped up the stairs. “I am totally fine with that, sweetheart,” Declan chuckled. “I have that effect on women,” he said shaking his head. Kiplyn slammed her bedroom door and climbed in her bed and sobbed.
Kiplyn realized she must have fallen asleep because she felt the bed next to her dip down. She woke up to Shauna crawling in the bed with her. Shauna hugged her, and the tears started up instantly. “I know, babes!” she said soothingly. “Let’s get you something to eat,” she said as she tried to coax her to sit up. Kiplyn didn’t really want to eat, but she didn’t want to be sick either, so she nodded in agreement, slowly sitting up.
They made our way downstairs and she realized she was still wearing Patrick’s clothes. “I like the way my clothes look on you,” Patrick said as he came around the corner from the kitchen, with a grin on his face. Kiplyn was in his arms, kissing him all over, crying. “When did you get here?” she asked, between sobs. “I just got here, baby. That is why Shauna went upstairs to get you down here.” He explained. Patrick backed up slightly and pulled up the shirt she was wearing, exposing her stomach. “Just making sure there isn’t a mark on you,” he growled. “You are lucky there isn’t a mark on her,” Patrick said looking from her to Donovan. “I’d hate to have to kill my own brother,” he chuckled. She realized in that moment that Declan wasn’t there. “I have to apologize to Declan,” she said to Patrick. “He will be back shortly. He had an errand to run,” Patrick said cryptically.
Kiplyn smelled food coming from the kitchen and realized that Shauna had disappeared in there to start cooking. About an hour later, they were all finished eating and Kiplyn was cleaning up. Shauna came up behind her and placed a drink in her hand. “Drink up, babes!” she said with a wink. Kiplyn took a big and quickly realized it was a rum and coke, not just a plain coke. A smile broke out on her face. She followed Shauna out into the living room.
She sat on the couch next to Patrick. She quickly finished her drink and shook her glass at Shauna. Signaling that she needed another one. She laughed at her and headed toward the kitchen to make another. Kiplyn had another drink in her hand within minutes. “What are you drinking?” Patrick asked. Kiplyn giggled, “Coke.” Shauna laughed at that. Patrick leaned over, nipped her ear, and growled, “What are you drinking, love?” After recovering, and letting out a moan, “Coke,” she said, breathlessly. Repeating his actions with her ear, “what is in that coke, love?” he asked. Again, causing me to moan, “Rum,” she said barely above a whisper. Patrick chuckled, “was that so hard?” he asked with a wink. She found that she couldn’t form any words, so she did the next best thing, she shook my head at him.
Kiplyn finished her second drink just as quick as the first one. She found herself with a third drink in her hand within minutes. This time however it was water. Which she was thankful for because she did not want to get drunk. She just wanted to be able to relax and forget about the stress of the day.
Kiplyn realized that Declan had returned, and that his eyes hadn’t left Shauna. He didn’t say anything, he just watched her. Kiplyn was really hoping that he wasn’t getting any ideas because Shauna had a boyfriend. They didn’t see much of each other though.
There was a knock at the door, and everyone kind of froze at hearing it. Shauna ran to the door like she was expecting it though. She turned looking at Kiplyn, “it’s for me,” she explained. She quickly opened the door, on the other side, as if she had summoned him by her thoughts stood her boyfriend, Jeremy. Kiplyn personally didn’t like him, but he seemed to make Shauna happy so she couldn’t say anything. “Took you long enough to answer the door,” Jeremy said walking passed her and into the living room, like he owned the place.
“You look like shit, Kip, what happened to you?” Jeremy asked, laughing. She couldn’t believe he said that. “Jeremy don’t be rude,” Shauna scolded him. “Don’t tell me what to do, woman!” Jeremy growled at her. Declan was in Jeremy’s face instantly, pinning him against the wall. “Listen up, boyo. You will apologize to both of these ladies for being a disrespectful punk. You will treat them with respect. Her name is Kiplyn, you will address her as such. As far as the way you talk to Shauna, it will change!” he glared and let go of Jeremy’s throat.
“What the hell is going on here?” Jeremy asked Shauna. “I’m outta here. Let me know when you decide to start acting like yourself, instead of her,” he snarled looking at her. She would guess the feeling was mutual, he didn’t care for me either. Glad to know. Shauna stood there in shock at what just occurred. She didn’t know why he was acting like that, she seemed genuinely confused. “I gotta go, Kip,” Shauna said as was looking at the closed door. Kiplyn knew there was nothing she could say to change her mind, so all she did was nod. She knew she couldn’t talk her into staying. Shauna wanted to figure out what had just happened.
Shauna didn’t say anything else, she collected her belongings and left. “Care to explain that,” Patrick asked Declan. Declan shook his head and left also, slamming the door he had just fixed. Donovan chuckled, “on that note, I am headed out I am tired.” He quietly left as well, leaving the house completely quiet. Patrick held his hand out to her. She quietly stood and followed him upstairs to her bedroom.
CHAPTER 11
Kiplyn woke up the next morning to her phone ringing on the nightstand next to her bed. “Hello,” I said sleepily. “Ms. Kavanaugh, this is Officer O’Neall. I just wanted to inform you that Mr. Williams was treated at the hospital, booked into the county jail, and then his bail was paid. He has been released. I have issued a restraining order, so please do not hesitate to call if you see him, or if he tries to contact you.” She didn’t know what else to say, so she did the only thing she could think to do…. she hung up.
She made her way downstairs and informed Patrick about the phone call. He instantly got on his phone. She couldn’t make out what was being said, because he was talking too quietly and quickly. She didn’t have long to wait and find
out though. A few minutes later Donovan came walking into the house, without knocking. Seeing him show up, Patrick led me upstairs. “Get dressed, we are going out for a little bit. Wear jeans!” he growled. Without another word, he turned and left her to get dressed.
She walked into her closet, looking for an outfit to wear. He told her to wear jeans. She found her favorite pair, hanging in her closet. They were black, faded, and torn. They fit her like a glove, and she loved them. She paired them with a sheer black top, that still covered the important bits, as well as her hooker boots, as Shauna called them. She took the time to curl her hair, leaving it in loose curls hanging almost to her waist. Kiplyn put a small amount of makeup on. By the time she was finished, she felt a little more like herself. She hadn’t been able to dress up like this in a while, not that she had wanted to. She realized she was starting to feel better.
As she entered the living room, Patrick was sitting on the couch. “I’m ready to go,” she said quietly, getting his attention from the television. Patrick looked up and just stared. He didn’t stand up, he didn’t acknowledge that he heard her, he just stared. Kiplyn was starting to feel self-conscious. She turned around to head back upstairs to change. Before she made it to the third step of the stairs, Patrick was by her side. “Where are you going?” he asked in confusion. “To change my clothes, I obviously am not dressed appropriately,” she explained. Again, all he did was stare. She tried pulling away to head upstairs, but he just pulled her toward the front door, where they headed toward his bike. That explains the “wear jeans” comment.
After a few hours of riding around, they returned to Patrick’s house. She hadn’t been here in what seemed like forever. When in reality, it hadn’t been that long at all. As she made herself comfortable on the couch, Bear came running over, and jumped on couch, planting himself on the couch next to her. She was slightly confused, considering Bear was at her house when they left a few hours ago. She decided not to question it though, since he wasn’t her dog. Even if she was getting attached to the mini horse.
Patrick entered the living room holding a cup of tea. As he rounded the couch to sit next to her, Bear growled at him. All Kiplyn could do was giggle. All Patrick could do was shake his head in disbelief that his dog was so protective. “Is liomsa í!” he said staring down the dog. Bear just laid his head down but didn’t give up his place next to her.
They spent the next several minutes in a comfortable silence, watching a movie. Kiplyn had no clue what the movie was about though. She was lost in her own thoughts about the events of the last few days. She really didn’t know where to begin to fix the issues of my life, and the whirlwind it had become. She wouldn’t let herself worry about that now though, she was just going to enjoy the moment. She had been told on too many occasions that she was too serious.
Kiplyn woke some time later and it was completely dark. She was not in the living room though. It took her a moment but then she realized she was in bed. Patrick had himself wrapped around her like she had become accustomed to over the last several days. However, she wasn’t in her room. She was in his.
She carefully unwrapped herself from him, and quietly made her way to the bathroom. She realized that she was still fully clothed, he had only removed her boots when he put her to bed. She made the decision to take a quick shower. She knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, so the shower would help.
Climbing out of the shower, she realized she didn’t grab a change of clothes. She wrapped the towel around herself, and quietly opened the bathroom door. She tiptoed over to Patrick’s dresser, trying to open the drawer without too much noise. “You don’t have to get dressed on my account,” she heard his raspy sleepy voice say. She couldn’t help but let out a scream, she didn’t realize she had woken him up. She was trying to be so quiet, and obviously failed.
Patrick chuckled at her little outburst. Before she knew what was happening, she was back in bed staring into the most beautiful eyes. I could just get lost in them. Hell, I had! On many occasions. Without a word, he rolled over to her side, and pulled her against his chest, removing the towel she had covered herself with. Kiplyn was asleep almost instantly, wrapped in his arms.
She woke up to an empty bed with bright sunshine spilling into the bedroom. She instantly noticed the neatly folded pile of clothes on the chair next to the bed. That is when she realized, they were her clothes, but they were not the clothes that she had worn the day before. Hmmm, maybe he grabbed me a change of clothes. She quickly got dressed and threw her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head.
She followed the smell of coffee toward the kitchen, and found Patrick and Donovan sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and talking. Bear came running over to her and sat waiting for her to pet him. She leaned down and scratched him behind the ears, which he seemed to enjoy. When she stopped scratching and started walking more into the dining room, Bear followed.
“Good morning, love. I see you found your clothes,” Patrick said with a grin. That grin was going to be the death of me. “Good morning, sweetheart,” Donovan said as she sat down at the table. Patrick placed a cup of coffee in front of her before she even had the chance to get it. Boy was I spoiled. Bear had parked himself right next to her, laying at her feet.
Patrick walked over, kissing her forehead, “I have to go out for a bit. Donovan is going to stay here with you. I will be back before dinner.” Standing from the chair she was sitting in, she followed him toward the door. “You can drop me off at my place, I don’t have to hang out here,” she said, feeling strange staying here without him being here. “You are fine here,” was all he said, before placing another kiss on her forehead and heading out the door.
“Alright! What is going on?” she asked Donovan as she started walking back to get her cup of coffee. “I don’t know what you are referring to,” he said with a chuckle. All she could do was glare at him because he was so full of shit it was not even funny. She knew both of the McDowell men in her life were up to something, and she would figure out what it was, even if they didn’t want to tell her.
Kiplyn found her purse and dug her phone out. She realized then that it had died. “Does Patrick have a phone charger?” she asked Donovan walking back into the dining room. “Yeah, its plugged in right there,” he said, pointing toward the counter. She walked over and plugged her phone in. They sat in silence as she waited for her phone to charge. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, but it was a silence none the less.
A few minutes later, she heard her phone power up, telling her it had enough juice so she could check her messages. Looking at her screen, it told her she had ten voicemails. That had to be wrong, I never got that many phone calls. Shaking her head in disbelief, she keyed in the password to listen to them. “I don’t like being sent to voicemail, Kiplyn.” Was all she heard before she deleted a voicemail from Mr. Williams. The next eight voicemails were probably along the same lines. Not that she would know for sure though. As soon as she heard his voice, she deleted it. The last message however was from Shauna saying she wanted to go out tonight. She wanted, no needed, a girls’ night out. Kiplyn was in total agreement, since they couldn’t do their previously planned girls’ night.
“So, what has you so rattled, Kiplyn?” Donovan asked. He must have noticed her reaction, but she wouldn’t give into his curiosity. “Nothing, why do you ask?” she said giving him a smile. “Alright, if you don’t want to tell me, that is your business. Just know that I am here for you.” she nodded in acknowledgement. She felt bad lying to him, but she had already involved him and his family so much in her drama, that she couldn’t do it anymore. She needed to learn to take care of shit herself and not depend on a man.
Kiplyn excused herself to go do her hair. She also wanted to make plans with Shauna for tonight, while she wasn’t in earshot of a bossy, controlling male. She stood staring at herself in the mirror, trying to decide how she was going to do her hair, when she realized, she didn’t have a way to do it. She didn’t
even have my hairbrush with her. So, she did the next best thing, she started snooping through his bathroom cabinets. Maybe, just maybe, one of his flings left her shit here and she could use it.
Kiplyn called Shauna and she picked up on the first ring. “Hey, babes,” was her usual greeting. “I am at Patrick’s and I need to do my hair, is it awful that I am searching through his cabinets?” she asked as her greeting. All she heard on the other end in response was her laugh uncontrollably. Kiplyn opened one of the lower drawers and that is where she found a curling iron, as well as a straightening iron. “Oh my God!! He has some bitches stuff. It’s all neatly placed in drawers here in the bathroom vanity, Shauna!” she could tell her voice was getting louder with every word, but she couldn’t control the anger she was feeling. She couldn’t believe he still had someone else’s things here. She would have gotten rid of it a long time ago. Unless, he was still seeing her?! Damn, that thought just pissed her off more and didn’t sit well.
At seeing this, she couldn’t do her hair anymore. She was in no mood to make herself look presentable. She really wanted to throw the shit in a bonfire, but it wasn’t her place. She neatly placed it back in the drawer. “I gotta go, Shauna. I am in bitch mode and don’t want to take it out on you. I will call you later. I love you.” she said and hung up before she could convince me to talk about my feelings. She had no desire to do that.
Instead of talking to anyone, she found herself in the backyard. It was the first time she had actually come out here and it was absolutely breathtaking. It was a dog’s heaven. Kiplyn could tell that Patrick put a lot of thought into how he wanted the backyard to be for Bear. Even with it being for Bear though, it was still beautiful in the aspect that someone would do this if they didn’t have a mini horse sized dog.
She found herself walking. The backyard was big. Bear didn’t leave her side, he walked with her. As she walked, she thought about all the things that had happened over the last couple weeks. From meeting Patrick to finding the bitch’s hair supplies. She just kept coming back to the fact that even though all the drama that was surrounding her, she still felt safe with him. She couldn’t see her life without him in it. With that being said though, she thought it would be best if they were only friends. She couldn’t and wouldn’t keep bringing drama into his life, it isn’t fair of her to do that to him.
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