Chapter 17
Dominik
When I pulled my Mustang into the garage, her Tahoe wasn’t there in its spot.
I frowned as I pulled out my phone.
Looking for a text or call from her, and when I didn’t see anything, I sighed.
Then my phone pinged with a text, and the hope that it was Talia vanished when I saw the text thread.
Bros Before Hoes Text Thread
Ethan – Seeing y’all in love, it’s got me thinking.
Garrick – Bout time something did.
Alec – Preach it.
Bronson – Same here.
Garrick – Lila?
Alec – Better be her.
Bronson – No. Everly.
Me – Come again?
Bronson – Of course it’s Lila. What the fuck?
Ethan – What’s wrong with Everly?
Bronson – She isn’t snarky enough.
Me – Wouldn’t be too sure about that.
Garrick – You can say that again.
I pocketed my phone and headed inside.
I eyed the kitchen and didn’t see any food had been made, then I went to our bedroom, and the bed was still made from this morning.
The blanket on the couch was still folded up.
I frowned.
Where the fuck was she?
I pulled my phone back out, ignored the texts in the thread, and called her.
It rang and rang and rang and fucking rang.
Then it clicked to voicemail.
I growled and started to text the girls when my phone rang in my hand,
All hopes were dashed when I saw a number I didn’t know and not Talia’s name.
But then, I clicked to answer, “Yeah?”
I heard a man’s voice, “Umm, hello?”
“Who the fuck is this?” I growled.
“My name is Harry. I’m a nurse in the emergency room. Is this Dominik Davis?”
I scowled, “Yeah. Why?”
“Sir, your wife is here, she’s...”
I hung up and raced to the hospital.
I parked my Mustang illegally, but I didn’t give a single fuck.
I ignored their shouting and raced in.
At the front counter, I said, “Talia Davis. My wife. Where is she?”
I wondered if they could see my heart pounding in my chest, because it was loud as fuck.
But then I thought about it for a second.
Talia had my heart in the palm of her little hand.
Fuck. Me.
She’d better be okay.
The nurse smiled, typed something, and told me her room number.
I ran through the hospital and then ran into her room.
She saw me coming and then she smiled sadly, “Hey.”
I rushed to her and took her in, and then felt all the air in my body expel out of me in relief.
She wasn’t hurt.
But I needed her to confirm it, “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, “No. I’m sorry, I didn’t call you. I don’t know where my phone is.”
I leaned down and pressed a kiss on her lips, softly.
Then I asked, “What happened?”
A new wave of tears hit her eyes, and I frowned until she spoke.
“I was at Henrietta’s making dinner. She told me her chest had been hurting earlier today but that it was nothing. And I didn’t think it was. So, I loaded her into my car and brought her here. They wheeled her back and then...” her voice broke.
I gathered her in my arms, and then hugged her tightly; tears ran down her cheeks, soaking my shirt.
“I fainted when they told me that... fuck... they told me that she had another stroke, and that it was a bad one.”
She was crying into my shirt when a nurse walked in, and handed me my keys, and softly whispered, “We moved it for you.”
I nodded.
And then kept holding my wife in my arms, feeling the little kicks from my boys.
It was maybe ten minutes later when she finally stopped crying, and then a doctor entered the room.
He smiled, “Everything is okay with you. I was asked to bring you up to the ICU floor. If the two of you will follow me.”
I helped Talia sit up, and then I helped her stand, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist.
We followed the doctor to the ICU floor and then to a little office.
Moments later, a woman walked in.
And I held my wife in my arms as we were told that Henrietta had a second stroke on the way up to get scans.
They did everything they could.
But sadly, she had passed away.
Talia
“Think she would have liked this?” I asked Dominik.
He lowered his head, pressed a kiss on my temple, and whispered, “Yeah, Minx. Think she would’ve liked it.”
Henrietta’s story wasn’t known to many.
But I knew.
Years ago, she had been in love with a Navy pilot.
The father of her son, Robert, as well.
Sadly, he had been killed in a training exercise on the base when the engine had a catastrophic failure.
Alec pulled a few strings and got the location where the plane had come down.
We scattered Henrietta’s ashes there as well.
So, she would be with him, not only in heaven, but here as well.
I had tried to call Robert a handful of times, and he blocked me.
Dominik tried, and he cussed Robert out, then Robert hung up on him and blocked him too.
Her lawyer, however, hadn’t tried.
It was in Henrietta’s will that I was given power of attorney and named as her beneficiary.
Two months later, Henrietta’s house was named Safe Travels.
A home that was set up by a contact that Hyde knew.
Everyone had been upset about Krispin’s living situation.
So Safe Travels was the house in our small town where kids could go who were being neglected and they would get them the help they needed.
And yes.... you guessed it.
A month later, Robert tried to challenge the will.
He didn’t succeed.
Not when a paper was produced.
That Robert wanted nothing to do with her, it was signed, notarized, and had been filed.
Apparently, he thought he could be an asshole to her and still get whatever he wanted.
It didn’t work that way.
***
Dominik held me as I opened a letter that Henrietta had left for me.
I had it ever since I met with the lawyer after he had called me.
I just hadn’t wanted to open it yet.
Didn’t want to fully admit that she was gone from this earth.
Dominik pressed a kiss on my temple as I started reading.
Buttercup,
I know Mrs. Davis told you this years ago, but I also want to say this to you. Had I ever been blessed with a daughter, I would have wanted her to be just like you.
Don’t stop living life to the fullest, it’s the only one we have.
And I know Dom is your one; he knows it too, but it doesn’t hurt to give him a little hell every now and then.
Love you bunches, Buttercup.
Henrietta.
Tears flowed down my cheeks as Dominik held me closer.