“I’ll handle her,” he said nonchalantly.
“Let me know how that works out for you.” I cocked my head to the side.
After he left, I hit the call light to request a nurse. A woman wearing royal blue scrubs who appeared to be in her thirties entered a moment later.
“Hi, I’m Dodi. I just came on shift and was about to come introduce myself and do an evening assessment. What can I do for you?” She held my chart and seemed chipper.
“I’m Avery. I was wondering if you could unhook me from the monitor. I’ve been using a bedside toilet, but I think I’m ready to walk to the bathroom. It’s time I looked in a mirror.”
She nodded. “I can help you. Expect a lot of bruising. The repair around your eye looks healthy, although you may not think so. It’s normal for the purple to start turning colors. Dark purple, greens, and yellows will come. The plastic surgeon said you are going to have very little scarring, if any, once this heals.”
Dodi lowered the bedrail while she spoke and removed five telemetry pads from my chest. “Dangle your legs on the side of the bed and get your bearings before you try to stand. Let’s make sure you’re not dizzy.”
I did as she directed and shook my head. “I’m good.”
“Ready whenever you are. Hold on to my arm if you need to.”
I stood without assistance, without any discomfort, but walking was another story. My muscles screamed, and my back hurt where that asshole had kicked me and thrown me to the floor, treating me like a ragdoll.
We entered the bathroom and I gasped at my reflection. The entire left side of my face was swollen, and a patch covered the stitches. The nurse removed the bandage, giving me a good look at the wound. Beneath the bandage, my eye was nearly swollen shut.
“I heard about your story. We’re all glad you were able to get away.”
“Thank you. How much longer do you think I’ll be in here? I need to get to Houston.”
Her eyes widened. “I think you’ll go home tomorrow, with a follow-up in seven to ten days to get your stitches removed. It’s probably best you not travel until after your follow-up.”
“That’s not going to happen. I have something important to take care of.”
If Stone couldn’t come to me, I was going to him.
Chapter 35
After I was discharged from the hospital two days later, my parents drove me to Dovie’s. My mom insisted I ride in the front seat, reclined back a bit for comfort, and she’d even brought a blanket for me to cover up with. She climbed in the back seat, giddy and on cloud nine that I’d finally been released.
The ride from the East University Medical Center took a little less than an hour, giving us plenty of time to chat. My dad squeezed my hand. “I know you miss him.”
My jaw tensed. I wondered how much more could life be unfair to us, why bad shit kept us apart. Nodding, I whispered, “Very much.”
He patted the top of my hand where it rested on the console. “It’ll all be over soon.”
Soon wasn’t fast enough.
“Has someone prepared Savannah for how my ‘boo-boos’ look?” I turned down the mirror on the visor and took a quick peek. A bandage covered my eye, protecting the surgical incision. “My face is a mess. It’s as purple as that stuffed Barney doll I used to sleep with.”
“Dovie and I talked with her this morning,” my mom said softly. “We sat out on the porch swing for a long while, preparing her so she wouldn’t be so surprised.”
“I guess I won’t know how she’s going to react until she sees me.” I flipped the visor up and shifted my arms across my chest. “Stone’s been gone for what, four days now? Has anyone heard from him? I sure as hell haven’t.”
I felt deflated, lost without him. I ached to hear his voice, to hear him tell me this would be over soon. I needed him to hold me, to make me feel safe again. If he went back to prison, I’d wait for him. I’d wait for however long it took him to come back.
My dad gripped the steering wheel at the two o’clock and ten o’clock positions, keeping his focus on the highway. I almost chuckled at him biting back his reprimand, as if I were still that rebellious little girl he used to give the third degree about telling right from wrong.
“The nurse told me and your mom that you want to go to Houston. Honey, I know how strongly you feel about it, and after all you’ve been through, I want to make that happen. However, you should wait until the doctor releases you. When they do, I’ll drive you myself.”
“I miss him, Dad. I miss talking to him. I need him to hold me and make me forget that awful man, what almost happened…”
He took my hand and squeezed it at the same time my mother gently placed her hand on my shoulder. “He didn’t…sexually assault you?
I sucked in a deep breath. “No. So many times, I thought he was going to, but he didn’t.”
My mother let out a sigh of relief, and it was as if I could feel bricks being lifted from her chest. She cried softly in the seat behind me, her hand stroking my shoulder until we turned in the driveway.
I glanced over at the man who had always been my rock. In a swift motion, he wiped the corner of his eye with his forefinger. I was taken aback, because there’d only been two other times in my life I’d ever seen him cry—when he’d stepped down from the pulpit, and the day Savannah was born.
As we came to a stop behind my car, I saw both Chad and Garrett were playing a game with Savannah, and it curled my lips into a smile. They had Dovie’s old croquet set out, the one she’d taught me to play with when I was about Savannah’s age.
Before I even unfastened my seatbelt, the guys were at the side of the car, opening the door for me. Savannah darted toward me, stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes wide as saucers.
“Does that hurt Mama?”
“Nope. I’m all better now. By next week, I’ll be good as new.”
“Like the doctor makes me better?”
“Yes, like you, only they didn’t give me pretty little stickers like you, lucky girl.”
I hoped the shine in her eyes indicated I’d eased her fears. I took her small hand in mine and we walked down the beautiful hydrangea-lined sidewalk together. My parents and the entire Mitchell family surrounded me, walking with us, shrouding me in a circle of what felt like love.
“I’m okay, you know,” I chided, biting back a smile. “My legs aren’t broken and I don’t have a head injury, so I think I can manage to make it inside without eight people assisting me.”
“Missy, there are already enough grey hairs underneath all this color. You just keep marching forward until I can get you tucked into bed, and zip it up, dear.” Dovie’s eyes twinkled.
My steps faltered and several sets of hands reached toward me, trying to keep me from falling. I squeezed Savannah’s hand before dropping it and took my own path toward my sweet Dovie. I hadn’t seen her since my hellish nightmare, but my mother had told me Dovie had been in pieces and wouldn’t leave Savannah.
Tears gathered in my eyes as I threw my arms around her neck. She cradled my head to her chest, rubbing the back of my hair in gentle loving strokes. For the first time since showing up with Savannah, I felt at ease.
“Child, I’m so thankful you’re going to be okay. There are so many things I want to say, and I will, but it can wait. Just know how much I love you sweet girl.”
“I love you Dovie. I love you so much.” I squeezed her tight.
Ten minutes later, I finally had the last word after they all decided I was going to lie down in the bedroom. I wanted to be in the recliner by the window, and Chad retrieved a colorful afghan from the back of the couch then draped it over my legs in the chair I’d demanded.
“Thank you,” I said as he joined Garrett on the floor. Both leaned against the fireplace, legs stretched out in front of them.
One by one, I shifted my gaze to each person in the room. There was something peculiar in the air, something I couldn’t put my finger on, but I knew things felt off. I sen
sed it from everyone except for Savannah, who lay on the floor with her new colored pencils and paper.
“Who’s talked to Stone?” I asked.
Dovie rocked in her glider. “I’ve spoken with him once. He’s doing as well as can be expected.”
I fastened my eyes on hers for a long moment, expecting more information. I wanted to know when he was coming home, if he was going to have to go back to prison.
Oh God, how I need to hear to his voice.
“That’s it? That’s all you can tell me?” Tilting my head to the side, I added, “When is he supposed to call again?”
Mr. Mitchell cleared his throat. “It’s been killing him, not being here for you, Avery. I spoke with him this morning and he’s intending to talk to you this afternoon. Be patient. We’re all hoping for a chance to hear his voice.”
Swallowing, I licked my lips. “I hope so too. I can’t stop thinking about Tessa coming forward with the truth. I mean, it has to mean something in his favor.”
“It was all in my favor.” Stone stepped from behind the dividing wall between the living area and the dining room. Until he moved like the beautiful jaguar I knew him to be, I thought my eyes were deceiving me.
Shocked, I gaped at his wickedly handsome smile and brilliant ocean blue eyes. Frantically, I grasped the wooden recliner handle and lowered my feet to the floor. Pain shot through my back, but I didn’t care. The man who made me feel more alive than oxygen had come home. My heart screamed as joy and happiness exploded in my chest.
“Stone. Oh my God, Stone! You’re here!” I gasped, throwing myself in his arms.
Laughs, murmurs, and hushed whispers filled the room, but they were worlds away. Him clutching me in a loving embrace was the only thing that mattered.
“Are you okay baby? I’m scared I’m going to hurt you.”
“I’m good. I’m better than good. I’m perfect now.”
He ran his hand down the length of my spine, and the thought of him letting go terrified me to my bones. I clenched the back of his shirt, drawing the fabric tight in my fists. A rush of happy tears rolled down my cheeks.
“I’m so sorry I let you down. I’m so damned sorry I let him get to you, let him hurt you,” he whispered in my ear.
“No, don’t you dare. You’ve blamed yourself for everything, but I won’t let you this time.”
He drew back, putting one too many inches between us. Cupping his hand under my chin, he captured my gaze. “Our little girl is about to break free from Garrett’s hold.”
I motioned for her to come over, and her eyes lit up as if sparklers danced in them. She looped her arms around our legs, squealing. She didn’t know where he had been or the hell I’d been through, but she was happy we were all together.
Chapter 36
As Stone closed the door to his room, not caring what anyone thought about us sharing the same room, I breathed in life. All my fears subsided. When Daryl had kidnapped me, death had knocked on my door, giving me a taste of an agonizing, tortured ending. Being rescued had delivered me from the ordeal, but being wrapped in Stone’s arms rendered my mind, body, and soul back to life with the gift of peace.
“Let me look at you.” He took in every detail of my face, down my neck, and to my chest.
Splotches of purple and green marked my arms, and ligature marks circled my wrists and ankles. Carefully, he grasped the hem of my tank, pulling it over my head. I wore a sports bra for comfort, and boot markings stamped my midsection. Stone’s eyes misted and he swallowed hard.
“Damn that fucking bastard to hell. If he weren’t already dead, I’d blow his fucking brains out myself.”
He lifted my hands to his mouth, trailing kisses to where the ties had left marks. Next, he kneeled before me, circling his arms around me and pressing his face against my abdomen. I cradled his head, feeling the wetness from his eyes on my skin. No longer holding my own tears behind the dam I’d erected, I wept.
Time stood still as we unleashed every drop of grief to vanish in the shadows of the past. From that moment on, I wanted all the ugliness to stay gone and forgotten. We lived for now. For tomorrow. For our future.
“I love you, Avery. I love you more than anything in the world and should have told you before. I knew it, but I was scared, scared of loving you and losing you again. Little did I know how close I was to losing you forever.” He shook his head. “If anything ever happened to you…I can’t…I can’t even fathom it. I feared the man I’d become in all the lies. I’ve loved you since as far back as I can remember, and having a second chance with you is like having a second chance at life.”
“I love you too, so much it hurts. Now, get up, Stone. I want you to kiss me.”
He stood at lightning speed, but then stopped as if he’d been slapped. His gaze lingered on the split in my bruised lip. Stone traced the pad of his thumb over it, making small sweeping motions as if trying to erase the evidence.
“Every mark on you makes me want to take him apart piece by piece. Blowing his brains out was too easy.”
I swallowed hard. “We’re moving forward Stone, not backward. There’s no room for Daryl Kline in our lives, not anymore.”
“When you disappeared, I thought you were getting ready to surprise me with another dance. I looked around and thought you were playing a prank, a fucking joke, and I laughed. I sat there, not making a move off the seat, thinking you were going to jump out at me and make some goofy noise like you were trying to scare the shit out of me. While I sat there doing nothing, he rowed that fucking boat far from the bank. Once he made it past that little island Cotton always called his duck sanctuary, it was over. I couldn’t have seen you if it were daylight.” He jammed his hand into his pocket, drawing out Savannah’s birthstone ring. “When the deputy found this, it had already been a few hours…enough time for him to hurt you in damaging ways.”
“He didn’t, Stone. Other than his disgusting groping, I didn’t go through anything like that.”
He sighed in deep relief. “Thank God. The Texas Ranger came in and together with the sheriff, they found the Kline property. We were already in route to that shack where we found you when your text came through, and once we got there, the Ranger threatened to cuff me in the car if I didn’t stay put on my own free will. He never told me he already knew I was in violation of my parole. Thankfully he put your rescue before my fate.”
“I heard what Tessa did on the news, but after that, I refused to watch it. I was too afraid of what was going to happen and I wanted to hear it from you, or if not from you, then from family. Speaking of family, I’m assuming they knew you were coming home.”
“Yes. Don’t be mad, I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to be the one to tell you I was coming home…in person.” He tenderly caressed my cheek.
I leaned into the palm of his hand, nuzzling my face against him. “I’m too happy to be pissed. I love you, Stone. I love you so much.”
“When you get well, we’re going on a real date. A nice dinner, movie, St. Lucia—wherever you want to go.”
“When I get well, you’re going to take me to bed. We can go on a date any time.”
“My girl has a streak of wickedness in her, and I’d chase your brand of wicked through the streets of sin to have you.”
“Remember when you blindfolded me? Or the time you used ice to drive me into flames? That’s the kind of wicked I’d chase. I crave it.”
He groaned, “Damn Ave, we gotta stop talking about that. All I can see is you writhing underneath me and your body milking mine dry.”
Laughter echoed from downstairs into Stone’s room, and a high-pitched “Halleluiah!” caught my attention.
“Shit! Lindsey’s here.”
“Let me help you get dressed. Thirty minutes, Ave. I know I can’t make you go to bed without seeing her, but you need to rest so you can heal.”
“Thirty minutes—not because I need healing, but because I want to feel your body lying close to mine.”
Chapte
r 37
Six months later
On the first day of Christmas break, Savannah and I flew to Houston. Neither Stone nor I liked the long-distance relationship, but I was under contract with the school and was obligated to fulfill it for the remainder of the year, and Stone had to be in Houston at least a day or two each week.
Surrounded by a wall of windows overlooking downtown, I twirled in front of the mirror, admiring the black bandage dress that hugged my curves and had the perfect hourglass effect. The off-the-shoulder neckline and short sleeves were perfect for the unpredictable ‘winter’ weather in Texas. Lifting my leg up behind me, I nodded in approval at the come-fuck-me six-inch black stilettos.
“You look gorgeous,” Stone said.
He leaned against the door wearing a designer white shirt with the first three buttons unfastened, and a sleek black tie hung loose around his neck. He looked sexy as fuck. Entranced, I took in his messy light brown hair and lips, which were tempting beyond measure. Black slacks clung to his body, tailor made, and the way he stood sent waves of tingles through me.
“You’re looking quite edible yourself.” Barely able to stand still, I drew the berry lipstick over my lips.
“Careful, Ave. I can’t promise not to throw you across the bed and have you for an early dessert.”
“I guess I’ll have to be on my best behavior since Clare is downstairs helping Savannah get dressed.” I pouted with a playful smile. “I’ll try to keep my thoughts to myself, like ones about what you might do to me with that tie of yours. Maybe you would cover my eyes, or bind my wrists to the bed and make me belong to you in every way.”
He slid the tie from around his neck, taking sauntering steps toward me like a graceful predator coming in for the kill. He cupped my ass and walked me backward until my backside pressed against the wall of windows. His mouth claimed mine, making me forget all about Savannah, Clare, and the formal dinner waiting for us.
Chasing Wicked (The Mitchell Brothers - Wicked Series Book 1) Page 25
