I nervously swallow as Kiran walks up to the side of my bed and laces my hand with his. “Do you want to know?”
I’ve known for weeks I’m pregnant, but until my baby moved, it didn’t feel real. Nothing about this experience is what I imagined. I think knowing the sex might help my mind accept what’s happening.
“Yes. I think I want to know,” I admit.
“Good, because I want to know, too,” Kiran adds before looking at the doctor with a grin on his face.
“You’re having a boy.” Both the doctor and Kiran look straight at me.
After a deep breath, I dare to look at Kiran, who looks generally happy. “A boy?” he questions. “We’re going to have a son,” he says with pride before squeezing my hand.
“Here are the pills. I want you to take one a day for the next week.” The doctor clears his throat. “I’m going to let you go home now. Take care of yourself, Ms. Paasch, and your baby should be fine.” The doctor shakes Kiran’s hand then leaves the room.
Home. Where the hell is that?
Kiran
Isabelle appears withdrawn again. She smiled when the doctor told us we’re having a boy, but otherwise, she didn’t react and I’m not sure where her head is.
Alex was at the motel when the doctor released Isabelle. She delivered quite the shock when she walked in with me as he was packing his bag.
“You look a thousand times better,” he says with relief in his voice. On our trip from Mexico to Houston, Isabelle looked like she could have died at any moment. Now she has color in her face and is able to walk without pain.
“I feel a thousand times better,” she replies before sitting on the edge of the bed.
I take a glance at Alex, who’s picked up on Isabelle’s strange mood. He looks at me but I shrug. I have no idea what we’re dealing with, and Isabelle doesn’t act as if she’s going to clue us in.
“Isabelle, I want to take you to my grandparents’ farm, our grandparents’ farm. If you’re okay with that.”
Her eyes widen for a second before she cast her face down. I silently groan with frustration. This is not the strong, feisty woman I met months ago. Instead of speaking up and telling us what she wants, she remains silent.
“Is that okay?” I ask, taking a seat next to her.
“Sure,” she whispers without looking at either of us.
“Damn it, Isabelle. What’s wrong?” I practically yell before immediately feeling like a jerk for raising my voice.
“Nothing. I need to use the bathroom before we leave,” she announces, walking toward the bathroom door before shutting then locking it behind her.
“What the hell?” Alex whispers in frustration. “She’s locked away somewhere inside of her head. That’s not the Isabelle we met in Denver ...” I pause, trying to gain some control. “I just want her to be herself around us.”
Alex breathes out a sigh before running his hands over his face. “I know something’s not right but she’s pregnant. Her hormones are probably out of whack, not to mention she’s recovering from being seriously fucking sick. Give her time. If she doesn’t snap out of her funk, then we’ll try a different approach, but in the meantime, lay off. Please.”
He’s right. Everything he said is correct, but I still don’t like it. I want the Isabelle I knew to return. I want the Isabelle that’s carrying my child to be happy that we’re about to become parents.
“Where is this farm?” Isabelle asks as she walks out of the bathroom.
Alex looks over at his sister and smiles. “Their farm is outside of Kansas City, right off I-70. I looked it up on my phone. It will take about twelve hours from here. But we’re a straight shot from Denver when the time comes that we can go home,” Alex explains.
“You guys are going to stay with me?” Isabelle softly questions. Neither of us noticed her come out of the bathroom, so I’m not sure how much of our conversation she overheard.
“Of course,” I say, taking a step toward her.
“Oh, I just thought ...” she trails off as she looks away.
“Isabelle, until I know you’re safe, I’m not leaving your side,” I firmly tell her.
“Me too,” Alex adds.
Isabelle mumbles, “I may never be safe, don’t you understand?” Her eyes are glassy, but after a deep breath, she appears to have her emotions under control.
“Then we’ll move and reinvent ourselves.” Isabelle gasps. “Isabelle, I don’t know what’s going on in your head right now but I care about you. A lot,” I add. I leave out the fact that I think I’m in love with her. “When I left with Alex to find you, the very last thing I expected to learn was I’m about to become a father, but now that I know, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you or our son.”
Her eyes flare but she remains quiet. “Let’s go to the farm, then.”
“I’m ready if you two are,” Alex adds.
I walk over to Isabelle and wrap my arm around her waist as the two of us follow Alex to his car. Alex gets in the driver’s seat as Isabelle gets in the back. I go around the other side and get in next to Isabelle, and it’s not long before we put Houston behind us.
We drive for hours before we stop in Dallas to eat dinner. Alex pulls up to a little diner off the highway. While we’re waiting on our food, Alex asks something I also want the answer to.
“What happened to make you leave Denver?”
Isabelle chews on her lip for a minute. When I’m about to give up on her answering him, she does. “Manuel went crazy. He told me if I didn’t come back he was going to hurt you two and Kate,” she whispers.
“He knew we went to a hotel together,” I add, pushing back my anger.
Isabelle’s eyes snap to mine. “Yes. How did you know that? Did he do something to you?”
“No. Damian told me.” Her shoulders sag. “I thought it was funny that Damian would send me to Kate’s house. He wanted me to like Kate, but leaving us together didn’t sound like something he’d do. But Sergio gave me a letter and told me it was from my father. I guess believing him so easily only proves how weak I really am.”
“That’s not true.” Alex states, and before I have the chance to agree, she continues as if she didn’t hear him. “I called Manuel and he told me Kate’s house was safe, to stay put and lay low. That when they figured out what happened to Damian, someone would come for me. But it was Manuel that wanted me in Denver. Everyone in Mexico—including Damian—thought I was in Poza Rica. Manuel and his father were trying to take Damian down, and he either wanted to keep me safe or wanted me out of the way, hoping I wouldn’t find out what he did.”
“Shit,” Alex says under his breath.
Isabelle nods her head. “I was at the bookstore when a package arrived from Manuel. He gave me the ID I used to get the job.” She shakes her head in disgust. “He told me I was to be on a flight out of Denver the next day and if I wasn’t, then I’d be sorry.” She sniffles. “He’s never spoken to me that way before. I knew then he’d probably kill me if I returned, but I couldn’t stay and risk something happening to you guys. I got on the flight he booked, but I skipped my connecting flight in San Diego. I took a cab to the border then crossed using the ID Manuel gave me. I tossed it in the trash then set out looking for Damian.”
She ends her story as our food is delivered. Alex pushes his fries around on his plate before he looks back at Isabelle. “Did you find Damian right away?”
Isabelle swallows before she says, “No.” Her voice is detached and her eyes appear lost. My stomach turns as I start to imagine what she went through to find him.
“Then what did you do? You had no money, no phone, no ID?” Alex questions.
“I survived, that’s what I did,” Isabelle says as she stares at her food. A silence blankets the table as Isabelle slowly starts eating.
Alex and I exchange an intense look. Something happened to her—or at the very least, she lived in hell until she found Damian. I wish I had the power to turn back time because if I c
ould, I’d go back to the day Isabelle left, and instead of throwing myself a pity party, I’d set out to find the woman who stole my heart.
****
Other than restroom and gas stops, we drive straight through and arrive at the Keller Farm by early morning. Alex called his grandparents and told them we were coming. He also broke the news of Isabelle’s/Hayden’s arrival.
When we pull up to the house and Isabelle gets out of the car, the elderly lady standing on the porch breaks out in tears. Alex grabs Isabelle’s hand and the two of them walk up to the woman. “This is Isabelle. Isabelle this is your Grandma Keller.”
The woman wraps her arms around Isabelle and starts sobbing. “I knew this day would come. I just can’t believe your momma didn’t get to see you.” The woman hesitantly lets go of Isabelle and wipes her face.
An older man steps out on the porch, watching Isabelle closely. “This is Grandpa Keller,” Alex announces.
“It’s very nice to meet both of you.”
Isabelle once again appears out of sorts. I walk up to her and place my arm around her waist.
“This is my roommate, Kiran. He’s also the father of Isabelle’s baby.” Alex’s comment is spot on but it causes my stomach to turn. I want to be introduced as Isabelle’s boyfriend at the very least. Instead, I look like a jerk that knocked up their granddaughter.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I say, extending my hand. They smile and greet me but my earlier thought must not be too far off because the look they both give me isn’t overly friendly.
“Alex tells me you might stay awhile. Hayden, I want you to know you’re more than welcome here as long as you want.”
“Grandma,” Alex says in warning when Isabelle’s face falls after being called Hayden.
Instead of acknowledging what she said, Mrs. Keller turns and starts to walk inside. “Come on. I’ll fix everyone breakfast.”
We all pile in their kitchen where I notice Alex’s grandfather watching Isabelle’s every move before he gets up and storms off. “I’m sorry,” Mrs. Keller says. “This is a little harder than we expected. Alex told us he was bringing his sister with him, but until we saw you, we had our doubts.” Her voice is filled with pain.
“You look just like our Shelley did when she was younger, and neither Donald nor I have handled her death very well.” Mrs. Keller turns her eyes back toward the stove, but she isn’t able to mask the sob that escapes.
“Believe me, Grandma, I felt the same way when I first met her,” Alex says while grinning at Isabelle.
“Have you met Kate?” Isabelle asks.
Mrs. Keller shakes her head no. “Our other daughter, Stacy, won’t have anything to do with us. I figured it was best to leave it alone,” she answers without looking at any of us.
“I bet Kate would like to meet you,” Isabelle adds, but the conversation dies with her comment.
Mrs. Keller whips up a huge breakfast unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before. I didn’t know my father’s parents, and my mother’s weren’t very active in our lives. My mother sure as hell never cooked food that looked or tasted this good.
While the four of us sit down and eat, the conversation is almost nonexistent. I think everyone feels like I do: nervous about what to say. When we finish eating, Isabelle finally speaks up. “I’m tired. If it’s okay with you, could I lie down for a while?”
“Of course, sweetheart. I’ll show you our guest rooms.” They walk out as Alex glances at me.
“We need to come up with a game plan. I wish I had told Damian we’d come here. Until we know those bastards are done worrying about her, we’re going to have to watch our backs.”
I nod my head, agreeing. “It could take a long time before she can have a normal life,” I add, watching his reaction. “Maybe you should go back to Denver. It’s not fair for you to put your life on hold indefinitely,” I state.
“You’re doing the same thing,” Alex growls.
“Of course I am. She’s pregnant with my kid.” My voice rises as Isabelle steps into the kitchen.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I forgot to take my pill,” she says with a blank, almost sad look on her face as she digs out the bottle of pills the doctor gave her yesterday.
I sigh with frustration as she turns and walks back out of the room. Out of all the things she heard, it had to be that.
When it appears she’s gone, Alex turns to me. “Look, if I knew I had a kid on the way, I’d do everything in my power to make sure it and the mother were taken care of, but...you don’t have to be with Isabelle because she’s pregnant.” His comment causes my anger to boil to the surface.
“I don’t want to be with Isabelle because she’s pregnant. I...I love her. The fact that she’s carrying my kid is an added bonus,” I amend.
“Really? Because you spent the last six months acting like you hate her. Kiran...you didn’t even want to come with me. You’re a stand-up guy with a lot on your plate right now, but don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Alex takes a deep breath and lowers his voice. “I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface of what she’s been through, and the last thing she needs is to fall for a guy who’s only with her for noble reasons.”
My eyes drift shut, and when I open them, Alex is gone. I understand where he’s coming from. Any time Isabelle’s name came up after she left, I would walk out of the room. I had convinced myself that I hated her, but in reality, I was mad that she left me behind. That she let me fall in love with her only to walk away without even telling me goodbye.
Even though somewhere deep down I knew she left for what she felt were good reasons, I couldn’t see past my own hurt to admit that I probably would have done the exact same thing if I were in her shoes.
Isabelle
My grandparents are Donald and Mary Keller—my birth mother, Shelley Keller Johnson’s parents. Being here feels strange, but at the same time, I feel safe—safer than I ever did in Poza Rica—and I’m definitely safer than I was in San Marcos. Even though Damian was with me, danger was always lurking around us.
The Ramoses dismantled my father’s army and trusting anyone is risky. Alejandro, Damian’s number one man, and Richardo, his number three, had nothing to do with Miguel or Manuel’s plan to take over Damian’s business and remained loyal to my father. Sergio, the man who drove me to the airport and gave me the letter, never returned to Damian. Either Manuel lied or Sergio got himself killed. My guess is Manuel lied, just like he did about everything else.
Sergio hated me. I’m sure he was all too happy to see my daddy go down. Damian reassured me he had a plan in place, and part of that plan was allowing Miguel and Manuel to get comfortable in thinking he is dead. The fact that I—a blonde American—was wandering from one town to the next, asking anyone who’d talk to me if they had seen him, set Damian and his men’s plan back.
After I finally found them, we went into hiding, allowing time to pass, then I started feeling like crap only to find out I was pregnant. Neither Damian nor I spoke much about what I did while I was gone. Word had made its way back to Damian that I was with Kate, and as much as he hated the idea that we were under the same roof, he decided to be happy that we were both far away from the men who are currently trying to take control of his empire and end his life.
The look on Damian’s face when I told him I was pregnant is one I’ll never forget. He was heartbroken and angry at the same time, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I had let him down. By the time the infection claimed my body, Damian had gone from pissed to worried and he stopped at nothing to ensure I was okay—that my baby would be okay.
“Hey,” Kiran says as he steps into my room. “Is it okay if I stay in here with you?”
I mumble, “Umm, I don’t know. Do you want to stay in here with me?”
“Yes,” he quickly says. “I want to be wherever you are.” He walks over and sits on the edge of the bed.
“It feels strange being here with grandparents I don’
t even know.”
Kiran nods his head. “I can only imagine.” Tears I’ve struggled to keep in start to fall. “Shh,” Kiran whispers, reaching out for me, but I jump off the bed and stand a few steps away from him.
“I’m sorry. I’m a hot mess.” I do my best to brush my tears away.
“My father, who’s not really my father, is teaming up with horrible men in order to take down Miguel. Kate, who’s not my sister but really my cousin, is someone I have to stay away from. And Alex, who really is my brother, is putting his life on hold and in danger because of a sister he barely knows.” I take a deep breath. “And you...you’re the guy I fell for but left behind, and now I’m having your baby. My life couldn’t possibly be any more fucked up unless Manuel gets his way and finds me.”
Kiran growls. “He won’t find you. I promise.”
I huff. “Kiran, you’re a good person and good people can’t predict what a horrible person is capable of.” I raise my chin. “But I can.”
“You’re not a horrible person, Isabelle. You’ve been placed in a horrible situation, but that’s not the person you are. Every one of those men, including Damian, chose that life, but you didn’t. I don’t know what life will be like for you regarding Damian, but you’re not going back there. You’re not living like that anymore ...” he trails off on a sigh.
He seems so sure of himself, and maybe that’s what I need right now: one of us to be sure of what’s going to happen. I know I sure as hell have no idea what life is going to deliver next.
“Damian gave us a new ID for you to use. Until we’re ready for you to publically admit you’re Hayden Johnson, we’ll use it.” Kiran hands me a passport. I flip it open and next to my picture is the name Isabelle Johnson. I let out an ugly sob as I start crying. That’s all the proof I need...Damian doesn’t have any plans for me to return.
Damian has done countless appalling and downright heinous things in his lifetime, and that includes kidnapping the wrong child, but he wasn’t willing to give me back. I was his and he wouldn’t entertain the idea that I belonged to someone else. Out of all the last names he could have given me, he gave me back the one he stole.
Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) Page 18