Perfect Wreckage

by Cowles, Catherine

  I cringed at the nickname she’d called me throughout my childhood, but Janet missed the reaction, already heading back to the sedan with a wave of her fingers. I stared as the cab disappeared down the gravel drive. I’d never understood how I could’ve come from her. Janet was careless with her affections and her animosity, flitting back and forth between the two like a tennis player trying to cover both sides of the court.

  I would never be that. My friendship, my care, my love, they would always be steadfast. Especially to the little being growing inside me. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, silently sending all the love inside me towards my little one, wanting it to be the first thing he or she felt from me.

  My eyes popped open at the sound of tires on the gravel once again. This time it wasn’t a cab that made its way down the drive. My spine stiffened, but I stood my ground. I wouldn’t run from this, and Grant would learn that I, like the judge, couldn’t be paid off.

  He brought the sportscar to a screeching halt in front of my guest house. He looked ridiculous climbing from the vehicle that was so low to the ground, the gravel had probably injured the undercarriage. “Kenna, we need to talk.”

  I raised my chin. “I’m pretty sure we have nothing left to talk about.”

  Grant’s jaw hardened as he crossed to my front door. “You need to stop with this ridiculous charade and give The Gables back to my family. It’s ours.”

  A laugh bubbled out of me. I couldn’t help it. I had hit my limit on people who were out of their minds trying to steal my happiness, my peace, my home. “Have you gotten a head injury lately? I’m not giving you or your parents The Gables. It’s not what Harriet wanted. What she wanted was for you to grow up and take some responsibility for your life. To have to earn something instead of having it handed to you on a silver platter. So, you have to do some volunteer work before you get the money she left you. So you’re not getting every last dime she had. Deal with it!”

  Grant’s hand struck out so fast, I barely registered the movement before the slap snapped my head to the side and sent me stumbling back a few steps into my guest house. Shock and the pain blooming on my cheek froze me. The truth in front of me didn’t compute. Grant was an entitled asshole, but he’d never been violent towards me.

  Before I could make sense of what was happening, another blow landed. This time, a fist to my ribs. “It looks like someone needs to remind you of your place in this world.”

  All the air was forced from my lungs by the blow. I struggled to suck in a breath. I turned, trying to protect my stomach, my baby. This was not happening. Another punch landed around my kidneys, sending me to my knees.

  I quickly scrambled back up, darting around furniture to place the coffee table between us. “Get out of here, Grant! Before I call the cops.” Except I didn’t have my phone. It was lying on the counter, and Grant was between us.

  A sneer stretched across his face. “This podunk island? It would take them too long to get here. And who would believe you anyway? A nice, high-priced defense attorney and this all goes away.”

  The gleam in Grant’s eyes that accompanied his words had ice-cold dread sliding through my veins. He’d done this before. And he’d gotten away with it. My gaze darted to the front door and to my bedroom.

  “Try and make a run for it. I dare you,” Grant taunted.

  Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but I refused to look away from the man who had cost me so much. He wouldn’t destroy my shot at happiness, at true joy. Not now. I charged, hoping the move would stun him, and I could get free, move into the open. I’d run to the water and swim away. Grant had always been slow in the water.

  Grant’s hand latched on to my hair, yanking violently. As my body snapped back towards him, I twisted, bringing my knee up in a swift kick to his balls.

  “You fucking bitch!” he screamed. His fist swung out, making contact with my temple. The world flickered around me.

  And then there was nothing but blackness.

  49

  Crosby

  I pulled to a stop in front of Kenna’s guest house. The late-afternoon sun seemed to make the whole estate glow with a golden hue. And now it was all Kenna’s. Forever. I hoped that knowledge gave her some peace. But most of all, I hoped she’d let me back into that world of hers.

  I picked up the bouquet of brightly colored blooms that rested on the seat next to me. I hadn’t spoiled Kenna the way I should’ve, taking her on dates and making gestures both big and small that let her know she was on my mind. That changed now.

  I climbed out of my truck and headed for her door. I forced myself to keep my grip on the stems light when nerves had my hand wanting to snap them in two, just for a sense of relief. It didn’t matter if Kenna was hesitant to believe me at first, I’d just wait her out, proving that I was here to stay.

  I stepped up onto the front porch and froze. The door was open just an inch or two. “Kenna,” I called.

  No answer.

  My heart rate picked up speed as I slowly pushed the door open another few inches. “Kenna?” Maybe she’d made a run over to the main house with some of her belongings? I glanced over my shoulder but saw no signs of life over there.

  Screw it. Kenna could yell at me later for invading her privacy, but I needed to know that she was okay. I pushed the door open all the way, stepping over the threshold and instantly halted in my tracks. The space was a mess. Chairs overturned. Random items thrown about.

  My gaze caught on something on the floor. No. This wasn’t happening. My chest convulsed in a painful squeeze as I crossed the room in three long strides, the flowers in my hand falling to the floor.

  “Kenna!” I knelt next to her fallen form, hands hovering over her crumpled body. God, no. I pulled her hair away from her face and sucked in a sharp breath. Her cheek was swelling, and there were tears in the skin. My hand shook as I pressed two fingers to the side of her neck. The steady thump against my fingertips had air expelling from my lungs on a whoosh.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed three numbers.

  “Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

  My voice remained remarkably calm as if it didn’t belong at all to the man whose insides were currently being shredded by fear and pain. “My girlfriend. I just got to her house, and she’s been attacked. She’s unconscious, but her pulse is strong.”

  “Okay, sir. I’ll dispatch EMTs immediately. What’s your address?”

  I rattled off the address of The Gables, instructing her to direct the medics to the smaller guest house. “What do I do? Should I roll her onto her back? She looks like she’s in pain.” Panic was edging into my voice now. I wanted to help her. My Brown Eyes. She looked so small and broken, and I had to fix it.

  “Please don’t move her, sir, we don’t know if there’s been a spinal injury. Wait for the EMTs.”

  I stayed put, laying a gentle hand on Kenna’s shoulder. The t-shirt she wore was torn, slipping off slightly so that my palm made contact with her golden skin. She was warm. That had to be a good sign, right?

  My eyes closed on a silent prayer. Please. Don’t take her from me.

  * * *

  I paced up and down the hospital hallway. It had been hours, and I still had no answers. No updates on Kenna other than that she’d been in and out of consciousness. No information from the police. Only endless questions. When I’d bitten Parker’s head off for the third time, he’d finally given up, telling me that he’d call with any news.

  I didn’t care about that right now, all I cared about was the woman I loved and making sure she was okay. Safe and whole and looking up at me with those amber eyes so full of love and acceptance, I couldn’t breathe. I spun around and dug my knuckles into the cold hospital wall. I ached to punch it, to distract myself from the agony in my chest with a different pain in my fists.

  A firm hand clamped down on my shoulder. “She’s going to be okay.”

  I let my head fall against the plaster of the wall. “You don�
�t know that, Ford. The doctor still hasn’t been out to give us any updates, and it’s been two hours.”

  “The girls are talking to someone at the nurses’ station now, trying to get news. These kinds of things take time. Kenna’s in the best place she could be. They’re taking good care of her.”

  I pushed off the wall. Ford was right. I needed to stay positive. Kenna had been airlifted to Seattle Memorial. The EMTs had worked as fast as possible to get her stabilized and moved. But I’d never felt more powerless than when I’d sat back in that helicopter and watched them work, struggling to catch as many words as I could to make sense of what was happening.

  A woman with gray hair tied back in a low bun appeared in the hall. “Kenna Morgan’s family?”

  I straightened, blood roaring in my ears. “I’m her boyfriend, Crosby McCoy. This is her friend, Ford Hardy.” It wasn’t the truth, but it wasn’t a lie either. I was going to be Kenna’s everything, just as soon as she opened those pretty eyes.

  “I’m Dr. Castor. Mr. McCoy, can I speak with you in private for a moment?”

  I nodded, stepping away from Ford, my heart sinking. “What is it? Is she going to be okay?” Did the woman want to get me alone to tell me something was wrong? That things were worse than we’d expected?

  Dr. Castor gave me a kind smile. “We are optimistic that Kenna is going to make a full recovery.”

  My shoulders slumped on an exhaled breath. “What’s wrong with her? Can I see her now?”

  “Kenna had a bad break in her left arm that required an orthopedic surgeon to set, that’s what took us so long. She also has a fairly severe concussion. That compounded with low blood sugar is why we had such a hard time bringing her around. She’s sleeping now, and we’ll be bringing her to a room soon to get her settled.” Dr. Castor paused for a moment before continuing. “Her pregnancy looks stable. We think the baby is going to be fine, as well.”

  The entire world seemed to slow as if I were seeing and hearing everything from under water. Pregnant. Kenna. A baby. My mind snapped, speeding back up with a hundred different questions, but only one mattered in the moment. “The baby”—my voice cracked—“it’s okay?”

  “Yes. We had a specialist come and check Kenna and the baby over. Heart rate and all other levels are good.”

  “I need to see her.” I needed to touch her, touch them, assure myself that they were okay. A baby. The idea that Kenna had faced this news alone for the second time in her life made me want to throttle myself. But she wasn’t going to be alone any longer. And that meant not waking up to an empty room. “Please,” I begged the doctor.

  “Come on, I’ll take you up myself.”

  We walked back down the hall. Bell and Caelyn were standing with Ford, looking wrecked and…nervous maybe? Something clicked in my head. “You knew?”

  Bell glanced at Caelyn. “She just found out a couple of days ago. She was going to tell you today.”

  “You should’ve told me!” I roared. “The second you walked into this hospital, that should’ve been the first thing out of your mouth. What if I’d lost them both and had never known?”

  Caelyn shrank back, tears falling from her eyes. “We told a nurse, but we thought Kenna should be the one to tell you.”

  Ford stepped forward. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re not going to speak to them that way.”

  “Kenna’s pregnant,” I snapped at Ford. His mouth fell open in response.

  Bell held up a hand at Ford. “He’s right. We should’ve told him. I’m sorry, Crosby.”

  I shook my head, not having time to deal with this right now. “Let’s go,” I told Dr. Castor.

  She turned away from our dramatic scene, leading me through a maze of hallways and up in an elevator. When we finally reached the open door to a room, I froze. There she was, my fierce, tender-hearted girl. She looked so incredibly frail hooked up to a bunch of machines.

  Dr. Castor cleared her throat. “Go on in. She’s just asleep, not unconscious.”

  I nodded woodenly and slowly made my way to her. The chair screeched against the floor as I pulled it closer to the bed. I eased into it and took Kenna’s hand, careful to avoid the IV and the oxygen monitor.

  I pressed her hand to my lips, just holding it there. “Brown Eyes…” Tears gathered in my eyes, spilling over and tracking down my cheeks. “You have to be okay. You and our little gremlin. We’re gonna be a family. And I’m going to be there for you every step of the way.”

  I searched her face for any sign of wakefulness. There was none. I rested her arm back on the bed, keeping her hand in one of mine. With my other hand, I slowly reached out, careful to avoid her casted arm and any tubes, and rested my palm gently on her belly. “I love you, Kenna.”

  Warmth spread up my arm and into my chest. We’d created a living being. And this little miracle was already so incredibly strong. “I love you, too, little one. I’m going to be the best dad possible. I’ll probably mess up a whole hell of a lot, but you’ll never have to question how much I love you.”

  I let my eyes fall closed, sending up more silent prayers. Please don’t take my life away from me when it’s only just begun.

  50

  Kenna

  We’re gonna be a family. I love you. The phrases floated around in my mind, but I couldn’t seem to grab hold of any of them. Behind it all was a faint beeping. That and pain. I let out a little moan.

  “Kenna? Are you awake? Open those pretty eyes.”

  Crosby’s voice tugged at me, but so did the call of sleep.

  “Please, baby. I need to know you’re okay.”

  The sheer agony in Crosby’s voice had me fighting to flutter my eyes open.

  “There she is. God, you scared the hell out of me.”

  He looked ravaged as if he’d lived a hundred lifetimes in the time I had been asleep. I tried to speak, but my throat screamed. “Water?” I could barely get the single hoarse word out.

  Crosby moved like lightning, grabbing a pink cup with a straw. “Here. Just a couple of small sips in case you feel sick.”

  I started to nod, but the action made my head throb. I took a cautious drink. The cool liquid was heaven on my throat. I released the straw and tried again. “What happened—?” I froze, everything coming back to me in a flash of images and the feeling of fists against flesh. I lashed out with my free arm, gripping Crosby’s hand, tears springing to my eyes. “The baby. Is the baby okay?” I hoped against hope, knowing that it was unlikely for a pregnancy that early on to survive the kind of violence I remembered.

  “The baby’s just fine. You’re going to be all right. Everything’s okay.”

  My tears flowed more freely. “I was going to tell you today. But then Grant…”

  Crosby’s entire face hardened in an expression I’d never seen before. “It was Grant?”

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  Crosby pulled out his phone with one hand, fingers flying across the screen. “I have to let Parker know. I’m sure he’ll need a statement, but that can wait.”

  “I’m so sorry, Crosby.”

  “No, Kenna.” Crosby pressed his lips to my palm. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m just glad you and our little gremlin are okay.”

  A sob hiccupped out of my chest. “Our little gremlin?”

  A small grin pulled at Crosby’s lips. “That’s what I’ve been calling him or her. We’ve been getting acquainted while you slept.” He set his phone on my mattress and placed a gentle hand on my belly, drawing circles with his thumb.

  “You want this baby?” I sucked in a breath, holding it, not able to let go until I heard the words.

  “I want you. I want our baby. I want to build a home and a family. I want everything.”

  My tears came faster as my shoulders shook. “Really?”

  Crosby stared into my eyes. “Really. I was coming to your place to tell you that this afternoon. God, Kenna. I messed up so bad. I was terrified, and I didn’t even realize it
. I was holding so tightly to this messed-up idea of freedom, when all it was were walls to keep people out. Barriers so I wouldn’t get hurt again. But it doesn’t matter because you snuck behind them anyway.” He lifted my hand to his lips again. “I love you with everything I have and everything I am. Please let me love you.”

  “I love you, too. With everything I have. I don’t want anyone but you.”

  Crosby leaned in, careful not to bump my casted arm, and brushed his lips across mine. “Forever.”

  A knock sounded from the other side of the room. “We heard someone was waking up.” Ford held the door for Bell and Caelyn, who rushed inside.

  Caelyn burst into tears the second our eyes met. “Oh God, Kenna. I was so worried. Are you okay? Are you in pain? Can we get you anything? Should I call a nurse?”

  “Slow down, speed racer.” Bell threw an arm over Caelyn’s shoulders. “If she’s kissing her surfer boy, I think she’s going to be just fine.”

  I grinned at my friends. “Love you guys.”

  Bell reached out and squeezed my foot that lay under the pile of blankets. “Always, sister. You gave us a scare there.”

  “I gave myself one, too.” I couldn’t fight the shiver as an image of Grant’s face, so full of hate, filled my mind.

  Crosby’s phone buzzed, and he swiped it up from the bed. “Parker already arrested Grant. He and his family are raising holy hell, but they got him.”

  A bit of tension in my muscles eased. I was safe.

  Bell gripped Ford’s hand tightly. “I can’t believe he did this.” As much as we all knew that Grant was an asshole, none of us had thought he’d go this far.

  Caelyn nibbled on her bottom lip. “He’s not gonna get away with this, right?”

  Crosby scanned his message from Parker. “Grant has split and swollen knuckles. And we’ll have Kenna’s testimony. That’s a strong case.”

  “We don’t even need any of that.”