“Oxygen!” another called out.
“Lift,” I heard before seeing his bulk being placed on the stretcher.
The woman tapped on my shoulder. “She’s outside with the neighbor. She needs her mommy. She’s really scared.”
I nodded. “Need him to be okay.” She led me out the door. “Need him okay. I love him.”
“Got that. We’ll get you guys off to the hospital where he’s being taken. Let’s get your daughter.”
As the cop led me outside, I watched as Matisse’s head was shoved down as she was placed into a patrol car. Kyle had been handcuffed and was being led to a different one.
My neighborhood looked like something out of murder mystery. Neighbors stood at the edge of the sidewalk watching the train wreck that was my life unfold for all to see.
Kyle’s pipsqueak voice entered my haze. “I’ll get out,” he mocked. “They can’t hold me forever, and when I do…I’m coming after you,” he sneered at me as the cop shuffled him past me and toward the patrol car.
The big burly cop leading him “accidently” pushed him so he ended up tripping over the curb and falling against the front of the cop car. “Shut the fuck up,” he growled.
“Don’t be afraid,” the nice blond woman encouraged. “He’s going to get at least forty-five years to life for two counts of attempted murder with special circumstances. He’s never getting out of jail in your lifetime.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything as she led me around the side of an ambulance, where my daughter was wrapped in a blanket and being held by the little old lady who lived across the street. Of course, my girl would go to her. Definitely the sweetest.
“Baby!” I cried out, and she jumped out of my neighbor’s arms and into mine.
“Mommy, I so scawed!” she cried.
“It’s okay, baby. Everything is going to be okay now. We have to go to the hospital and check on Clay.”
“Clay’s hurt? That bad man hurted him?”
“Yeah, baby, he did. Very badly. We need to go make sure he’s going to be okay.”
Chapter Twenty
People guided by their heart chakra feel inclined to fill their hearts with optimism and joy. They go out of their way to wish others well-being and are naturally involved in helping people, volunteering, serving the ones they love, and giving back to the community.
CLAYTON
I glanced out the window to our backyard. It looked like blue bells and white daises had exploded all over the place. Monet was in rare form, running from spot to spot making sure everything was just right for the “Powers Nuptials and Baby Shower.” I laughed, holding on to my side as Monet placed a plastic bassinet on a fake lily pad to float across the pool. The woman was insane, and I loved her. More so today than ever before. She had taken on planning this party as if it was to be her living legacy. No expense spared. No amount of cake, candles, and booze was too much for her best friend. Made me wonder how she’d be when it came time for our wedding.
The ache in my side eased as I closed my eyes and pictured Monet wrapped in delicate lace and with Lily holding her hand, walking down an aisle toward me, both ready to be mine for eternity. I shook my head, reminding myself I wasn’t a pansy-assed man, but I wouldn’t deny being a pussy-whipped one either, if push came to shove. Monet and Lily had me wrapped around their fingers, and I did not care one bit. I welcomed it. They brought color to my life every day. Not a single person before her had done that.
And by God, my woman was a freaking saint for taking care of me all these weeks. After Kyle’s knife pierced my spleen and tore into my stomach, I’d had surgery to remove the spleen altogether and patch up the stomach and surrounding muscle. I had about a six-inch scar running down my side where the surgeon had to open me up. I ran a finger down the puffed edge of the tissue. All things considered, I was lucky. Very lucky. The area ached now and again like it did today, but that was to be expected.
The best part of it all? Kyle and Matisse being hauled off to prison. Kyle was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of attempted kidnapping. Matisse got a lesser sentence for conspiring to commit murder and accessory to attempted kidnapping. They both pled to lesser charges, but their sentences were to be served consecutively, so neither would breathe free air for the rest of their lives. Good riddance. Secretly, I hoped he’d get made someone’s personal bitch. The way he hurt Monet, made her life a living hell, threatened her daughter… Both my fists tightened as if ready to strike a phantom threat.
Christ, my Lily still cried out for her mommy some nights, even months later. Both are in regular counseling and healing more every day. I’m back at the gym working with clients again but not doing too much in the way of lifting. Slowly but surely, things were getting back to normal.
This party would go a long way toward making my girls happy and solidifying the family unit. And so would my surprise. I fingered the black velvet box I’d been carrying around all week. Trying to figure out the best time to pop the question had me a nervous wreck. The right time hadn’t presented itself yet, but today, seeing my girl so happy, running around making a wedding and baby shower something to remember for people we loved… Today was it.
I flicked open my phone and dialed Mila’s number.
“What? Don’t tell me bridezilla’s at it again? We’re almost there!” Mila growled.
Bridezilla. She called Monet that even though she wasn’t the one getting married. Monet had been acting a little crazy with all this planning and making sure everything was perfect. She’d put Mila and Atlas through the ringer too. I just sat back and enjoyed every second of it.
I chuckled into the phone. “Naw, she’s fine. Outside razzing the decorator, moving things around. You know the drill.”
She sighed. “Yeah, I wish she wouldn’t have made such a big deal. I mean we could—”
“Have just gone to the courthouse. I know. You’ve told us a hundred times.” I modified my tone, letting her know what her sacrifice meant to me. “She needed this to take her mind off everything that’s happened. So I wanted to thank you first and foremost for giving it to her. Meant a lot to her and to me.”
A sniffle came through. From tiger to kitten in one second flat. “Don’t make me cry. I’m the hormonal bride, and I can’t take it.”
“Eek. Well that’s going to put a damper on what I need to ask now.” I gripped the back of my neck.
“Eek? Clayton Hart, did your big manly man ass just use the word eek?” she taunted. And there was our feisty friend.
“Seriously. I need to ask you something important, and it’s okay if you say no. This is your day and all…”
“Clay, get the lead out. I’m growing wider by the second. I’ll be as big as your house when you finally ask me what it is you want.”
She was not lying. The woman was only into her seventh month of pregnancy and her belly did seem to grow daily. Sometimes it was as if she’d had a basketball shoved under her top, and other times a watermelon. Weird as shit, the whole pregnancy gig, but I couldn’t wait to try it out with my woman down the road. Sometime very soon.
Mila’s groan broke me out of my musings. “Shit, this must be good if you’re freaking out.”
“I want to ask Monet to marry me,” I said it quick, like ripping off a bandage.
“And?”
“And? You act like that’s a small thing.” Heat prickled against my neck and I began to sweat. I gripped the velvet box and flipped it open to remind myself the ring was still there. A thin platinum band with one center round diamond with two baguettes flanking it. The wedding band was in another box hidden in the back of my sock drawer. I knew the second I saw the ring it was perfect.
“No, it’s not a small thing, but it’s not like I’m surprised.”
I sucked in a harsh breath and let it fly. “I want to do it today. At the party, after your ceremony, when everyone is giving the speeches. Would that be okay?”
She laughed hea
rtily. “Curly, get this. Clay’s gonna pop the question during his speech today.”
“Right on, man!” I heard Atlas shout through the line. “Way to grab life by the horns!”
“Totally cool!” Mila gasped. “I love it. Unconventional, and so you to do it in front of everyone.”
“Gotta stake my claim.” I flicked the box shut and shoved it in my pocket.
“Oh, I think you did that a long time ago, but I’m going to enjoy the show. It will just make the day more special.”
I shouldn’t have been nervous. Mila and Atlas were our closest friends; hell, they were family. Of course they’d want us to be happy and share in their day.
“Cool. I just wanted to make sure. Now the second thing… Can I marry your best friend?” I asked once again, the nerves making my heart palpitate.
“Uh, Clay, I’m not sure I’m understanding. Are you asking me personally for my best friend’s hand in marriage?”
“And I’m going to adopt Lily,” I added matter-of-factly.
“So you’re asking for my approval to marry my best friend and adopt my niece,” she clarified, her tone indecipherable.
“Yes, I am. You’re her only family. I think it’s important that the other person who loves her as much as I do be on board with my plan to make them mine.”
She cursed and laughed. “Classy brother all the way. Okay, sparky, I’ll bite. Are you going to take care of her?” Her tone bordered on a warning.
“Until my last breath.”
“And Lily?”
“Will never want for anything.”
She hummed into the line. “That’s what I like to hear. Then yes, you can marry my best friend, you crazy loon!” She laughed. “Now come outside and help us with the loads of stuff in the car. We’re out front.”
I chuckled and ended the call. Mila had given her permission. The ring was in my pocket, the sun was shining, and all things led to her saying yes. God, I hoped she’d say yes.
MONET
The ceremony was absolutely perfect. Mila looked a vision in her white shimmery sundress. I’d suggested an all white and blue party, so all the partygoers were in various shades of white and blue. Genevieve had pulled Mila’s hair back into a bundle of curls on the top of her head with strategic locks falling down for the super soft effect. Atlas had worn khakis and a white button-down shirt open at the collar. They only had eyes for one another. The ceremony was quick—as requested—and then came the reception slash baby shower part of the night.
We weren’t playing any games because we were keeping the day-to-evening event classy. The sun had just set, and a round of champagne was being passed out for the official toasts and speeches.
I stood at the microphone next to Clayton. He looked stunning in a pair of khakis and a pale-blue dress shirt. I wore a white lace sundress with a large blue sash at the waist that matched his shirt. Lily scampered by in her fluffy flower girl dress, chasing after baby Will. Will was in a baby suit looking incredibly adorable and moving surprisingly fast for a toddler.
My large deck and surrounding trees had twinkle lights. Candles lit every possible surface without being intrusive. I’d hired a DJ to play soft music while people mingled. A huge buffet table was laid out on one side of the deck with fresh fruits, cheeses, small sandwiches, and plenty of bite-sized gourmet appetizers. The bride wanted a variety of options, specifically one of everything. In her gestating state, she was like a baby herself, putting everything in sight into her mouth.
Holding the mic up, I tapped the top, gathering our guests’ attention. “Hello, everyone. I want to first thank you all for coming. It means a lot to me to have you all here, as I know it does to our couple of the night, Mila and Atlas.” I nodded toward the couple sitting ten feet from me.
Atlas had his arm wrapped around his now wife and beamed as though he’d just won the lottery. I guess in a way he had, because I couldn’t imagine anyone who would love him more than Mila.
“Tonight, we celebrate the marriage and the new life that my best friend Mila and her husband Atlas share. She didn’t want a big to-do; she just wanted Atlas. Atlas didn’t care what they did as long as he had the woman he loved marrying him for life. I think that’s what it’s all about. The heart wants what the heart wants, and it doesn’t matter in what form it comes, as long as we listen to it and follow it to our happily ever after.” I raised my glass, and the thirty guests followed. “To happily ever after. Mila, I’m so glad you found yours in Atlas.”
Mila smiled at me and blew me a kiss. Clayton wrapped his arm around me and took hold of the mic. “My turn.”
I sniffled and smiled, wiping at my tears of joy, so thrilled that this day had finally come for my best friend.
Clayton’s voice was strong and deep when he spoke. “Atlas and Mila are not only a great couple but are made for one another, because honestly, who else could handle their feistiness?” The crowd laughed, and several nodded in agreement at his joke. “But they are also going to be amazing parents in the very near future.”
Atlas took that moment to rub Mila’s belly affectionately, bent down and gave it a kiss, and then kissed his wife. “I wish them the best this life has to offer…” Clayton continued. “Because I know as long as they have each other, it’s going to be amazing.” He lifted his glass and everyone followed.
A chorus of “hear, hear” and “kiss the bride” rang out over our friends. Once they’d followed through on the requests, Clayton turned to me.
“And now, with the approval of our happily married couple, I’m going to do what I’ve wanted to do since the first day I took care of my sweet Lily all those months ago and laid eyes on her mother the next day. Monet…” Clayton took something out of his pocket and in front of God and everyone went down on one knee.
I broke out in chills, gooseflesh starting at my hands, running up my arms, over my chest, and spreading along my entire body. My hand felt clammy as I clamped it around my champagne flute so tight I worried it would break. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes as Clayton reached for my other hand.
“Monet, beautiful, you are the love of my life. I told you once before that you were it for me. You and Lily are everything I could have ever dreamed of having for my own. I want to make our love and our life together official. Will you be my forever?” His voice shook on the last statement, but he held strong, his gaze never leaving mine.
I nodded through the tears pouring down my face and set the glass down on the nearby table so I didn’t drop it.
Clayton grinned, his eyes shining with so much love and affection they stole my breath. He flicked open a small velvet box and presented it to me. The most gorgeous ring I’d ever seen stared back at me, sparkling under the twinkle lights above. And my goodness…the thing was huge! I covered my mouth with my hands, choking back the sob that threatened to tear through me at any second.
Clayton smiled softly and squeezed my hand. “Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me? Allow me to adopt Lily as my own?”
I smiled wide and fell even more in love with him for bringing Lily into his proposal.
With perfect timing, my little one ran over to me and hugged my legs. She peered into the box and tipped her head, assessing the ring and Clay, as was her way.
“It’s not a crown, but it will do the job,” she said, tapping on her bottom lip.
The crowd laughed. Clayton grinned, and I shook my head.
“So, I’m wearing a hole in my pants here, beautiful…” Clayton grinned.
My eyes widened, and my cheeks flushed with heated embarrassment.
“What do you say?”
I looked around the space at all our friends, each couple holding one another. Happiness exuded around me in heaping doses, but nothing like the waves of love coming off the man kneeling before me.
“Yes! A million times yes!” The words spilled from my lungs as if they had gossamer wings.
Clayton pulled the ring out of the box, slid it on my finger,
looped an arm around my waist, and hauled me against his chest. His lips crushed mine in the most important kiss I’d had to date. He kissed me long, hard, and so deeply I had to grip his shoulders so I didn’t pass out. He pulled away, set me on my feet, and cupped both of my cheeks.
“I’m going to make you so happy. Big family, big life. Everything you ever dreamed of. I’m going to make it happen.”
I knew down to the tips of my toes he meant every word, and it all sounded perfect.
I smiled softly and trailed a finger from his temple to his bottom lip. “Don’t you see? You already have.”
He grinned and kissed me again.
CLAYTON
The last of the crew sat at a round table. Me with my fiancée cuddled into my side, the happy newlywed couple snogging and whispering to one another in their own love-drunk world, Trent Fox and his wife, Genevieve—Will playing in the yard—and my buddy Dash Alexander and his wife, Amber.
I sat around, watching each of the couples at the table. I’d lay down my life for every person here. Monet might not have blood relatives in her life, but this was her family, right here, the people sharing in the beauty that was this day and evening. These people would be there for our wedding, any babies Monet would give me, and all of the happy times we would have down the road. School events, sports activities, recitals, family dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations. Name it, and they would be there during the important times. The times I would want to remember.
And I would. Remember every minute of this day.
I sighed, watched the kids play tag, and sipped my beer. “Life couldn’t get any better than this,” I announced to the table.
“You think?” Atlas grinned, a lock of brown hair flopping over onto his forehead. The dude needed to cut that damn hair already.
“I know,” I said with complete and utter confidence.
Mila laughed, maneuvered herself and her belly to stand, and went over to the DJ table and grabbed something. As she walked back, her caramel-colored eyes twinkled. “I’ll bet there’s one thing that could make this night abso-freaking-lutely epic.”
Limitless Love: A Lotus House Novel: Book Four Page 27