Salvaged (Embracing #2)

by Delisa Lynn

  We drive for about three hours and stop and get lunch. I’m tired already, but the look on all three of the kids’ faces make me smile. I just wish things were different with Liam and me. Hell, he might not even want me back.

  I haven’t told Kaylin about the baby possibly being Evan’s. That’s why I like her; she never questions anything, and she is very trustworthy. I’m really happy that Eric found her. She makes him very happy as he does her.

  “Mommy, are we there yet? I’m thirsty and Addie drank my juice,” Maddie whines.

  “Almost, pumpkin. Here is some water. Drink this.” I hand Maddie a bottle of water.

  “I have to potty, Mommy. I drank all of Maddie’s juice,” Addison cries.

  “Okay, pumpkins, we will be there soon. Can you wait ’til we get there?” I ask. Potty training them was pretty easy, but when they have to go, they have to go.

  “Aunt Lila, I have to go too,” AJ says.

  “Okay, we will stop.”

  I head off of the next route. I pull into a McDonalds and Kaylin helps me lug all the kids in. As we approach the women’s bathroom, AJ stops and tugs at my hand.

  “I can’t go into the girl’s bathroom,” he says in a huff.

  “Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I’ll take you into the boys. Okay?’

  “Thank you.” He smiles and walks to the other door. I stand outside and hear the toilet flush.

  “I can’t reach the sink,” he says.

  “I’ll help.” I push the door open the rest of the way. I lift him up to where he can wash his hands. “Is that better?” I ask, ruffling his hair.

  “Yes, you are the best, Aunt Lila. My mommy never helps with stuff like you do. She never takes me places like my daddy and you and Uncle Liam do. I love you.”

  My heart swells. I hug him. “We love you too, little guy.”

  When we make it to the park, I have to sit down on a bench. Kaylin’s riding the rides with the kids. I look down at my phone and see two hundred and seventy-five missed calls. I turn it off and throw it in my purse. I’m so tired. I can’t wait to go to the hotel and take a long bath and a nap. I let the kids enjoy themselves for another hour before we make our way to Disney Grand.

  ***

  Liam

  It’s been ten hours since I’ve heard from Lila. My cousins are working on finding her. Ashton and I have been all over California. Kade should be here within the next hour, and with the three of us, we should be able to find her. She normally doesn’t carry much cash on her, but she stopped by the bank this morning and withdrew a grand from the ATM.

  So many thoughts are running through my head. What if she was kidnapped? This is all on me. I forced her to leave. I was a complete asshole. This is killing me. Regardless of what she’s done in the past, there is no fucking way I can live without her. She is my life and my reason for breathing.

  We’ve been to all of her favorite spots and to the nicer hotels in the area. Lila isn’t too keen on cheap hotels and, with her withdrawing that much cash, she is probably at a fancy hotel somewhere. That’s what I keep trying to tell myself, anyway. Her mother and my mom are worried sick about her, the girls, and AJ.

  Christa hasn’t returned Ashton’s calls. Hell, she could probably care less that Li took AJ.

  I don’t see how the hell he deals with her on a regular basis. She is fucking crazy. I contact Megan Snow, Li’s friend at work. She’s the lady Lila shops with and has lunch with a lot. Megan hasn’t heard from her either. She offered to help. Maybe she will have better luck than we have had.

  “Liam, Kade said to meet him at the Venue.”

  “Fuck…Why in the hell was I such an ass to her? This is all my goddamn fault, Ashton. I’ve pushed her so hard lately. Now this; what if she is hurt? Or one of the kids is hurt? Hell, she has your kid, too.”

  “First off, brother, you have every right to be pissed off at her. She has cheated on you more than one fucking time. You’re human, you are going to react. But calm down. You don’t know that. She’s probably fine. She is a strong woman, and I guarantee she isn’t in any danger. She would never put any of the children in danger.”

  All I can think about is the look on her face this morning. I’ve never talked to her like that, and for me to speak to her the way I did…I need my ass kicked. Hell, if she did run to Evan, I wouldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t talk to her the way I did.

  “Look, you need to relax. We will find them. I promise you that. Now let’s go inside and see if Kade has figured anything out,” Ashton says as he parks the car.

  “All right, I’m calm. Now quit trying to be my damn boss and find my damn wife and our kids.”

  I know he means well, but I feel like he is bossing me around. Hell, maybe I need it. There’s no greater fear than fearing you’ve lost the woman you love. My heart rate increases just at the thought of losing Lila.

  Once we round the corner, I see Kade talking to a security guard. I haven’t seen him in years. He looks great. He is a lot more built than the last time I seen him. He was stationed overseas with the Marine Corps and got shot up pretty bad, but he is doing much better now. He is the same age as me and Ashton. He grew up in Texas with our uncle, Marco.

  “Kade, man, thanks for getting here so quick.” I pull him in for a quick hug.

  “No problem, man. You look like pure shit, cousin. We’ll find Lila and the kids, so just breathe. I haven’t been able to track her credit cards yet, but I’m having her phone records sent to me now. It’ll just take a few minutes to update.”

  “Thanks again. I owe you, man. Anything you need, just let me know.”

  “Liam, why don’t you have a sit? Kade and I will talk and figure out what to do,” Ashton says. He points to the benches.

  “Okay, but only because I have no patience right now.”

  I sit on one of the benches, tears streaming down my face. My wife and my babies are gone and no one knows where they are. I call Megan again and tell her to meet us at the Venue.

  Fifteen minutes later, Megan arrives. She starts talking right away.

  “Hey, Liam. I’m sorry, I got here as fast as I could. I looked through all the cases she had been working on before her accident and didn’t see anything. She does have her BlackBerry with her, though. I have access to it; after her accident she gave me all of her passwords for work-related things. Let me check it.” She pulls up something on her iPad. “She used it about an hour ago. She called a number in Anaheim. Maybe a hotel? Here’s the info.”

  Megan hands me a piece of paper with a number written on it.

  “Thank you. These are my cousins, Ashton and Kade.”

  “Let’s do this. We have a long trip ahead,” Ashton says

  ***

  Ashton

  We’re about a hundred miles away from Anaheim. Liam is sawing logs. I’ve never heard anyone snore as loud as that fucker. I know he’s tired and worried. Hell, I’m just as worried. Tears are stinging my eyes. She has my son. Even though I know she would never hurt him, I still wish he was by my side.

  I’m glad Kade is able to help us. He and Megan hit it off right away. They’re both in the back, trying to contact hotels. When we called the number Lila had called, it was disconnected. Fortunately, we were able to track her credit card to a family diner in Anaheim. I think she is headed to Disney Land. Where else in Anaheim would she be going with three kids?

  It’s been almost twenty-four hours. I keep replaying everything over in my head. Why would she want a tattoo and why would she run away, especially with the kids? I know Liam hurt her feelings, but Jesus Christ. That’s no reason to leave. There has to be an explanation for all of this. My phone starts ringing. I don’t even look at the number, I just answer.

  “Yeah.”

  “Ashton, where the hell you at? Where’s my damn brat?”

  “What the hell, Christa? He’s at Sofia’s,” I lie. I don’t want her to get involved.

  “Um, I wasn’t aware he was there. Where are you? Let me gue
ss, you’re out with some whore, right? You’d rather get that big ass dick of yours sucked than hang out with the brat?”

  “Do you not listen to your goddamn messages, woman? I’m with Liam. We are looking for Lila. Now quit calling my son a brat. He isn’t a brat. He is a good child. You would know that if you spent time with him instead of your fucking crack pipe. Leave him where he is. I’ll pick him up.”

  “Anyway, I need some money, Ash. My account is empty. I can’t find any around here either.”

  “I’m not sure what you’ve spent your money on, but I’m not enabling you and your friend’s habits. I can’t talk about this right now. Leave AJ where he is. I’ll pick him up when I get home,” I say, then hang up.

  I don’t give her time to say a damn thing. I need to file for a divorce. She isn’t going to change. My wonderful wife is a fucking junkie. She stopped for a while, but now she’s back to her old habits. I don’t mess with that shit. I’m not in love with her, never have been. I’ve stayed because of my son. After she stole my bike, she said she quit and was clean. Apparently, that was a lie.

  AJ is my world, and if we don’t get away from her, she will drag us down with her. I haven’t fucked her in over a year. No way am I touching her. After we find Lila and the kids, I’m getting a lawyer and getting rid of the trash in my life. I deserve better and so does my son. I’m a good guy, and hopefully there is a nice woman out there that I’m destined to be with.

  “Hey, man. How close are we? How long have I been asleep?” Liam asks as he runs his hand down the side of his face. He’s been asleep so long, he has a seatbelt print on his cheek.

  “You’ve been asleep for a while. We’re almost there. Better wipe that drool off of your face.”

  I chuckle. I feel bad for him. He looks like hell, but at least he got a little sleep. When we find her, my ass gets a nap next. I drank more than I wanted last night, and dealing with all of this today is making me really tired.

  Kade leans in, between our seats and says, “She’s at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. I just talked to the desk clerk. She checked in about an hour ago. She’s with another lady and all three kids are with her.”

  “Good, we should be there within minutes,” I respond.

  I look over at Liam. I can see the tears in his eyes.

  “Is it okay if I go in and talk to her first?” I ask, knowing she might not want to see Liam just yet. “Just in case she’s still pissed at you.”

  “That’s a good idea. We will sit in the lobby and wait,” Liam says.

  ***

  A young, blonde clerk says, “Welcome to the Disney Grand. Can I make you a reservation?”

  “Hi, Miss. How are you? I’m actually looking for my sister, Lila Carls-Ellis. I was told she checked in a few hours ago with our other sister and kids.”

  “Yes, she did. She is in room number five-thirty-two.”

  “Thank you so much, ma’am. Here, I know it isn’t much, but buy yourself something pretty.” I hand her a one hundred dollar bill.

  I look over at the others and nod. I take the elevator to the fifth floor and find her room. When I knock on the door, Kaylin opens it. The look on her face is priceless. I bet she didn’t expect to see me, of all people, here.

  She opens the door wider and points to the bathroom. The kids are asleep already. AJ is in one bed and the girls are in another. Lila’s in the shower.

  Quietly, I walk into the room and tap on the bathroom door.

  “Li, it’s me, Ashton. I’m coming in, so cover yourself up,” I whisper through the door. Then I walk in.

  “What the fuck? How in the hell did you find us? And how did you get in my room?”

  “Well, Kade and Megan helped us. They’re both downstairs with Liam. Why in the hell did you come here? Why did you take the kids without letting us know?”

  “Why not? Liam sure doesn’t want me around. I wasn’t leaving without my girls and I knew AJ would enjoy hanging out with us. Please don’t be mad at me. I love him as if he were my own, you know that. Now get out so I can get dressed.”

  I hand her a towel and she steps out of the shower. She looks tired. The towel barely fits around her belly. She has a beautiful glow. I kick myself in the ass everyday about losing her. She was supposed to be mine. Then I cheated on her and fucked everything up. Stupid me.

  “Liam’s worried sick about you, lady. We know you were at the tattoo shop. Why did you want a tattoo now? We also know you were at Addison’s grave, but we didn’t think you would go this far. Why here? Why couldn’t you go to a local place, like the Bounce House, instead of packing up and driving across the state with three kids?”

  “Well, your wonderful cousin treated me like shit yesterday, and I will not be talked to like that. I guess he told you about the baby, right?” I look at her, not saying anything back. “Well, I cheated on him and this baby might be Evan’s. Don’t look at me like that. Yes, I fucked up. I deserved the whole strip club thing. I wanted a tattoo to prove to him that I’m only his, but I couldn’t because of the baby, so I went to get my girls and couldn’t leave my little nephew. I called Kaylin and we headed here.”

  “Li, I know everything. We all make mistakes, but that gives you no reason to run away. We all were so worried. Now, get dressed. There are three others that want to see you.”

  I hug her tight. She wraps her small arms around me and sniffles.

  “Ugh, fine. I just wanted to be alone for a few days just to think. I’m sure Liam wants a divorce,” she says, wiping tears from her face.

  I lean over and kiss her temple. “Why would you think that? That man loves you more than anything. I’m going to send him up here, okay?”

  “Thanks, Ashton. I’m glad you don’t think I’m a whore.”

  “Anytime, babe. And I would never think that about you. We go back a long time and I will always be here for you. Never forget that. Don’t take my son again, or I’ll have to tickle you ’til you piss yourself,” I say, laughing.

  “Oh shut up. You know I have a weak bladder,” she retorts.

  I leave the room to go send Liam up to his very confused wife. I’m not sure what happened between them, but she was definitely confused about everything. I personally just need to go to sleep.

  “Liam, she’s up in her room. I told her I was sending you up. Do you all want to just stay here and get a few hours of sleep?” I ask. Kade and Megan are pretty comfortable with each other.

  “That’s fine, I’m pretty tired myself. As long as Megan is okay with it, the three of us can share a room. I promise to be on my best behavior,” Kade says as he throws his head back, laughing.

  “I’m okay with that. I trust that you two won’t hurt me. I just need sleep,” Megan says.

  “Okay. Liam, you go to your wife. She’s in room five-thirty-two. I’ll get the three of us a room.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Lila

  I can’t believe they came looking for me. I just needed to get away and this was the closest place that I could think of where the kids would have fun. Hell, I was ready to enjoy my Disney time, too. Who doesn’t love Pooh Bear?

  I prepare myself because I know Liam. He’s going to come running through that door, apologizing. He shouldn’t have to, though, if that’s the way he felt. I ask Kaylin to switch rooms with me, so I take all my stuff to hers. She’d agreed to stay in my room, but I got an extra room just in case the kids became too hard for her to handle. She and I have become really close lately. Hell, she and Megan are the only friends I have here.

  Damn, I can’t believe Megan came here with the guys and gave them my BlackBerry info. I bet she wants Ashton or Kade or hell, both. She’s a sucker for hot, tattooed men and they both are.

  After setting all my toiletries out, I make sure my hair looks okay and I throw a little makeup on so Liam can’t see the tiredness in my eyes. I’m so tired, but I don’t want him to know that. Hell, he may use it against me. I stand outside, between the two hotel doors. Seconds l
ater, Liam runs down the hall and falls to his knees when he reaches me. He grabs my waist and starts crying, hugging me, and talking to baby bean.

  I should let his ass plead a little. I know I’m being a bitch, but he hurt my feelings. I know I deserved it, but who the hell pisses a six month pregnant chick off? Yep, my wonderful husband. I’m not being sarcastic; he really is wonderful. I’ve never met a man more amazing than him. Seeing him break down and cry like a bitch is breaking me. I’m the one that caused all of this.

  “Lila, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean any of that stuff I said. You’ll never shame our name. No matter what, I’m your husband. I want no one but you. Always and forever. Baby, look at me. Where have you been and what were you thinking, leaving and taking the kids?”

  “I’m not sure what I was thinking. You hurt my feelings badly and I was confused. It seemed like you didn’t want me or baby bean to be a part of your life, so I left. I visited Ads and went shopping. Then I wanted to leave, so I got the kids and came here.”

  “Beautiful, I will always want you and baby bean. Don’t. You. Ever. Think. Otherwise.”

  “I just feel like I’m nothing. I’m a whore, Liam, a fucking whore who doesn’t know who her baby’s father is.”

  “You are fucking perfect. You hear me? Don’t you ever say that shit again! I love you so much. You know that, right? Please, never let what happened today ever happen again. Talk to me. Don’t run from me. We’re in this together. That’s my baby. You hear me? Mine.”

  “I love you so much. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was scared and hurt, so I left. The girls are fine. They and AJ are all asleep.” I hug him. “I’m sorry. I know you all were worried about me, but I wasn’t thinking clearly. Can we snuggle? I need you to hold me so bad.”

  “Anything you want. I’m going to shower first. Go ahead and call room service. Have them bring me a turkey club sandwich and a beer. You can order whatever you want. Will you see if anyone else wants anything? Megan and the guys may be hungry too.”