Shattered & Mended (Shaken Series)

by Julie Bailes

  “We tell her not to talk to strangers,” he chuckles.

  “I’m not much of a stranger,” I smirk. “Do you mind?” I ask, reaching for Lacy. He shakes his head and allows me to take her by the hand.

  I take her small hand in mine and kiss the back of it. “Pleasure to meet you, princess,” I smile, looking deep into her captivating eyes.

  “My daddy calls me pawincess,” she says shyly. I knew that she’d be here, so I stopped and picked up a small gift for her. Her eyes travel from mine to the pink poodle in my hand.

  “You like puppies?” I ask. She nods as she sways side-to-side. “How about pink? You like pink puppies?” I ask, warming her up to me.

  “Pink’s my favowite colow,” she replies, nipping at her lip.

  “It’s yours for a hug,” I bribe, holding the pink pup up to my chest. She looks up to Dr. Ruben and he nods, letting her know that it’s okay for her to hug me.

  I open my arms, and she jumps into them. Her small arms squeeze my neck, and I hold her tight. “Thank you,” she whispers beside my ear.

  “You’re welcome, princess.” I kiss her forehead before letting her go. I thought nothing could compare to the pain I felt when I walked out on Allie all those years ago, but releasing Lacy tops that pain—tenfold. She clutches the stuffed animal to her chest and runs back to cling to Dr. Ruben’s leg. I stand up and thank him silently. He acknowledges my thanks with a smile and quick nod just before we’re called back for testing.

  We get back into the lab and Lacy begins to cry. I ask the nurse to give me a minute and walk over to see what’s bothering my little beauty. I bend down so we’re eye level. “What’s wrong, beautiful,” I ask, swiping her hair away from her face.

  “I don’t want a shot,” she whines.

  I’ve known her all of ten minutes, and she owns me. My heart breaks at her fear, and my only instinct is to protect her and take her away from this place, but then I’d never have her in my arms.

  “Sweetheart, they’re not giving you a shot. They just want to stick a Q-tip inside your cheek. Would you like to watch me? I can go first,” I convince. She squeezes her puppy tight and nods. She takes my hand and follows me back inside the lab. I take my seat and lift her into my lap.

  I open my mouth and let the lab technician swab the insides of my cheeks. Once they’re finished, it’s Lacy’s turn. “Are you ready?” She shakes her head no. “It doesn’t hurt, not one bit. Actually, it tickles. Are you ticklish?” I reach out and tickle her belly, and just as I guessed, she’s just as ticklish as her mother. “See, she’s only going to tickle your cheeks. Promise.”

  She opens her mouth wide, and the technician swabs her cheeks just as she did mine. “All done. Normally it takes three days, but it can take up to ten to get the results. Once they’re in, we’ll send them over,” she informs.

  The three of us walk out into the parking lot, and Dr. Ruben places Lacy into her booster seat. He shuts the door and turns to face me, his eyes misting over. “She’s my daughter, you know. You can’t come through like a tornado and tear our lives apart. I’m her daddy … Me, not you,” he hisses, fighting back the tears that threaten his eyes.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Ruben. She’s mine. I’m sorry to hurt you and your wife, but that precious girl belongs to me,” I affirm. I reach out to shake his hand, hoping there’s no hard feelings.

  He eyes my hand as if it’s covered in thorns. “I’m not your friend, Mr. Cooper,” he snarls, climbing into his car. No, we aren’t friends, but I respect him for taking care of my daughter. Before I’m able to respond with my own smart-ass remark, my phone vibrates, and Al’s name displays on my screen.

  “Allie,” I answer.

  “Hey,” she breathes.

  “Are you okay?” I ask concerned. It’s unlike her to call me. Usually I’m harassing her. And for a moment, I think I might be hallucinating, but then she hangs up. I speed dial her and she picks up on the second ring but doesn’t say anything. “Allie, don’t hang up. Talk to me,” I urge.

  “I shouldn’t have called,” she sighs.

  “No, I’m happy you called. How are you?” Her silence has me on edge and praying she doesn’t end the call, again. Knowing how to talk to her and not scare her off is like knowing how to walk on glass without getting cut.

  “I’m bored out of my mind,” she groans. “My mom’s working, Blake’s on call and sleeping at the hospital, Carson’s out of town, and well … I just need some human interaction,” she adds.

  I may be her last option, but I’m still an option nonetheless. At least she finally called, and that’s all that matters to me.

  “You could always come home. We can hang out, and I’ll feed you all the ice cream you want,” I propose.

  “Hum, tempting… seriously, I shouldn’t have called, but I’m lonely. Blake’s gone most of the time. I’m on bed rest, and I’ve watched every series Netflix has,” she complains. “I can’t believe I’m asking you this, but do you think you could come pick me up?” she mumbles, nervously.

  “You know I will. What’s the address?” She tells me the address, and thirty minutes later, I’m outside of Blake’s gated community. I have to call Allie and have her let me in. I pull into his drive and honk my horn. She asked that I wait for her in the Jeep, because she feels uncomfortable inviting me in without Blake’s approval, and that will never happen.

  When she comes out of, I jump out and go around to help her up into my Jeep. Lifting her is easy as always, but getting her situated is a pain in the ass. Her stomach’s grown since I last saw her almost a month ago. She finally gets comfortable and buckles up, and then we’re off to Lucille’s. “Damn, girl, you having Hulk’s babies?” I jest.

  She snaps her head and gives me that glare that’s evil enough to make the devil duck his head between his legs and run for cover. “Just kiddin’. Calm down, butterfly,” I laugh, reaching over and giving her swollen tummy a rub.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just, everyone keeps telling me how big I am, but the doctor says I’m not big enough. And this,” she says, picking my hand up away from her stomach and shoving it back into my lap, “everyone and their damn mommas wants to touch it. I feel like a fucking science project!” She’s hardly five-feet-three with a small frame and perfectly-round basketball belly, and I can’t help but smile at how irritated she gets from her own cuteness. “Serious as shit, Wyatt, stop smiling! And if I hear one more person tell me I look like I’m due any day, I’ll have no other choice than to chop their ass in the throat.”

  “How long you plan on staying at the house?” I question, quickly changing the subject.

  “Just tonight, I think. I don’t know. I don’t want Blake to think he’s done something to scare me off, because he hasn’t. I love being with him, but he’s hardly ever home. And when he’s home, he’s so exhausted that all he does is sleep, and even then he gets paged and has to leave. Residents are the attendees’ little bitches,” she rants.

  I bite my lip to contain my smile, but her frustration amuses me. I don’t bother saying a word the rest of the way home; I just listen. Besides, I didn’t want her to ask for me to turn around and take her back to his house.

  When we’re in the house, and she’s settled beside me on the couch, I decide to share one of the best moments of my life with her. “I saw Lacy last week.” I approach her cautiously and brace myself for her fury, but she doesn’t release her wrath.

  “Yeah? Why?” she asks curiously.

  “DNA test. The judge said it was mandatory in order to move forward with the case.” She pulls her legs up onto the couch, and I help her cover up with a fleece from the back of the couch.

  “She’s so damn beautiful. Her hair’s as dark as yours. Her eyes are bluer than mine, and her skin tone’s a beautiful combination of ours. Anyone could tell by looking at her that we made her,” I brag.

  “I’m sure,” she sighs, pushing herself from the couch to walk to the kitchen. I follow behind her,
basically walking on egg shells, trying my best not to piss her off.

  She rummages through the freezer and pulls out a carton of ice cream. She removes the lid and digs in. “Did I upset you?” She takes a bite of her weakness and shakes her head.

  “Nope. I’m over it. I figured what’s meant to be will be, but I don’t think you’ll get her,” she expresses.

  “Well, I have to admit, I don’t think I’ll get her either, but I pray I do,” I agree.

  “Did you get to talk to her? Touch her?” she questions.

  “Yeah, but not for long. I gave her a stuffed animal in exchange for a hug, and I held her in my lap while they swabbed her cheek,” I reflect, remembering how protective I felt over her.

  She frowns and jabs the ice cream with her spoon. “I’d sell my soul to the devil in exchange to rewind time, just to go back and keep her in my arms,” she murmurs. “For years, I’ve dreamt of what it’d be like to see her again, to hold her in my arms. It’s been so long, I can’t remember the feeling. I tried to hold onto her smell and the warmth of her touch, but I can’t feel or smell her anymore.” Tears fill her eyes as she speaks.

  “And as much as I don’t want you to have her, I want her to be with you even more. Does that make sense?” Going over to her, I wipe away her tears and pull her head into my chest.

  “Don’t cry, baby,” I comfort, massaging the back of her head with my fingertips. I hold her for several minutes, until she’s finished crying. She puts the ice cream back in the freezer and heads up for a nap.

  As she’s napping, I get a call from an unknown number. I answer it and cringe at the voice that travels through the line. “Listen, we need to talk. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I’ll be there in about five minutes.” FUCK! This isn’t happening, not now.

  “Fuck no, not—” She kills the call before I finish talking. Stupid whore.

  Ten minutes later, Sophie’s beating on the door demanding entrance. I stumble over my feet twice trying to get to the door before she wakes Allie. “What?” I hiss, backing her out onto the porch.

  “Pipe down; I’m not here to cause any trouble.” Please, trouble’s her middle name.

  “Just say what you came here to say and get the fuck away from here,” I growl.

  “Ah, he growls … I like it. It’s sexy,” she purrs, clawing at me like a cougar.

  “Back off,” I warn.

  “Lighten up, sheesh,” she huffs.

  “It’s cold, can we go inside?” she asks, shivering.

  “No. Allie’s upstairs resting, and we’re not disturbing her.”

  “That’s why I’m here. She won’t talk to me. We need to figure out how to tell her … you know, about us.”

  “There is no ‘us’. Get that shit straight right fuckin’ now. And there’s nothing to figure out. You fucking drugged me.”

  Her mouth falls open and color drains from her face. “What? You thought I wouldn’t figure it out? I did, and Allie knows that it was you who did it,” I seethe.

  “You can’t prove shit. Women don’t drug men, especially not this one. In case you haven’t noticed—which I know you have—I don’t need to drug a man in order for him to tap this,” she argues, motioning along her body. “Allie would never pick your side over mine. She hates every cell within your body. And with your monster-type frame, she’s packing a lot of hatred for you, baby,” she smirks.

  “You’re a vindictive, evil bitch,” I spit. She brings her foot up to kick me in the boys, but I block her kick and shove her leg down to the ground. “US Marine, in case you forgot. There’s only one woman allowed to go anywhere near my nuts, and it sure as hell ain’t you,” I ensure her.

  “Already been there,” she winks.

  I’ve never had the urge to hit a woman, ever. However, this bitch has me reconsidering my morals. Just before I open my mouth, I hear the door open. My heart falls deep into the pit of my stomach when I turn and see Allie’s head peeking out the door. “Ah, hell,” she mutters, slamming the door and going back inside.

  “You need to leave,” I demand, rushing inside to Allie.

  “What’s she doin’ here?” Allie asks. I hear heels click against the hardwoods in the foyer.

  “If you’d answer your damn phone, I wouldn’t have to do pop-up visits to see if you’re still alive,” Sophie chimes, covering her real motives. Motives I’ve yet to discover.

  Allie turns around a little too fast, and her large belly causes her to lose balance. Thankfully, I have quick reflexes, and I’m able to catch her before she falls.

  “Holy shit, girl! Ohmygod! You’re fucking huge,” Sophie exclaims, acknowledging Allie’s swollen middle. Oh shit, here we go. Out of all the things this chick could say, she starts off by telling Al how big she is. Before Allie’s steady on her feet, I feel a growl rise from deep within her, and I feel heat radiating off her body.

  “I don’t want to talk to you!” Allie roars.

  “Why? I already apologized to you for sleeping with a guy I didn’t even know you had connections with. I didn’t know Cooper was your Wyatt! Get over it, for crying out loud! And if you wouldn’t have been so secretive about the asshole from you past, then maybe I would’ve known to keep my distance. Goddammit, I’m fucking sorry. But can’t you see that I didn’t do anything wrong?” Sophie wails.

  Allie walks across the room and gets as close as she can to Sophie’s face. “You didn’t do anything wrong?”

  Sophie shakes her head.

  Allie bows her head and swallows so hard, I hear it from across the room. Al puts her hands on either side of her lower back, nods slowly, and sucks her teeth. “So, you didn’t buy him drink after drink? Grind him on the dance floor? It wasn’t you who slipped ecstasy in his beer?” Allie challenges.

  Sophie stands in shock, completely speechless.

  “So he was right, huh?”

  Nothing but silence.

  “I didn’t want to believe you’d stoop so low to get what you wanted. Yeah, you’ve joked about it … but I never thought you’d actually drug anyone,” Allie’s voice breaks as tears glide down her cheeks. “How could you, Soph? Why can’t you just take no for an answer, huh? You always have to get what you can’t have, no matter whose life you fuck up getting it. I loved you like a sister, just as much as I loved Kyle,” Al cries.

  “I … I—I didn’t know you knew him. You know I wouldn’t have slept with him if I knew,” Sophie stutters.

  “It doesn’t matter if you knew or not, Sophie! Jesus, he’s human. You know its rape, right? It’s no different than a man drugging you and taking advantage of you while you’re under the influence. Please, tell me you realize it’s the same scenario,” Allie sobs.

  My heart squeezes from her heartache. I know what it feels like to lose your best friend, and this is tearing her into pieces. “You know, you’re lucky he isn’t having your ass put in jail,” Allie says.

  “There are a few reasons that’d never happen. One, it’d be impossible to prove someone as small and beautiful as I am would be capable of rape. And another reason—the most important one—I didn’t admit to anything,” Sophie argues, giving me a once-over with her hands on her hips.

  “Yeah, you’re beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, you’re a cold-hearted bitch. And I don’t need you to admit to putting ecstasy in his drinks; your stunned doe-eyes and silence spoke for you,” Allie mumbles, utterly disappointed. Allie grabs the banister and starts up the steps. Looking to me with pleading eyes, she says “Wyatt, please get her out of here.”

  I nod, letting her know I’ll take care of her.

  She vanishes up the stairs, and I make way over and open the door, gesturing for Sophie to leave. She stomps across the foyer and stops to once me over. “You can blame it on the ex, but you wanted it,” she hisses.

  “Sweetheart, my desire to have you is as strong as my desire to swallow lava. There is none,” I assure her.

  She throws her hand up and continues to stomp acros
s the yard until she’s in her car. She burns rubber as she pulls away from the house. Once her car’s out of sight, and I’m sure she isn’t returning, I go inside and run up to Allie.

  When I enter her room, I see her sitting in the middle of her floor, hugging a pillow and sobbing. I spread my legs and sit behind her, tangling my legs with hers. I wrap my arms around her middle and rest my chin on top of her head. I don’t bother asking her how she’s holding up; her sobs tell me she’s hurting. And I don’t lie and tell her everything’s okay, because I know that it’s not, at least not right now.

  The next hour, we sit in silence, all except for her sniffs and heaves. I rock her gently and let her warm tears splatter against my forearms. It’s not until she places her hands on top of mine to still them that I realize I’ve been unknowingly rubbing her stomach. Almost immediately, I feel movement. It’s not a kick or a punch; it’s a roll, as if one of the babies is rubbing the palm of my hand.

  My heart races and I hold my breath. This moment between us is intimate, burning into my memory of our forever moments. I don’t really know why I’m holding my breath, but I’m scared if I make the slightest movement, she’ll realize it’s me and push me away.

  “I want to try something,” she whispers, looking back to me.

  “Okay,” I breathe, finally letting go of the breath I’ve been holding.

  She removes my hands and stares down at her belly. About a minute later, she replaces my hands in their previous position. “Okay, rub them,” she instructs. I don’t ask questions, I just do as she says. I tenderly caress her bump up and down. She places her hands on top of mine and places them so I’m cupping the sides of her stomach, and I feel the movement again.

  “What is that? I mean, what are they doin’?” I ask curiously. My voice is so low it’s almost inaudible.

  “I don’t exactly know what they’re doing, but this one seems to react to your touch,” she says, barely above a whisper, pressing my hand deeper into her right side.