by Karen Kelley
I didn’t want to go into what she’d told me, so I decided on a shorter version. There was time for that later. “She passed away about two years after you… didn’t return.”
He smoothed a weary hand across his forehead. “How?”
“Overdose.” There was only so much I could leave out.
“I’m sorry. It must have been hard on you. I think she was in love with the thought of being married, more than she was in love with me. Her home life hadn’t been good. I guess she thought marrying me was her way to escape. I think it was only another cage for her. What happened to you after she died?”
I shrugged. “Foster homes. But they weren’t bad. They just weren’t you.” I brightened. “But that’s why I became a paramedic.”
We talked until he became sleepy. Then I leaned back in the chair and watched him. The scars on his face broke my heart. I couldn’t even imagine the pain he’d gone through. But his eyes were still the same. I think that was what had drawn me to him in the very beginning. There had been something in his eyes that I remembered.
I couldn’t say why all this happened. Some people say there’s a reason for everything. I couldn’t imagine there ever being a reason to hurt such a wonderful man as my father.
It was much later when there was a light tap on the door. Layne and an officer were standing in the doorway. I glanced toward my father. He’d opened his eyes, looked at them, then looked at me. “I guess I fell asleep.”
“You needed your rest,” I said.
“Well, don’t stand out there,” he said. “You might as well tell me what’s going on. I’ve been in the dark for fifteen years. I don’t plan on going back.”
They stepped into the room and the officer began to speak.
“The man who called himself Nolan Murphy was killed this morning. There was an altercation when we showed up at his house. One officer was wounded, but he’ll be okay.”
“He won’t ever be able to hurt you again,” I told my father.
“There’s more,” Layne said.
I looked up. I think I already knew before the officer began to speak. “The woman who was living with him started talking. She said he got drunk one night and was laughing about how he stole someone’s identity, then sold his car. Nolan Murphy had a good track record. He used it to make a new life for himself. Except the evil in him never really died, until this morning.”
It was truly over. The officer asked if I could come down to the station this week and go over some paperwork. I said I could, then he left. My father turned to Layne as he came up beside me and rested a hand on my shoulder.
“Exactly what are your intentions toward my daughter?” My father suddenly asked.
I’d forgotten what having parental authority meant in one’s life. I began to laugh. I knew everything was going to be okay now. Except I really did want to know what his answer was. I looked up at him. “Yes, what exactly are your intentions?”
“I think the mighty oak is leaning quite a bit,” he muttered.
My eyebrows shot upward. “What?”
He shook his head. “Something my parents and my brothers said would happen. It’s not important. But Sir,” he said, turning his attention to my father. “I can tell you they’re honorable.”
I wondered if he could see the twinkle in my eyes. My father was always just a little old-fashioned. I had a feeling if he knew we’d already been sleeping together, my father would not think that was honorable.
But then, Daddy didn’t have to know everything.
Epilogue (one month later)
Fiera
I was nervous. I mean really nervous. When Layne had told his family what happened with me and my father, and that Layne and I were dating, they insisted on meeting us. Even with everything that happened, I still wasn’t comfortable around crowds. My father, on the other hand, was excited about meeting Layne’s family.
“Are you sure about this, Dad?” I asked, turning and looking across the seat of my pickup. Even after a month, I still couldn’t believe my father was back in my life. Every time I looked at him, my heart swelled with love.
He smiled. “I told you, I’m doing fine. Even the doctors can’t believe how much I’ve improved.”
As was I. One of the doctors had said the bump on his head, and being shot, had jarred something inside of him that triggered his memories to return. When he’d been released from the hospital, they’d sent him to a rehab hospital. Now, he hardly needed any assistance. When they released him a few days ago, I brought him to live with me.
We’d talked and I knew he wanted to start a new life, but it was almost as if I was afraid to let him out of my sight. I knew that was crazy, and that I would have to give him space, just as I needed my own. We would still be in each other’s lives. Nothing would change that. But first he wanted to find a job, and I knew that wasn’t going to be easy. He’d loved sales. I wasn’t sure if anyone would take a chance on him right now. It broke my heart because he was still a young man. He’d only been twenty when he married my mother. He wasn’t even fifty yet.
“So tell me about Layne,” my father said, breaking into my thoughts.
“I like him.”
“I’d say it’s a little more than that.”
I shrugged. “We’re from two different worlds, Dad. He only works as a paramedic because he enjoys his job. He doesn’t even have to work.” I’d already told my father about Layne’s vineyards and everything else he was involved with.
“What’s having money got to do with him liking you? And don’t even tell me you’re not good enough for him. If anything, he’s not good enough for you. We’re descended from lords and ladies.” He frowned. “Of course, our Irish blood sort of mixed with some English blood. But it still doesn’t change the fact that you have royal blood running through your veins. Not that any of that matters. And I don’t think it matters to Layne. I like him. He’s a pretty standup guy.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I kind of like him, too.”
“If he asks you to marry him, will you?”
“He hasn’t asked, but I don’t know what I would say if he did.”
“Do you love him or not?”
“Do any of us really know what love is?”
“Don’t go comparing mine and your mother’s marriage to what you have with Layne. Your mother and I had both been looking for something. She wanted an escape from a bad home. It was as if she still couldn’t get away. I’m not sure she ever really loved me.”
“And what about you, Daddy? Why did you marry Mom?”
“I guess we both married for the wrong reasons. I wanted what my parents had. They’d had a great marriage. When I met your mother, I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. But there was a darkness inside her that no light could ever get to. We made our mistakes, and it didn’t take us long to realize getting married was one of them. By that time, she was pregnant. Maybe she thought having you would make everything better.”
“But it didn’t,” I said.
“I’ll never regret that we chose to have you. You are the light of my life.”
“While hers dimmed.”
“That was your mother’s fault, not yours. We all have a path to take in life. Whether you go right or left, it’s still your choice which one you’ll take. She took the wrong one.”
“We’re here.”
He whistled. “That’s an awfully big house for one man. Are you sure his whole family doesn’t live here?”
I chuckled. “Positive.” I stopped in front of the house, then turned off the key. The motor sputtered for a few seconds, then coughed and died. I didn’t think Old Red was going to last much longer.
I climbed out of the pickup and hurried to my father’s side. He’d definitely improved, but he wasn’t quite there yet. He took my arm as he got out, then I shut the door.
“Have I ever told you that your pickup is a piece of crap?”
I laughed. “I don’t think anyone has to tell me that. I already know it.
”
“Tomorrow we’ll see about getting you a new vehicle.”
“I don’t have the money to trade it in right now,” I said as we walked toward the front door.
“Did I ever mention I used to dabble in stocks?”
When I stopped, he stopped. “What kind of stocks?”
“Just some stocks. Apple, for one. You know how much I always liked apples, so that seemed like a good one to invest in. I talked with the social worker at the rehab hospital, and she looked into it for me. They’ve been sitting in a safe deposit box all this time. So, if money is holding you back from saying yes to that young man, you’ve probably got more money than he does.”
To say I was shocked would be an understatement. “Are you telling me that you’re rich?”
“No, I’m saying we’re rich.”
I wondered if his head injury had created a fantasy in his mind, but I didn’t have time to question him further because the front door suddenly opened.
“I thought I heard your pickup pull up,” Layne said as he walked outside. He kissed me on the cheek, then shook my father’s hand. “I’m glad you two could make it. Everyone is in the back waiting to meet you both.”
I knew that I was going to have a long talk with my father tomorrow. I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around the fact that he was wealthy. Nothing good ever happened to me. I was having a problem taking it all in.
We stopped on the back patio. “This can’t be just your family,” I said. There were at least sixty people in the backyard.
“Most of them are.”
He looked at me and smiled. I melted.
“Come on, they won’t bite.”
He began to introduce me to everyone. Odd, but I felt comfortable around them. Zoey and Darby were there, too. Layne’s father and my father immediately struck up a conversation. They grabbed a cold beer and took it to the table, sitting across from each other.
Nash remembered when I went hiking with one of his groups. I really liked his wife, Makenna. And I tried not to gush when I met Jaxson and his wife, Katie. I might have mentioned more than once that I loved their books. I asked how far along she was.
She groaned. “Any day now. Trust me, don’t ever go through a pregnancy in the summer in Texas. Especially with twins. The heat just makes you more miserable.”
I told Ryder that I was very impressed with the house he’d built.
Samantha looked at me and grinned. “You mean his bachelor pad. Did you see the mirrors on the ceiling?”
Ryder cleared his throat.
Samantha and I laughed, and then we smiled at each other.
“I think the food is ready,” Ryder and Layne said at the same time.
A few months ago I would’ve said there was no way I would show up at a family get together this large. I would have balked at a small one. I had to admit, I was comfortable around Layne’s family. His mother was a sweetheart. The kind of mother I always wished I had.
We took our plates to one of the small tables that were scattered around the backyard. The food was delicious. Layne said he usually did the cooking, but tonight he hired someone named Bubba. It was probably the best food I’d ever had at a cookout. But Bubba didn’t look like a Bubba. I ate until I couldn’t eat anymore.
"So, what do you think?” Layne asked.
“About what?”
“About my family?”
I relaxed against the back of my chair. “I like them.”
“So, do you think it would bother you to join a family this large? I know you don’t really like crowds.”
My heart slowed, skipping a few beats. “What exactly are you asking me?”
He faced me. “I thought… Maybe…”
“Layne!” was yelled across the yard.
Layne and I jumped up at the same time and hurried toward the person who called. It was Jaxson, his oldest brother.
“I think Katie’s water broke. She’s having contractions,” Jaxson frantically said.
Katie looked miserable as she sat in the chair, arms protectively holding her abdomen.
“It’s going to be okay, Katie,” Layne told her, then he turned and looked at me with the same frantic look that Jaxson wore as he patted her hand.
It sometimes happened with families. If someone you were close to became ill, all training seemed to fly out the window. I quickly looked around for Zoey. She was just coming out of the house. I motioned her over.
“It’s going to be okay, Katie,” I told her. “Zoey and I will take care of you.”
She nodded, then gritted her teeth as she had another contraction.
“Do you feel like you need to push?” Zoey asked.
She shook her head. “My back hurts, though.”
“That’s normal.” I looked at Layne. “We need to get her inside so we can check her and see how far she’s dilated.”
Before I knew what was happening, all four brothers picked up the chair with Katie still seated on it, then began carrying it into the house.
“If any of you drop me, I’m going to kill you off in my next book,” Katie threatened.
“You don’t write thrillers, sweetheart,” Jaxson informed her.
“I’ll make an exception.”
Once they got to the patio doors, they lowered the chair.
“No, I can walk.”
“I’ll grab my medical bag. It has some basic stuff in it,” Layne said.
Zoey and I got on either side of her and helped her into the living room, shutting the door behind us after Layne handed me his bag. We helped her to lie down on the sofa, then I did a quick check.
“You’re already dilated to a six. We’ll have time to get you to the hospital before you deliver.”
“Good, I need drugs. This hurts like a son of a bitch.”
I removed my gloves and tossed them to the coffee table, then we helped her up again. As soon as I opened the door, Jaxson practically fell inside.
“We have time to get her to the hospital,” I said.
“Thank God,” Jaxson said with a sigh of relief.
Layne insisted on driving, so Zoey and I got in the back with Katie. Jaxson got in on the passenger side. I glanced around for my father. He was standing next to Layne’s father and waved me to go. I knew he would be okay.
By the time we got to the hospital, Katie’s contractions were getting closer. I’d already called them on my cell phone, so the hospital was ready with a wheelchair for us when we pulled up.
“We’ll be in the waiting room,” Layne told them as she was taken to an exam room.
They took her up to labor and delivery. We headed to the waiting room. We hadn’t been there but a few minutes when his parents, and his other brothers, and sisters-in-law arrived. My dad was with them. It was a good thing we were the only ones in the waiting room, because Layne’s family took up most of the space.
Zoey grabbed my arm and pulled me over to where Darby was and we began talking about babies. At one time, we went on a coffee run. After a few hours, I asked my father if he wanted a ride home. He and Layne’s father were carrying on a conversation as if they were old friends. He said if he got tired, then he would get one. It was as if he’d been away for fifteen years and was trying to catch up on everything.
And then Jaxson came into the waiting room looking serious. I think everyone stopped breathing and talking at the same time.
He suddenly smiled. “I’m a father. Two healthy baby boys.”
Everyone began congratulating him and slapping him on the back.
“They are in the nursery if you want to see them.”
His family began moving in that direction.
Layne pulled me to the side before I could join them. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Now I was confused. “What question?”
He smiled and my heart turned flip-flops. “Maybe I didn’t get to finish it. Right before Katie went into labor, I was asking you if you would be my wife.” He reached into his pocket and pulle
d out a black box, then opened it. “Wait a minute.” He suddenly frowned. “I want to do this right.” He got down on one knee. “Fiera Murphy, will you marry me?”
Sometimes you just had to take a chance that you turned down the right path. I thought back to the first time I saw Layne, when he’d been washing the ambulance. The way he’d looked at me. The way I was drawn to him.
It seemed as if every time I needed him, he was right there to hold me up. Maybe I had known from the very beginning that I would fall for him. I knew now that life would not be worth living without him.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
As he came to his feet and pulled me into his arms I thought maybe whoever said what goes around, comes around was actually right. All I knew was that my life was pretty much perfect right now.
And the last Oak fell
Book One: Dangling...Participle?
Book Two: Take a Hike!
Book Three: Nailed It!
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Flock You!
Flocked Up!
Hayes Brothers Series
Dangling... Participle?
Take a Hike!
Nailed It!
Rescue Me
Southern Series
Southern Comfort
Southern Exposure
Hell On Wheels
Southern Star
The Planet Nerak Series
Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind
Earth Guys Are Easy
The Bad Boys Guide To The Galaxy
Dating Outside Your DNA
The Princes of Symtaria Series
The Jaguar Prince
The Falcon Prince
The Wolf Prince
Forbidden Series
Forbidden Magic
Forbidden Legacy
Forbidden Nights
Bachelor Series
Bachelor Party
Bachelor and the Princess
Thief of Hearts
Scavenger Hunt Book One
Scavenger Hunt Book Two