35. Katy
35
Katy
I ’m distracted at work, which is never good when you’re dealing with a bunch of toddlers and glitter. My mind keeps wandering to the shower sex Viktor and I had this morning. I can’t seem to connect how his body could be so rough, but his words simultaneously tender.
We’re just getting the kids settled for a snack when I hear a commotion in the hallway. I try to ignore it so the kids don’t notice and turn on some music, but when I hear Viktor’s voice rise, I get nervous. Callie, my lead teacher, and I exchange a look, and I raise the volume on the radio.
I tentatively walk to the door and try to peer out the small rectangular window, but it’s blocked by a body.
A firm “No” comes from Viktor, and I hear the muffled sounds of my director speaking back to him, but I can’t understand what she’s saying.
I turn the knob and crack the door open a few inches before Viktor spins, and I see a look I haven’t seen on his face since…
“Close the door and stay inside.” I’m startled, frozen by the authority in his voice and the memory of a similar situation the night I rolled down the window in the rain.
“Oh, Katy. There’s someone here—” Viktor quickly cuts my director off in her attempt to speak with me directly.
“I said no, Miss Holly. Call the police.”
Police?
“Viktor, what’s—”
“There’s a man here claiming to be Owen’s father and…” I know Holly is still saying words, but I hear nothing. My eyes flash to Owen’s classroom, where Patrick stands firmly in front of his door. I see his fingers twitching, and I know it’s because Miss Holly doesn’t allow them to bring their guns into the building. Bodyguards she tolerates, firearms around children she won’t. Ordinarily, I’d agree with her, but right now, I wish I had one of my own.
“Is he…He can’t be right?” I’m keeping my panic in as best I can so I don’t scare any of the children behind me.
“I don’t know, and I don’t care to find out. I’m not moving, and neither is Patrick. Whoever it is isn’t on his pick-up sheet. Miss Holly already confirmed that, so she won’t be letting him in the building.”
“Miss Katy, he says he’s Owen’s father. Do you want to come speak with him?”
My body trembles with fear and adrenaline. My eyes dart between Holly and Viktor. Holly knows my story, and I can’t understand why she would even entertain the idea that I would want to speak to a random man who claims to be Owen’s father.
“I said call the fucking police. He’s trespassing on private property.”
“Mr. Dempsey, I will warn you only once to watch your mouth. This is a preschool full of children.” She may be chastising him, but there’s no conviction behind her voice. She’s afraid of Viktor.
“Exactly. There are children here and you’re acting like you’re going to allow a strange man into this facility when I’ve told you to call. The. Police.”
Holly looks frazzled. She’s attempting to keep her composure but failing. She keeps running her hands down the front of her pink blouse, and her hair is askew because she’s continuously pushing her glasses further on top of her graying hair.
Conversations stop when the bell, indicating the front door has been opened, pierces the tension-filled air.
Did he leave? Was it actually Shane?
“I hope so. If he knows what’s good for him, he left. I don’t know who else it would have been.”
I guess I spoke out loud because Viktor answers both of my apparent non internal thoughts.
“Patrick, grab Owen. We’re leaving.”
“Viktor, I can’t leave. There’s still another hour of school left.”
Now that the threat is gone, he pushes the door open. His large hands grip my cheeks, and I can see the desperation in his eyes.
“Katy, yours and Owen’s safety have been compromised. We need to get you both home. Please don’t argue. Miss Holly can take over for the last hour. It’s the least she can do after almost putting you both in danger.”
Dempsey glares at her and Holly scoffs. “I did no such thing.”
“Katy, grab your bag, please.”
I nod, and he releases my cheeks. He turns his body to face Holly, and as he’s about to speak, Owen excitedly yells his name from down the hall. Viktor’s face immediately changes when he sees my son. All the anger leaves his body in a rush, and when Owen crashes into his legs, he scoops him up and gives him a big hug.
My heart threatens to swell out of my chest. Patrick and Viktor share a quiet exchange, and Patrick leaves with my car keys in his hand. I say goodbye to the kids in my class and join Viktor and Owen at my classroom door.
“Goodbye, Holly. I’m not sure if Katy will be back the rest of the week, or ever. We’ll let you know.” Despite Viktor’s softer features while holding Owen, his comments to Miss Holly hold his distaste.
I want to argue about returning to work, but there’s no point, at least right now. He’s in bodyguard mode, and saying yes is the only word he will hear.
I leave the classroom, and Holly walks in as we head toward the lobby. Two locked doors separate us from the outside world. Suddenly, I feel frozen.
“Are we sure he’s gone?”
“Patrick went to check, and he’s bringing your car to the front for us. We’re taking every precaution.”
“Bun-bun!” Owen shrieks.
I look into his sweet face and see him staring down the hall. Patrick must have forgotten to grab his bunny.
“I’ll get him for you.” Viktor nods, and I feel his eyes watching me as I retrieve his comfort toy. I apologize to Owen’s teacher for the interruption and quickly return to Owen and Viktor at the door.
My car sits in front of the door, but we aren’t moving.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Patrick brought your car to the front. Now we wait for him to get his, and we’ll leave.”
This feels like so much dancing around just to exit the building, but I know Viktor and Patrick are the best of the best and know what they are doing.
Shane was here. How? I know he’s been following us, but how could he be so bold as to show up at my job, Owen’s school? If he’s really watching us this closely, wouldn’t he know that we have bodyguards? He knows about Viktor.
My phone jingles in my back pocket, but as I reach for it, Patrick pulls up, and it’s time to go. Viktor takes my hand as he pushes through the first set of doors. Patrick waits with a gun in hand on the outside of the second. This all feels so surreal.
“Bang bang!”
I freeze, my body instantly trembling. I hear Viktor mumble something and a grunt from Patrick before my body is wrapped in warmth.
“Katy, look at me.”
I can’t physically make my body move. I’m trying. It feels like the world is crashing around me.
“Breathe, Katy. Deep breaths, or you’re going to hyperventilate. You’re safe. It was Owen.”
“Owen?” My baby’s name snaps me out of my spiral. “Is Owen safe?”
“He’s perfectly safe with Patrick. Owen made the sound. He saw Patrick’s gun and said bang bang. I’m assuming that’s what scared you?”
Owen made the sound.
I’m such a fucking train wreck. I’m stronger than this. Taking a deep breath, I straighten my back. Viktor wipes his thumb across my cheek, and I realize I’m crying. No more.
“I’m sorry. I’m good.”
“You sure? We can take another minute. Patrick and Owen are safe in your car. They’re waiting for us. Take however long you need.”
“Positive.” Without thinking, I lean in and take Viktor’s lips. He doesn’t hesitate to return the kiss, and I’m thankful. We don’t do public displays of affection, especially not during the day, but I need this. I need his connection to feel grounded.
“Come on, Pepper. Let’s get our boy home.”
Fuck. That sounds so right coming from him.
Viktor opens my door, and I slide in. He secures my seat belt for me, and I’m not even upset about it. He exchanges a nod with Patrick, who retreats to his car, and we leave my job for possibly the last time.
I feel like I should be sad about that fact. My job was the little bit of freedom that I got, the extra money in my pocket, so I didn’t feel like a complete burden. Right now, all I can think about is Viktor calling Owen “ours.”
Viktor has been with Owen since the moment he was born. He’s never backed down from his assumed role as a parent. It was never his job to help with Owen, but he did. His job has always been to protect me and then my son once he was born. The diaper changes, making breakfast, letting me sleep in, none of that was in his job description, but he did it. He does it. He does it all and so much more.
Why?
“Why what, Pepper?”
Shit. Where has my internal monologue gone?
“You okay over there? You’ve been staring at me for a while.”
I have. Damn, I must be losing it.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
Can I tell him? There’s so much already going on between us. It feels like our relationship has developed overnight, but in reality, years. Maybe I never noticed how he treated Owen because I never had a father growing up. Justin was the closest thing I had to a father figure, but as quickly as he came, he was gone, and I was alone again. It wasn’t until Spencer came into my life that Tucker, Axel, Miller, and Lincoln took on the roles of my fathers. I don’t know if I could ever refer to any of them as Dad, but that’s what they are.
“Pepper?”
“Why are you so good with him?”
“Him?” I glance into the backseat, not wanting to say Owen’s name and alert him of our conversation. “Oh. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because you’re paid to be our bodyguard, but you do far beyond that for him.”
Viktor stares out the windshield, deep in thought. Maybe this is as hard of a question for him as it is for me.
“Because he’s a part of you.”
“And you’re paid to be my bodyguard, yet you go above and beyond for me, too. Why?”
His sigh sounds like it comes from the depths of his emotions.
“You’ve never really been just a job. At first, you were. When Justin told me your story, it was easy to be your protector. You were so young and innocent, or so I thought. I don’t know how or when it changed. I help because I love him. How could I not? He’s an extension of you.”
He loves Owen because he’s an extension of me; therefore, he loves me. He’s saying the words again without actually saying them.
“Okay.” I don’t know what else to say because what I really want to do is jump in his lap and tell him how much I love him. How I loved him the moment he cut Owen’s cord and I saw the love he already had for my brand new baby boy.
“Okay.” He accepts my answer as we pull into the driveway.
“Can we hang out here?”
“Of course.” Viktor pulls the car toward the big house, and Patrick follows.
I have a lot of big feelings right now, and while I should probably sit alone and stew with them for a while, I’d rather be surrounded by family.
“Who’s car is that?” There’s a little blue sedan that I don’t recognize parked amongst all of the big pickups.
“That’s Chip’s car.” My head whips around to the voice I rarely hear. Patrick answered my question.
“Oh. Okay.” Patrick answered my question. Patrick. He never speaks. And how does he know that’s Chip’s car? I thought he had an SUV. Before I can question my mostly mute bodyguard, he disappears around the house to patrol. I’ll have to look into that later.
As we walk into the house, Owen runs between our legs, not caring that he pushes me out of the way.
“Hello I here!”
“Do I hear my favorite little guy?” Axel rounds the corner with a huge grin on his face. He grabs Owen by the waist and lifts him into the air. “Hey there.”
Owen giggles, and I see Axel look at the clock and then at me. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
The smile on my face falls, and I look at Viktor.
“We had a situation at the preschool,” Viktor responds in his authoritative voice. “Who’s home? I’d like to brief you all.”
“Everyone and Chip is here in the kitchen with Tucker and Lincoln. Hang on.” He puts Owen down and cups his hands around his mouth. “Family meeting in the kitchen.”
He turns back to me with a smile and pulls me in for a hug.
“You okay, Katy girl?”
I shrug, not really knowing how I’m feeling, and he kisses the top of my head in understanding. I peer around Axel’s shoulder when I hear footsteps bounding down the stairs. Miller sees me and smiles. He tugs my arm when he reaches us, and Axel reluctantly lets go.
“My turn.”
Miller crushes me against his chest. His body is warm, and his shaggy brown hair is wet. He must have just gotten out of the shower.
“You’re dripping on me.”
“Oh, am I?” He shakes his head like a dog, and water droplets rain on me.
“Ugh! Yuck.” I try to pull away, but his grip won’t allow me. “Viktor, do your job and save me from the Golden Retriever.”
“Not a chance, Miss Katy.”
Oh, screw you with your Miss . I hear him laughing at me. I’m gonna get him later.
“My turn. My turn.”
Owen jumps at our legs, and Miller releases me to pick him up, rubbing his wet hair all over Owen’s face. My heart lights up at the giggles that fill the room.
“Who needs a family meeting?”
I look up to see Spencer coming down the stairs. Her hair is also wet and down. Based on Miller’s heated look, they must have been in the shower together. I love everyone’s relationship in this house. It was always entertaining to make fun of and embarrass them when I lived here.
“We all do,” Viktor replies to Spencer. “We had a situation today at Owen’s preschool.”
“Okay. Kitchen, everyone.”
Spencer kisses Owen on the cheek, saying her hellos, and disappears into the kitchen to join everyone else. Miller puts Owen down, and I move to follow him into the kitchen.
“Pepper, wait.”
I stop and turn toward Viktor. “What’s wrong?”
“Stay here with Owen, and let us talk in the kitchen.”
“Why can’t I be involved?” Viktor brushes a lock of hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead.
“Because I have trouble concentrating when you’re in the room. Because if you’re there, I can’t make the best plan of action for you and Owen. You distract me in the best way.”
Dammit. Why does he have to say dreamy things like that?
“Fiiiiine. But only because you drive a hard bargain.” I kiss Viktor’s cheek and plop on the couch. Owen crawls up and cuddles into my side. It’s close to nap time. I should lay him down in his crib.
“Mama, bun-bun seepy.”
That’s my cue. “Come on, little man. Let’s lay bun-bun down for a nap.”
Once Owen is settled, I rest back on the living room couch. Now, what do I do? I see Tucker’s laptop on the end table and grab it to watch some mindless videos. I don’t want to turn the TV on and disturb everyone, and a laptop screen is much bigger than my phone’s.
I open the screen and easily type in his password. When I started homeschooling, I used Tucker’s laptop for the first few days until he bought me my own, and his password hasn’t changed. As my finger scrolls over the pad to click on the internet icon, I see a folder labeled ‘Katy.’ Why would Tucker have a file with my name on it?
Despite knowing that I should mind my own business, I can’t help but click the icon. A document opens with more folders, each labeled with dates. I click on one and see pictures; some look familiar, others don’t. It’s obvious the Katy folder is filled with things related to Shane. I want to close it and the laptop, but I know there are things they aren’t telling me, and I want to know. Several more folders hold pictures. I find one with information of Shane’s police career.
I continue to look at different things until I come across a date I’ll never forget. The day Shane tried to take me and shot Viktor. The mouse hovers over the folder icon. What could be in here? Viktor’s medical records? The damage done to the car?
I’d rather forget this day ever existed, but if information about the second worst day of my life exists, I want to know. Clicking on the mouse pad, a video pops up. I gasp as I realize it’s the dashcam footage of Viktor being shot and Shane almost taking me.