Love Restored

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Do you want me to stay?” he asked.

  Blake shook her head. “Just come back quick. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  He kissed her hard, then ran off to get hard hats and make sure the crew was ready for visitors. He left her pacing in front of the trailer, one hand on her hip, the other keeping her phone to her ear.

  Graham was as fast as he could be, grabbing the two smallest hard hats they owned and stopping by Owen’s side to make sure his brother knew what was up. He was on his way back to Blake when he heard the scream.

  He dropped what he was holding and ran as fast as he could back to the trailer, Owen and the members of the crew that had been near, right on his tail.

  “What is it?” he yelled as he got closer.

  “Rowan!” Blake yelled. “Where are you? Rowan!”

  His heart thudded, and he sped up until he was right by Blake’s side. He took her by her arms and tried to get her to calm down enough to talk to him. “What’s going on? Where’s Rowan?”

  Her eyes were wide, her face pale. “I walked in after I’d hung up and she wasn’t there. She isn’t there, Graham. Where is my baby?”

  Owen cursed and ran into the trailer, calling for Rowan. Graham turned on his heel to the men and women on his crew. “Rowan might have run off. Help us find her. Drop what you’re doing. Got me?”

  “We’ll find her,” one of his crew said.

  “You got it, Graham,” another said. “Don’t worry, Blake, she might have just gotten curious. We won’t let anything happen to her.”

  Later, when they’d found her, Graham would be grateful for his crew and their quick thinking on their feet, but for now, he was trying to stem his own panic so he didn’t freak Blake out any more than she already was.

  “I need to call the police,” Blake said, her voice devoid of emotion. “What if…what if it’s Chris’s parents? What if they took her because they don’t think they’ll win? That was my lawyer calling just now to tell me that he thinks the case is going to get dismissed. What if they panicked? Where is my baby, Graham? Where is my Rowan?”

  His hands shook, but he pulled out his phone. “We’re calling the police now, just in case. We’re going to find her, Blake. If it’s the last goddamn thing we do. I’m not letting another little girl get hurt because of things out of my control. Do you understand? We’re going to find her, and everything is going to be fucking fine.”

  He was starting to panic, but oddly enough, it seemed to be helping Blake. She kept nodding, but the overwhelming sense of confusion radiating from her dimmed. Now she looked like she was on a mission.

  “Hey, Graham?” Owen called out, and Graham turned on his heel.

  “Did you find her?” Graham asked.

  “Where is she?” Blake said as she pushed past him.

  Owen shook his head. “I haven’t, but call the police if you haven’t already.” His mouth was set in a grim line as he met Graham’s face. “The back window of the trailer is open, and the blocks she was playing with are on the ground beneath it.”

  “Oh my God,” Blake whispered. Graham wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her steady. He ignored the way she stiffened at his touch.

  “And we can’t find Sean, the new guy. He was here earlier when Rowan and Blake first showed up, but he’s gone now. Might be a coincidence, but we need to call the cops.”

  The ground beneath Graham’s feet shifted, and he felt as if he were falling. Only he wasn’t, and it was only his mind.

  Someone had kidnapped Rowan, and it had been on his site, on his watch. She’d been right there, and now he might have lost her.

  He’d already lost one child.

  He couldn’t do it again.

  He dialed 911 and did something he hadn’t done since he’d buried his little girl.

  He prayed.

  15

  When the first police cruiser pulled into the parking lot, Blake knew this hadn’t been a dream, hadn’t been a nightmare, it was all too real. The wind rushed through her hair, though she could only feel the absence of the strands on her neck as it blew across her shoulders, not the wind itself. Her fingertips went numb, yet the skin on the rest of her arms was so sensitive it felt like hot coals danced along the fine hairs. Why that was, she didn’t understand.

  She could hear her heartbeat in her ears as it echoed around her brain, but because she wasn’t moving as quickly as she could, she knew it had to be beating faster than she heard.

  There was a metal taste on her tongue she would always associate with sheer panic and fear.

  Someone had taken her daughter, and there was nothing she could do about it. The years she’d spent doing what she could to keep Rowan safe had meant nothing. Her daughter was out there, in danger, and out of her hands.

  And every time a Gallagher brother tried to help her or touched her arm to keep her sane, she wanted to scream. She couldn’t rely on them, couldn’t rely on anyone. She couldn’t even rely on herself.

  Because no matter what she did, it was always the wrong decision.

  “Mrs. Brennen?”

  She turned at the sound of the officer’s voice and stared bleakly at him. “Someone took my child.” She didn’t sound panicked, but she knew he could see it in her eyes. There was no hiding that, no hiding the innate fear that would come if they couldn’t find Rowan within the next few hours.

  More cops came, more investigators. They didn’t let anyone leave the site and didn’t reassure her like she needed. Instead, she felt their stares, their recriminations as to who she was and how she could have possibly let this happen to her daughter.

  Her world had crumbled, but she didn’t show the break. She didn’t have the right to show weakness until Rowan was back and safe in her arms. She’d deal with whatever came next, and once her daughter was returned, then and only then would she find a place to let her fears win.

  Now was not that time.

  While people prowled around the site, asking their questions and looking for answers, Blake stood between the Gallagher brothers, Graham on one side, Murphy and Owen on the other, and did her best to be who she’d pretended to be all along.

  Someone far stronger than she truly was.

  And just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, Chris’s parents pulled up to the site in their fancy car, stepping out in their fancy shoes.

  “You!” Chris’s mother stormed toward Blake, her small purse clutched in her hands. “What have you done with our granddaughter?”

  The police officer Blake had been talking to frowned at her before turning to the incoming drama. “Excuse me, ma’am, you can’t come here, this is an active scene. Who are you?”

  Chris’s father raised his chin. “We are the Carmichaels, and your police chief personally called us when he heard the news of our granddaughter going missing. We have every right to be here.” He pointed at Blake, though he didn’t bother to look at her. “That, however, should be behind bars. How dare she let some lower class man near our granddaughter. That is how she was kidnapped. Have you arrested the lowlife? That one. The one with the beard and all the tattoos. It must have been him. They’re all alike, you know.”

  Blake took one step forward to smack the look off the man’s face, but Graham gripped her wrist, holding her near him. She let out a breath, knowing he was probably saving her from jail time. Beating up the Carmichaels in front of witnesses, police officers at that, probably wasn’t the smartest move at the moment, but it was the only thing she could think of when she already felt so freaking hopeless and helpless.

  “Why don’t you come over here with Officer Broderick,” the officer that had been speaking to Blake said, blocking her view of the Carmichaels. He motioned to another man in blue and nodded. “We’ll get all the information we can before we move on.”

  “She was the one who did this!” Mrs. Carmichael spat. “She isn’t fit to be a mother. We want our granddaughter back.”

  Officer Broderick led the Carmichaels to
the other side of the site, leaving Blake with the Gallaghers surrounding her.

  “I’m Officer Lansing, by the way,” the officer said softly. “I know you were a little stunned when I introduced myself earlier. I need you to tell me everything that happened.” He looked around at the Gallaghers and frowned, his gaze piercing. “I’m going to need to speak to you privately.”

  “We’re her family,” Graham said as he squeezed her shoulder. “So if you’re separating us because you think we’re the ones that did this, you should know that little girl means more to us than anything. And her so-called grandparents over there just filed for custody, though they’ve never even met her. If you’re going to question anyone, question them.”

  Officer Lansing narrowed his eyes. “Let’s get this all out in the open, shall we? Our goal is to find Rowan, Ms. Brennen. I need all the information I can get in order to protect her.”

  Blake nodded and told him everything she could remember about how she’d ended up in this position. Without parts of the past, he wouldn’t be able to understand why the Carmichaels had been trying to gain custody in the first place. She wasn’t sure what to think regarding who had taken her daughter, but the thought of anyone touching one precious hair on her baby’s head made her want to scream and lash out.

  “They have more than one house,” Blake blurted after over an hour of speaking to the officers and detectives that had shown up.

  “Excuse me?” Lansing asked. “What do you mean by that?”

  Blake ran a hand over her face, her body exhausted. She pulled away from Graham when he reached for her. She couldn’t think when he was around, and because she’d opened herself, she’d risked her daughter’s life. She didn’t blame Graham for what had happened, she blamed herself.

  So she wouldn’t let anyone in. Not again. As soon as she got her baby back, things were going to change. They had to if she was going to find any form of peace.

  Knowing she was being watched, she answered the officer. “They have more than one estate. The Carmichaels. And I think they have a ski cottage in Vail, as well. At least, that’s what I remember from all those years ago. I don’t know why they took her, other than to hurt me, but I know they took her.” Her hands fisted, and her heart beat rapidly. “There’s that construction guy who you all say is missing too, and you’re out looking for him as well in connection to this. I don’t know how it all works or what happens next, but I need you to check all their houses.”

  “We’re doing all we can to find your daughter, Ms. Brennen.”

  “Then try harder!” she screamed then put her hands over her mouth, shaking her head. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “So sorry. I can’t…” She took a deep breath. “Can I go home now? In case Rowan calls there? Do you need me anymore?”

  The officer gave her a pitying look. “Yes, you can go to your home. We’ll have an officer there with you, as well.”

  She nodded, her body numb once more. As she started to move to where she’d parked, Graham slid his hand over hers.

  “Let me drive you.”

  She shook her head. “I need to go. I need to be alone.” She couldn’t think about what was going on with her and Graham right then. She needed him to not be there. If he was there, it was only a reminder that she’d messed up, and had trusted herself when she shouldn’t have. She needed to focus on Rowan. That was the only thing that mattered. Because she’d thought she might be able to have a serious relationship just once in her life, she’d taken her eyes off her daughter and had ruined everything.

  “You shouldn’t be alone right now,” Owen said as he moved to her other side. “We’ll all go with you. What Graham said before was the truth, we’re your family.”

  She met Owen’s eyes, then Murphy’s, before looking into Graham’s. The anger in his eyes burned, and she hoped it was for who had taken her baby and not her, but she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

  “Fine,” she said softly. She was too tired to fight them. She’d fight for Rowan, but not herself. Not right now.

  She slid into the passenger seat of her car as Graham drove her home. The other Gallaghers had said they’d take care of the other vehicles on the lot as well as the site itself before they joined them at her place. She didn’t know what they planned, but she pushed it to the side. If she focused on every little thing around her, she’d break. And she couldn’t be there for Rowan if she was truly broken beyond measure.

  When they pulled into her parking lot, she nodded at the cops, who nodded back, and then she got out of the car. Mrs. Gonzales ran to her, throwing her arms around Blake.

  “Oh, Blake, I’m so sorry,” the older woman cried as she hugged Blake close. Blake forced herself to hug the other woman back. Her arms were too heavy, and she wasn’t functioning on all levels.

  “We’re going to find her, Mrs. Gonzales,” Graham said from their side. “I’m going to get Blake inside now. Are you okay alone? My brothers will be here soon, as well.”

  Mrs. Gonzales pulled away from Blake before reaching up to pat Graham on the cheek over his beard. “Take care of our girl. I’ll be fine at home. But if you need anything, you let me know.” She rolled her shoulders back. “I’m going to cook for these fine officers who are going to find our baby. They will need the energy.” She pointed at Blake. “And you’re going to eat my food, too. You can’t fade away, or there won’t be anything left when Rowan gets back. She will be back, my darling.” And with that, Mrs. Gonzales stomped away, her mission clear.

  Blake could have hugged the other woman for it, but she didn’t even have that in her. With her back straight, she made her way up the stairs and into her apartment, Graham on her heels.

  “You need to sit down,” he said after a moment.

  That’s when she realized she’d been standing still in the middle of her apartment, not saying anything. She didn’t like this numb version of herself. How could she function and be of any help if she could barely move?

  “I’m fine.”

  She wasn’t fine.

  “Do you want to take a shower?” Graham asked. He reached out and cupped her chin.

  She backed away.

  The hurt look on his face pierced her, but she knew it was for the best. She already wasn’t doing what she needed to do, and having Graham touch her wouldn’t help.

  “Why would I need a shower?” she asked, her voice wooden.

  Graham stuck his hands in his pockets, looking as lost as she felt. “Because you think in the shower. It’ll clean away some of the day so you can focus better.” He sighed. “I don’t know, Blake. I’m just trying to help.”

  “Well, I don’t need your help.” She inhaled through her nose. “You’ve helped enough. So go, okay? I’m home. I’m safe. But my daughter isn’t. I need to focus on that and nothing else.”

  He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when someone knocked on the door. “I’ll go answer that,” he said softly.

  She pushed past him, though. What if it was Rowan? Blake knew she was acting like a bitch to Graham when all he’d done was try to help her, but she couldn’t trust herself if she let him get close.

  When she opened the door, it wasn’t Rowan, but Maya, Jake, and Border. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “Are you kidding me?” Maya asked. “Where else would we be?” Maya hugged Blake tightly and moved out of the way so Jake and Border could file in. They hugged her, too, and before Blake could shut the door, Owen and Murphy were there, as well.

  She should have felt loved, needed with everyone there for her. But she couldn’t quite understand how it had all happened. She’d spent the majority of her daughter’s life keeping people at arm’s length, but now there were countless people in her home, worried for her and Rowan. She could even scent the food cooking from Mrs. Gonzales’s apartment that Blake knew would soon be in her own place.

  These people cared for her and were worried about Rowan. She should be grateful, and yet, she felt like a first-c
lass bitch.

  She needed them gone, out of her way so she could be who she needed to be. Things had been safer when she was alone. And yes, that sounded idiotic since none of the people in her apartment were directly responsible for what had happened, but she couldn’t help but be irrational right now.

  Graham put his arm around her waist and brought her back to his chest. “Breathe, Blake. You need to breathe.”

  She hadn’t been aware that she’d been holding her breath, so when she exhaled, her lungs burned and her head went fuzzy.

  “I think I’ll take that shower now.” It was the only place she could be alone.

  The others gave her understanding looks, and she hated the pity on their faces. She quickly scurried away, taking her cellphone with her just in case someone called, and turned on the shower. As soon as the water was hot enough to scald, she stripped down and put her whole body under the spray.

  Only then did she let the tears come.

  Her body shook, and she sobbed, her throat aching as she screamed and thrashed. The tears mixed with the hot water, sliding down her face and into the drain at her feet. She ached for what was going on, but nothing compared to her thoughts of her daughter and what she must be going through right now. She prayed that whoever had her wouldn’t hurt her. Maybe they’d only wanted to scare Blake, but would keep Rowan safe? She wouldn’t dare think of anything else, because if she did, she’d break down even more.

  She shouldn’t have even taken the time to break down now as she had, but she hadn’t been able to hold it in any longer.

  When the bathroom door opened, she closed her eyes, trying to calm her tears. As someone pulled the curtain back and turned off the water, she opened her lids, only to see Graham there. He gave her a look that she couldn’t interpret and reached around to grab a thick towel she’d put on the hook next to the shower. When he wrapped it around her, she leaned into him, knowing she shouldn’t. She needed to keep her distance, but right then, she was going in so many different directions, she didn’t know what to do.

  Instead of leading her out of the shower, he picked her up and cradled her to his chest.