Gunnar could hardly stand to watch from a distance.
Seconds later, the driver door was open and Kimber’s agent was exiting the vehicle with his hands up.
Immediately, the sheriff had him against the hood of the car and was cuffing him.
Traci pulled up. Right before she and Dylan exited, she pointed a finger at him. “I know you want to get out and run to Kimber’s side, but you’re gonna need to hang in there another couple of minutes. Okay?”
“Okay, fine. I don’t care where I am, just go get her. Make sure she’s all right.”
He wasn’t even sure if either of them had heard his last words. They were rushing over to the car, Traci leading the way.
Gunnar watched intently as the passenger-side door of the sedan was opened and Traci leaned in.
Gunnar leaned forward too. Waiting for Kimber to get out.
But she didn’t. What was going on?
He got out of the cruiser so he could see better.
While Traci was still crouched by the door, Dylan barked an order. Minutes later, one of the sheriffs brought over something that looked like a bolt cutter.
Gunnar sucked in a breath. What had happened to her? He took a step forward, but then forced himself to stay put. He’d promised, but it was killing him.
Traci moved to the side, then Dylan and the other officer leaned in with the bolt cutters. Minutes later, Dylan reached in and carefully helped Kimber out.
She was alive and was standing up.
Tears formed in his eyes as he realized that his prayers had been answered. She was going to be okay.
His world got even better when Traci looked his way and motioned him forward. She met him about halfway there. “Calm down, Romeo. You can see her, but an ambulance is on the way.”
“Why? What did he do to her?” A dozen horrible thoughts entered his head. “Is . . . is she okay?”
“She’s a little beat up, stressed out, and one of her wrists is raw and chewed up. Brett had her handcuffed to the seatbelt latch. But I think she’s going to be okay.” She smiled. “She wants to see you.”
That was all he needed to hear. Striding past the many law enforcement officers who were milling around, Gunnar reached her side. Pausing impatiently while Kimber’s brother-in-law talked quietly to her, he studied her carefully. Like Traci had said, his girl looked beat up and in pain. But she also looked like she was coherent and not too much worse for wear.
He hoped that was the truth.
Then, she turned to him and the best look of wonder filled her eyes. “Gunnar. You’re here.”
“I had to be,” he said as Dylan moved away. Two seconds later, he was gently pulling her into a hug.
She was trembling. “Oh, Gunnar. I . . . I was so scared.”
“I know. I was too. But you’re okay now.”
She pulled away slightly, obviously needing to see his face. “I didn’t think I was going to survive. I thought he was going to kill us on that road.”
“I know, but he didn’t,” he repeated as he gently ran a hand along her spine. “You’re going to be all right, baby.”
Still looking worried, she added, “I never thought I was going to be able to tell you that I loved you. I was so afraid you’d never know that.”
Tears filled his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her. “You don’t have to worry about that no more,” he drawled. “I know now, and I’m so glad I do, because I love you too.”
When she relaxed against him, her trembling finally subsiding, Gunnar closed his eyes. He had her back, she was in his arms, and they loved each other.
All he wanted to do was hold her tight and never let her go.
CHAPTER 34
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced.”
—Matthew 2:10
Twenty-four hours later, Kimber felt as if everything that had been so broken in her life was at last coming together. Her rocky relationship with her parents had been smoothed over at last. Her stalker was gone, her career was now tucked firmly in her past, and Brett, her loser agent, was now safely behind bars.
She wasn’t beating herself up about her future anymore, either. A lot of soul searching had taken place during Brett’s wild ride. Most importantly, she’d realized that she didn’t need to have a smooth, set-in-stone plan for her future. No one cared what she wanted to do or what her name meant in modeling circles—especially not the people who loved her. They just wanted her to be happy.
She thought that was a pretty good thing to concentrate on as well. Being happy was a wonderful goal.
So, while her life was currently a little messy, it was slowly mending together nicely. Kimber had a feeling her future wasn’t always going to be perfect and well put together. Instead, she thought that it was going to be more like her wrist now. A little scarred but just fine. Instead of perfection, she was going to settle with living in the real world.
She was actually starting to think that maybe her scars gave her a little bit of character anyway.
“Do you want more tea?”
Kimber looked up at Jeremy. Since Shannon was going crazy at the theater near Dance With Me, getting ready for the last rehearsal before tomorrow night’s Nutcracker performance, Gunnar had brought Kimber to his house for the day.
She’d taken a long nap and then had been hanging out and watching TV on the couch in Gunnar’s living room for most of the afternoon. Well, now she was hanging out with Jeremy. Gunnar had had needed to do some work in his office, so Jeremy was “Kimber sitting.”
Gunnar’s phrase, not hers.
Looking up at the teenager, who had really come out of his shell of late, she handed him her mug. “Thanks. That would be great.”
“No prob.”
When he returned, a mug in one hand and a plate of sugar cookies in the other, Kimber sat up straighter. “You have cookies too?”
He gave her another grin that spoke volumes about how silly he thought she was. “Your friend Jennifer brought them over while you were sleeping.”
“That’s so sweet.” As usual, Jennifer had made something so simple into small works of art. “Oh! They’re nutcrackers!”
Still holding that plate, he nodded. “I guess they’re for the ballet.”
She gave him a break and took the plate so he could sit down at last.
Looking at the simple white outlines on each, Kimber said, “These cookies are perfect. I like my cookies light on the icing.”
“Not me. I like them chock-full of frosting.”
“That makes sense,” she said as she plucked a cookie off the pile and set down the plate on the coffee table. “I used to like lots of frosting too. Hey, where’s yours? Aren’t you going to have some?”
He shook his head. “Nah. They’re supposed to be for you.”
“Of course I’m going to share with you.” She held out the plate. “Take one.”
After a second’s hesitation, he took two. “Thanks.” He bit down and smiled. “They’re good.”
“So are you ready for tonight’s dance?”
A shadow filled his eyes. “I guess. Gunnar picked up Bethany’s corsage while I was at school.”
“Did you choose the wrist corsage?” She’d recommended that style when they’d talked about the dance a couple of days before.
“Yep. And I picked pink roses.”
“Good job. What about your clothes? Are you all set?”
“Yeah. I’m wearing khakis, a button down, loafers, and a navy blazer.”
Jeremy looked like he didn’t know whether to be excited or worried about the outfit. Smiling softly, she said, “Sounds like Gunnar took you shopping, as well.”
“Yeah. My friend Phillip told me what everyone was wearing.” After peeking down the hallway, he added, “Gunnar was really nice about it. He didn’t even complain about how mu
ch all the clothes cost.”
“That’s because I’m not going to complain about clothes, Jeremy,” Gunnar said as he walked into the room and joined Kimber on the couch. “Besides, we can’t have you looking like you don’t know any better. I mean, you are taking the head Sugar Queen or whatever she is to the dance.”
Kimber shared a look with Jeremy, who rolled his eyes. “Bethany is the lead Sugar Plum Fairy, Gunnar. You need to remember that.”
“I’m trying.” He ran a hand over his eyes. “There’s just been a little bit going on lately.”
Kimber winked at Jeremy. “I guess we could give you a break then. What do you think, Jeremy?”
Jeremy grinned. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Thanks, guys,” Gunnar said sarcastically.
After talking a couple more minutes, Jeremy took off to his room, saying that he needed to go get ready.
When they were alone, Gunnar kissed Kimber lightly on the lips. “How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good.” She actually felt like she’d gone for a wild ride with a royal jerk across southern Ohio, but she didn’t see any sense in dwelling on that.
He reached for her bandaged wrist. “What about this? Do you want some pain reliever?”
“I’ll take you up on it later. Right now, all I want to do is sit in front of your fireplace and just appreciate that I’m here.” She loved how he encouraged her to simply relax.
“That’s all I want to do too.” Lowering his voice, he said, “Yesterday scared the heck out of me. I can’t tell you how many prayers I said when I was in the back of that police cruiser.”
“I said quite a few prayers too. I was pretty sure Brett was going to get us in a wreck. All I kept thinking about was how stupid I’ve been, overthinking about everything in my life. I was so afraid I wasn’t going to get the chance to make changes.” Knowing Gunnar was listening intently, she shifted so she could be nestled more securely in his arms. “But most of all, I just wanted to see you and my sisters again. I didn’t realize how alone I was until I met Shannon and Traci. And now I have you too.”
“Yes, you do. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you near, Kimber. I don’t intend to ever let you go again.”
When he said things like that, she felt like swooning. “That’s one thing you’re not going to have to worry about. As far as I’m concerned, you saved me from my former life. I’m not going anywhere.”
When he kissed her again, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight.
CHAPTER 35
“A merry heart does good like medicine.”
—Proverbs 17:22
The gym was covered with a ton of white tulle, streamers, glitter, and about a thousand stars hanging from the ceiling. Obviously a bunch of kids and probably just as many moms had spent all day decorating the place.
Jeremy supposed it was real pretty. The lights were dim, the music was good, and everyone looked like they were having a great time.
Unfortunately he was starting to wish he hadn’t come. It was now a quarter to nine. Bethany said she would be there by now but she wasn’t. He didn’t blame her for being stuck at rehearsal, but he still wished she would have at least texted him or something.
At first, after going to Finn’s dinner and arriving with the popular senior’s huge group of friends, Jeremy had been feeling pretty good. No one had questioned why Bethany had to arrive late. Instead, everyone had acted impressed—both with the fact that she had a starring role in the ballet and that he was her date.
But after a while, everyone had started dancing and he was now standing by himself near the door.
He felt like a loser.
He was pretty sure that out of everyone in the room, he was the only person who was standing alone. He hated that.
“Jeremy, are you okay?” Mrs. Keeperman asked as she approached.
His favorite teacher, who usually only wore baggy khaki pants, old-school Converse tennis shoes, and sweaters was dressed up in a dark-purple dress. She was even wearing high heels and red lipstick. It was enough to spin him out of the cycle he’d been living in for the last two hours. “Wow, Mrs. K. You look great.”
She rolled her eyes. “Everyone’s been teasing me from the moment I got here. That’s what I get for not wearing my usual clothes.”
He shrugged. “Maybe so, but you still look nice.” Feeling like a dork, he said, “Are you having a good time?”
“Even though I’ve almost tripped twice, I’m pretty sure that I’m having a better time than you are. You look like you’d rather be anywhere else.”
“I’m okay.”
“I could have sworn that you had a date for this shindig. Did I get that wrong . . . ? Or did something happen?”
“No. I do have a date. I mean, I thought I did . . .” His voice drifted off. What was there to say, anyway? He had a plastic container holding a flower corsage in one hand and a silent cell phone in the other. If Bethany had been trying to get a hold of him, she would’ve by now. “I’m probably not going to stay very long.”
Her expression sobered even more. “For what it’s worth, I’m sure sorry about whatever happened. But I’m glad you came here anyway.”
“Why’s that?” The words escaped before he could stop them.
Mrs. Keeperman shrugged. “I’ve always thought we get too much credit for doing the easy stuff. Who cares if you do things that everyone expects you to do or always say the right thing because no one will get mad? But doing that hard stuff? The things that hurt and cause pain and maybe even make someone think twice about you? Well, that’s what counts in the end. At least that’s what I’ve always thought.”
Had he done that? Thinking about learning to survive those other foster placements, it had been hard. Learning to trust Gunnar enough to be himself? That had been harder, but it had been worth it.
Was he doing that now, believing in Bethany and waiting around for her even though she might never show up? Maybe, but he wasn’t sure about that. “Uh, thanks?”
She chuckled. “No problem.” She looked like she was about to say something more but groaned instead. “Oh, great. I just got flagged over by Mr. Pauly. He better not be about to ask me to hunt down some wandering kids. My feet are going to kill me.”
She left without another word, but her grumpy statement had sparked a smile out of him. It looked like she’d been taking her own advice and her “hard stuff” was walking around the gym in high heels.
“Jeremy, what’s going on?” Phillip called out as he and three other guys approached. “Did you not see us waving for you to come over?”
“Sorry, no. I was um just talking to Mrs. Keeperman.”
“We saw,” Mark, another one of his buddies, said. “We decided we better come get you.”
“Why?” He realized then that their dates weren’t standing nearby. Like not at all. “Wait, where are your dates?”
“Ellie, Carson, and Alyssia ran to the bathroom together,” Mark said. “I don’t know where everyone else is.”
“Bethany’s over near the back,” Phillip said.
“What? I didn’t see her come in.”
“That’s what I told her. She walked in the back door and was looking for you. When I saw you were up here, I told her I’d come get you.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
Phillip grinned as they started walking through the crowd. “By the way, you owe me.”
“Because?”
“Because Erik Mason has been circling her like a shark. It’s obvious that she’s sick of him already.”
Craning his head, Jeremy switched from trying to locate Bethany to searching for Erik—who was one of the few guys in the school who made sure to tell Jeremy that he didn’t hang out with foster kids. “What’s Erik been doing? Has he been touching her or something?”
“Not anymore,” Conn
or said. “When he tried to put his arm around her waist, she glared at him.”
“Good. I can’t believe all this has been happening while I was on the other side of the gym.”
“It doesn’t matter. She came here to be your date.”
“Yeah.”
Phillip pulled him over to the side. “Look, I’ve got to go. Carson’s coming back. But listen, Carson has told me what Bethany’s told her. She really likes you, man. You need to stop worrying so much, it’s all good now.”
He nodded as the guys left. Some of their dates looked his way, but to his surprise, none of them were looking at him like they wished he was dead. Instead, a couple of them even almost smiled.
Then, at last, he found Bethany. She was in a dark-red dress that was fitted at the top and had a full skirt that brushed the tops of her knees. Her hair was in a complicated-looking bun. She looked like a ballerina and the prettiest girl in the whole gym.
She was also staring directly at him.
Everything inside of him kind of shut down and then opened again. He liked her. He liked her a lot. And what did it matter if half the school was going to be gossiping about them? They already were.
And hadn’t he been through a whole lot worse? Thinking of Kimber and Gunnar, he felt his cheeks redden. What did a little bit of embarrassment have to do with what they’d just gone through?
All the sudden, he stopped worrying about what everybody thought and started through the crowd.
Jeremy knew the instant Bethany realized he was walking directly toward her. Her eyes widened and then she smiled.
He felt his confidence rise and he picked up his pace. “Sorry,” he murmured as he almost ran over a pair of freshman.
Still obviously watching him, Bethany’s smile grew.
And that had been all he’d needed to see. It was going to be okay. Whatever happened next, it was all going to be okay.
Hopefully.
“Hey,” he said. “I’m really sorry I didn’t see you walk in. I was standing at the other door.”
“It’s okay. I meant to look for you right away, but everyone started talking to me. And my phone died. I’m sorry I didn’t text you.”
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