Tear Down These Walls

by Sarah Kay Carter

  “Bring your swimsuits,” Kellen suggests. “We can go into the hot tub afterwards.”

  Mike nudges his head towards Kya. “Are we allowed to bring beer?”

  “I prefer you not get stupid drunk, but yeah, you can bring beer,” Kellen says. “I do have a very large selection of different beers and liquor at my house already.”

  “For when the guys come over,” Teagan says as she nudges Kellen in the ribs.

  “Pretty much,” Kellen laughs.

  Interrupting, Victoria goes, “So, about having guys at your house…can Kyle come over, too? He was going out with us tonight.”

  Kellen’s eyebrows raise. “I didn’t know you two were actually still seeing each other.”

  Victoria bites her lip and says, “We didn’t want you to know since you and Teagan weren’t talking.”

  “You have been lying to me!” Teagan laughs. “You’re so not a part of that study group. I was wondering why you were meeting up with them so often.”

  Shrugging, Victoria replies, “We didn’t want it to be awkward. Tonight was the night I was going to tell you.”

  “Hiding stuff from your best friend, what am I going to do with you?” Teagan playfully scoffs.

  Emily looks at Victoria. “Actually, we had a little plan.”

  “What was that?” Teagan asks.

  “I was going to invite you, and Kyle was going to invite Kellen and pretend that he didn’t know you were going to be there,” Victoria declares mischievously.

  Teagan bursts out laughing, “I would have been so pissed, but….so happy at the same time.”

  “Really?” Kellen chirps.

  “I wanted to kick you in the nuts, but I still missed you terribly,” Teagan states softly. “Probably why I was still so pissed, I knew I missed you.”

  Kellen leans forward and kisses her. “I missed you, too.”

  “Awwww,” Victoria sighs. “Things are as they should be again.”

  They kiss again and smile at each other.

  * * * * *

  “Okay, baby girl,” Kellen says softly. “It’s time to go to sleep.”

  “No tired,” Kya mumbles, as she yawns.

  “Oh, I think you are,” Kellen replies in a whisper. He pulls her blanket up and tucks her in. “Teagan and I will be downstairs if you need us.”

  “Amaras?” Kya asks.

  “Yes, I will turn the cameras on,” Kellen states. “Go to sleep, okay?” Kya nods. “Good night, Sweetheart.” Kellen kisses her on the forehead. He stands up and walks to Teagan, who is at the door.

  Teagan smiles. “Good night Kya.”

  “Night, Eggen,” Kya yawns.

  Kellen turns off the light and leaves the door open a crack. Teagan looks up at Kellen. “You’re a good father.”

  “I try,” Kellen says.

  They start to walk downstairs, and Kellen takes his cellphone out. He opens an app. Teagan looks over his shoulder. “What’s that?”

  “I control the cameras in the house from my phone and computer,” Kellen says. “It’s password protected, and only I can turn them on and off while we are in the house. Once the alarm is set though, all the cameras are on.”

  “Where are these cameras?” Teagan inquires slowly.

  “Almost every room in the house,” Kellen states, as he turns around at the bottom of the steps. “Why?”

  She looks at him hesitantly. “In the bathrooms?”

  “Kya’s,” Kellen states. “But only when she is upstairs by herself. She has poured shampoo and toothpaste all over the floor and unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet. Lots of stuff….she is very sneaky.”

  “Not in the other bathrooms?” Teagan inquires.

  “God no, invasion of privacy!” Kellen enunciates. “Why are you asking?”

  “What about your bedroom?” Teagan barely whispers.

  Realizing the source of Teagan’s curiosity, Kellen says, “I got the cameras installed after you left that day. I put them up in the house so I would know if the crazy bitch tried to sneak in again.”

  “You know,” Teagan teases. “You shouldn’t call your girlfriend a crazy bitch, especially to her face.”

  Kellen bursts out laughing. “You are the farthest thing from a bitch that I have ever met.”

  “You just wait….” Teagan retorts. “PMS can surprise you.”

  “I think I can take you,” Kellen murmurs, stepping up to her. “I can put all that energy to some good use.”

  “Oh, there will be none of that until the camera comes down from your bedroom,” Teagan whispers. “I don’t want to be filmed again.”

  He bops her on the nose. “I didn’t have one installed in my room in the hopes that someday you would be back in it. And if you ever decided to give me another chance, I was going to leave that decision up to you.”

  “Why would you want a camera in your room then?” Teagan asks.

  “To watch you sleep,” Kellen murmurs in her ear.

  Trying really hard to be serious, Teagan whispers, “That’s really creepy.”

  “Why? You’re a beautiful woman, and I am fascinated by you. I have watched you sleep.”

  Now she can’t help but giggle. “In my room? Do you secretly sneak into my apartment at night?”

  “Yes, that’s why I have your code and keys,” Kellen scoffs. “I also rifle through your drawers when you aren’t home.”

  “Did you find the sex toys?” Teagan asks, completely serious. Kellen gets a shocked look on his face. She scoffs and laughs, “Just kidding.” She winks at him.

  Kellen grabs her and kisses her hard. Murmuring against her lips, he says, “You will never ever need a sex toy if I am around.”

  “I sure hope not,” she whispers back.

  “Hey,” they suddenly hear behind them. Teagan turns around. Victoria is standing there. “We wanted some beer if that’s all right.”

  “Like Kyle doesn’t know where it is,” Kellen snorts.

  Kyle comes up behind Victoria. “I know where it is, but it’s your house, and you’re my boss.”

  “Right now,” Kellen declares. “I’m not your boss.”

  “Sweet, so can I talk shit about my boss?” Kyle inquires with a grin.

  “Sure!” Kellen exclaims. “I hear he is a real tyrant.”

  Laughing, Kyle says, “Oh he is, hands down.”

  “Such an asshole,” Kellen exaggerates.

  “Totally,” Kyle chuckles.

  “Hey, you are trashing the man that I love!” Teagan yells. Smugly, she says, “I am the only one who can call him an asshole.”

  Everyone bursts out laughing. “That is very true, Teagan.” Kellen bends over and kisses her head. “Let’s go get everyone a beer.”

  An hour later, the guys plop down on the chairs and couch. Victoria sits on Kyle’s lap and steals his beer from him. “Hey,” Kyle whines playfully.

  Teagan sits on the floor between Kellen’s legs. He starts to massage her shoulders. “Don’t do that; you will put me to sleep,” Teagan mumbles.

  “I doubt you will sleep when the fight starts,” Kellen chuckles.

  “Okay,” Emily sighs, sitting down next to Teagan. “We need to take bets.”

  “I’m with whomever Kellen picks,” Teagan says. “He knows his shit.”

  “Nah, I will bet against him,” Kyle states. “He doesn’t know everything.”

  Victoria gives him a look. “You, sir…are an idiot…I’m going with Kellen.”

  “I will side with Kyle,” Mike says. “Not everyone can side with Kellen.”

  “Um, I will,” Isaac snorts.

  “Me too,” Emily chirps. “So call it, Kellen; who is going to win?”

  “I have no idea,” Kellen laughs. “I haven’t seen either guy fight before.”

  Turning around, Teagan snaps, “I call bullshit. You have to know something about them.”

  He grins. “If I had to make an educated guess, I would say Jenkins.”

  “All r
ight, what are we betting?” Emily asks.

  “Twenty?” Victoria suggests.

  “What kind of bet is that!?” Mike exclaims.

  Looking at him, she says, “A broke college student’s bet. Sorry, my parents aren’t loaded.”

  Mike rolls his eyes at her. “Fine, twenty.”

  “Can you spot me, Honey?” Teagan giggles, looking up at Kellen.

  “If I have to,” he shoots back sarcastically.

  “Okay, okay,” Emily interrupts. “The fight is about to start.”

  Later that night, they are all in the hot tub. “I can’t believe we lost. What the hell, Kellen!?” Isaac exclaims.

  Kellen chuckles and says, “I told you I had never seen them fight before.”

  “Yeah, but, ugh!” Isaac groans.

  “It was twenty dollars,” Teagan laughs. “Do you need it back?”

  “No,” Isaac retorts. “I just hate losing bets against Mike.”

  Mike grins broadly. Suddenly, Kellen’s phone starts beeping off to the side of the hot tub. He gets out and puts a towel around his waist. “Kya’s up,” he states. “I will be right back.”

  “Okay,” Teagan mutters, watching him walk away.

  “So…..” Mike starts. “How do you feel about him having a daughter?”

  Teagan turns around, “And a crazy ex-wife? I don’t know. I adore Kya, and he is a really good father.”

  “It’s a lot to take on, though,” Mike replies.

  “She loves him,” Emily interjects. “You accept everything about someone when you love them, the good and the bad.”

  “Kya’s the good,” Teagan declares. “Celine is the bad.”

  Victoria scowls. “That bitch almost ruined everything.”

  “I was glad to hear you were going to try to get us back together,” Teagan replies.

  “We were definitely scheming,” Kyle laughs. “He was a bear for the last few weeks. My lord, don’t ever break up again.”

  Teagan smiles. “Well, it’s good to hear I wasn’t the only one upset.”

  “She wouldn’t leave her apartment for anything,” Victoria groans. “It was ridiculous.”

  “Well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Teagan declares. “We are back together and happy.”

  “That’s good,” Isaac says, holding up his beer. “To your happiness.”

  Smiling, Teagan states, “Thank you.”

  “Okay,” Victoria sighs. “I am completely pruned and tired.”

  “Me, too,” Emily agrees, looking down at her fingers.

  “Why don’t we call it a night?” Teagan suggests. “I should see how Kellen is doing with Kya.”

  Victoria nudges her head. “Go check on them. We will see ourselves out.”

  “You sure?” Teagan asks.

  “Positive,” Victoria presses. “Go on.”

  “Thanks.” Teagan gets out and wraps a towel around herself. Drying off her hands, Teagan grabs Kellen’s cell phone for him. She makes her way into the house and up the stairs. She hears Kya whimpering. Teagan heads straight to her room. Cracking the door a little bit, Teagan pokes her head in. Kellen is holding Kya on his lap. He looks up at her. “Everything okay?” Teagan asks.

  Kellen shakes his head. “Nightmare,” he whispers. “She gets scared very easily.”

  “That’s understandable,” Teagan murmurs. “I will let you be.” She backs out and closes the door. Padding her way into his bedroom, Teagan shuts the door to get changed. Once she has her pajamas on, she heads back downstairs. Everyone is gone. Teagan goes out to the back yard and sees that they put the cover back on the whirlpool. She turns the lights off and locks all the doors. Not knowing what the code is to the house, she leaves that for Kellen. Yawning loudly, Teagan heads upstairs to the bedroom.

  As soon as she crawls into bed, she relaxes. She didn’t realize how long the day had been. Teagan closes her eyes and instantly drifts off to sleep. Some time later, she feels arms wrap around her, and she is pulled against Kellen. He kisses her neck lightly.

  “Mmmmm,” Teagan hums. “That feels great.”

  His hand drifts around to her stomach, and Kellen pulls her tight against him. “I can make other things feel just as great.”

  “Your daughter is two rooms away,” Teagan murmurs, turning around.

  Kellen brushes his nose against hers. “She is out like a light.”

  “Still,” Teagan breathes out. Kellen kisses her softly. When he pulls away, Teagan says, “She could walk in on us.”

  “My daughter is going to be a permanent fixture in this household,” Kellen replies. “When am I going to be able to have my way with your body?”

  She thinks about it for a second. “Good point.”

  “I thought so,” Kellen whispers, reaching his hand into her pants.

  Teagan awakes the next morning to, “Dah-dah!” Her eyes fly open because she and Kellen fell asleep with no clothes on. She quickly pulls the blanket over her.

  Kellen turns over and stammers, “Hi, Kya.”

  Kya walks over to the bed and starts to climb up. “Dah-dah wake up.”

  “Whoa baby girl,” Kellen exclaims. “Remember when daddy is in the bathroom, you need to leave him alone for a few minutes.”

  “Yeah,” Kya giggles, staring at him with one leg on the bed.

  “Daddy needs a minute to himself. I will be right out. Okay?”

  With a quizzical look, Kya says, “Dah-dah potty?”

  “Yes,” Kellen retorts. “Close daddy’s door, and we will be out in a minute.”

  “I will make French toast,” Teagan states, blushing a nice shade of red.

  “Okay!” Kya yells. She gets back on the floor and runs out the room.

  When the door slams behind her, both Kellen and Teagan let out a breath and then simultaneously burst out laughing. Teagan laughs until tears spill over. “Oh my god!”

  “We should get dressed,” Kellen gasps. “And be mindful of putting clothes back on before falling asleep.”

  “No shit,” Teagan exhales. “We better hurry. She is going to come back in here.” With a dash, they get dressed. Teagan opens the door, and Kya is sitting there. “Hey, Honey.’’

  “Eggan French toast!”

  “That’s what I said,” Teagan responds. “You want to help?”

  With a very excited expression, Kya exclaims, “YEAH!”

  “Come on then,” Teagan laughs, grabbing her hand.

  Chapter 18

  “I wish you had stayed last night,” Kellen sighs over the phone.

  Teagan throws her books in her backpack. “We were together all weekend.”

  “I know, but I missed you,” Kellen replies.

  “I missed you, too,” Teagan assures him. She grabs her keys and heads to the door. Setting the alarm quickly, Teagan leaves, locking the door behind her. She runs down her steps. “I am running behind as it is.”

  “Your class doesn’t start for an hour,” Kellen points out.

  Grinning, Teagan says, “Yeah, but there is a caramel latte calling my name from the coffee shop.”

  Kellen chuckles. “Well…if it’s calling your name.”

  She shivers as she crosses the parking lot. The bitter air gets colder with each passing day. When Teagan gets outside to her car, she notices it looks lower than when she got out of it last time. She stops and stares down. “What the hell!?”

  “What?”

  “My tire is flat again.” Teagan looks to the side. “Both tires are flat.”

  “Seriously?”

  Walking around to the other side of the car, Teagan’s jaw drops. “All my tires are flat! How the hell does that happen!?” Looking closer at the door, Teagan gasps, “Holy shit!”

  “What?” Kellen asks, sounding worried.

  “Someone keyed my car with the word bitch!” Teagan yells. “My tires aren’t flat; they were slashed!”

  “Go back into your apartment!” Kellen snaps. “I am on my way over.”

&nbs
p; Stammering, Teagan says, “What about Kya?”

  “I’m on my way to work,” Kellen replies. “She is with my sister.”

  “Okay, hurry up,” Teagan exhales. “I will wait outside. It’s daylight. I also have pepper spray and a Taser.”

  “I will be there in ten minutes,” Kellen says sternly. “I will call the detective handling the apartment break-in case.”

  “Please hurry,” Teagan whispers, feeling more and more scared.

  “I am on my way, Baby,” Kellen says reassuringly. “But I need to hang up to call the detective. Get your Taser gun out or the pepper spray.”

  Teagan starts scrambling in her bag and pulls out the pepper spray. “Okay, got it.”

  “All right, I will be there in ten minutes.”

  “Hurry…” Teagan whimpers.

  “I am, see you soon.”

  “Bye,” Teagan exhales in a cloud of white. She leans back against her car, pulls her coat closer around her body, and watches her surroundings. A guy in a hooded sweatshirt turns the corner and starts walking down the sidewalk towards her. She grips her pepper spray tightly. The guy watches her intently as he approaches. She backs up and faces him. As he comes up on her, he nods and smiles. Teagan lets out a heavy breath.

  “Hey,” the guy says.

  “Hey,” Teagan replies. The guy smiles again and keeps on walking. Teagan shakes her head and runs her fingers through her hair. She’s practically shaking. “I am stronger than this,” she finally states to herself. Teagan shakes her arms and tries to loosen up from the tension.

  A few minutes later, Kellen pulls up in his truck. He jumps out and runs to Teagan. She throws herself in his arms. He is warm from being in the truck, and her skin covers in goose bumps at the feeling of him near her. “Hey,” he murmurs, pulling her close. “I have you. Don’t worry.”

  “Who…? I don’t understand this,” Teagan sniffles, as she pulls away.

  “The detective is on his way over,” Kellen declares. “Let me look.” He walks over to the side of the car. Bending over he looks at the tire. “Yeah, there are definitely slash marks from a knife.” Next he looks at the door. “I bet this is from the same knife.”

  “I don’t get who would do this!” Teagan exclaims.