“You are being so brave. If you need to cry, you can.”
“I don’t need to cry. I’m so happy to be with you again. The only thing I wanted to do was to get back to you.”
“Me, too.”
“I know.” She brushes her fingers against my cheek. “I could feel you in me. I knew you were looking for me and you wouldn’t give up.”
“Never.” I climb out of the ambulance. “Ready to come home?” She nods and stands up, but grabs her forehead and collapses suddenly into my arms. “I need some help here!”
“Hey, gorgeous,” I whisper as Kenzie opens her eyes. Leaning in, I kiss her forehead. “You scared me again.”
“What happened?”
“You fainted. They said you were dehydrated and probably suffering from a little Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” She tries to sit up, but I press her down again. “You need to rest.”
“Where am I?”
“Hospital.”
“Oh.”
“You’re safe now, babe. I’m not leaving this room and Theresa and her team are still parked out front. No one is going to get to you.”
“I’m not scared.”
There’s a knock at the door that attracts our attention. I smile when I see the people who are quickly becoming my family walk in. Matt holds out a bouquet of flowers.
“Can we come in?” he asks.
I look at Kenzie, who nods and smiles. “Sure, come on in,” I say.
Matt and Macy walk in, followed by Ariel. Stacey peeks around the corner and Kenzie sees her. “You can come in, too,” she says.
Stacey smiles and walks in behind my sister. Everyone hugs me then gathers around Kenzie. Dan and Kelly join us a few minutes later.
Macy rubs Kenzie’s forehead. “Are you okay?” she asks.
“I am,” she says. “I wasn’t hurt.”
“Your face,” Matt says.
“Oh,” Kenzie reaches up and touches her bruised cheek. “It’s just a little tender.”
“Thank god, they found you,” Matt says.
“Yes, thank god,” Kenzie repeats.
Ariel approaches. “Hi, Kenzie. We met before.”
“I remember. I looked a lot better,” Kenzie says. “I don’t even have any lipstick.” She smiles.
“You are still beautiful,” I whisper before pressing my lips to her forehead. I see Stacey standing in the background, looking unsure of herself. Kenzie’s eyes follow mine.
“Stacey,” she says, motioning for her to approach. “I never got to say anything to you. I’m sorry for how everything went down…when I pulled your hair and-”
“You don’t owe me an apology. I was the one that was wrong. I just hope you’ll accept mine.”
“Done.” Kenzie smiles and Stacey leans down and hugs her. I can’t hear her, but she whispers something in Kenzie’s ear that makes her smile even bigger. “Thank you, Stacey.”
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me, too.”
“Kenzie,” I say. “This is my best friend, Dan, and his soon to be wife, Kelly.” They step forward and shake her hand.
“Sorry we are meeting this way,” Dan says. “But I’m thrilled to meet you. You’ve changed Brayden’s life for the better.”
“He’s done the same for me,” she replies.
A knock on the door gets everyone’s attention and an older lady with red hair walks in.
“Hi, Auntie,” Mackenzie says.
The woman rushes to her and takes her hand. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. How did you know to come here?”
Her eyes glance up to meet mine. “Your boyfriend called me.”
Kenzie looks at me and smiles. She mouths ‘thank you.’ “I’m going to be fine, Auntie. Did you meet my friends?”
Kenzie’s aunt greets everyone and chats. A nurse walks in and frowns when she sees everyone.
“All of you shouldn’t be in here. There are only supposed to be three visitors at a time.”
“Ma’am, our friend was abducted and held hostage for almost three days,” Ariel says. “We’re all just very excited to see her alive. We won’t stay long.”
The nurse’s demeanor softens. “Five more minutes.”
“Thank you,” my sister says.
“What did you tell them at work?” Kenzie asks.
“Nothing yet. We weren’t sure what to say,” Matt explains.
“Tell them the truth,” she says.
“Babe,” I say. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, no more hiding. You can tell them what happened and that I’m fine. I’ll be at work on Monday.”
“Um, not so fast. We’ll see about that,” I say.
The little twinkle I’m used to seeing in Kenzie’s eyes returns. “I’m not broken. I’m fine and I won’t be held back from doing what I love any longer.” She turns her head towards Matt. “I’ll be at work on Monday.”
I already know arguing with her is futile. My girl is definitely back.
A few hours later, the doctor shows up and after running through several vitals, he looks at her chart.
“I see no reason to keep you any longer, if you’d like to go home,” he says.
“I definitely want to go home.”
“Okay. I’ve signed your release. We just need to get you dressed and you can go.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” I say.
“I don’t want to put those clothes on again,” Kenzie says, frowning at the plastic hospital bag containing her torn clothing.
“You don’t have to. I had Theresa bring you a fresh outfit.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I was put on this earth to care for you. I’m sorry I let this happen.”
“You didn’t let this happen. That’s ridiculous.”
“I should have been watching more. We didn’t take it seriously enough.”
“Operative word, we. Neither of us thought something like this could happen.” She reaches out and touches my arm. “Please don’t blame yourself. I can’t take it. We need to just keep going.”
“Okay.”
“Thank you.”
I help her out of bed and dress her. I can tell from her movements she is sore and I hate that I can see marks where the ropes bound her wrists. I help her into a sweatshirt and yoga pants and brush her hair.
“I’ll give you a bath when we get home.”
“That sounds very nice.”
“Kenzie,” I whisper her name and pull her into me. “I’m so happy. I was so scared I lost you.”
“You can’t lose me.” She grins. “I’m too hardheaded and stubborn to ever leave again.”
“I like that about you.” I kiss her cheek. “Let’s go home.”
“Yes.”
“Are you hungry, babe?”
“Starving.”
“Did they feed you?”
“A fast food sandwich. Yesterday morning, I think. I’m not sure.” She stares out the car window. “What day is it?”
“Friday.”
“I’ve been gone since…”
“Tuesday night.”
“Right.”
I reach over and squeeze her hand. “You don’t have to go back to work yet. Everyone will understand if you need a few days.”
“I have the weekend. I want to go. I need normalcy.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
I pull up to valet and hand them the keys even though I live here. When they see me helping Kenzie, they open the door for us.
“I had the whole apartment cleaned while we were at the hospital. Fresh bed linens, clean towels, all for my Kenzie.”
“You spoil me.”
“You haven’t been spoiled enough in your life.”
I open the door and move out of the way so she can go in first. On the patio is a table I had set up with our meal. Ariel made sure to take care of it all for me and I could just kiss her. It’s perfect. Kenzie’s eyes open wide.
“You did this for me?�
�
“Yes.”
“How?”
“All those people who came to the hospital today love us and care about us. They wanted to help. They’ve been by my side ever since you went missing.”
“That’s amazing.”
“So are you.” I wrap my arms around her waist as we look outside. “You are so strong.”
“I had to be. I needed to be here with you again.”
“I hope you know there wasn’t a minute that I wasn’t thinking about you.”
“I do know.”
“Let’s get you fed.”
“Okay.” She sits down and I scoop a huge pile of pasta salad on a plate and unwrap a platter full of croissants filled with chicken salad. “Looks good.”
“We have fruit, too.”
“Thank you for this.”
“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.”
She smiles and eats everything on her plate. She also drinks a ton of water and my heart breaks for her as I watch her. Knowing how much she hates pity, I try to erase the look on my face.
“What did Stacey say to you at the hospital?”
“She told me that you kept saying how in love with me you were that night she was with you. She just wanted me to know I was the only girl on your mind.”
“It’s true.”
“What did my aunt say when you called her?”
“We talked for a while. I told her what happened and that you were safe. She asked me if I loved you and I told her I did. She asked me to take care of you and I promised I would. I told her that I knew everything and she started to cry. She said you’ve never told anyone so I must be special to you. I told her that we were meant to be together.”
Kenzie wipes away a tear that trickles down her cheek. “I believe that.”
“I love you,” I tell her across the table.
“I know.” She smiles. “I love you, too.”
“Do you think you need to see someone?”
“Like?”
“A therapist?”
“I’ve had plenty of those in my life with minimal results. I can work through it. I’m okay.”
“I have no doubt you are strong enough to handle it.” I pause. “I just want make sure.”
“You’re scared my food issues have been triggered again?”
“A little. This had to be a traumatic situation for you. It’s not over yet, either. We haven’t found them and we don’t know what we have left to face.”
“I know,” she says softly. “Can we just see how I do? I will ask for help if I need it.”
“Promise?”
“Yep.”
“Good enough for me. Ready for your bath?”
“Definitely.”
“Okay, go in the bedroom and get undressed and I’ll start the water.”
“Sounds good.” As I walk past, she reaches out and touches my arm. “I’m so happy to be back with you.”
“Me, too, Kenzie. More than you even know.”
Walking into the bedroom, I pull off my clothes and catch my reflection in the mirror above the dresser. Staring at the pale girl in front of me, I grimace when I see the massive bruise on my cheek. Touching it lightly, I flinch. I’m sure a little concealer will make it look a lot better by Monday.
I put my hands on the dresser and lower my head. I don’t feel sad. I don’t feel hurt. I feel…angry. That motherfucker took days away from me and for what? He hates me and I don’t even know why or who he is.
As angry as I am with Sydney for her part in this, I’m also thankful she was strong enough to stop him from touching me. I wonder how she got herself mixed up with such a loser. She seemed like a smart girl, easy going, with no signs of being in an abusive relationship, but clearly outside appearances can be wrong. I’m proof of that.
I know Brayden is worried about me and frankly, he has every right to be, but for the first time in my life, I feel strong enough to get through whatever I have coming at me. I want to be healthy. I want a good life, and I want it with that man who loves me. Completely.
“Hey, gorgeous,” his soft voice comes from behind me. “You okay?”
I turn around and smile. “I am. Better than I have been in a long time.”
Brayden takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom where he has been filling the bathtub for both of us. “You know you can lower your guard with me and feel how you need to feel?”
I grin. “Yes, I know. It’s the most incredible feeling in the world.” I step in the water and sink down in the hot, sudsy water. “I feel completely safe with you.”
“You just seem so happy right now and I’m not sure you are processing everything.” He climbs in behind me and wraps his arms and legs around me.
“Honestly, I’m surprised by how good I feel right now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pissed off. Like crazy pissed. I’m angry this happened to me for no good reason. I’m angry those people are still walking around after they did something like this.” I lace my fingers through his. “I’m also sad that I spent so much of my life not living. I think that’s why I’m so happy right now. I was given a wakeup call. Meeting you changed my whole world for the better.”
Brayden kisses the top of my head as I speak. “I’m not going to dwell on what I’ve lost anymore. I’m focusing on what I’ve gained and it’s amazing. Mind blowing, actually. So that’s why I’m happy.”
“I love you so much, Kenzie.” He kisses my cheek. “So much. I just want us to have the life that we have both earned and the love we deserve.”
I twist my head so I can look at his handsome face. “I want that, too.” I lean back against him and we lie together in the warm water in comforting silence. “Can I tell you something that happened when I was gone?”
“Of course.”
“After Sydney got me away from that bastard, her interaction with me was so odd.”
“In what way?”
“She kissed me several times and ran her hands over my breasts. It wasn’t really sexual, it was just…odd.”
“It wasn’t sexual?”
“No, I mean, at first I thought it was. She was so gentle. I honestly thought she was going to take advantage, too.” I exhale. “I asked her what she was doing and she said feeling what you feel when you kiss me and touch me. It’s like she was trying to be you.”
“That’s weird.”
“Very.”
“Did she hurt you?”
“Not at all. She was protecting me. She got very upset every time he did something to me. One night, he made her have sex with him right next to me. She cried the whole time.” I shake my head. “It was awful.”
“That bastard is lucky he didn’t touch you. As it is, I may still kill the motherfucker when we catch him.”
“No, you can’t kill him. He’s not worth it.”
“You didn’t get a sense of who he was at all?”
“Not even a clue. I don’t feel like it’s someone I see or interact with often. No way. Of course, I didn’t recognize Sydney’s voice, either. I don’t think I really paid attention to her, as she pointed out.”
“So, she’s not in love with me, but she’s mad that I never asked her out or paid attention to her?”
“Yes, to me it sounded like it was the principle of it. Not that she wants you, but why didn’t you want her? Why didn’t you notice her or ask her out or try to sleep with her like all the other girls you picked. She told me this whole story about a dance you asked her to and then dumped her for someone named Bethany. She compared it to Macy’s wedding.”
“Seriously? Wow, that dance was in tenth grade, I think.”
“She’s been holding onto that for a long time.”
“Clearly.”
“She seemed very angry at me just for getting picked by you.”
“Do you think she’s unbalanced?”
“She stalked and kidnapped me. I would say yes.”
Brayden smiles. “That’s not what I meant. I meant like can’t be rea
soned with crazy.”
“No. I think it started out as just something to cause a little trouble for you. Whenever she got involved with this guy, it escalated out of control. I truly don’t think she meant anything bad to happen to me. She was very distraught that they even had me.” I pause. “I asked her one day if she was going to kill me and she was shocked. She said no and that she didn’t even mean to kidnap me. They just panicked when they caused me to lose control of my car.”
“What made her decide to let you go?”
“I have no idea. The last day I was with her she sounded like there was no way. Like I told the officer, I thought her plan was to harm me. We were driving and she announced she was going to drop me off and then text you. I didn’t ask her why. I was just thankful that was her decision.”
“Well, like the police officer said, it doesn’t matter whether she meant to or not. She did and she’s going to pay for it.”
“If we find her.”
“We will find her and that bastard that she was with.”
“I hope so.”
“We will.”
“Let’s talk about something else.”
“Like?”
“You and me.”
“My favorite subject.”
“Mine, too. Does your offer to move in still stand?”
“You know the answer to that, babe.”
“I want to make love.”
“Now?”
“Yes. I want to feel love again. I want to feel good and strong and happy and all those amazing emotions that flood my soul every time we touch. I want to feel you enter me and take over my body.”
“That sounds so sexy.”
“It is. You are sexy.”
“So are you, babe.”
I swirl around so that I’m facing him. “I missed you so much while I was gone.”
“I missed you, too.” He reaches out and brushes my cheek softly. “Does it hurt?”
Shaking my head, I respond. “Not much. It’s tender to the touch.”
“You’re still beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
He pulls me towards him and kisses me and it feels amazing. My hands tangle in his thick hair and I run my fingers through the layer of stubble that has grown over his cheeks. He holds me closer and I feel the erection between his legs pressing against my thigh. I release a pleasurable sigh as his lips crawl down my neck and onto my collar bone.
Chasing Desire Page 44
