by Kimi Flores
I shook my head. “Can you imagine me living in Santa Barbara permanently? I would be so bored, I'd want to kick my own ass out of town.” I chuckled before pain radiated everywhere, reminding me to remain still. “Ouch—shit that hurts.”
Caleb tapped my calf. “Well you may not have a choice, brother. You’ve got a long road ahead, and you can’t do it alone. I've already talked to your dad about having you move in with us until you’re better.” A smug smile appeared on his lips.
I grimaced. From the pain and the idea of going back there. “Thanks man, but you know my life is here. I can recover at my apartment and still work from there.” Move to Santa Barbara and be around Leah all the time? No way in hell.
Caleb gave me one of his famous ‘stop being such a dumbshit’ glares. “You mean the apartment that was broken into, and where you were left for dead?”
Suddenly alarmed at the thought of those fuckers coming back to finish what they’d started, my plan changed. “I can stay at my parent's until I recuperate. Hey, by the way, who found me? I blacked out before I could call anyone.”
Leaning his elbow on the bedside food tray, Caleb explained. “One of your neighbors noticed your front door wide open, so he went inside and found you, then called nine-one-one.”
That made sense. Nobody was planning on visiting me when I got back. Except for Lisa, of course. I wrinkled my face at that thought, causing further pain.
I nodded to myself. It was still so hard to believe. I almost—died.
Abby came back in, speaking softly, “Since it’s already after midnight, your mom said they’ll be here tomorrow during visiting hours.” She tried to put a smile on her face, but I could tell it was forced.
Caleb saw it, too.
Neither of us were taken aback by this news. Both of our parents were very hands-off when it came to family.
Caleb turned and whispered to Abby, “Call Leah, too.”
“I already did,” she quietly replied, avoiding my gaze.
“Leah?” I asked, a little too enthusiastically. I tried to sit up, but failed when I felt the pain shooting up my arm.
Caleb grabbed the remote on my lap and put me into a more upright position. He was giving me the dirtiest look. “Yeah, for whatever reason, she was also concerned about you.”
Oh shit. Caleb knows.
“You can imagine how pissed I was after I thought I was pretty damn clear, but—” A bit of that earlier concern returned. “For now, you need your rest. We’ll talk later.” There was no question that talk would happen, and soon.
I gulped. That talk wouldn’t be fun, that’s for damn sure.
I thought about the fact that Abby and Caleb traveled all this way and slept in uncomfortable hospital chairs, just to make sure I was okay. “You guys rest, too. You don’t have to stay. I'm really tired.” I could already feel my one good eyelid slowly lowering, and my mind drifting away.
Abby glanced at her husband, looking for direction.
He sighed. “We don't want to leave you alone, but Abby could really use the sleep. She’s been awake more than me. We’ve got a room already, but we’ll be back first thing in the morning. Call my cell if you need me, no matter what time. Let me know if you want us to bring you anything tomorrow.”
“Okay. I'll call if I think of anything. Thanks, brother.”
They took turns gingerly hugging me, then left me for the night.
⁂
There was no way I was going to get a good night’s sleep in this hospital. I was out of it because of the pain meds but couldn’t manage to actually fall asleep. It was so difficult to move and whenever I drifted off, someone came in to examine, poke, prod, take my blood pressure or change my IV.
The little sleep I did manage to get was filled with nightmares, memories of me being beaten to a bloody pulp. The last one really disturbed me because Leah was in it, and she was the one who got attacked.
Breakfast came, but it was a disgusting blob of god only knows what, so I decided to pass. I wasn't really hungry, which surprised me. After not eating for two days, I thought I’d be starving. Even with all the medication pumping into my IV, all I felt was non-stop agony.
It wasn't until I was fully awake that a thought hit me. Do those guys know they didn’t kill me? They were still out there. As much as I didn’t want to, I realized that I may have to take Caleb up on his offer. I’d try my own plan first, though.
Closing my right eye, I removed the eye patch to test the sight, tensing when there was no change. They’d already operated, but I couldn't see a thing out of that eye. There was only complete darkness. I started to panic when I heard the familiar sound of my parents bickering all the way down the hall. Opening my good eye, I set the eye patch in place, and looked at my immaculately dressed mother and father, Sheila and Alec Hunter.
“You made us worry, Stefen Alexander,” my mother accused, as though this was my fault. She also knew I hated being called by my middle name. “You look awful.” She fisted her hip. “They didn't even have the courtesy to give you a shave.”
My mother’s greeting was not a surprise, so I paid her no attention as I turned to my father.
Patting my healthy arm, dad asked, “How are you feeling, son?” Although caught in the same ostentatious, self-absorbed world, my father was much more compassionate than mother, uncle, or aunt.
“Not so good, Pop. Hey where’s Bri?” I hadn't spoken to my sister since she’d left Santa Barbara last weekend. But now that I thought of it, I was surprised she wasn’t here.
My father sighed before my mom gave her two cents. “We didn't want to unnecessarily bother Brianna. She just left for Paris with Kaiden, and we need to give her an opportunity with him. Who knows, he may actually settle for her.”
It pissed me off when mother talked about Bri that way, as if she was such a disappointment. Sheila Hunter had done that our whole lives.
My dad seemed bothered by that statement as well, but he’d never stood up for either of us. Turning to me, he spoke with true concern, “I talked to Caleb, and we think you should move out of this area. At least for a while. We’re working on finding out what happened. We have private detectives investigating, along with the police department. You and I both know that Delgado is behind this, but we have to build a case against him before we proceed with anything. The apartment's security camera caught three of them entering and exiting.”
I shook my head. “I don't want to run away, Pop. Can't I just stay with you guys until this all blows over? I'll even move out of my apartment and get a new one later.”
Moving in with Caleb meant being close to Leah once more, and I couldn’t do that to her. I’d already inflicted enough pain on her. Plus, I’ll lose my damn mind if I ever saw her with another guy.
My father looked at me, disapproving. “I don't think that’s a good idea. You’re vulnerable here in Chicago. You would be safer in Santa Barbara with your cousin.”
“Can I think about it, at least?” It sounded like my parents had already made this decision without me. I’m an adult. I make my own fucking decisions. But I had to at least heed my father’s advice.
“Mr. Hunter?” A uniformed officer appeared from behind the privacy curtain.
“Yes,” both dad and I answered.
The officer addressed me as he flipped open a small pad of paper. “I'm Officer Nichols and need to take a statement. What exactly occurred at your apartment? Please give me everything you know, every aspect is important.”
Although difficult, I explained the events that I could remember. Caleb and Abby entered in the middle of my story. Sucking in a sob, Abby was visibly upset by the details. Caleb lovingly wrapped his arm around her waist to comfort her.
“Did you see anyone else that evening?” Officer Nichols inquired.
I didn’t want to answer, but also understood that now was not the time to withhold information.
Caleb was glowering at me, like he knew what I was about to say.
; I turned away from him. “Yeah, my, um—” What the hell should I call her? “Ex-girlfriend, Lisa, was there when I got home.” We were never officially a couple, so it felt weird calling her my ex-anything.
Intrigued, the officer pushed for more information. “Ex-girlfriend?” I nodded. “Tell me more. Did she leave on good terms? Did you argue at all?”
“Yeah, well, sort of. She was in my apartment when I got home. I asked her to leave, but she didn’t have anything to do with this. My dad and I have a theory.” I risked a glance at Caleb and Abby who seemed surprised.
Alec Hunter spoke up, “We’re certain that Jose Delgado ordered this. He’s currently serving a life sentence and blames Stefen for losing his case in court. Our firm defended him on several occasions and we were unable to win his murder trial. He made threats which were reported to the police. He’s the top-ranking member of his organization and has plenty of people that would willingly do his bidding.”
Sheila Hunter looked down at her perfectly manicured fingernails, completely bored by the entire thing. As though she didn’t have time for this whole ordeal, and it was cutting into her personal schedule.
Officer Nichols nodded. “I'm familiar with Delgado and his group. I did read something about it in the first report.” He closed the notebook and pocketed his pen. “Okay, I think I have everything I need for now. Please take my card and let me know if you think of anything else.” He started to hand the card to me, when dad snatched it.
“We will, Officer Nichols. Thank you for your time.” My dad shook the officer's hand before he left.
Focusing on me, my father smoothed down his suit jacket. “I need to get into the office. This has become a top priority for everyone, and I have to see where we are with it.” This was how my father showed that he cared. Neither of my parents were touchy feely, but my father would do anything in his power to protect Bri and me.
My mom only said, “Drop me off at New Moon Cafe. I'm meeting Tess for breakfast to talk about our new fundraising campaign.” She waved at me on her way to the door. “Goodbye, son, hope you feel better.” She smiled like she’d just had a brilliant idea. “Oh, and I'll stop by the nurse’s station to tell them you need a shave.”
Shrugging, dad apologized with his eyes, muttering his goodbyes on the way out.
Abby's expression was priceless.
I laughed, then winced. “Ow.” I adjusted a little, nodding to Abby. “Welcome to the family.”
She looked at me, confused.
I smirked. Damn, even that hurts. “I'm assuming that was your first experience with my mother's loving touch?”
Placing her hand on her chest, Abby looked as though she couldn’t believe what had just happened. “Sorry, she was here the other day, but I thought she was just in shock. Her behavior just threw me for a loop.”
“No worries. Caleb and I are used to the way our parents approach things.” I grinned at my cousin but he wasn’t looking too thrilled at the reality of it all.
I had a thought. “Hey, where’s my little squirt anyway?”
“She’s with Leah since her grandparents just left town with Abby’s parents.”
Images of the girls and the day the three of us spent together flooded my mind. If only I could go back in time and undo the shitty things I’d done.
“I can give you a shave if you’d like, Stefen.” Abby looked at Caleb, checking to make sure she wasn't stepping over any ‘Hunter men’ boundaries.
“I actually wasn't aware of the fact that I needed one, until my mom so graciously pointed it out. I'm okay for now. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.” Trailing my fingers along my jawline, I added, “Besides, the scruffy look is in.”
Chapter Ten
Good News Travels Fast
Leah
So much had happened recently that I was having a hard time keeping up. Standing at the counter of my store, I was lost in thought, full of mixed emotions while arranging the flowers for a wedding I’d booked for tomorrow.
Initially, when I’d heard about Stefen, my heart shattered. He’d wrecked me, but I couldn’t help but be affected. In a moment of weakness, I’d called Celeste and agreed to take her up on the offer for the dance space. At the time, I figured it might’ve been one of Stefen’s last acts of kindness.
Once he was out of the woods, I breathed a sigh of relief and was finally able to enjoy my time with Madison. It was fun having the little girl hang out with me at the shop during the day and snuggle with me on the couch, watching TV at night. I couldn’t wait to have my own child one day. I was sad to see her go when Abby and Caleb came home from Chicago and picked her up.
The same week Madison stayed with me, Zachary Evanwood visited my shop. He was such a nice guy and really good with Madison. The little girl had fallen head over heels for him the moment he did that coin behind her ear ‘magic’ trick. She giggled for a good fifteen minutes over it.
Zachary and I mostly spoke business, and he seemed pleased by my design style.
With the exception of Caleb, I wasn't used to men treating me like a lady without expecting something in return, but the vineyard owner was proving to be quite the gentleman. It didn’t feel romantic, though. There was more of a big brother, friendly kind of vibe developing between us.
It didn’t take long for Zachary to bring Stefen up. My chest tightened as I explained what I knew at that point. It didn't matter how upset I’d been with Stefen, nobody deserved what had happened to him.
Breaking me from my trance, Abby strolled into the store, grinning ear to ear.
“What's up, mi amiga?” I put the shears down and rubbed the sticky flower sap on a wet towel that sat on the counter next to me.
Positively glowing, she couldn’t control her enthusiasm. “Can we go up to your apartment?”
“Of course.” I motioned for me to follow through the back, turning to my employee who was silently working on another arrangement. “I'll be right back.”
We bounced up the stairs and into my loft. Going straight to the fridge, I held up a bottle of soda. “Want one?”
“No, I’m good.” She was still beaming.
With my cola in hand, I took a seat on the couch, looking at her expectantly. “Okay, what's going on?”
She remained standing on the other side of the coffee table. “Well, I didn’t want to do this alone and don't need to get Caleb's hopes up yet. Plus, I want you to be with me if this turns out the way I hope it will.” She pulled a home pregnancy test out of her purse.
Attempting not to choke on my soda, I jumped off the couch. “Oh my goodness, chica! Are you serious?”
“I don't know yet, that's why I'm here. I can't wait any longer, I'll be right back.” She shuffled to the bedroom.
I heard the door close as I sank back to the couch. I couldn't believe this. It seemed like my best friend was single just a moment ago, and now not only was she married to the perfect man, but also might be pregnant with his baby.
An ache burst free inside of me without warning. Although I was completely excited for my best friend, I was lonely and still nursing my broken heart. Punching my thighs, I thought, pull yourself together, Leah, you’re being selfish.
She came back out with two tests and sat them down on the coffee table on top of the box before plopping on the couch next to me. We both stared at the sticks.
She bit her lip nervously. “It takes a few minutes.”
I leaned my elbows on my knees, looking up from the tests. “What makes you think you’re pregnant? Are you having symptoms?”
Carefully cupping the sides of her breasts, she answered, “I missed my period and my boobs feel like they’re on fire. I figured I would grab a test and come over to see.”
“Ouch!” Burning boobs? “Doesn’t sound fun at all. You just got married a few months ago, how can you be pregnant already?”
She lowered her chin and raised an eyebrow. “Really, Leah? It only takes one time, and I've been married for almost six weeks no
w. Caleb and I decided not to use birth control from day one and see what happened.” She shrugged, happy and anxious at the same time. “Madison is almost six already. We want any siblings to be close.”
My eyes grew wide. “Siblings? As in, more than one?” It was so weird that Abby had someone else to share secrets with now.
“Yes, we’ve talked about having several kids. I just didn't think it would happen this soon.” We glimpsed down at the plastic sticks to find plus signs staring back at us.
“Oh my gosh, Abby, you’re pregnant!”
Springing up from our seats, we clutched onto each other, squealing as we bounced up and down.
Tears filled her eyes. “Caleb is going to flip. I can't wait to tell him. For the longest time he thought Madison would be his only child. I'm so excited.” She grabbed my hands, giving me the most heartfelt look. “I love that you were here with me.”
“I'm honored.” I pressed a hand to my heart, touched that my friend would want to share this, but also to press down the ache rising up inside of me.
She grabbed me in a death-grip hug, and I chided myself again, choking on a few tears.
Selfish, Leah. Stop.
This was my best friend. She would do everything in her power to make me still feel included in the special moments of her life.
Swiping the tears from under her eyes, Abby said, “I’m going to let you get back to work now, or we’ll stand here all afternoon, crying. Besides, I have a husband to go tell.” She raised her arms and did a little jig. “Eeek! I can't believe it.”
She picked up her purse and the tests before giving me a final hug and heading out.
I was so happy that after so much heartbreak, Abby got her fairytale ending.
The part that stung a little was that I wanted to be right beside her, going through the same phases of life. More than anything, I wanted to be happily married with children. Unfortunately, I had to find a suitable guy for any of that to happen. The only man my heart wanted had shattered any hope of a future.
The ache reemerged as I thought about Stefen. Now that he was out of my life, there was no good reason to let him consume any more of my time. More than likely, he had some new ditzy bimbo by his side while he recovered, so many miles away.
