Crashing Down

by Samantha Conley

  “If she was mean to you…” Mallory gets worked up.

  “No. She was never mean to me. I was invisible, I guess you could say.” I unbuckle my seat belt. “Let’s not mention anything, okay?”

  As we exit the SUV, a smile graces Reagan’s face, her teeth stunningly white against her red lips.

  “Camryn?” she asks advancing toward us. “I’m Reagan Matthews. It’s nice to meet you in person.”

  “You too, “she nods toward us. “These are my friends Kristen, Mallory, and Skylar.” Reagan smiles at each of us but when she reaches me, she frowns slightly as if she’s trying to figure something out. The look is fleeting as she turns back to Camryn.

  “Did you have any trouble finding the place?” she asks, leading us toward the expansive log cabin in front of us.

  “No problem at all.”

  “Great. This is the main building. It has three rooms someone can use for any occasion. The main room overlooks the lake. There are also rooms upstairs that you can use for getting ready if you need them.” Walking into the lobby area the soaring ceiling takes my breath away. A wrought iron chandelier hangs about ten feet above our head. Reagan guides us from room to room, each one more beautiful than the one before. She leads us to a set of French doors that take us toward the lake. The water gently laps at the shoreline.

  “To the right here is one of our outdoor facilities. Even though it’s outdoors, it has a more intimate feel as it allows for a smaller crowd under the canopy. We also have another outdoor area further up the mountain that comes with a magnificent view of the small waterfall. When we drive up there, we will pass the cabins available for guests as well as the honeymoon cabin.” We retreat to where a red Suburban is parked and climb inside as Reagan drives us further into the heavily wooded area. We pass by several smaller log cabins until we reach the more impressive cabin. Reagan points it out as the honeymoon cabin and Camryn’s eye light up.

  “Just ahead is the second pavilion. There is a smaller cabin close that you could use for the wedding party, along with the restroom.”

  “Oh my gosh,” Camryn breathes out when we park at the site, her eyes fixated ahead as she fumbles with her seat belt before climbing out.

  “We get that reaction a lot,” Reagan laughs. “This is my favorite. I believe all the facilities are beautiful but there is something magical about this place.”

  “This is it,” Camryn mutters and I couldn’t agree more. The river winds through the tall trees with the changing colors and the evergreens. The waterfall adds a perfect touch of romance. They built the wooden pavilion to blend into the surroundings and not draw your eye away from the view.

  “Excellent choice. Have you thought about dates yet?” Reagan asks as she makes notes on her tablet.

  “We were thinking either next Spring or Fall. But with this view, I’m going with next fall.”

  “Perfect. Late September and October are perfect months. It’s normally cooled off enough, but it hasn’t gotten too cold. And the leaves are changing in September.”

  “Let’s pick October. I’ll get back with you on the date. We will want to rent out all the facilities for that weekend,” Camryn informs her.

  “All?” Reagan’s eyes almost bug out of her head. I can see the dollar signs.

  “Yes, my fiancé is a very private person. We would rather not have to deal with anyone outside of the staff or wedding party.”

  “This is including the cabins too?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh my,” Reagan mumbles. “Let me check our calendar for that time.” Her fingers fly over the screen. “We have a ceremony booked the last weekend in September, but it looks like October is free.”

  “Perfect. As soon as we get back home, we’ll figure out the weekend we would like, and I’ll call you.”

  “Of course, I’ll hold the month open for you.”

  “I bet she will,” I mutter under my breath loud enough that Mallory can hear me, and she chuckles.

  “All she’s seeing is dollar signs,” Mallory adds.

  Reagan takes us to the small cabin, then the honeymoon cabin. I glance at my phone, eyes widening in shock as I realize we only have fifteen minutes before our spa appointment.

  “Ladies, I hate to break this up, but we need to get a move on. Our appointment at the spa is in fifteen minutes and we will be late as it is.”

  “I’ll give Kay a call and let her know I held you up. She’ll hold your appointment.”

  “Kay?”

  “She’s the owner of Serendipity Spa. I assume that’s where you’re going.”

  “It is,” I confirm.

  “We’ll get you there in about twenty minutes.” Reagan confidently navigates the gravel road going at a much faster pace than I would’ve been comfortable with until we arrive back at the main lodge.

  “Y’all have a wonderful time at the spa. Camryn, I look forward to hearing from you.”

  We climb into Brett’s Tahoe and set out for our day of relaxation. Two of us get put in the massage room as someone takes the other two for facials. Camryn and I lie face down on the massage tables.

  “Didn’t you just love it?” Camryn gushes but with the firm hands running up and down my back, I seem to have sent my brain on hiatus.

  “Love what?” my voice slurs slightly.

  “The wedding place,” she states exasperated.

  “I loved it, Camryn. Especially the waterfall.”

  “Will you be one of my bridesmaids?” she asks softly.

  “Really? You want me to be one?” My eyes well with tears before I blink them back.

  “Yes, I really do. I don’t think I will have a maid of honor. I couldn’t decide who to pick.”

  “I’m honored that you asked me to stand up for you, Camryn.”

  “Good. Now I need one more to even everyone out.”

  “Who is the odd man out?”

  “Isaac’s brother.”

  “Maybe you could just have him stand beside Isaac and the rest of us could walk down as a couple.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I’ll run it by Isaac. I could always ask Isaac’s sister-in-law, but she doesn’t like me very much.”

  “Why not?” I ask flabbergasted. How can anyone not like this sweet woman?

  “I gave birth first. She’s holding a grudge,” Camryn grumbles. “Now everything is a competition with her. It makes things uncomfortable. Lucky for me, they live out of state and I don’t have to deal with her often.” She smirks. “I will be a puddle of goo by the time we’re done.”

  “That’s the whole point,” one lady giving the massage laughs.

  “Right, if you weren’t, we’re not doing our jobs right,” the other one intones.

  “I could get used to this,” I add in agreement.

  “Me too but is it sad I’m ready to go back home? I miss Delaney.”

  “No, I miss Colby too.”

  “How are you doing with the whole mom thing?”

  “Honestly, I try not to over-think it too much. I love that little boy but what if Brett and I break up? I’ll get my heart broken twice.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. When Brett loves, he loves hard. You know the story about him and Kristen, right?” she asks worriedly.

  “Yeah, I know,”

  “He took a long time to get over her. But when he saw how much she and Derek love each other, he let it go because she was happy. I see the way he looks at you. The chemistry is enough to set the room on fire but it’s more than that. His eyes light up when you walk in. His whole demeanor changes when he talks about you. Brett hadn’t been happy in a long time. You make him happy. You and Colby.”

  “I’m lucky to have him. I guess I worry that it’ll all be taken away.”

  “Have faith, Skylar.”

  20

  Skylar

  Next Spring

  * * *

  The gate buzzer sounds, and I hurry toward the front door. Brett has been gone for a
month and I’ve missed him like crazy. Colby stops watching his favorite cartoon, looking up at me expectantly.

  “Daddy’s home Colby. Let’s go see him.” Colby walks over and grabs my hand. I keep my pace slow when all I want to do is run and throw myself into his arms. Opening the front door, I see Brett step out of the back of the car, his dark eyes shielded with his sunglasses. Damn, he looks good. His white shirt stretches tight across his toned chest. Dark jeans cling to his thighs. But the kicker? The smile that lights his face when he sees us standing in the doorway. He rushes forward picking up Colby with one arm and using the other to drag me to him.

  “God, I’ve missed y’all,” he breathes out as he lowers his head to mine. I rise on my tiptoes to meet him. Our mouths meet, and I tremble at the passion of his kiss.

  “Daddy,” Colby shouts patting us both on the face. We pull apart and smile. “Miss you,” he says before he kisses Brett on the cheek, wrapping his little arms as far as he can around Brett’s neck. “Wove you, Daddy,” he says and my heart melts. We’ve been working hard on his vocabulary and it has grown by leaps and bounds.

  “I love you too, Colby.”

  “Here are your bags, Mr. Ingles.” The driver appears behind us carrying two black bags.

  “Thank you, Reggie. You can just leave them there.”

  “Very good, sir. See you in two weeks.” He steps away before getting back into the car. Brett hands Colby to me and picks up the bags following us into the house.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “I could eat. We didn’t stop on the way home from the airport.”

  “Why don’t you spend time with Colby? I’ll make lunch and start the laundry.”

  “You don’t have to do that, babe.”

  “I know. Go on. He was in the middle of his favorite show.”

  “All right, Colby. We’re being ordered away.”

  I make them sandwiches after starting a load of laundry. When I walk back into the living room, I find them both sound asleep in the recliner, the smaller of the two sprawled on Brett’s chest. I can’t help but smile as I quietly back out of the room. I pick up my tablet and open the Kindle app and resume reading one of my favorite Marie James books as I sit on the plush couch getting lost in the world of hot bikers.

  “Mama,” comes the sleepy word an hour later,” go park?” Colby is rubbing his hand across his eyes.

  “We’ll go in a little while. Let’s eat first okay.”

  “’K,” he answers climbing down from Brett’s lap. “Daddy sweep?”

  “No, bud,” Brett answers around a yawn, his jaw cracking with the force. “I’m awake. We’ll eat then head to the park.”

  “Yay,” comes Colby’s excited reply as he walks toward the kitchen in a waddle.

  “Hey, Colby,” I call after him. “Diaper change first little man.” He turns with a pout before changing direction toward the stairs. “Sandwiches are in the fridge. We’ll be back in just a minute.”

  With lunch eaten, we load up into the SUV and head a few miles down the road to the park that Colby just loves because he has a whole section of equipment made for toddlers to run and play on. The sun beats down on us as we get out, opening up Colby’s stroller for him to climb in. Around a hundred feet from the SUV, I reach up to get my sunglasses and realize I left them behind.

  “Damn it,” I whisper.

  “What’s wrong?” Brett asks as he pushes the stroller.

  “I forgot my sunglasses. If you’ll give me the keys, I’ll get them right quick.”

  “Here take mine. I’ll grab yours. Just keep going and I’ll catch up.” He places his aviator glasses on my face before jogging back toward the parking lot.

  I glance up at the sun shining in the cloudless sky as I lazily push the stroller along the sidewalk leading to the playground equipment waiting for Brett to catch back up. Children’s laughter floats on the breeze the closer we get, Colby chattering away excitedly from his seat. Footsteps sound behind me and I scoot over to the side since it’s the clack of heels on the concrete and not his sneakers. She bumps into me, knocking me off balance since I am walking at the edge of the sidewalk.

  “Excuse you,” I say when she continues to stroll by and I pick up the back of the stroller to place it back on the concrete. The sun glinting off metal out of the corner my eye has me looking up, straight into the barrel of a gun. Everything else fades into the background as I stare into a black hole.

  “What th…”

  “Shut the fuck up!” she hisses as she bends down toward the stroller, the gun pointed in my direction. Oh fuck, not Colby. “Not another word.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I ask, watching her struggling to lift Colby from the stroller with one arm. I’m tempted to wrestle her to the ground but what if Colby gets hurt? Behind her I can see mothers sitting on the yellow benches, children running around from one toy to another. Brett is somewhere behind me but I’m not sure what he can see as he walks up behind us. I can only pray that someone in the park notices she’s holding a gun. But when has my luck ever been that good?

  She gathers him close and straightens up when I realize who the hell she is.

  “Candy,” I blurt with disdain.

  “The one and only.” She smirks.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Any second one of those parents over there will call the cops.”

  “Why would they? All they see are two people having a conversation.”

  “One of them will notice you waving a gun around. The police patrol this area frequently,” I warn.

  “I’ll be long gone before then,” she informs me.

  “If you think I will just let you walk away with him, you’re nuts. What do you expect to happen if you take Colby?”

  “Colby, huh? Sounds like something Mandy would name him.” She sneers. “I’ll change that to something more appropriate.”

  “I’m not letting you leave with him. Put him back in the stroller and walk away.”

  “Who the fuck do you think you are, bitch? You’re nothing. Just another whore that Brett’s fucked but with you he gets a built-in babysitter.”

  “At least I didn’t have to drug him to get him into my bed.” Rage flushes her face and I wish that I’d kept my mouth shut.

  “You know nothing about it!” she yells.

  “Sure, I do,” I egg her on trying to keep her distracted, praying someone will notice something amiss. “I’ve read Mandy’s diary.”

  “A diary? She didn’t have a diary. What’re we thirteen?” she scoffs.

  “She wrote in it after her parents died. About moving in with her grandmother and how she didn’t have any friends at school until you. She thought you were so cool because you would sneak alcohol into the school.” Doubt crosses her face when I reveal that tidbit.

  “You’re lying,” she hisses, the gun wavering in her hand. Colby whimpers at her side. I can’t look at him or I will break down.

  “No, I’m not. She even spilled out all the details of the night you had Brett. You bought the drugs and paid the waitress to slip it into his drink. It disgusted her what you did that night.”

  “He never should’ve told me no. Motherfucker doesn’t know who I am. No one says no to me.”

  “Well he did, and it pissed you off, didn’t it, you spoiled rotten bitch?”

  “No one tells me no!” she screams, the vein throbbing in her forehead, her arm tightening around Colby causing him to squeal as I see women looking in our direction. One has a phone to her ear and I pray she’s dialing nine one one.

  “And to top it all off, Mandy ends up having his baby. Something that will tie him to her forever. Not you, her.” I taunt.

  “He should’ve been mine!” She shrieks, eyes wild as they dart back and forth.

  “Who? Who should’ve been yours?” I drag out, trying to delay. What? I’m not sure. Where the hell is Brett?

  “Him!” She jostles Colby. “I should’ve had his baby. Not that bit
ch, Mandy! It was all my idea!” The gun lowers toward the ground. Should I chance it?

  “What was your idea? “I cajole as her arm tightens around Colby’s middle causing him to cry out. I look over at him and nearly fall to the ground at the scared look on his face. “Please be careful!’ I can’t help but yell out. My voice catches Colby’s attention and he reaches his chubby arms toward me, his eyes pleading. Before I realize it, I take a step toward him causing her to raise the gun in my direction, halting me in my tracks as a shiver of fear races down my spine. Not fear for me but for the little boy I love like my own.

  “I will make it right. Colby will be mine. If Brett wants his son, he must come to me. He’ll love me, and I’ll have him forever.” Jesus, she is deranged.

  “No, he loves me. Even if you take Colby, he will still love me.”

  “You’re wrong!” she shouts taking a step backward. “He’ll love me!”

  “Please stop,” I plead.

  “I could kill you and get it over with. Then I can console Brett.” She contemplates lowering the gun once again. “Or I could shoot the little brat. Or both.” The crazed smile she sends me nearly stops my heart. “We could just start all over. I’ll give Brett a son.”

  “Brett will hate you, Candy. Think about it,” I order when movement catches my attention in my peripheral vision. Several figures in dark clothing are moving toward us cautiously. Please God, be the police. Her eyes widen as they dart around. “It’s over, Candy. Put Colby down. Please.”

  “If I can’t have him, neither can you.” The finality in her tone scares the shit out of me. As if in slow motion, the gun raises. I rush forward and grab her hand keeping her arm low, the other arm wrapping around Colby. The retort of the gun is loud in my ears and pain wracks my body. My left leg gives way and I fall. Her grip loosens on Colby and I pull him to me, holding him close as my body hits the concrete. My head hits the ground, but I have to stave off the blackness threatening to take me under. Several gunshots echo in the quiet.