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Completely Wrecked: A Dramatic Romance

Page 15

by Shayne McClendon


  He said her name and she looked up.

  Her eyes were like a punch directly to his heart.

  She was so fucking beautiful.

  * * *

  And so…here he was, holding his Lizzy the way he’d wanted to since the first time he brushed his lips over hers, embarrassed at his daring, ashamed of the thoughts he had about her.

  Dylan bared his heart and soul in the hopes that he wasn’t too late and Lizzy would still let him be part of her world.

  “I’m sorry about RJ, Lizzy.” She nodded, tears sliding into her hair. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” He lifted her wrist and kissed the scar again, then held it over his heart. “It’s my turn, Lizzy.”

  “Your turn for what, Dylan?”

  “It’s my turn to save you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “How?” Elizabeth worried that she’d slipped backwards in her mental health and was experiencing some sort of waking dream.

  “By loving you the way I should have loved you from the very beginning.” Hugging her close, he said against her ear, “Helping you hurt a little bit less. Being strong for you for a change.”

  “I’m afraid,” she admitted.

  “I know. I’ll keep you safe, Lizzy.” She rubbed her hand over her chest and he settled his palm over hers. “I’ll keep this safe, too.”

  “You always leave, Dylan.”

  “I won’t be the cause of anymore pain for you. I swear it, Lizzy. I swear it.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she struggled to understand that Dylan was offering her all she’d wanted after the greatest loss of her life. Then she sat up, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and put her face against his neck.

  “I’ve missed you every single day for years, Dylan. Then I had Riley and…it didn’t hurt so badly. L-losing him, it was more than I could take. It carved me out and left me with nothing.”

  He tightened his arms around her and she sobbed painfully hard for several minutes. She felt his tears in her hair.

  When she began to quiet, he rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.

  “I should have been here. Tell me about him, Lizzy. Tell me about our little boy.”

  She leaned back and stared into his eyes for a long time. He wiped her tears and she reached up to cup his face. Her smile felt fragile, as if it could shatter into a million pieces.

  “You are so gorgeous, Dylan.”

  “So are you, Lizzy.”

  She shook her head. “Riley…he looked like you.”

  Her fingertip traced his brows. “I could stare at him for hours while he slept. He laughed all the time and loved to sing songs at random. I loved him with everything inside myself, Dylan. I wanted so desperately to give him the childhood you should have had.”

  His eyes closed and he said, “Only you have ever thought about things like that for me, Lizzy.”

  Opening them, he kept his gaze on hers. A warm palm cupped the back of her neck.

  “I know what it’s like to be the recipient of your care, to be the focus of your attention. I imagine your devotion to him was blindingly bright to everyone who had the fortune to see it. Your love infused every image, every sound, every thought in his life. Even though it wasn’t as long as it should have been, you saturated Riley in goodness while you had him and I promise you…even as young as he was…he knew.”

  “Thank you.”

  From behind them, she registered the sound of footsteps even as she heard someone say, “Miss Clayton?”

  Turning her head, she knew her best friend was present but she only had eyes for the boy who stood beside him. Her fingers covered her lips and fresh tears fell hotly down her face.

  Somehow, she stood up. Elizabeth distantly registered Dylan’s hands on her to keep her steady. She walked to the little boy she hadn’t seen in four years and went to her knees in front of him.

  “D-Davis?”

  She honestly wasn’t certain. Her mind both screamed at the loss of her own son and rejoiced at the health and well-being of the child in front of her.

  He nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. “I wanted to say thank you. I asked Dad to bring me so I could. I didn’t know it was you…who got me out.”

  Struggling to speak, Elizabeth whispered, “You’re welcome, Davis. I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  “I know I look like your little boy. Like my little brother. I don’t want to hurt you. I just…I’d like you to be my friend. My dad says you’re the best person he knows.”

  Staring into copper penny eyes so much like her baby’s was surreal. “Before…” She swallowed hard and tried again. “Before he…he died, I told RJ about you. That he had a big brother out there somewhere and I hoped you would meet one day. I’m sorry that didn’t happen. I was trying to give you time. I didn’t want to intrude.”

  “What did he say? When you told him about me?”

  Smiling at the memory, she whispered, “That he must be awful good looking.” Davis snorted laughter and reaching out, she lightly took his hand. “He wrote you a card. I was supposed to send it to you on your birthday.”

  “He did?” There were tears in his eyes that made the copper shimmer.

  “After he found out about you, he often included you in his conversations. That one day he would do this or that and maybe his big brother would be there to see it. I-I always thought there would be time. He was so little.”

  Covering her face, she cried quietly. Then Davis leaned over and wrapped his slender arms around her shoulders.

  “I’m sorry. Maybe…maybe we can still do some of those things. It will be like he’s there, too.” At her ear, he said, “Only if it doesn’t hurt you to be around me though.”

  Hugging him back carefully, unsure of her reception, Elizabeth replied, “I seem to have a knack for being friends with boys who have copper eyes. I’d love to be your friend, Davis.”

  Sitting back on her heels, she wiped her face and smiled. “Not such a good first impression of me. I’m sorry I’m crying all over you.”

  He smiled back. “My first impression of you was as my teacher. I thought you were amazing. Now that I’m meeting you again…I know you’re much better than I knew. Your little boy was so lucky to have you as a mom, Miss Clayton.”

  Brushing away the first truly happy tears she’d cried in too long, she murmured, “Call me Lizzy.”

  * * *

  The four of them spent the day together walking the grounds. When it was time for all visitors to leave, the two Lang men kissed her cheeks and told her they’d be back the next day.

  Riley stood at her side as they watched them walk away. His hand lightly squeezed her shoulder and she knew he was worried.

  “I know he isn’t RJ. I know. Still…I think he could use some of the love I have lying around, don’t you think?”

  “I think you’d change that boy’s life for the better if you gave him even a little, Elizabeth.”

  He bent to kiss her temple. “Not that you’d be able to stop at a little.”

  * * *

  Over the next two weeks, Dylan and Davis visited with her every day. She started laughing again, thinking about the future again. Realizing she had a future.

  When she was released, Riley and Donovan climbed into Dylan’s SUV for the drive back to Long Island. The closer Elizabeth got to the house, the more anxious she became.

  “I…don’t know if I can go inside.”

  Donovan turned to where she sat between them. “Darling, we moved some things into his room. We wanted to give you time to acclimate. When you’re ready, we’ll bring the photos and things back out. Alright?”

  She nodded but she couldn’t stop shaking.

  “It’s alright, Elizabeth. It’s going to be alright,” Riley said as he took her hand.

  At the back door, she couldn’t lift her hand to turn the knob and Dylan did it for her. “Steady, Lizzy. You can do this.”

  Inside, she absorbed the sights and sounds of the home she’d l
ived in all her life. There were thousands of good memories that happened here.

  Every piece of furniture was known to her. Every book on every shelf was familiar. She’d painted the walls herself to freshen up the place when RJ was two years old.

  It felt like she was standing on an alien planet.

  They made her tea and she was grateful for the extra time before she had to go upstairs. Dylan watched her closely but she didn’t know how to reassure any of them.

  Her insides felt like they were shaking apart.

  Then Davis appeared at her side and told her, “I understand. All it takes is one bad thing to put shadows over the good things. Would you like me to go with you?”

  “I don’t know if I can.”

  “You can, Lizzy. This is just a house. All the thoughts are yours. They come from being so sad.” He shrugged his narrow shoulders lightly. “But a house is just a house. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

  Never had she considered leaving the house her grandmother left her…and then, she did. It seemed disloyal and wrong of her but once the thought entered her mind it was hard to shake.

  “I’ll try. I have to try.” She stood up and walked through the living room as the moments frozen in time with Riley in this space assailed her.

  He was everywhere, and while it should have been comforting, it seemed to drive home her loss.

  By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was crying silently. Dylan’s arm slid around her waist. At the top, she stared at the bright blue door to RJ’s room.

  Swallowing hard, she shuffled toward it.

  Pushing it open slowly, she inhaled the scent of her little boy. She didn’t realized she’d whimpered in pain until Davis slipped his hand into hers.

  The corkboard skyline she’d created was covered in his drawings and projects they’d done together. His stuffed animals were exactly where they’d been the morning she rushed them out of the house so they wouldn’t be late.

  His pajamas from his last night sleeping in his bed were crumpled on top of the comforter. There were dinosaurs on them.

  “I…I…”

  Then Elizabeth’s overwhelmed mind turned her off like a light.

  When she opened her eyes, she was downstairs again, being held on Dylan’s lap. There were tears in his eyes and he was petting her hair gently.

  “Lizzy. I’m so sorry, Lizzy.”

  He gathered her close and she knew her fingers curled too sharply into his shoulders but she felt like she was drowning. The harder she shook, the harder he held her, murmuring into her ear that it was all going to be okay.

  “Let me take you home with us, Lizzy. We don’t have to stay if you don’t like it but I want to give you time. If you have time to heal, we can try again. Let me take care of you.”

  “Nana’s house…”

  “We’ll lock it up. Davis was right. It’s just a house. You can’t be here. Maybe later but not yet. It’s too soon. Let me take you away with us, Lizzy. We’ll come back when you’re ready.”

  “I’ve never been anywhere but New York and New England.”

  Dylan’s smile spread slowly over his face. “Then allow me to introduce you to the beach, pretty girl. You’re going to love running along the ocean, Lizzy. We’ll run together.”

  “You’d go running with me?” Having someone run with her was something she’d never considered.

  “I would do anything with you, Lizzy. Anything at all. As long as I can be with you.” He cupped her cheek and lightly kissed her lips. “Come to Florida. Davis and I will take you to our favorite places. He’ll show you how to snorkel and I’ll make you a craft room.”

  Tugging her lower lip between her teeth, she voiced her greatest fear. “It’s not just because you feel sorry for me, is it? You can tell me the truth, Dylan.”

  “My reasons for taking you with me are almost entirely selfish. I don’t feel sorry for you, Lizzy. I love you and I want you with me. I want Davis to get to know you. I want you to be able to breathe…but first, we have to let you heal and get strong again.”

  Rubbing his cheek against hers, Elizabeth sighed at the stubble that scratched over her skin.

  Barely audible, he said at her ear, “I need you healthy and strong, Lizzy so I can spend the rest of my life making love to you. I have a lot of lost time to make up for.”

  Dylan pulled back to stare down at her and her lips parted slightly at the look on his face.

  “I always hid it before,” he told her. “I didn’t want you to know how much I needed you. I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me, Lizzy.”

  “I’ve been angry for you, hurt for you, frustrated for you, and almost violent for you…but never have I felt sorry for you, Dylan.”

  His fingers massaged firmly into her back. “Come with me, Lizzy.”

  She was terrified on so many levels but Elizabeth slowly nodded her head. “Okay.”

  * * *

  Riley and Donovan stood in the corner of the room, watching her carefully.

  She wasn’t sure how they felt about her leaving but she knew there was no way she would continue to get better if she stayed in the house where there was too much input. Emotionally exhausted, she accidentally fell asleep in Dylan’s arms and when she woke up, he smiled down at her.

  “Hi.”

  “Where is everyone?”

  “Riley and Donovan are upstairs packing for you and Davis is crashed out on the couch.”

  Looking across the cozy space, she took in the image of the little boy sleeping peacefully.

  “He’s remarkable, Dylan. He looks a thousand times healthier than the first and last time I saw him.”

  She met his gaze. “He’s smart and compassionate and incredible…you’ve done a great job.”

  “That means a lot coming from you but I’ll be honest, he’s so easy to love and care for. The smallest things please him.” His smile was sad. “The first time I took him to a movie, I didn’t know it was his first time. He was so awed by it and I have to restrain myself from buying him stupid amounts of stuff. I owe him, Lizzy.”

  “Dylan, you didn’t do anything wrong. As protective as you were with Carol, you would have been more so with your son. You made it right. He’s an amazing little boy…just like his father.”

  His fingers stroked through her hair. “In my life, I only ever cry around you. You have this key that unlocks every emotion I have and it makes me feel both weak and strong all at once.”

  Lifting her gently into a sitting position, he stared at her for a long time. “I love you, Lizzy. I know it took me a long time to figure things out but I’ve always known that I love you.”

  “I still…it staggers me when you tell me how you feel about me, Dylan. I keep wondering when I’m going to wake up.”

  “Then I’ll have to tell you every day so you can get used to it.” His kiss was careful, his arms wrapped around her back. Her lips parted for him and his tongue gently tangled with hers for just a moment.

  When he broke it, he kissed her forehead. “One day at a time.”

  Riley and Donovan came down the stairs with two suitcases and a sealed box. After they loaded them into Dylan’s car, they came back and lifted her from his arms. Davis sat up and rubbed his face sleepily.

  Her best friend gave her a smacking kiss. “I hate that you’re going to be so far away…but I understand why you need a break. I’m coming to visit in a month to check on you and soak up the sun.” He patted his taut abdomen. “If I’m going to the beach, I need to look my best. I’m not having some gay beach bunny steal my man.”

  “As if. You promise you’ll come see me?” He nodded. “I’ll come back for the wedding.”

  “You’re my best man, you damn well better.”

  “Do I get to wear a suit?”

  “Of course, I’ve already tried on the perfect Armani for you.” Then he started to cry and she held him tightly. “I love you. You are the best person I’ve ever known next to Nana
and who wouldn’t play second fiddle to that darling woman?”

  She ran her fingers through his hair. “Don’t forget me, Riley. You were my very first friend, my only friend for a long time. You are the brother I would have always wanted.”

  With a smacking kiss on her mouth, he went to wash his face.

  Donovan stepped up and gave her Eskimo kisses. “Pretty girl, this guy lets anything happen to you while you’re in his care and keeping and I’m gonna pound him. Not a scratch, you hear me?” She laughed at his slang and he hugged her hard. “You are fucking remarkable.”

  “So are you. You’re the lover I always wanted the brother I always wanted to have. Take care of him for me, Donovan. I’m going to miss him something awful.”

  He leaned back and brushed her hair back from her face. “If you decide you like it down there, I’ll start looking for a condo. You know neither of us can go too long without your cooking and your smile, Elizabeth.”

  The kiss he gave her was gentle. “Get strong again, my lovely Elizabeth. I’ll see you in few weeks.”

  Tears in her eyes, she glanced around the house. “I need one thing.”

  Walking slowly into the craft room, she picked up a covered box that held her photos and set it on her worktable. There were so many of Nana, Donovan, Riley, and RJ all over the place with lots of different people. She took the last quilt she and Nana completed together from the cabinet and folded it neatly on top.

  “I’ll carry it for you, Lizzy.” Dylan stepped up beside her and kissed the top of her head.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to.” The memory of the day he’d carried bags home from the grocery store made her smile.

  “Thank you.”

  With the last few things loaded in the SUV, Davis climbed in the backseat and buckled up. He waved with a big smile at Elizabeth’s friends. They returned it, hugged her once more, and settled her in the front passenger seat.

  She stared at them as Dylan drove away – until she couldn’t see them anymore. Suddenly panicked, she whispered, “Are you sure you want me to come with you to Florida?”

  “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. I need you with me, Lizzy and I think you need to be with us. The sunshine is going to be so good for you.”

 

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