by Gia Riley
Cara takes the next few minutes explaining to him what’s been going on. He’s both shocked and stupefied by the drama. He probably wishes he never moved out of the dorms this year with all the craziness that’s been going on the last few months. He’s handled it well, but he didn’t ask for his senior year of college to be this insane. Thankfully he loves Cara as much as he respects me. Not to mention I’ve felt a lot safer, even comforted, with him in the house at night. For all I know, it’s one of the reasons Blaine has stayed away from the apartment.
“How long has it been, Cara?”
She checks her watch and I can see the wheels turning in her head. “About an hour.”
“Maybe he went home. Can you call your parents and ask for me?”
She shakes her head. “There’s no way he would go back to Montgomery without finding you.”
“I have to agree with her Sophie,” Drew adds. “Have you tried his cell?”
I nod my head. “Yeah. A couple times, but he hasn’t picked up.” It’s getting harder to focus on the positive the longer he’s gone. So when there’s a knock on the front door, I hold my breath waiting to see who’s on the other side.
Drew looks through the peephole, and says, “It’s a cop.”
Normally, I’d be freaking out if a police officer came to the door, but considering there’s one sitting in front of the apartment on a daily basis, I don’t think much of it. But when Drew opens the door, and the officer removes his hat and tucks it under his arm, I start to worry. His eyes find mine, and I know I’m not going to like what I’m about to hear.
“Sophie, I wanted to personally let you know that Blaine Jefferies is in police custody.”
“What? Where did you find him? I want to see him.”
The officer looks to his partner who has joined him on the porch. They wouldn’t understand why I need to see him, but I’m done trusting the system to keep me safe. They’ve let me down once already, so I won’t believe they have him until I see him with my own two eyes.
“Sophie, just stay,” Cara pleads. “Let them lock him up. He’s out of your life now.”
“None of this will be over until I have some kind of verification,” I tell the officers. They nod their heads, and I realize my request might not be that strange.
“Ms. Evans, it won’t be possible to see him tonight. Approximately an hour ago, Blaine was apprehended on campus property after an altercation. He’s currently receiving treatment at the hospital. Upon his release, he will be booked at the station and taken in. I can assure you, you won’t have to worry about him for a very long time. He’s had multiple charges filed against him since his release.”
None of this surprises me. The Blaine I first met was kind, but the guy he morphed into has more problems than I realized. He’s out for revenge against the entire world it seems.
And then it hits me.
Can it really be over? Am I finally free of both Dean and Blaine? “I need to sit down.”
“Sophie, are you okay?” Cara asks, as she helps me over to the couch.
“Is it over?” I question.
“It is, but I also have information regarding the other party involved.”
“Other party?” Drew asks.
“Yes.” He glances at the notepad in his hand. “His sister lives at this residence. Kipton Keller.”
My heart plummets to my toes. I look to Cara, and her face is white as a ghost. “My brother,” she whispers. “You said there was an altercation. Did you mean between Blaine and Kipton?”
“We have to get out of here.” Again, I grab my purse and dig around for my keys. “Where is he? Tell me where I can find him.” I walk to the front door and try to squeeze by the officers. They don’t move aside fast enough, and I knock a notepad onto the ground as I pass by.
“I’m sorry,” I say as I bend over to pick it up. I don’t try to read the notes scribbled onto the paper, but there’s no mistaking the word at the top of the page. “Blaine had a knife? Tell me where to find my boyfriend. Please!” I beg as my whole body starts to shake.
“Ms. Evans, please calm down. Let us take you to him.”
How am I supposed to calm down? Kipton and I left things a complete and total mess. If something happened to him, and I never get to tell him how much I love him again, I can’t even put into words what that would do to me.
I need him. He’s my everything.
“KIPTON, ARE YOU OKAY?” CALEB asks as he reaches the top of the treehouse ladder.
I sit propped up against the far wall unsure of what I might see if I look over the edge. I don’t even know if Blaine’s down there.
“I think I’m fine.” I tell him, as I stretch out my legs front of me. Reaching forward, I flick the slashed denim covering my left leg, checking for a cut. When I don’t see any blood, I’m relieved, but I still can’t feel most of my body from the amount of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“Are you cut?”
“I don’t think so.” Other than the slash in my pants, my legs seem fine. My arms look okay too. “I’m good. Did he get away?”
He shakes his head. “He wasn’t walking away from a fall that high, Kip. The medics are with him.”
“Is he dead?”
“No,” he says as he shakes his head. “He was knocked out from the fall, but they found a pulse.”
I should probably be thankful I didn’t kill him when I pushed him over the edge of the platform, but I’m not. Blaine would have stabbed me in the throat with his knife if I hadn’t fought back as hard as I did. He wouldn’t have felt an ounce of guilt had he killed me. And that’s what he was trying to do—kill me so Sophie would suffer the loss.
I’m smart enough to know he may have succeeded if Caleb hadn’t been here to call for help when he did. Not to mention if he hadn’t stopped me from punching Blaine’s face in, I may have killed him before he ever had a chance to come at me with a knife in the first place.
“How did you know we were up here, Caleb?”
“I didn’t know you were up here. I saw him staggering across the yard a little while ago. The only people who ever use the treehouse are you and Sophie, so I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw him. I just didn’t know what.”
“You and I have had words in the past, Caleb, but I appreciate you having my back tonight.”
“We’re brothers man, it’s cool. I’d do it for any of the guys. Plus you hooked me up with a little hottie last night. Thank you for that.”
Typical Caleb. There’s only one thing on his mind most of the day and that’s getting laid. “No problem. She seemed like your type.”
“She was, trust me.” He glances at the activity going on below us. “You fucked him up pretty good, Kip.”
“If you hadn’t stopped me when you did, I might not have stopped.”
He shakes his head in disagreement. “I’m sure he deserved it, but you would have stopped. Even when I deserved an ass kicking, you only hit me once.”
“I never fought a day in my life until I met Sophie.”
“Crazy what you do for the ones you love.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” I just hope it’s not too late for us.
A medic climbs to the top of the ladder, no doubt to check on me. His flashlight shines around the treehouse before landing on us. “Are you boys hurt?” He asks.
“We’re okay,” I tell him.
He hoists himself onto the platform, kneeling down in front of me. Slowly, he shines the light into my eyes and over my entire body as he looks for injuries from the fight. When all he finds are the cuts to my hands, he looks to Caleb. Thankfully, Blaine was only focused on me.
“Can you climb to the ground?”
Caleb looks to me. I still haven’t moved an inch since he found me. Maybe I’m in shock, or maybe I’m thankful to be alive. “Yeah. I have to find Sophie. That’s what I came here for in the first place.”
“They’ll take you to the station, and then you can mak
e a phone call.”
“Am I being arrested?”
“No.”
“Then let’s get out of here,” I tell them both.
By the time we reach the bottom, the gravel lot has four police cruisers in it. An officer approaches me, and I recognize him from the hospital. He was guarding Sophie’s door most of the time.
Against my better judgement, I glance over to where they’re working on Blaine. His eyes are open, but he’s not speaking. His right arm is strapped close to his chest while his right ankle is resting awkwardly to the side. It’s definitely broken.
Caleb pulls me out of the way as they raise the stretcher to begin loading Blaine in the back of the ambulance. There’s so much I want to say to him now that I’ve had a chance to calm down, but it won’t do any good. “He’s such a fucking piece of shit.”
“Who is he?” Caleb asks.
“The past,” is all I can offer him.
What he did to Sophie won’t ever be forgotten. The physical and verbal abuse doesn’t go away simply because he’s put back in jail. Her injuries may have faded, but the emotional ones will always haunt her.
I watch until the ambulance door closes, and it takes off for the hospital with its siren blaring. “Come on, Kip.”
I follow Caleb and the other officers to the cruisers. “You’ll give your statements at the station. After that you’re free to go.”
“Any chance we can stop and get my girlfriend?” I ask from the back seat of the car. I look like a damn prisoner being chauffeured around by the cops.
“No,” He says with a shake of his head. “We have to go right to the station.”
“Can I at least call her?”
“Not until we get to the station.”
“Why are you treating me like I did something wrong?”
“You didn’t, Kipton. I’ll send an officer over to the house to talk to Sophie so she knows where you are.”
I sigh in defeat. “That should royally scare the shit out of her,” I grumble.
I swear when I finally get to see her, I’m not letting her out of my sight ever again. I know I’ve said it before, and look where that got me—a failed proposal and a pissed off girlfriend. But this time, I mean it. I’ll quit my job and move into the apartment if I have to. I was an asshole for trying to control her, and I won’t make the same mistake again. We’ll do this on her time, and when she says she’s ready, we’ll have a wedding.
As the cruiser pulls into the station, I’m confident with my plan. I wait for the officer to open my door, and once I’m out I follow him through the back entrance of the police station.
“Have a seat, guys. This won’t take long.”
Caleb and I each sit on one of the hard metal chairs lining the wall. They call Caleb in first, leaving me sitting alone while I wait for my turn to give my statement. Resting my head against the chipped plaster on the wall, all I can think about is Sophie. I still have no idea where she is or what she’s doing.
That is until I’m positive I hear her voice coming from the front of the building. I look around for her, but I can’t see the front entrance from where I’m sitting.
“Where is he? I need to see him,” she says.
“He’s here. Calm down.”
“How can I calm down? Nobody will tell me anything about him! I swear if he’s hurt I will punch someone right in the face for not telling me sooner. They can lock me up.”
Sophie. I would know her determined voice anywhere. I can’t help but laugh as I listen to her tell the secretary exactly who’s boss. She’s as feisty as ever—a pint sized firecracker. It’s the best sound I’ve ever heard.
Before I hear her again, I spot her blond hair rounding the corner. That’s when I realize it’s finally over. “Beautiful, I’m right here.”
“Kipton!” Sophie pushes through a wooden half door separating the hallway from the front desk. She’s probably not supposed to be back here, but they couldn’t stop her if they tried. Her desperation to get closer reassures me that I haven’t lost her.
She runs over to me and falls to her knees in front of my chair. She latches onto my knees as her worried eyes search me from head to toe. “You’re okay. You’re really okay.”
“Sophie,” I whisper. She’s never looked as beautiful as she does right now. Her hair is falling out of her ponytail. She isn’t wearing any make-up, and her white T-shirt hangs off her shoulder. She’s fucking perfect.
“What’s going on? They wouldn’t tell me what happened.”
I can’t answer any of her questions. Not until I taste her lips. Reaching for her gorgeous face, I hold her chin in my hand. “I missed you so much, Sophie.”
Instinctively she leans into my touch. “Kipton,” she cries. “I missed you, too. I’m sorry. You have to know how sorry I am. Cara explained everything.”
“Shh. It’s okay.”
She reaches up to cover my hand with hers, but pulls it away as soon as she feels the cuts on my skin. “Ohmigod, what happened to your hands?” She brings my hand closer, inspecting the damage left behind from Blaine’s face.
“I’m fine, baby.”
Her big blue eyes are pained as she asks, “Are you in trouble, Kipton?”
I shake my head, no. But instead of explaining, I bring my mouth to hers. I get lost in her the second her soft lips clash with mine. What starts off innocent increasingly builds until she’s off her knees and straddling my hips.
I lean back in the chair, my fingers massaging her scalp as I pull her face even closer to mine. She breaks away from the kiss to catch her breath, but I can’t stop. I suck and kiss my way down her neck and up to her earlobe. Nothing feels better than kissing her soft skin.
“Don’t scare me again,” She mumbles as she rocks her hips against my dick. I don’t think she even realizes she’s doing it, but I can feel her every time she moves. “Promise me, Kipton.”
“I promise, beautiful.”
“There you are. Jesus, guys. We’re not filming a porno,” Cara says as she joins us. She tosses her purse on the chair next to me before plopping down in another. Sophie giggles at her comment, but instead of stopping, she kisses me even harder. “Seriously, stop! They’ll arrest you for indecency or something.”
I pull away from Sophie, both of us so caught up in the moment we forgot where we were. When I’m with her, she’s the only one who exists.
She smiles as she rests her forehead against mine. “This isn’t exactly where I wanted to tell you this, but I want you to know that I was wrong. And I’m sorry.”
I appreciate Sophie’s apology, but it’s not necessary. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, beautiful. I pushed you, and I shouldn’t have. You deserve every single one of your dreams, and I’m not going to keep you from any of them.”
A lone tear falls from her eye, and I catch it on the tip of my finger before pressing it to her lips.
“None of my dreams matter without you. I’d be miserable. I’ve been miserable, and it’s only been a day.”
“I haven’t been too happy either, Sophie.”
“Then let’s stop wasting time. I feel weightless when I’m with you—like I can do anything, go anywhere, and be anyone I want to be all because you love me.”
“I’ll never stop loving you, baby.” I’ve loved her since the day I met her, and I’ll love her until the day I die.
“I don’t want you to ever stop, but I need a couple things from you if this is going to work.”
“I’ll give you whatever you want,” I reassure her.
She rests her palms on my chest before taking a deep breath and making her next request. “Okay. I want my ring back, and I need you to marry me.”
I smile at how serious she is. My girl means business. “We will, Sophie. It’s no rush.” I’ll never make the mistake of rushing her or pushing her again. “We have all the time in the world.”
“I’m done waiting. I’ll marry you tonight. Right here, right now.”
&nbs
p; Her words hit me hard. I don’t deserve her, but fuck if I don’t love her. “Do you mean that?” She nods her head yes and I get lost in her all over again as I pull her close to my chest. “I’ve fucked up so many times, Sophie, but I’ll never stop trying to make you happy.”
“You don’t have to try, Kipton. You already make me happy. When I thought you were hurt tonight, I lost it. So I don’t care where I live or what I do as long as I have you by my side.”
She’s adorable when she rambles, but she doesn’t have to say another word. I want all the same things as she does. “You don’t have to convince me, Sophie. Whatever you want. You can have it all.”
“I don’t need it all. I just want you.”
“Come’ere.”
She peppers my face with her sweet kisses while I rub her back soothingly. We’ve been to hell and back. But we can finally put it all behind us.
“Officer Jones will see you now, Kipton. Straight back the hall. Last door on the right,” the secretary tells us.
Now that I’m positive Sophie and I are in a good place, that nothing stands in our way anymore, I get up, taking her along with me. She latches her legs around my waist while wrapping her arms tightly around my neck.
We walk like this to Officer Jone’s office. A few heads turn when they realize I don’t have any plans to put her down. They have no idea the hell Sophie’s survived and no idea what it means for our future now that Blaine is out of the picture.
This is our moment—our first glimpse at freedom.
“I love you,” She whispers in my ear just before we enter the office.
“I love you too, beautiful.” We’ve weathered our storm, and come out even stronger because of it. Nobody will ever have the power to break us again. “I’m going to fuck you so hard when we get home.”
I laugh as her thighs clench around me. Although my words catch her off guard, she feeds off them and gives me a surprise of my own. Her hand slides down the front of my body in between the two of us. Once she finds what she’s after, she squeezes me in her tiny hand.
“Hurry, Kipton.”
It’s all the incentive I need to give my statement in as few words as possible. I have more important business to take care of.