Chapter 27 Kelcie
Kelcie
I’ve contemplated waiting until after Christmas to see if I can go into my parents’ house without losing it, but after only two nights in the motel, I’m already tired of staying there and don’t want to live in my rental either.
Levi brings his truck to a stop in front of my family home, and after turning off the engine, he takes hold of my hand and just sits in silence beside me.
My gaze slowly moves over the house where I had the happiest childhood. Until that horrific night, this house was my little slice of heaven.
My heartbeat speeds up, and I pull my hand free from Levi’s when my palm begins to grow sweaty. I suck in deep breaths of air before I shove the passenger door open and climb out of the truck.
I hear Levi move, and when he comes to wrap his arm around my shoulder, he asks, “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I whisper.
“I have your medicine and water, and I’m not leaving your side. Take your time, my muse.”
“Some muse I am,” I say, a nervous chuckle escaping me. “You haven’t written in weeks.”
“We can talk about my writing later.” When I glance at him, he says, “Right now, let’s focus on you. This is a big moment.”
He’s right.
I look at the house again and take another deep breath before slowly walking toward the porch.
The image of Mom opening the door flashes through my mind. When I take the steps up and I glance at the hanging chair, I picture Mom and Dad enjoying a glass of wine at sunset.
I turn my head and look at the wooden floor, but I don’t see any sign of blood.
Jordan said he had everything cleaned.
When I bring my gaze back to the front door, Levi unlocks it before stepping to the side. “You’re doing great, Kelcie.”
I reach for the handle and push down on it, and when the door creaks open, my breaths come a little faster. Feeling very emotional and apprehensive, I take cautious steps forward.
“I’m right behind you,” Levi murmurs.
Keeping my eyes lowered, I walk past the formal sitting room and dining area. I fist my hands at my sides, and when Lick comes to nudge her head against my thigh, I lift my head and look up the staircase to where I last saw Mom.
Instead of getting a flashback of Mom dying, I hear her laughter as she wrapped Christmas decorations around the banisters.
I glance at the living room and see the couches have been pushed back into their original positions, and the lamp stands upright.
There’s no sign of the destruction that happened in the room when Sage and Dad were killed.
Instead, I picture Sage lying on the couch with a bowl of popcorn resting on her chest while she judges every participant on some reality show.
Buttercup, I’m getting some ice cream for me and Sage. You want some? I hear Dad ask, and my head snaps to the left where the kitchen is.
The flashback is so clear, for a moment it feels like he’s really standing at the counter, scooping spoonfuls of chocolate ice cream into a bowl.
Tears gather in my eyes as I remember him eating directly from the tub and Mom chastising him.
No, Harry! Dish some up instead of eating like a barbarian.
A weird mixture of a sob and laughter splutters from me, then I feel Levi’s arm wrap around my shoulders, and I’m pulled out of the past. I turn into his chest as the tears come.
Levi holds me, and I feel him dropping kisses on my hair. “I’m here, baby. I’ve got you.”
I take the comfort only he can give me, and when the tears stop flowing, I keep resting my cheek against his chest while letting more memories of my family flutter through my mind.
“We were so happy here,” I whisper.
“I can still feel that happiness in the house,” Levi mentions.
I pull back and look at the staircase again. Gathering courage, I take the first step, and then the second. I glance at our family photos on the wall, and seeing my parents’ and Sage’s faces for the first time in over a year, tears silently roll over my cheeks.
Levi stops to stare at one of the whole family. We’re all wearing matching Christmas sweaters. “There’s so much love in this photo that I can feel it.”
When I reach the landing, I notice the entire carpet has been replaced.
Before I know what I’m doing, I sit down on the top step and lean my head against the wall. Closing my eyes, I imagine Mom as she sat here and bled out.
“What if the last thing my mom saw was me running away?”
Levi crouches in front of me and tilts his head. “If I were in your mom’s position and I saw you run, I’d be filled with relief, Kelcie. It would’ve been much worse if she had to watch you die. It would break me, and knowing how much your mother loved you, it would’ve destroyed her.”
My eyes focus on Levi’s face as I hear what he’s saying. “She didn’t know Sage was dead. Maybe she had hope that we both survived. Maybe she heard Dad telling me to run, and she thought he would survive too.”
Levi places his hand on the side of my neck and nods. “I like those maybes.”
“It’s so much better than Mom dying thinking we were all killed,” I whisper.
His thumb brushes over my skin in a soothing way, and I lock eyes with him. “You didn’t have to come here to try and fix what Wesley destroyed.”
“I had no choice in the matter. I took one look at your smiling face, and I just had to make sure you got the chance to smile like that again.”
“My smiling face?”
“There was a photo of you in one of the articles,” he explains. “There’s also a part of me that wondered if things would’ve turned out differently if I hadn’t left Wesley behind.”
“Did they abuse him too?” I ask.
Levi shakes his head. “No, but they’re responsible for turning him into a cold-blooded monster. His father taught him to laugh whenever he hurt me.” His expression fills with hatred. “But that doesn’t excuse what Wesley did, and he deserves the life sentence he received.”
“It’s hard to believe you grew up in the same house as him. You’re complete opposites, and I’m so thankful for that.” I lean forward and press a kiss to Levi’s mouth. “I have one more maybe.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Maybe my parents and Sage found a way to send you to me because they knew we would be able to heal each other.”
Levi’s mouth curves into a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. “I like that maybe a lot.”
I climb to my feet, and when Levi straightens out, I take his hand and pull him toward my bedroom. When we step inside, I glance around at everything that’s so familiar yet so foreign after being away for a year and a half.
Levi pulls his hand free from mine and walks to the wall that’s decorated with floating shelves. My most prized and sentimental wooden pieces are on display, and he takes his time looking at every single one. “You made these?”
“Yes. I made half of them with my dad’s help.”
I move closer to the five oval-shaped pieces that have an intricate pattern carved into them. “These took me a year to make.” I twist off the top piece, and as I lift it, it reveals a miniature statue. “This is Sage.”
“Jesus, Kelcie.” Levi leans closer, admiring the detail. “Your work is amazing.”
I show him the statues of Dad, Mom, and Jordan, and I love how he inspects every inch of wood.
Levi locks eyes with me, then asks, “Will you ever whittle again?”
“I’m going to make our kitchen cupboards and take it from there.”
“Will you show me your workshop?”
Nodding, I walk out of the room. I glance at my parents’ bedroom, the door standing open. I pause for a moment before I go inside.
“It doesn’t smell like them anymore,” I whisper to myself.
I move closer to the dressing table, and picking up a half-full bottle of perfume, I squirt some into the air and inhale deeply.
Mom.
I keep the bottle and go look for Dad’s cologne in the bathroom. Again, I spray in the air and take a deep breath.
“That’s what home smelled like,” I tell Levi as I meet his eyes. “Now home smells like cedarwood and citrus.” Seeing he doesn’t understand, I add, “Your scent.”
His features soften, and he closes the distance between us, engulfing me in his arms. “You’re my home too. Flowers, bright light, and beautiful smiles.”
I shut the front door of the rental behind me and glance around the space where I licked my wounds.
Levi dropped me off, and he’s heading to the motel to pack his belongings, then he’ll come back to pick me up.
We’ve decided to temporarily move into my family home because I want to slowly work my way through every room and decide what I’m keeping and giving away.
I’ll tell Jordan when I see him and hear if he wants to come through to look at everything as well. I think he’ll be very happy to hear about the progress I’ve made.
Time to pack and say goodbye to this place.
Heading toward the stairs, I remember to lock the door and quickly turn around. I reach for the deadbolt, but the next instant, the front door opens.
For a second, I think it’s Levi, but when I see Colby, I’m instantly angry and scowl at him. “You can’t just barge into my house.”
He doesn’t listen and comes in before slamming the door shut behind him.
“Leave right now. I have nothing to say to you,” I snap, my body starting to tremble from all the anger I feel.
“I just want to talk to you, Kelcie,” he says, but when he engages the deadbolt, fear slithers through me.
“We can talk outside.” I take a step toward the door and reach for the lock, but Colby grabs hold of me.
God!
I let out a startled shriek when he lifts me off my feet, forcing me deeper into the living room, before he throws me down on the couch.
I hiccup from shock, and twisting, I scramble to get away from him as my mind struggles to catch up to what’s happening.
“Just fucking stop!” Colby shouts as he grabs hold of my hips, hauling me back onto the couch and beneath him.
I begin to hit every surface of his body I can reach while screaming bloody murder.
He manages to grab hold of my forearms and lock them to my chest. “Why, Kelcie?” he roars in my face.
“What does he have that I don’t? I fucking did so much for you.
Do you know what it took to find that bitch mother of his and convince her to come here?
I showed you what kind of monster he is, and still you fucking picked him. ”
When he stops yelling, our rushed breaths are all that can be heard for a few seconds before I buck my hips up in an attempt to get Colby off me. My heart thunders against my ribs, and it feels like I’m having an out-of-body experience.
I twist my arms, fighting to free them, and when I get my right hand loose, I don’t hesitate and punch Colby as hard as I can on the jaw.
His head whips to the side, and I fight like crazy to wiggle from beneath him. When I drop onto the floor, I dart to my feet and run for the back door, while I dig my phone out of my coat pocket. My attention is split between running and finding Levi’s number.
Just as I press dial, I also manage to slide the deadbolt back, but before I can open the door, Colby grabs hold of my shoulders and yanks me backward.
I lose my footing and fall to the floor between the kitchen and the living room, my phone flying from my hand and sliding beneath the couch.
No!
My head snaps back to where Colby is securing the deadbolt, and I catch a glimpse of a gun tucked into the back of his pants.
Oh, Jesus!
I scramble to my feet, and instead of running away, I lunge at Colby in an attempt to get ahold of the gun. Something connects hard with my chin, and I bite my tongue, a coppery taste quickly filling my mouth.
“Fucking. Stop,” Colby roars before he slaps me so hard, I swear I see stars for a few seconds.
Those precious seconds are all it takes for him to tackle me off my feet. As my side slams into the hard floor, the air whooshes from my lungs, and my vision goes spotty.
Colby forces me onto my back and straddles me, then grips hold of my jaw. He leans down until his breath hits my face. “Why do you love him? Why do you give him what’s always been mine?”
My tone is biting as I sneer, “Because Levi is everything you will never be.”
A look of heartache tightens Colby’s features, and I’m so freaking confused when tears roll over his cheeks.
“I love you, Kelcie. I’ll do anything for you.
” He leans closer, and I begin to slap him again when he tries to kiss me.
“Pick me,” he breathes against my mouth, and I squeeze my lips tightly together while letting out a strangled shriek.
Nothing I do helps to get him off me, and I cry, “Stop, Colby!”
“No. I’ll make you see we’re meant to be. You just need to give me a chance.”
When I feel his hands working to undo the button of my jeans, a fear I had hoped to never feel again floods my body.
I scream my head off, and I fight harder than ever to get away from him.
I hear barking, and the relief hits me so hard, I begin to cry hysterically. There’s a crashing sound somewhere behind me, and as Colby finally moves backward, Lick flies right over me and sinks her teeth into Colby’s arm, her body slamming him onto his ass.
I scramble away until I reach the couch while Levi charges Colby, who’s pulling the gun from behind his back.
“Noooooo!” I scream, my hand flying to my mouth.
It feels as if time slows down. I hear Lick viciously snarling as she lets go of Colby’s arm, darting around him to get to his other side. I see the dark metal of the gun and hear the crushing blows of Levi’s fist connecting with Colby’s face.
The gunshot is so loud I jerk. Lick whines, and the men freeze.
God. No. Please, no!
I crawl to them as Levi lets go of Colby and sinks back onto his haunches while Lick crawls to him, her ears pulled back.
“Levi?” I whimper, and as I get closer, I see blood flowing from a hole beneath Colby’s ear.
Levi pets Lick as he turns his head toward me, his breaths rushing over his parted lips.
There are droplets of blood on the side of his face, and I use my hand to wipe them away before I curl up against his chest. When Levi’s arms wrap like steel bands around me, a wail tears loose from the deepest part of my soul.
I thought Lick was shot. Then I thought Levi was shot.
Those two thoughts are the reason I break down. Not because Colby attacked me, but because there was a chance I could’ve lost them.