As Zach helps me pack my things, Rose returns, closely followed by the officers.
“Thank you all for your time, we appreciate it,” the male officer says.
“So what happens now?” I ask.
“Well, based on all of the information you've provided us, we have enough to make an arrest. We have your contact information, Miss Sullivan, and we'll keep you updated as the case progresses.”
Josh will be arrested, and we'll finally be rid of him.
“Thank you,” I say.
“You all have a nice day.” The female officer smiles, as does her partner and they leave the room.
Zach wraps an arm around me and pulls me against his chest. “Josh’s gone. He won’t hurt you anymore.”
I release a sigh of relief and smile. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter 52
Gwen
I'm bored.
I’m so bored in fact I’m about ready to tear my hair out, well, what’s left of it, anyway. Yeah, when they stitched up the gash in my head, they had to shave some of my hair off around it. My hair for Christ’s sake!
When the doctors said to take it easy, I think Zach took it a little too seriously. All they meant was not to exert myself by going for a run or skydiving or some shit like that, but this is ridiculous. He’s had me sat on the couch binging some shitty show on Netflix for two days now, I’m three seasons in and I’m about ready to murder someone. He hasn’t left my side since he brought me home from the hospital, and insists that he cook, clean and wait on me hand and foot. Don’t get me wrong I’m not ungrateful, I appreciate him taking care of me, but I feel perfectly fine in myself, apart from the odd headache here and there, but I want to get back to normal and sort my living room out for one.
The second I set foot into my living room two days ago, the memories from that day flooded my mind, Josh’s voice echoing through my head. The first thing I noticed when I and in was the huge gaping hole in my wall that Josh punched through after he pinned me up against it, his hand around my throat. The coffee table was displaced, and the rug was rucked up underneath it, exposing a dark red bloodstain that had dried into my grey carpet. Temporarily, I covered the stain with the rug and placed a photo of Lucas and I over the hole in the plaster. I need a plasterer and a new carpet fitting, asap.
We got a call yesterday informing us that Josh had been arrested, and because he broke his bail conditions by attacking me, he remains in custody. He was charged with possession of narcotics and intent to distribute, assault, and as it turns out, money laundering and fraud too. For over two years, he’s been laundering money from the firm he works at, and being an accountant himself, had knew exactly how to cover his tracks, or so he thought. I'm glad he’s out of my life, our lives for good, and now I can move on.
What happened between Zach and I before my fall is water under the bridge. Since I came home, we've done nothing but talk, about us, the past, the future and my dad, who was the main topic of discussion. I love Zach so much for wanting to try and put his feeling towards my dad aside, and I love him even more for not making me choose between them, because who knows what I would have decided. I want a future with Zach, Lucas and our baby, I want us to be a family, but I also want my dad to be a part of that future. For twenty years I thought him dead, and now I have a chance to know him again, I don’t want to pass that up.
We haven’t told anyone about the pregnancy yet, we’re waiting until the first scan to make the announcement, for now, it’s just between Zach and I.
Zach enters the living room and places a steaming cup of coffee down on the table in front of me before sinking down onto the couch beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and placing a kiss on my temple.
“You feeling better? he asks.
“Yeah, much better.” I crane my neck up and press a kiss to his lips. He kisses me back, placing a hand on my cheek, holding me to him. I shift in my seat and straddle him, winding my arms around his neck.
“Gwen, you need to take it easy,” Zach says, his voice low and thick with lust.
“Says the man who fucked me against a shower wall in the middle of a hospital the first chance he got. Stop worrying, I’m absolutely fine.” I work my way across his jaw, planting kisses down his neck, nipping at his earlobe, earning me a moan from him. His hand slide down my hips and grips my ass, tugging me closer to him. I can feel the hard ridge of his cock pressing against me. I rock against him as he trails his lips down my neck to my shoulder, he slides the thin strap of my tank top down and kisses my shoulder, sucking on the sensitive skin where my neck meets my shoulder.
“Zach,” I whimper, my head falling back as he continues down towards my breast. The pressure building between my legs as I rock against him has my panties soaking and my legs shaking as my orgasm sneaks up on me fast.
Just when I’m teetering on the edge, there’s a knock at the door and I groan. My body stills and my head tips forward onto Zach's shoulder. We both sit panting for a moment before I climb off his lap and head for the door.
“Hello, Gwen,” Patrick greets as I open the door.
“Um, hi.”
His brows furrow. “Sorry, is this a bad time?” He studies my face and it’s then that I realise I must be flushed from what Zach and I were just doing, and my cheeks heat up even more.
“No, no. Come on in.” I shut the front door and follow Patrick into the living room.
“Zach,” Patrick greets, giving him a polite nod.
“Patrick.”
Lucas comes bounding out of his bedroom. “Granddaddy!”
“Hey, partner!” Lucas leaps into his arms and Patrick wraps his arms around him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
I sit down beside Zach on the couch.
“I’m sorry for just dropping by, I was passing, and I thought I’d come and see how you’re doing.”
“It’s okay, thanks for coming. I’m good, I just wish these stitches in my head didn’t itch so damn much.”
He laughs. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.” He turns to Lucas who’s legs are wrapped tight around his middle. “And how are you? I heard you were a brave boy for your mommy.”
“I was brave. I saves mommy! Police lady say I’m clever!”
“Did she now? Well she was right.”
“I wants to be a doctor when I’m all grown up, I saves people!”
“You’ll make a wonderful doctor someday, Lucas,” Patrick says, smiling proudly. Patrick places Lucas back down on the ground and he does a lap of the living room, mimicking the sound of an ambulance before going back into his room. Patrick sits down in the chair opposite us and leans forward in his seat.
“Now that you’re both here,” I begin, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees, my eyes flicking between Zach and Patrick. “I want to thank both of you.”
“What for?” Zach asks.
“For trying, for even just being here, sharing the same room, for me. I know it must be difficult for both of you after what’s happened in the past, but it means so much that you’re trying to get along. I want you both in my life, I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted. I have my son, I have you, Zach, and I have my dad, something I never thought I’d have.”
“I told you, Gwen. I would never make you choose. I would never make you give up on the chance to know your dad again.” He places a hand over mine and squeezes.
I move close to him and wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his neck and he hugs me back, tightly. “I love you. Thank you,” I whisper.
“I love you too.”
Zach pulls back and stands up, extending his arm out to my dad. Patrick looks up at him with his brows knitted, confusion and surprise flashing across his face, before it softens into a smile. He stands up and takes Zach’s hand. I see a shimmer in Patrick’s eye as they become glassy with tears.
“Thank you, Zach,” Patrick chokes out.
I stand up and take my dad in my arms, resting my head agains
t his shoulder. He holds me tightly, clinging to me as if he needs this just as much as I do.
∞∞∞
A short while later, Patrick leaves and I curl my body into Zach's, his arm tight around my shoulders as I rest my head on his chest.
“Mommy! Mommy! Can we watch Toy Story?”
I glance up at Zach, who’s wearing a smile. I look back down at my little boy, already knowing the answer to his question.
“Umm...” I drag out on purpose.
“Please, mommy, please.” Lucas jumps up and down on the spot in front of us.
“Of course we can.” I smile.
“Yay!”
How could I ever say no to him?
I hit play on the remote and Lucas settles down in between Zach and I. Although we've done this a thousand times before, tonight feels different somehow. Tonight, we sit here as a family, something I’ve dreamed of for so long. I have my beautiful little boy, the man I’m in love with by my side, and our baby growing in my belly, and something inside me tells me that everything is finally going to be okay.
Epilogue Part 1
Gwen
Eight months later
“Fuuuck!” I wail, as tears stream from my eyes, every inch of my skin is glistening with a thin sheen of sweat under the thick material of my gown. I remember the last time I went through this and how much it hurt then, but, fuck, I thought the second time around it wouldn’t hurt so damn much, it feels like my insides are being squeezed and tugged in all directions while being pulled out all at once through my vagina.
Why is it called the miracle of childbirth? This makes that birth scene in Alien look like a breeze. Don't get me wrong, the end result is totally worth it, but this pain, right now, is excruciating.
“Good girl, baby, just a few more pushes, you can do it,” Zach says, placing a hand on my arm.
“Don’t you ever touch me again,” I warn, glaring at him.
I see a hint of amusement touch his lips. “Does this mean you won’t marry me?”
Wait? What?
Is he seriously asking me to marry him now?
Another contraction sneaks up on me and I push, as instructed by the midwife. I want this over with as soon as possible. It already feels like a lifetime since I first fell into labour this morning in the middle of Target of all places. Hands down the most embarrassing moment of my life. That, compared to the thought of sending sexy pictures to my teacher doesn’t seem too bad.
The contraction goes away, giving me a momentary respite from the pain.
“What?” I pant, turning my head to face Zach.
He grips my hand tightly in both of his, bringing it to his lips. “Marry me, Gwen.”
“You’re seriously proposing to me now?”
“Yes, I am,” he replies calmly, as if we’re not in a delivery room, minutes away from meeting our son or daughter. “I love you, Gwen. Marry me.”
Another contraction is coming, I can feel it like weave riding up inside of me and I brace myself for the pain. “Fine, I’ll marry you, but only if you have a vasectomy. I am never going through this agai-ahhhhh!” I don’t even get to finish my sentence when the pain hits me, spreading through my body like wildfire. It's like someone is repeatedly stabbing me in the stomach. It feels like someone is sawing off the bottom half of my body.
“Well done, the head's out,” the midwife says. “Just one more big push, honey.”
I take a deep breath and squeeze Zach’s hand as I push as hard as I can, a cry ripping through my throat, my eyes screwing shut.
My ears ring from the sound of my scream piercing the air, my throat raw and dry.
The pain suddenly fades away to a dull throb and ache and I fall silent, my chest heaving, as the sweetest sound of a baby crying fills the room.
“Congratulations, you have daughter,” the midwife announces, wrapping my baby in a plush pink blanket and placing her in my arms, her head resting on my chest.
I gasp. All of the pain I felt just a few minutes ago fades away and is replaced with love for my little girl as I peer down at her. She’s so tiny. So perfect.
She grips the neck of my hospital gown in her little fist. She opens her eyes briefly, a warm honey, just like her daddy.
I glance up at Zach, tears blurring my vision. “She’s perfect, Zach.”
“You’re amazing, Gwen. I love you so much.” He leans over and presses his lips to mine.
Our baby makes a little sound and wriggles against me. “Do you want to hold her?”
Zach nods, and I pass her to him carefully, making sure to support her head. She looks so small bundled up in his arms, wrapped tight in her pink blanket. He sits back down on the chair beside the bed, his eyes fixated on our baby. He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Hello, my beautiful baby girl,” he manages before choking up. “Daddy loves you so much.” I see a tear trickle down his cheek as he gazes down at our daughter. “What should we name her?” he asks, looking up at me.
“I have a few ideas.”
Epilogue Part 2
Zach
For the past two hours I’ve not moved a single inch from where I’m sitting next to Gwen on her hospital bed, one arm around her shoulders, the other holding our beautiful baby. I can’t seem to take my eyes off of my daughter. Since we wanted to keep the gender a surprise until the birth, I secretly hoped for a daughter, don’t ask me why, I just always imagined having a baby girl. The love I have for her is overwhelming, I’ve never felt anything like it.
This is the best day of my life. I’ve never been so happy that I am right at this moment.
There’s a knock on the hospital door and Hayley and Kyle enter the room.
“Oh my gosh, she’s gorgeous!” Hayley whisper-shouts, placing her hand over her mouth in amazement as they near the bed.
“Congratulations, both of you,” Kyle says.
It was only just over a month ago since they were both in the same situation as we are in now, when Hayley gave birth to their second baby, Easton, a beautiful baby boy.
These past eight months have been incredible. Gwen and I are closer than ever, and through her pregnancy, I’ve fallen even more in love with her than I had before.
“Please tell me you had pain relief this time,” Hayley asks Gwen.
“Yeah, but I may as well not have, fat lot of good it did me,” she replies.
“Do you have a name for her yet?” Hayley asks.
I glance over at Gwen and she smile back at me, giving me a nod.
“Her name is Isla,” I answer.
“Isla, that’s a beautiful name.”
The door opens and Lucas comes bounding in, followed closely by Rose. “Mommy! Daddy! Can I see baby?”
My heart still skips a beat every time he calls me daddy. Once we told him he was going to be a big brother, he wanted to start calling me daddy. At first I was worried that Gwen wouldn’t want it, that it would be diminishing Luke’s memory somehow, but the second she heard him call me daddy she cried with tears of happiness. There is no way I could ever replace Luke, and I’d make it my life’s mission to remind him that Luke, had he still been here, would love him irrevocably. I wouldn’t want to replace Luke, but I want to be the father figure that he needs in his life, I want to be the father that Gwen has always wanted for him, and I’m gonna make damn sure I do her proud and never let her down again.
Lucas climbs up in-between Gwen and I. “Lucas, meet your sister, Isla.”
I place Isla in Lucas's arms carefully, continuing to support her head and most of her weight. Lucas studies her, running his fingers over her head gently. “I be a good big brother. Gonna take care of baby Isla.”
Gwen stifles a cry, pressing her hand to her mouth as a tear slips free.
“She’s beautiful, darlin’,” Rose says to Gwen. “Congratulations to both of you. You're gran would be so proud of you, Gwen.”
“Thanks Rose.” She smiles.
A short while later,
Kyle, Hayley and Rose all leave, replaced with Ellen, Nate, Patrick and Susanne enter the room to meet the baby and congratulate us.
Mine and Patrick’s relationship has improved somewhat over the past eight months, we could almost be considered friends at a push. I've realised I don’t hate him as I once thought I did, and the more time that passes, I forgive him a little more.
He and Susanne got married a couple of months back, much to Gwen's dismay, as she had to attend yet another wedding, pregnant.
The Promise Page 23