by Tia Siren
Kendall caught me as I was on my way out the door. “I’m going for a run.”
“Dylan, can we talk?”
“I’m going for a run.” I stopped, turned to look at her, and sneered. “I need to clear my head,” I said, throwing her words back at her.
Leaving the house, I met Aaron at the park.
“What’s so important that you dragged me out of my woman’s warm bed?”
I took a deep breath. “Kendall’s pregnant.”
He whistled low. “Yours I assume?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.”
I nodded. “Yes, wow.”
“Well, let me put on my doctor hat,” he joked. “How do you feel about that?”
I threw my head back and laughed. It felt good to release some steam.
“I feel like shit. She ran from me. I don’t know if she even would have told me.”
“She did tell you. That counts for something. I’m sure she had to work it out for herself. You can’t really blame her for taking a few days. You two weren’t in a committed relationship or anything,” he said.
I shook my head. “I hate that she doesn’t trust me.”
“Dylan, I think you need to be honest with yourself and Kendall. Did you tell her how you really feel?”
“No! I didn’t get the chance. She told me she was pregnant before I could.”
“That would have been a great time to tell her. Instead, you stormed out and now you’re here with me instead of back at the house with her, working through this.”
“I didn’t know what to say. I was pissed. I felt betrayed. I walked out before I could say something I regretted.”
Aaron stepped in front of me. “Dylan, listen to me. You need to tell her how you feel. Do you love her?”
The word was loaded. It scared me. I didn’t think I had ever loved a woman beyond my mother. The idea felt good, yet it terrified me at the same time.
“Dylan?” Aaron pressed.
“Yes.”
He smiled. “I thought so. Now, take your ass home and have a real conversation with her. Nothing is going to get resolved if you both keep running away.”
I nodded, knowing he was right. “She hurt me.”
Aaron’s look softened. “I know. You two have been through so much. I think you need to give her some credit. Think about all she’s been through with her dad. Her own father tried to have her kidnapped and hurt. He is her own family. She can’t be having an easy time of it, and then to find out she’s pregnant with your baby…”
“You’re right. I need to talk to her. I have to apologize for freaking out. How am I supposed to get her to trust me?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “There’s no quick answer. It’s something the two of you have to work out together. Recognize the two of you have some issues and find a way to make it work.”
I looked at him and grinned. “I want to hug you right now.”
He held up a hand. “Do it and it isn’t going to end well for you.”
I chuckled. “Fine, but just know, deep down here,” I said, my hand over my heart, “I want to hug you.”
“That’s fine. We don’t have a romance and it isn’t going to go into that weird territory. Keep your hands to yourself, big boy.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. “You know I love you, right?”
He groaned. “I knew this was how you would be when you fell in love, all wishy-washy and giddy.”
“I’m out of here. I need to talk to her before she packs her shit and takes off again. Jonathan is going to love me if he can bill me to track her down again.”
“Good luck!” he said, turning to walk back to the parking lot. “Oh, Dylan?”
I turned back. “What?”
“Congratulations!”
I laughed. “Thank you. I’m going to be a daddy!” I shouted, pumping my fist in the air.
I couldn’t stop smiling. Now that everything was sinking in, I was elated. I couldn’t wait to get back to the house and talk to Kendall. I wanted her to know I was happy for a baby. I was happy to have a baby with her. I could give the child everything he or she wanted and needed.
“Life is good!” I hollered into the air before climbing into the back of the car.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Kendall
Sunday
My morning was not off to a great start. Not only had the morning sickness resurfaced with a vengeance, but I had scared Dylan off. I had expected he would not take the news well. I guessed I should have known it wouldn’t be some tender moment. Somewhere, deep down, I had hoped otherwise.
Once he left, I climbed the stairs to my old room. I was pleasantly surprised to see he had left everything as it was. I didn’t bother changing out of his shirt. I felt like hell and wasn’t interested in digging through dresser drawers. I climbed into the bed, pulled the blanket up to my ears, and demanded my stomach stop its revolt. This child was already proving to be a stubborn little thing. I had a feeling the toddler years were going to be pure hell.
“Kendall?” Dylan’s voice pulled me out of a deep sleep.
I closed my mouth, quickly wiping away the drool before rolling over to look at him. “What?”
He came into the room and gently sat down on the side of the bed. “I wanted to talk about…you know,” he mumbled.
“Oh?”
“Do you want to sleep a bit more?”
I took a minute to check my stomach. It felt like things had calmed down, so I agreed to talk. “Living room?” I asked.
“If you’d like, or you can stay here in bed. You tell me what works for you.”
“I’d like to go downstairs. Can you give me ten minutes?”
He smiled and nodded. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be in the living room.”
I watched him walk away and hoped we could have a rational conversation. I quickly changed into a pair of yoga pants and a long T-shirt before heading downstairs. When I walked into the living room, I stopped and smiled. Dylan had a plate sitting on his glass coffee table. It was filled with saltines, sliced toast, and fresh fruit. There was a can of ginger ale sitting on the tray as well.
“Did you get busy on Google?” I teased.
He smiled. “Maybe. I wanted to try to help. I read this is what works for a lot of women.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking the can of ginger ale and a couple saltines. I felt that was what I had been living on for the past week.
I took a seat on the couch. Dylan came over to sit next to me. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out.
“Don’t be sorry. This isn’t your fault.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean, I’m sorry I ran out earlier. That wasn’t cool.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. When I took that test, I panicked. I freaked out and had to talk to Vanessa. It wasn’t anything against you. Vanessa is my best friend. I needed to tell her and get her advice. It wasn’t right and I’m sorry.”
He smiled. “I get that now. It’s kind of funny because when I ran out of here, I met up with Aaron. I think we both need to learn to trust each other a little more. Kendall, I’m going to be here for you and our child. I’m not going anywhere.”
I smiled, but deep down, my heart was breaking. I knew he was the kind of man who would do right by his child. It was the bursting of a little girl’s fantasy that was breaking my heart. As a little girl, I’d always imagined having a family one day. I had wanted children and a husband who would dote on our babies. I had envisioned family vacations to Disneyland and traveling the country together with our children. It had been a fantasy. Real life was child custody agreements and split vacations.
“That’s good to know. Thank you,” I mumbled.
“Kendall, I—”
His phone rang, stopping what he was about to say.
“Oh, I need to take this. I’m sorry. Don’t move,” he ordered.
I grabbed a couple more crackers and leaned back on the couch. I was immediately intrigu
ed by the one side of the conversation I heard. My father’s name was mentioned. Judging by the grim look on Dylan’s face and the way he was pacing back and forth, I knew it wasn’t good.
He cursed under his breath, went silent for a while, and then asked pointed questions. I leaned forward, growing more nervous by the second. Something was terribly wrong, and it had Dylan worried.
The second he hung up the phone, he turned to look at me, a stricken look on his face.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked, feeling the familiar queasiness in my stomach caused by fear and dread.
He came to sit beside me, taking my hands in his. “Your father has somehow managed to escape police custody.”
I nodded. “Oh. Well, that’s not so bad. He’s probably halfway around the world by now. My dad was not made to wear orange,” I joked, fighting back the terror bubbling up.
He shook his head. “It is bad. He knows I was behind his capture. As you can imagine, he isn’t happy. He hated me before. Now he really hates me.”
“You have security. I don’t think you need to worry about it. He isn’t dumb enough to hang around the city to try to exact revenge on you. He’ll run. He ran the first time; he’ll run again,” I reasoned.
He cleared his throat. “He isn’t coming after me. I mean, he probably is, but it isn’t just me he’s pissed at.”
“Oh?”
The way he was looking at me was kind of freaking me out. “Kendall, he knows you gave up the location of the house in the Bahamas.”
I blinked, processing the information. “He’s coming after me?” I asked, my voice harsh.
“I don’t know. Nobody knows. But it isn’t safe here and I don’t want to wait around and find out.”
“Safe?” I squeaked.
My mind was spinning, still trying to understand how I could be in serious danger from my father. He was my daddy, the man who had raised me. Fathers didn’t try to kill their daughters. It didn’t make sense. Dylan was overreacting.
But he wasn’t wrong the first time.
“Your dad is facing serious charges. He could go away for a long time if he’s convicted, and according to my PI, he will be. There is a mountain of evidence against him. He has nothing to lose at this point, which makes him a very dangerous man.”
“God, oh God. He’s going to try to kill me, isn’t he?” My hand instinctively went to my stomach.
Dylan grabbed my hand. “I won’t let him get to you. He won’t hurt you or our baby.”
I smiled, fighting back tears. It was the sweetest thing I had ever heard, as well as the most terrifying.
“We need to move,” he said, standing, grabbing my hand, and pulling me up. “Go pack a bag.”
“I thought this place was safe?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “Your father has a lot of connections. It isn’t going to be that hard for him to track us down.”
“He’s going to come after us?” I asked, still in disbelief.
“I don’t know. I have no idea where he is headed, but we can’t take the chance of him finding you. We’ll go. We’ll lie low and wait for the authorities to recapture him. He can’t run forever.”
“What if he does?” I asked, panic making my voice high pitched. “What if he avoids capture and manages to find me? He’s really pissed, Dylan.”
He shook his head. “I’m not going to let that happen. Kendall, you can trust me on this. Your father isn’t the only one who wields power and influence. Now, please, pack a bag. We’re getting out of here.”
As if a switch was flipped, I got it. I headed for the stairs, climbing them as fast as my legs would carry me. I burst into my borrowed room, tossed some stuff in a bag, and headed back downstairs, the urgency I felt spurring me on.
Dylan was on the phone, pacing in the foyer when I hit the landing.
“Let’s move. Security is waiting.”
I let him take my hand and lead me to a waiting car. I felt safe inside the car with his arms wrapped around me, his body cradling my own. When the car stopped, I looked around.
“Where are we?” I asked, realizing we appeared to be at a car dealership.
“We’re switching cars.”
The back door opened, and the same security guard reached in to help me out. He ushered me to an SUV with black-tinted windows. I climbed in, waiting for Dylan, who joined me a minute later.
“This is all so cloak and dagger,” I said, trying to joke.
He nodded. “I’m taking this seriously. Settle in. We’re going to go for a long ride. Security wants to make sure we weren’t followed.”
“Okay.”
I settled into the leather seat, appreciating the comfort and allowing myself to relax a bit. I watched the city go by. Even on a Sunday morning, there was a lot of hustle and bustle happening. I watched the buildings get shorter and realized we were headed into Brooklyn.
“Where are we?” I asked, looking up at a brownstone the SUV stopped in front of.
“It’s a bed and breakfast. I know the owner. He’s happy to have us stay. I’ve rented all the rooms so it will only be us.”
Once again, the security detail escorted us inside. We stayed on the bottom floor, chatting with Mateo, the owner, who was a Puerto Rican native, while security searched the building. I felt a little guilty for putting the man out. The older man was very accommodating and didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s clear,” the guard said, coming down the narrow staircase. “One of us will be in the room closest to the staircase. The other rooms are available.”
Dylan shook Mateo’s hand. “Thank you so much for doing this on such short notice. I really appreciate it.”
Mateo was grinning. “Thank you. I have never had full occupancy. This is a special day.”
We headed upstairs, and I suddenly felt awkward. Would we share a room? The feeling reminded me of the end of a first date. To kiss or not to kiss? In this case, I was carrying the man’s child. That weird, awkward tension should have been resolved long ago.
“We’ll take this room,” Dylan said, taking a left at the top of the stairs.
I followed him, relieved he had made the decision. I was grateful to not to have to sleep alone with a madman on the loose and looking for me.
“This is cute,” I said, walking into the bedroom decorated in beige and dark green. It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was clean and looked comfortable.
“I’m sorry it isn’t nicer. I was afraid your father would look in the obvious places.”
“It’s fine, really. Not to complain, but how long are we supposed to hide out here?” I asked, already feeling a little claustrophobic.
He shrugged, walking around the room, opening a door that led to a tiny closet before finding the bathroom. “I hope a day or two. As soon as we know your father is no longer a threat, we can go home.”
I sighed, sitting down on the firm mattress covered with a bright green comforter. I was already bored. There was a small TV in the room, which I had a feeling I was going to become very well acquainted with.
“I sent out one of the security guys to pick up some things for us. Is there anything specific you would like? I can text him a list.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. Did Mateo say he had a small library downstairs?”
Dylan nodded. “He did.”
“I think I’ll go down and see what titles he has.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I smiled, appreciating his protectiveness. I had no idea what our future held, but I would cherish these little gestures of kindness while I could.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Dylan
Monday
I was trying not to go stir-crazy, knowing Kendall was on the verge of bursting through the door in search of freedom. I wasn’t sure why I had thought we could hole up in the single room for days and not be bothered. The stress of everything going on was making me jittery and cranky. Obviously, Scott didn’t know his daughter was pregnant, but th
at he could even think about hurting her while she carried my child made me insane with rage.
Jonathan had heard from me twice already this morning, asking for an update. I was pissed at the incompetence of the jail who had let the man escape. I had a feeling money had exchanged hands and the guard had left the cuffs loose or something. Money talked, and people could be bought, especially those who were barely making ends meet.
Pacing around the room, I listened to Kendall get sick in the bathroom again. I hated that she was miserable, and I would have done anything to take away the discomfort. The crackers and ale were waiting on the small bedside table for when she could pull herself away from the toilet.
I shook my head, unable to stop the smile that spread across my face. She was pregnant with my child. I had probably repeated those words in my head at least a thousand times. Before, I hadn’t thought I’d wanted a family, but now I couldn’t wait to meet my son or daughter.
When the bathroom door opened, I rushed to Kendall’s side, helping her back into bed.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, pushing the hair from her forehead. “If there was a way for me to take this part, I would.”
She offered a wan smile. “I’m told it only lasts the first three months. I’m guessing I have a little over two months to go.”
I cringed. Sixty days of puking your guts out did not sound pleasant.
“Mateo offered to make you a ginger tea. He said it worked wonders for his wife when she was pregnant.”
She shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ll stick with the ginger ale for now. I don’t want to try anything new—not yet. Everything seems to make me sick. I can’t wait for the part where I have cravings and want to eat everything.”
I laughed. “Like pickles and ice cream?”
She slapped her hand over her mouth and shook her head. “Don’t say that.”
“Sorry!” I said, horrified I had made her sick all over again.
She inhaled a few deep breaths through her nose. “It’s fine.”
I crawled on the bed beside her, our thighs touching as we leaned against the headboard.