by Evan Grace
Out in the waiting room, Gretchen is asleep and leaning against Tad. My mom looks troubled and won’t make eye contact with anyone. Jack, Reece, and Marcus left after I told them to. I promised that I’d call them if need be.
My phone dings, and I see a text from Shayla. She must be ready to go.
Shayla: I’ve done some thinking, and I think we should go ahead and end this. Because of me and my crazy ex-husband your sister was kidnapped. He could’ve really hurt her, and I’d never forgive myself. Trust me this is for the best. I do love you, and I’m sorry I was afraid to say it before. Don’t bother going into the back, we’re already gone. I’m sorry to leave like this, but I think it’s the best.
I dial her number and hold it to my ear—it rings twice, and then I get a weird message. “Dammit!” Everyone looks at me.
“What’s the matter?” Tad asks.
“Shayla and Grant are gone.”
Tad moves Gretchen and then stands up. “What do you mean, they’re gone?”
I shove my phone at him, and he reads the message. “Do you have any clue where they went?” I shake my head. “Okay well, where do we go from here?”
“Fuck, I don’t know. Why would she leave like that?” I flop down on the cold plastic seat, which groans under my weight.
My mom sits down next to me. “I was upset…I-I wasn’t thinking clearly. I swear I didn’t want this to happen.”
“What are you talking about? What did you say to her?”
She begins to cry, and I know that whatever she’s going to say is not going to make me happy.
Chapter Twenty
Shayla
It’s been a week since that terrible day, and it’s been hard. I’m right-handed, and it’s my right hand and wrist that are broken, but luckily I don’t have to have surgery. I’m in a cast up to my elbow, and in six weeks I’ll have another X-ray to make sure it’s healing properly.
At night while Grant sleeps, I allow myself to cry because Erik’s mom’s words play on a constant loop in my head. I just remember being high as a kite when Nicole came in, sitting on the chair next to the bed.
“I have things I want to say,” she began. “What happened tonight was your entire fault. You brought that evil man into our lives, and he could’ve taken our daughter from us. You and your son need to stay away from us.” She got up and walked out after that.
After Erik brought Grant and my purse to me, I ordered an Uber and left through the main entrance instead of the ER where everyone was still waiting. Our driver took us to a motel that was right by a Walgreens so I could get my prescription filled and grab some necessities for us.
Grant kept asking, “Where’s Erik? Why are we here? I want to go home.”
I just kept telling him that we were on an adventure. That night I slept with him snug against my body. I didn’t want to take a pain pill, afraid that it’d knock me out and I wouldn’t wake up if Grant needed me, but I was already in a great amount of pain. So I sucked it up and took one.
The next day I called Luna and asked if Grant and I could come stay with them. Of course she agreed immediately, and when we got there, I told Luna about everything that happened while Rocco took the kids for a car ride. By the time I was done, I was a sobbing mess. She gave me my pain pills and then made me lie down in the girls’ room.
Everyone from work has been calling me, but I’ve chosen not to answer. I don’t want to admit that everything that happened was because of me. A part of me is upset that Erik didn’t even try to fight for me—it was like he just gave up. A relationship between us wouldn’t work now anyway, because his mom hates me and blames me for it all, and rightfully so.
The detective I spoke to after my orthopedic appointment told me that once Ryan was well enough he’d be transferred back to jail and more than likely would go away for a long time. When I find another job, my first order of business is to have Ryan sign over his rights to Grant. We don’t need to be tainted any longer by his venom.
Shaking off the thoughts of this past week, I head downstairs to my apartment. I use my phone’s voice-to-text app to make a grocery list. I quickly dust, and after I sweep the floor, I go around removing the cameras. There’s no point of having them since there’s no longer a threat to me or my son.
Tears burn my eyes as I grab each one and place them on the counter in the kitchen. I’ll box them up and ship them to the office.
I need to figure out how to get our clothes, toiletries, and Lucifer from Erik’s place. With my good hand, I rub the pain in my chest. There’s a knock on the door, and my pulse races as I move toward it, having no clue who it is. When I look through the peephole, I see Erik’s mom. She’s carrying flowers.
I wish I was the type of person that could be mean, but I’m not. So I take a deep breath and open the door.
“Hi, sweetheart,” she says quietly, holding the flowers out to me. “These are for you.”
“Thanks. Would you like to come in?” Nicole nods and steps inside. “I don’t have anything to drink unless you want water.” I lay the flowers on the counter and wait for her to say whatever she has to say.
“When you’re a mom, you do whatever you have to do to protect your children. Sometimes we overreact, and we think we’re doing the right thing, but very quickly we realize that it wasn’t and we have to figure out how to make it right.” I turn to look at her and notice her eyes are bright with unshed tears. “I am so sorry for what I said to you. You had been through so much, and didn’t deserve for me to throw it all in your face.” I hand her a tissue.
“Erik’s so upset with me right now, and he’s so miserable without you and that beautiful little boy of yours. He doesn’t give his heart to many people, but the first time I met you, I knew you were special to him. I hate to think my stupidity ruined what you have. Gretchen told me he’s trying to give you space, hoping that you just needed a little time.”
A tear rolls down my cheek and then drips onto the floor. “I’m sorry too.”
She shakes her head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who’s sorry.” Nicole wraps her arms around me and pulls me into a hug. I can’t not hug her back, especially after her heartfelt words, so I wrap my arms around her and together we cry until the tears are all dried up.
When Nicole finally takes her leave, she asks me to please talk to Erik. I don’t give her an answer either way, but I know it’s time for us to talk. First thing I do is unblock his number then read through all the text messages from our co-workers.
Delilah: Hey girl, just checking in. I hope you and Grant are doing okay.
Jack: I want you to call me if you need anything, I mean it. Your job is waiting for you when you’re ready.
Delilah: Please text me or call me. I want to know you’re okay.
Carrie: Sweetie, please call us, let us know you’re okay.
My eyes burn as I read several more texts from some of the guys. It’s the last one from Reece that makes the tears start to slide down my cheeks.
Reece: Hey Shayla, I hope you’re recovering okay. I know things have been hard for you. I don’t make it a habit of sticking my nose in other people’s business, but Erik’s hurting. He knows why you’ve pulled away, and he’s giving you space, but if you’d let him know that you and Grant are okay that’d be great. He loves you Shayla, and he loves Grant, and it’s killing him not to be with you right now.
I was so focused on myself and my pain that I didn’t even think about his. Until now I haven’t had someone care for me the way he has, and the fact that he cares about my son just as much makes my heart swell.
I send Luna a text.
Shayla: Hey can you keep Grant for a little bit?
The dots immediately begin bouncing.
Luna: Of course, does this mean you’re going to get your head out of your butt and go see Erik?
Shayla: Yes.
Luna: Thank God, I was afraid someone was going to call the cops on him.
I laugh, but th
en freeze…what?
Shayla: What do you mean?
My phone rings and it’s Luna. “Okay, he didn’t want me to tell you, but he stopped by the first day you were here, and we exchanged numbers. He’s called a couple of times a day to check in on you and to check on Grant. He’s also been camped out in his Explorer right on our street almost every night. We all knew you just needed some time, and we gave it to you.”
Tears burn my eyes because I have such a huge support team led by the best man I know. “I know you have. I’m going to him now.”
“Good. I like funny, cocky Erik—not down-in-the-dumps Erik.”
We hang up, and I get an Uber to take me to Erik’s. Even if he’s not home, I have keys to his place so I can wait for him. The driver drops me off in front of the building, and the doorman greets me from behind his desk. I take the elevator up to Erik’s floor. My heart hammers when I reach his door and knock. I wait a few minutes and there’s no answer, so I pull out my keys and open the door.
As I step inside, shutting the door behind me, I see the place is spotless. I don’t know what I was expecting—maybe liquor bottles everywhere, dirty clothes, anything that would say he’s been hurting too. I slip off my coat and set it on the couch before walking to the bookcase and picking up the picture of Erik, Grant, Gretchen, and me when we went to get our Christmas tree.
Lucifer comes out to greet me, meowing over and over like he’s yelling at me for being gone. I reach down and scratch between his ears, and he immediately begins to purr—loudly.
I hear voices and then keys in the door before it swings open. A statuesque blonde walks in, followed by Erik, and my stomach sinks. They both freeze when they see me standing there. Every part of me wants to flee, but somewhere inside of me my mind is telling me not to move.
“Hi,” I say lamely, waving at them with my good hand since my casted arm is in a sling.
Erik’s face gives away nothing, and sweat starts to dot my brow—partly from nerves, but my hand is starting to ache and I forgot to take meds. I cradle my casted arm to my chest and shift from foot to foot.
After what feels like too dang long, my feet become unstuck and I move toward the couch to pick up my coat and purse. “Ummm…well, it’s been a good visit.” I realize I need to give him his key back. “Here, let me get your key.” My hands tremble as I try to get the key off my key ring.
A hand stops me, and I close my eyes. It’s only been a week, and I’ve missed his touch so much. I didn’t take him for the touchy-feely type at first, but he is and I love it. I want to look up at him, but I’m afraid of what I’ll see.
“Look at me, baby.” His voice is soft, yet rough, and it’s a balm to my soul.
I bite my lip and slowly raise my head until I’m looking into his blue eyes. Tears immediately spill from my eyes. His expression softens, and he uses his thumbs to wipe the tears away. “I’m so sorry, Erik. I shouldn’t have left like that, but I felt so guilty about Gretchen, and the stuff your mom said was so true.” His face gets hard, but I shake my head. “No, she came to me today and apologized. I can’t stay mad at her—she was distraught over having her daughter kidnapped.”
I hear the door shut, and that’s when I remember the blonde. “Oh god, you have a date here. I’m so sorry.” I step back from him.
He throws his head back and starts laughing. My tears instantly dry up and I want to kick him in the balls. The door opens again, and the blonde reappears with a dark-haired man, a little girl with blonde pigtails in her arms.
“Baby, meet my cousin Heidi and her husband, Zayne. This little munchkin is Lily. Heidi is my cousin on my dad’s side of the family.”
That’s when I realize they look a lot alike. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry about earlier,” I say to Heidi.
She gives me a warm smile. “It’s no worry at all. I’m so sorry about what happened to you.”
“Thank you. Are you guys visiting or do you live here?” I ask.
“We’re just visiting. We live in Des Moines, Iowa. I have to make sure this meathead is doing well.” Heidi smiles at me. “Which I can see that he is.”
Erik wraps his arms around me, careful of my arm. “Why don’t you guys give us a bit, and we can meet for dinner later? We’ll bring Grant.”
“Lily is looking forward to meeting him,” Heidi says, and the little girl nods her head, which makes me think Erik has already told them about us.
They say goodbye and take their leave.
Erik turns me in his arms. “When I realized that you blocked me, I wanted to go to you right away. I knew where you went, but everyone told me not to push you. I was giving you space because that was what I thought you needed. I realize I shouldn’t have, but I’ve never had a relationship before, and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I’m sorry, baby. I love you, and we should’ve dealt with my mom together.”
I wrap my good arm around his waist. “I love you, Erik. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I felt it all the way to my soul. I still do.”
He cups my face, and then his lips are on mine. It’s a slow kiss, which the longer it goes on the deeper it gets. I open my mouth to him, and his tongue dances with mine. My cast bumps his chest, and I wince. Of course that has him pulling back. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, it’s just a little sore still. I’ve been trying to get used to doing everything one-handed, which hasn’t been easy.”
“Are you up for going out tonight with my cousin and her family?” I smile and nod. “Okay, good. Now let’s go get our boy and bring him home.”
Those words make me cry, and when we go get Grant and bring him back here, I know without a doubt that we’re most definitely—finally—home.
Epilogue
Erik
Six months later
“Grant, come on buddy, we’ve got to go,” I yell upstairs to my son, and hear his pounding footsteps. When he hits the bottom he shoots me a big smile, which is missing one of his top teeth.
So much has happened over the past six months. Ryan signed over his rights to Grant, and the plan is for me to officially adopt him once me and Shayla get married. But he’s my son, no matter what a piece of paper says.
The day he called me “Dad” for the first time, I almost cried. “Dad? Is Mommy going to be surprised?” he asks as he slips his shoes on.
“I hope so, buddy.” We’re at my parents, and I’m proposing to Shayla tonight. We came under the guise of a family reunion. When I came up with this plan, I had my eye on an engagement ring at a store downtown, but my mom had asked me to meet her for lunch before I bought it.
Every day my mom still tries to make up for what she said to Shayla that night in the hospital, but my girl forgave her immediately. When my mom sat down at the table, she set a box in between us. I had an idea what it was. I’d picked it up and opened it—sure enough, it was the engagement ring that my dad gave my mom.
It’s a gold band with a princess-cut diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds. “Your dad told me a long time ago that if you ever got married, he wanted you to give her that ring, that maybe it would become a family tradition.”
Now that ring is hidden in my suit jacket that’s hanging upstairs, and we’re on our way to make sure the party planner has everything set up.
***
I help Shayla out of the passenger seat and kiss her lips. She’s wearing a green short-sleeved dress that shows off her curves, cleavage, and legs. “Can we skip the reunion and go home?”
She shakes her head. “Heck no, I’m looking good tonight.” Shayla gives me a saucy wink and struts toward the door. I get Grant out, who’s dressed in black pants and a light-blue dress shirt, and we head toward the door.
When we get inside, my mom comes to get Grant and they disappear. My palms begin to sweat, but I’m ready to make this girl my wife. She begins to follow my mom, but I grab her arm. “I wanted to talk to you real quick.”
She looks me over closely. “Of course. What’s going
on?”
“I love you. I never thought I’d ever fall in love with someone, but then I met this mouthy brunette who scared away every woman from our table. She fought it, but when she stopped, something amazing happened. You not only gave me your love, but the love of that beautiful boy of ours.” I reach in my pocket and pull out the ring before going down on my knee. “Marry me?”
She covers her mouth with a hand, tears leaking from her eyes. “Yes, I will.” I slip the ring on her finger. Standing up, I wrap my arms around her, attacking her lips. In the background I hear clapping, but I just keep kissing my future wife.
***
Shayla’s naked body is curled around mine, and she sighs happily. Our party was a blast, and she was surprised when she saw all our team, Luna, Rocco, and the kids along with everyone else that came.
My girl just smiled the whole time. I don’t think she’s stopped smiling at all. We got a hotel room tonight to celebrate before we head back to my parents’ in the morning. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed fucking my girl hard, listening to her be loud and explosive.
Her hand rubs up and down my chest. “I’ve got a present for you,” she tells me.
“You do? What is it? Anal?” She laughs, and in the dark I can see her shake her head. “Okay, tell me.”
“I’m pregnant. I know we talked about waiting and I got my IUD removed, but it just kind of happened, and I hope you’re happy.” She bites her lip as she stares at me.
I move until I’m between her legs, my mouth hovering over her stomach. Placing a soft kiss where our child is resting makes a tear slip from my eye. “Oh baby, I couldn’t be any happier.”