The Heart of Mine Read online

  ***

  When I came to, my hands and feet were bound to an old rickety chair. The back of my head was throbbing and I knew that what must've hit me was the butt of a gun because now Madison's father had one pointed at me as well.

  "Well I never expected this to be the way I would meet my future daughter in law properly, but I guess this'll do."

  I opened my mouth to speak, but Madison's father waved his gun in front of my face. "Don't even think about sayin' a word."

  I glanced over at Kayla who was still sittin' on the bed across from me. Tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. I gave her an apologetic look as I took in every feature on Wren's face. Now, I could only pray that Glenn had gotten my call and was doin' what I had instructed him to do.

  "Looks like I'm gonna get exactly what I wanted." Wren's voice was raspy and I could tell he was at odds with the whole situation. I wasn't quite sure what it was I saw on his face, but I swear I could see the love he had once felt for Kayla as he stood there starin' at her.

  "Just let her go. You guys can have me. You already got Madison. I'll do whatever you want, just let KJ go."

  "Oh we're callin' her KJ again, eh? I thought that nickname was reserved for me, baby."

  "Don't call me that." She growled.

  He pushed the gun deep into her cheek as she cried harder. "I'll call you whatever I want. You don't get a say so anymore. So, you sure that baby isn’t mine?"

  She nodded her head as much as she could as the barrel of the gun dug deeper.

  "Well isn't that just too bad. Then I guess you'll have to just deal with not being able to bring that baby into this world."

  "DON'T!" I screamed as Wren pointed the barrel of the gun at Kayla's burgeoning belly.

  "Shut your fucking mouth, or you'll be next. Trust me, I would rather have Madison witness this, but you'll do, seeing as you seem to love her just as much as he does. Which I find quite funny. How two guys could love this worthless pathetic girl is beyond me. I tried, trust me I did, but there was no way I could let a girl like her take a piece of my heart. She's unworthy of love. For fuck's sake, her parents couldn't even find it in themselves to love her."

  I watched as Kayla's once ethereal spirit drained from her body. Every ounce of what made up her uniquely lovable personality slowly drained from her face, leaving nothin' but a shell. I could see it in her face that she knew this was the end for her, and oddly enough she seemed at peace with it all. It was almost as if this is how she expected this whole situation to end. Part of me questioned if she ever knew that she deserved love?

  "That's what I thought, baby. You know you don't deserve to be loved and you know this baby will never be able to love a mother like you. Suffering, that's what you deserve." His gun poked into her belly and Kayla doubled over in sobs. Her body rocking back and forth tryin' to control what she knew was about to become her reality. She had already felt as though she had lost Madison and now she was about to lose the only piece of him she had left.

  I tugged and pulled at the restraints around my legs and arms, gun in my face be damned.

  "Boy, I'm warning you. You try to move another muscle and I will pull this trigger. Don't test me."

  "You're a piece of shit James Raine. You never deserved your son or your wife's love. She's lookin' down at you knowin' what a piece of shit you are. No wonder Madison never shed one single tear after you got locked up. He deserves better than you. You want money? Fine, I'll get you your fuckin' money, but you let that poor girl go. That girl is carryin' your grandchild, one that you will never see because you couldn't stop being a selfish bastard for more than a second. Prove that you can be the father you knew you should've always been."

  For a split second I thought he was actually contemplating the words coming out of my mouth, but then he looked over at Wren and nodded his head. Survival instincts kicked in, not only for myself but also for the helpless girl across from me. I threw my body back, shattering the chair into pieces, when I heard a gun shot fire. My eyes instantly shot over to Kayla as her body slumped over to the side of the bed. Wren was on the floor bleeding out of the side of his neck and I glanced around the room searching for the shooter. The chair had broken enough for me get free. Splinters ripped through my skin as I moved as fast as humanly possible to free my legs. Madison's father stood staring in my direction as his gun was still aimed at Wren's body.

  I stood and ran over to Kayla, shielding her body with my own from any further damage he may cause. I checked her body for any wounds, but she seemed in perfect shape. Seconds later, I looked towards the doorway to see Glenn standing there with his own gun pointed directly at James.

  "Put the gun down Mr. Raine."

  The gun fell to the floor and I could see the pained expression on his face. I'm not sayin' Mr. Raine was a good man by any means, but what he had just done spoke volumes. He saved his son's family, whether he knew it was the right thing to do or not, he made a choice that his son would've appreciated.

  "Kayla, Joey, are you guys okay?"

  We both nodded in Glenn's direction as he made his way over to us, gun still pointed in Mr. Raine's direction.

  "Was it really all about the money?" Glenn asked.

  "It was never about the money. It was about the son that no longer considered me his father. I knew he would never accept me back into his life and that killed me. The money was just a way to get his attention. I wasn't even the one drivin' the car that hit him. Wren would've killed him, had I not pulled him from the SUV. I would've called the cops, but then I saw Joey runnin' over and I knew he would do what was right. I just wanted my son back."

  "You got a real funny way of showin' that. I'm pretty sure I speak for Madison when I say there is no way in hell he would ever let you back in his or his child's life after this. I suggest ya leave town and never return, Mr. Raine."

  James fell to his knees, and began to cry. I had never seen a grown man cry before and a part of me felt remorse for him, but a bigger part of me knew he deserved everything that was happening to him. There's a way to go about gettin' back your life, and this wasn't one of them. Before we knew what was goin' on, another gunshot went off and Glenn and I watched as Mr. Raine's lifeless corpse fell to the ground next to Wren.

  The guilt of all must've consumed him, forcing him to take his own life. There was never a doubt in my mind that this was what he had wanted all along. He knew he would never get back into Madison's good graces and knowin' that his son would hate him even more for what he put Kayla through, must've sealed the deal.

  Kayla tucked her head deep into my chest, her tears soaking straight through my shirt. I scooped her up into my arms and carried her from the blood-splattered room. There was no need for her to see the aftermath of what had just occurred. Glenn quickly called 9-1-1 as we both made our way over to Kayla's truck. I sat her in the seat and checked her over once again for any signs of bruising or trauma. I think she was more in shock of the situation and revelations more than anything.

  "Stay here and don't move. Do you hear me?" I tried to speak in a soothing tone.

  She nodded her head in agreement as I walked with Glenn over to the oncoming police cruiser. I knew they would want to get all of our statements, but I was more concerned with getting Kayla and the baby checked out.

  "Glenn, did you tell them to bring an ambulance also?"

  "Yeah, bro. Should be here shortly. Although, if you don't go stop her, I'm pretty sure she's gonna be drivin' herself to the hospital."

  I turned and ran straight for Kayla's truck, snagging the keys right out of her hand. "Hey, did you not hear what I said? You are in no shape to drive. The ambulance will be here shortly, they'll take you to the hospital."

  "I need to see him, Jo."

  I tucked her head into my chest, "I know you do, sweetheart."

  The ambulance showed up a few minutes later. The police officer agreed to take our statements at the hospital after they secured the crime scene, and after Kayla and t
he baby were checked out. Glenn and I both rode in the back of the ambulance on the way to the hospital with Kayla. When we pulled in, Glenn called Cami to fill her in on most of the details and told her not to repeat any of it to Kayla's grandparents. He also told her that we would be home as soon as Kayla was discharged.

  Once Kayla was admitted, I flung myself into the nearest chair, resting my head back against the wall. I never imagined this day ending the way it did. Least of all, I never imagined how much my heart would break seeing Kayla in harm's way. I knew how much I loved this girl, but knowing that she had an amazing man to take care of her, helped me realize that I would never have her. More than anything, I was grateful to have her as my friend.

  Chapter 22

  Kayla

  "I'm fine. Would you please stop poking and prodding me."

  "Miss, we need to make sure the baby is okay. I'm just gonna wrap this monitor around you and then we need to keep you overnight for observation. Just sit back and calm down, please."

  "Ugh, there is no reason to keep me overnight. I'm fine!" I shouted.

  "What's all the ruckus in here?"

  I would've known that voice in an instant, any place and anytime. I unattached the monitor and ran into my wheelchair bound love. My arms wrapped tightly around his neck as I pushed my belly into his stomach, pulling him into me as close as I could.

  "Now that's a way to greet a guy." He whispered.

  "Oh my god, when, how?" I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I missed you, cowboy." I whispered into his mouth as I sealed my lips over his.

  "I would say so. I missed you too, pretty girl."

  We kissed fervently and passionately for longer than was necessary, but I couldn't get enough of him. I had gone an entire week of not being able to feel him.

  "Now get your ass back in that bed and get that monitor back on. We need to make sure that baby is okay. Speaking of which, ya wanna fill me in on why you're here anyway?"

  I looked up at him ashamed. I wasn't sure I was ready to relive the events of the night already. When the tears stung the back of my eyelids, Madison rolled himself over to the side of the bed.

  "Pretty girl, don't cry."

  "I'll tell ya what happened." Joey's voice broke through my internal turmoil.

  "Well don't you look like hell? What the hell happened to y'all?"

  Glenn came walking through the door next and Madison looked abashed and confused. Well isn't this just a party.

  "I'd tell ya to sit down if ya weren't already. Tonight the situation with Wren and your father came to a head."

  "I knew you told her, but you let her get involved?"

  Madison was pissed, and I could tell he was about to take it out on Joey, when I opened my mouth to defend him; Madison stopped me with a wave of his finger.

  "It wasn't my idea. We had a back up plan. I swear I never would've let anything happen to her. You know that."

  Madison ran his hand that wasn't in a cast back through his grown out hair and down his face. I could tell he was frustrated, and the story Joey was about to unleash on him was only gonna make the situation worse. Joey started at the beginning, leaving absolutely nothing out. I watched as Madison's hand balled into a fist and then as tears fell from his eyes when Joey got to the part about Wren and the gun pointed at our baby.

  My hands fell to my stomach, clutching onto the tiny unborn life living inside of me. As much as I felt as though I was undeserving of love, Madison had taught me that love was exactly what I deserved. I deserved to be happy and I deserved to have this baby.

  Madison reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly as Glenn and Joey wrapped up the rest of the story. When Glenn got to the part about Madison's father taking his own life, Madison's grip loosened and went straight for my stomach. He looked at our hands placed on top of one another lovingly and whole-heartedly. I could tell he was grieving the loss of the father he once knew, but there was never a tear shed for the man that his father had become.

  After about another hour or so, Glenn and Joey said their good-byes and made their way out of the room. I couldn't stop staring at Madison praying that this all wasn't just a dream, that he was really here, in front of me and awake.

  "You see somethin' ya like?"

  I nodded my head and placed a small kiss to his cheek. "Marry me, Madison Raine."

  "Isn't that supposed to be my line?" He chuckled and it felt so good to hear his laugh again.

  "I suppose." I blushed.

  "The answer would still be yes, but let me ask. Please give me that much."

  "Okay." I replied.

  "When did you wake up?" I was concerned, but I was elated to have him back, in one piece and in front of me.

  "Earlier this afternoon. They called my gran, but I asked them not to call you."

  "Why?" I was beginning to get a little angry with him.

  "Because my gran and I decided that we would get me home and settled and then surprise everyone tomorrow. That's why she invited everyone to dinner at our house."

  Realization dawned on me, as I took in the gloriously romantic man in front of me. I don't know how I could have ever lived without him, and now thankfully, I didn't have to.

  "Kayla, are you okay?"

  "I'm better than okay, cowboy. I have the love of my life back."

  "I mean with everything that happened tonight? Which by the way, I should kick your ass for even getting yourself involved. Even if you weren't pregnant with my child, I still wouldn't have wanted you to get involved. You mean too much to me."

  "And you mean more to me. I needed to make sure that they paid for what they did to you. Oh, I need you to find my purse. Is it here?"

  Madison rolled himself over to the nearest chair and brought me my purse. I searched for the camera I had taken to the swimming hole with us today and quickly pulled it out to show him. "Here, look at these." I shoved the camera into his free hand.

  I watched his face as he scrolled through each picture one by one. I had taken at least a hundred of them, wanting to capture every moment I could.

  "I see you wore my favorite suit." He winked.

  "I did."

  "This is amazing, Kayla. You did all of this yourself?"

  "Well, I had a little bit of help, but for the most part it was my idea. I was going to come up here after, well you know, and show you. I knew you wouldn't be able to see them, but I wanted you to know just how much all of us missed you."

  He set the camera by my leg and pulled himself up onto the bed next to me. "I know you may not believe this, but I could hear you and see you the whole time. It was like I was watchin' everything without anyone knowin'. It's a feeling I can't quite explain. Every time you touched me, I willed myself to wake up and touch you. I couldn't stand not feeling your warmth against me. I felt dead. Part of me wanted to be, if I wasn't able to hold you ever again. I took peace in knowing that even if I never woke up, that I could still see you."

  My hand reached up to his cheek, sliding down to his chin, forcing him to look at me. His eyes were the most amazing green I had ever seen, and for a moment I was lost in what I would've missed out on had he not come back to me. "I knew you'd come back."

  His lips skimmed the inside of my palm and then made their way up my arm. When he reached my neck, I couldn't help the giggle that escaped from between my lips.

  "When do you get released?" I didn't want to ruin the moment, but my curiosity took over.

  "I was being discharged when I heard the commotion coming from your room. My gran should be here shortly, but I can stay with you tonight if you would like me to."

  "Are you crazy? Of course I do, but I'm sure you would enjoy sleeping in your own bed."

  "I don't enjoy anything without you, pretty girl."

  My lips found his and I forgot all the stress and bad luck that we had endured over the last week, and I was left with just us, here and now. My hand wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him closely into me. When he eventually b
roke free from the kiss, I found myself pouting.

  "Did I do something wrong?"

  "Absolutely not, I just need a minute. It's been awhile since, well, I just need to cool down a bit."

  I smiled down at where his hand was covering his crotch realizing exactly what he meant. I would be lying if I said his kiss hadn't affected me just as much, if not more. The nurse came in a few minutes later, to inform me that if I was absolutely insistent upon it, then I was able to go home tonight. I was elated and I could tell by the look on Madison's face, so was he. I think both of us were over this hospital.

  She unhooked me from the monitors and told me I was allowed to get dressed, but that I wasn't allowed to leave until the police were able to finish up there questioning that I had avoided earlier. My heart constricted and my air was instantly cut off. Having to relive everything in front of Madison, was going to prove to be extremely difficult given the fact that this all ended with his father taking his own life.

  "Is there anyway I can go down to the station at a later date to do it?"

  "I'm afraid not."

  "It's okay, Kayla. I'll be here the entire time." Madison squeezed my hand in reassurance, but it did anything but.

  Chapter 23

  Madison

  As happy as I was to be awake and see her face again, havin' to watch her now, answering these questions was breakin' my heart. I couldn't believe what she had been through. I wish I could've been there for her. I wish I could've been the one to have protected her and helped her through it all. Instead it was Joey. Joey was the one who came through for her when I wasn't able to, and all my doubts began to resurface. Did I deserve her unconditional love?

  "Miss James, who shot Wren?"

  I could feel the angst and pain radiating off of her and I pulled her deep into me.

  "Mr. Raine did."

  "Do you remember any words that were exchanged between Mr. Green and Mr. Raine before that?"