He stepped forward, into my personal space, and said, “Why you son of a bitch. Who gives you the right to act on that?”
Rose moved closer. “I do, Greg. And my attorney does.”
Wilson whipped around to Rose and before I even saw it coming, his fist flew out and he struck her. The bastard hit her in front of everyone present! For a moment I was so stunned, my body froze. But then I went into action. My hand balled into a fist and I treated him to the exact same thing he dished out to Rose. Only I was packing a hell of a lot more muscle than he was. He doubled over and gasped for air. When he dropped to his knees, I grabbed the hair on top of his head and said, “Stand up you motherfucker and take it like a man.” He struggled to his feet, but I was stupid and hadn’t watched his hands. Then he struck and when he did, a blade slid across the front of my shirt, slicing into the flesh of my abdomen. He flashed a superior grin as he regarded me with contempt.
“It’s your turn to take it like a man,” he said, his lips curling with disgust.
Oh, I’d take it like a man, all right and he was about to see exactly how much. But as I started to go for him, the doors slid open and several police officers rushed inside.
“Drop the knife and put your hands in the air,” one of them said to him.
Greg’s eyes momentarily widened in alarm, but then he said, “Thank God, you’re here, officers. This man attacked me.”
I was helping Rose to her feet and asking if she was okay when Sylvie said, “Are you crazy?” to Greg. Of course, he was one hundred percent on the crazy train, but she wasn’t thinking straight.
Once Rose was on her feet, I said, “Officer, I’m Pearson West, and this is Rose Wilson. This man, Greg Wilson, was just released out of custody this morning and he came here and attacked his ex-wife again. There are witnesses here who can corroborate this.”
Greg yelled, and pointed at me, “He attacked me.”
“Of course I did, to get you away from Rose. You were beating her. And then you assaulted me with a knife.” I pointed to my blood-covered shirt.
Everyone started talking at once, agreeing with what I’d said. The officer interrupted and said, “One at a time, please.” He started with Sylvie and then went through all the other people that were there, of which there were four. About then, Miles ran in. I wanted to laugh. It had become a circus, except we were missing the elephant.
“Where’s Montana?” Miles asked.
“In there.” Rose pointed to one of the offices. “With an employee.”
“Thank God she hadn’t seen any of this.” Then Miles explained to the officers about Greg getting released on bail this morning. After taking statements from everyone, they cuffed Greg and hauled him back to jail. Before they left, they asked me if I needed to go to the hospital. This was important as it would be admitted as part of the case and help keep Greg in jail.
“I don’t think he’ll be getting out so fast this time,” Miles said.
“He needs anger management,” I said.
“He needs psychiatric treatment,” Sylvie said.
“He needs both,” Rose said. Then she noticed the blood on my shirt. “You need to go to the hospital.”
“What about you?” I asked. “He nailed you in the face.”
Rose touched her cheek, as though she’d forgotten. “It’s fine. Only a bruise. Nothing that a little ice won’t cure. I’ve had much worse from him. Let me see your chest.”
I lifted the shirt and realized the cut was fairly deep. Sylvie grabbed my upper arm and said, “Come on. Let’s go.”
“What about your patients?” I asked.
Her head tilted back, and she looked at the ceiling for a moment and said, “Rose?”
“I have Montana, but she can come along. Let’s go.”
On the way, Montana drilled me with questions. She wanted to know why I just didn’t put a Power Rangers Band-Aid on it.
“Good question. I think it’s too big for a Band-Aid.”
“But maybe they have real big ones like this.” And she held up her hands to demonstrate.
“I’ll ask the people at the hospital when we get there.”
“Mommy, how come when I get cut, I don’t go to the hospital?”
“Because, Pop Tart, only real real bad cuts have to go to the hospital.”
“But I had a bad cut that time my pinky finger got caught in the door at Daddy’s.”
Rose was quiet, but I’m sure she didn’t like hearing about that. “Maybe it wasn’t that bad.”
“Daddy had to wrap it up and put ice on it. It was smashed up and bleeding.”
Rose’s knuckles turned white as she drove.
“It’s all better now, isn’t it?”
“Yep, all better now, only the top part is a little crooked. See?” She held it up and it was hard for me to tell, but I nodded to make her feel better. Rose added, “Mommy will kiss it when we get out of the car.” That was enough to satisfy her.
We pulled into the emergency room parking lot. It wasn’t too crowded when we arrived, and I gave them all my information. Thank God Sylvie had run to my room to get my wallet.
It took them twenty minutes to call me back. Montana wanted to come, but we thought it best she didn’t watch them sew me up. She’d been through enough these last couple of days. More trauma wasn’t what she needed.
The doctor took one look and had the nurse prep me for stitches. I explained how I’d been assaulted with a knife and the police had been there. I gave them the information so it could be used in court, if necessary.
“A knife?” she asked. Her eyes bulged. “I’m going to call the police station and verify all of this. I hope you’re good with that.”
“Actually, I’d prefer if you do because this is likely going to court.”
“I understand. Let’s get you fixed up here first.”
Then the nurse asked, “When was your last tetanus shot?”
“Um, I can’t remember.”
“It’s going to be today.” She patted my arm and said, “You’ll have a sore arm for a few days, not to mention sore abs.”
After I was good and numb, the doctor ended up putting in fifteen stitches. I left with instructions and we headed back to the center.
“You okay?” Rose asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Did they give you a Power Rangers Band-Aid?” Montana asked.
“No, they didn’t have any big enough.”
“Can I see?”
“When we get back, I’ll show you.”
As soon as we got out of the car, she tugged on my shirt. “I’m ready to see your boo-boo.”
I lifted up my shirt and she announced, “That’s a crummy Band-Aid. They didn’t give you no Princesses, or nothing.”
Rose covered her mouth to keep from laughing and I shrugged. “Guess I’m just not as important as you.”
“Guess not.” She shook her head and marched inside as we followed. Over her shoulder, she said, “Next time you tell them they gotta get better Band-Aids.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I gave her a salute.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rose
* * *
Saturday was here and my nerves were on overdrive. I had filled my essential oil medallion with enough lavender, bergamot, and frankincense to smell up the room and it still wasn’t working. My hands were shaking, and my knees were knocking.
Montana and I went to the center to meet Pearson. He was moving in today, but that’s not why I was freaking. It was because his entire family was coming today. Yes, his mom, dad, both brothers, and both sisters-in-law. Talk about a monumental moment. For him, yes, but for me too. Sylvie was coming, not because of the family, but because I threatened her with death if she didn’t. I told her I would put arsenic in her coffee every day for the next month if she didn’t show up. She knew I was joking but still. A little hand-holding was necessary today. Okay, maybe a lot of hand-holding.
We were on the way to the center when the
questions started.
“Mommy, will he eat all my cookies?” Montana asked.
“No, I won’t let him, and I’ll make plenty so there’ll be enough for both of you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Mommy, does he like pizza because if we can’t eat pizza no more, he can’t stay.”
“You know what? If he doesn’t like pizza, he can just make what he wants to eat, and you and I will still get pizza. How does that sound?”
“Good. If he likes pizza, will he eat it all?”
I laughed. “I promise, if he likes pizza, I’ll order one for him and you and I will split one.”
“Okay. Does he like to watch movies cuz boys don’t like movies.”
“Who told you that?”
“Daddy did.”
“Well, maybe Daddy didn’t like them, but if Pearson doesn’t, he can go to his room and do something else, or we can flop out on my bed and watch one. Is that good?”
“Yeah. Can I still sleep with you sometimes?”
“Now what do you think, Pop Tart?”
“Yay!” She clapped her hands.
“Only if you don’t hog the bed.”
I parked the car and pulled her out of her booster seat. “I’m not a bed hog, you are.”
“You are,” and I started making piggy noises. She giggled and imitated me. We walked toward the doors holding hands and laughing.
“I’m happy with you, Mommy.” My heart filled with sunshine and pure joy and I dropped to my knees to hug her.
“Aww, give me a big ole squeeze.” Her little arms went around me as much as they could and I said, “I’m soooooo happy with you too, my beautiful girl.”
We started jabbering back and forth saying, “You’re beautiful. No, you’re beautiful. No, you’re beautiful.”
By the time we were in the lobby, I didn’t realize we had an audience until Pearson said, “I think you both are beautiful.”
Montana clapped and said, “Hey Mister. Mommy said you won’t eat all the chocolate chip cookies.”
“Mister has a name, Pop Tart. It’s Mr. Pearson, remember?”
“Uh huh, but that’s a lot to say, so I’m gonna call him Mister for short.”
“Honey, that’s not how it works. You either call him Mr. Pearson or Mr. West.”
“Nah, I like plain old mister.”
I was getting ready to launch into an explanation of mister, when an adorable girl of maybe eight years of age came up to us and said, “Hi, I’m Kinsley.”
“Hi, Kinsley. “I’m Rose and this is Montana.”
“Montana, do you like to dance. I have clicky shoes at home and I could teach you.”
Another woman came running up to us and said, “Not now, Kinsley. Maybe later. I’m Marin, Pearson’s brother Grey’s wife.”
“Oh, hi. I didn’t realize his family had arrived already.”
She leaned in and whispered, “Oh, yeah. It was like holding back a stampede, if you get me. Be prepared.” She winked.
“I’m Rose, by the way, and thanks for the heads up.” I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but when I looked across the room, a sea of curiosity stared back at me. And then it hit me. Holy shit. Those West Brothers. What the hell! Sylvie was right. What kind of genes had they been gifted with? And where was Sylvie anyway? With trembling knees, I entered the circle of doom.
“Hi everyone, I’m Rose Wilson.”
They all stood at once and I was overwhelmed by a dose of … there was no name for it. Pearson was by my side handling all the introductions. He started with the parents, and then Grey. Marin was married to him. God help me, I needed a fan. Then he went to Lilly. No Milly. Milly, Milly, Milly. Milly. Marin. Both M’s. I had to remember this. Milly was married to Hudson. Hot as hell Hudson. The parents were Rick and Paige. I gotta be honest here. Rick was handsome too. He was probably in his fifties, but damn. And Paige … she was positively gorgeous. No wonder the kids had turned out so perfect.
Rick and Paige were the first to approach me with their thanks.
“You have no idea what this means to us for you to open your home to our son. We know he’s going to need help but for you to do this. We can’t possibly thank you enough. If there’s anything you need, please let us know.” Then Paige hugged me. All of her warmth enveloped me, and I could tell why this family was so close. It all stemmed from their mother.
“Oh.” This completely took me by surprise. My hand covered my heart. “I’m happy to do it and it will help me too with my mortgage payment while he’s there.”
Then Paige took my good hand and said, “As a mother, I’m sure you can understand how worried I’ve been.”
I thought about Montana when she was with her dad and how scared I was. “I certainly can. I will do everything I can to help him when he needs it. His days are fine. It’s the nights he seems to have the most difficulty with and that’s where I’ll come in. Don’t worry, Paige, Pearson is working hard to conquer this. He’s so dedicated. And he understands that once an addict, always an addict. This will be his life from now on. Many patients here don’t want to accept that, but fortunately, that hasn’t been an issue for him.”
Relief washed over her features. “This makes me feel so much better to hear you say that.”
“If you ever need to talk, please call. I’m around here every day.”
“Thank you.”
The two brothers approached me next and I wasn’t sure my ovaries could handle it. “Hi, I’m Grey.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“And I’m Hudson.”
“Pearson speaks about you two all the time. It’s finally nice to match faces with the names.”
“We can’t tell you how much we appreciate you doing this.”
“No, he’s also helping me out too. Pearson has been a blessing to me and my daughter. As I told your mom, he’s dedicated to beating this and he understands this will be his life from now on. Oh, and if you ever want to visit him, please do. My home is open. He’ll be busy during the day, but in the evenings, feel free to come over. I’m not sure how far away you live, but please come.”
Grey said, “I’m not far nor are our parents, but Hudson here is a city dweller.”
“Yeah, I have a practice in Manhattan.”
“Practice?”
“Veterinary.”
“Ah, that’s really cool.”
Hudson went on, “And big bro here is a cardiologist about fifteen minutes away.”
“Nice. You and your family should stop over.”
“Yeah, about that. My daughter, Kinsley has this thing about dancing.”
I chuckled. “She already tried to recruit my daughter.”
Grey huffed. He didn’t appear to be the eye-rolling type of guy. “Sorry about that. She’s a persistent thing. Anyway, I have a three-year-old son that is in constant motion and then we have twin babies, so it might be hard bringing the entire family.”
Suddenly this adorable little boy ran up to Hudson and said “Daddy, do you think she has a big Dick?”
“Wiley, I thought I told you to hold all your Dick questions,” Hudson said. Then Hudson turned to me and said, “It’s not what you think. We have a one hundred fifty pound English Mastiff named Dick, and sometimes he’s called big Dick. Wiley loves him and wants everyone to have one.”
My bugged eyes turned back to normal and I laughed. “For a minute there I wondered what the heck, but the answer would be no. I don’t have any dogs.”
Wiley looked crushed. “Your baby doesn’t have any pets to play with?”
“I’m sorry, no she doesn’t.”
“You need a dog. Like Chester. He’s real good and small. Isn’t he Daddy?”
“Yes, he is, son, but not everyone can have dogs.”
“Why not?”
“Because they work and don’t have anyone to take care of them. Your nanny takes care of ours.”
“Oh.” Wiley still looked crushed.
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“Go play with Kinsley.”
“She wants me to dance.”
Grey told Wiley, “Tell her your daddy said you didn’t have to.”
“Okay.” And he ran off.
Hudson looked over at me and said, “Sorry about the big Dick comment.”
“I confess, it did catch me off guard.” Then I chuckled. “Great name by the way.”
“Everything in our house will catch you off guard. Poor Milly. When we met, I’m not sure what she thought of us.”
“Well, the invitation is open for both of you, kids or no kids. Big Dick, I’m not so sure about.”
There was a third man there who I knew didn’t carry the West genes. He was extremely handsome, but his features didn’t look at all like any of them. Pearson said, “Rose, I’d like you to meet my best friend since we were kids. We grew up together and were college roommates. This is Evan Thomas.”
Evan held out a hand and I took it. “It’s great to meet you, Rose. Pearson has told me great things about you.”
“It’s great to meet you too, and I hope he didn’t exaggerate too much.”
“I’m pretty sure he didn’t.”
Sylvie rushed in then, looking totally flustered and Evan’s attention turned to her. I saw how he looked at her and wondered if there was something between them, but she totally ignored him, so I was probably imagining it. “Hey Aunt Paige, Uncle Rick. Everyone else. Sorry I’m late, but my car wouldn’t start. I had to get my neighbor to jump it.”
Now I felt guilty about being peeved at her. “Are you okay?”
“Sure, other than being angry at my car. After this, I’m going to get a new battery.”
She dragged me off to the side and said, “How is everything?”
“Couldn’t be better. And for the record, I won’t poison you. But I am pissed off. You didn’t get close to describing how good looking your cousins were. And why didn’t you tell me about Evan?”
She snickered. “Yeah. I forgot about Evan. What about that?”
Pearson walked up and asked, “What about what?”
From Smoke To Flames— Amazon: A West Brothers Novel Page 13