Chapter 22
“We must’ve been going two hundred miles an hour!
Then there was smoke everywhere and I couldn’t see anything!
The car stopped and there were a hundred policemen pointing their guns at us.
Then I was pulled out and Oz was there! He cried.
Then we got to ride in the back of a police car and a helicopter came and I told Bree our code words and she came out!
Oz cried again and then we got to eat Whataburger and when we got home, you were here! ”
Riley smiled at Logan. He was recounting what had happened earlier that day. It was late, the sun had long since set, but she wasn’t the least bit tired.
She was wearing a turtleneck sweater even though she was lying in bed, so the kids didn’t freak out about the bruises around her neck.
Over the last few hours, they’d really begun to darken.
The sight of Miles’s fingermarks on her neck made even her a bit queasy.
She was stiff, and pale, but she thought she looked pretty damn good for almost dying earlier that day.
She was sitting on Oz’s bed with Bria snuggled in her arms, Logan sitting at her feet, and Oz’s arm around her. He was supporting both her and Bria’s weight, and she’d never felt as relieved as she did right that minute.
Miles was in jail on quite the laundry list of charges.
Along with kidnapping, attempted murder, and fleeing from police, he was also facing child pornography charges.
After all the trouble he’d gone through to get his disk from her place so the cops wouldn’t find it, they’d confiscated it from his car.
She’d been told his case would be a slam dunk, that they had more than enough evidence to put him away for a really long time.
But Riley didn’t want to think about Miles. She was just so thankful to be alive. That Logan and Bria were all right.
“It sounds like it was quite the adventure,” she told Logan.
“It was. But…Oz told me that was the only time I was ever allowed to ride in the back of a police car.”
Riley smiled. “He’s right. And how are you doing, Bree? You’ve had a rough couple months,” she said gently.
Bria shrugged. “I’m okay. I was scared but Logan told me to hide, and I knew he’d be back to get me.”
Riley felt Oz shiver under her. They both knew so many things could’ve gone wrong.
If Logan hadn’t been smart enough to look for street signs and other distinguishing landmarks from where Bria had run, she might still be out there waiting for her brother to come back for her.
In the dark. They’d all been so very lucky.
“Are you really all right?” Logan asked. “That man hurt you.”
Oz’s arms tightened. He’d been very quiet since they’d gotten home. He’d helped her change and had examined her from head to toe, wanting to see for himself every bruise and scrape she’d gotten at Miles’s hands. They needed to talk, but they would take care of the kids first.
“He did,” she agreed. “But I’m okay. Here’s the thing, I could cry and stay in bed for a month, but that won’t change what happened.
I can either decide to move on with my life and be happy, or I can fall apart.
I’ve got too much to do to fall apart. We have baseball games to go to, Bree has a music recital with her class coming up in a month or so that she’s excited about, and I have customers who are relying on me to get their jobs done on time. ”
Logan nodded as if everything she’d said made perfect sense, but Bria turned to look up at her. “I wanna be happy. Sometimes I remember that scary cage and how hungry I was, but now I’m with Logan. And I like you. And Uncle Oz.”
Riley hugged her. “Good. And it’s okay to talk about what happened to you, like you’ve been talking to the psychologist. I’m not saying I won’t remember being hurt, but I’ve got you guys, and Porter, how can I not be happy?”
Bria snuggled back into her as she nodded.
Riley felt Porter kiss the top of her head and she sighed. Today had been the worst day of her life, but lying here in Porter’s arms, with Bria and Logan safe and healthy, she couldn’t help but be utterly content.
No one said anything for a long moment, then Porter said quietly, “I think Riley needs some sleep. And so do you guys. It’s been a long, eventful day.
I think we’re all going to take a sick day tomorrow.
Maybe go down to the big park on the Army post and throw a baseball around.
Bree, there’s an awesome obstacle course there that you might find fun. ”
“Yay!” Logan exclaimed.
It was obvious Bria wasn’t sure what her brother was so excited about, but she let out a happy whoop too.
“Sounds good,” Riley said softly.
“You will sit on the sidelines and watch,” Porter told her quietly. Then louder, he said, “Come on, kids, let’s go get you ready for bed.”
Riley watched the trio leave the room and leaned back on the pillows behind her with a sigh. She closed her eyes and must’ve dozed, because the next thing she knew, Porter was back, sliding into bed and pulling her into his arms. He held her as if she was the most precious thing in his world.
This was the first time they’d been alone since he’d found her on the floor of her apartment, and she had to say what she’d been thinking about since she awoke and became aware of what had happened.
“I’m so sorry—”
“No,” Porter said firmly.
“What?” she asked, turning her head to look back at him.
“No apologizing. You did nothing wrong.”
“How can you say that?” Riley asked incredulously. “I messed up in so many ways with Miles, I can’t even begin to list them all.”
“No, you didn’t. You wanted to find a nice guy to date, and you thought Miles was him. He played you from the start, used you for a place to crash. Took advantage of your gentle and loving demeanor. He belittled you, verbally abused you, and tried his best to tear you down.
“But it didn’t work. You got rid of his ass.
Maybe we shouldn’t have ignored him when he started to harass you, but that’s on us both.
We didn’t know he’d go this crazy. We should’ve taken precautions.
Taken out a restraining order, not that it would’ve prevented him from breaking into your apartment, but still.
Rile, he’s the one who almost strangled you to death.
He’s the one who kidnapped our kids. He’s the one who put Logan’s life at risk by driving like a lunatic.
You have nothing to apologize for. It’s all on him. Do not take this on yourself.”
It took Riley a moment to be able to speak. The lump in her throat was almost overwhelming. “How did I get so lucky?” she whispered.
“I think that’s my line,” Porter said. “I admit that I didn’t think I was so lucky when Logan showed up, but now I can’t imagine not having him in my life.
And then finding Bree? She reminds me so much of my sister, it’s almost uncanny.
I miss her. I’m sorry that I didn’t get the chance to mend our bridges, but she gave me two of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten.
Three, if I include you.” He leaned in and sighed against Riley’s neck.
“You scared the shit out of me,” he admitted.
“When I saw you unconscious on the floor, I thought you were dead.”
Riley wasn’t sure what to say. She knew it was only because Miles was in a hurry, and an idiot, that he hadn’t finished the job. She should’ve been dead on that floor, and it wasn’t something she liked to think about.
“I can’t live without you,” he whispered.
“And I can’t live without you,” she returned. “I’m going to be a mess when you go on missions. I hate to even admit that because it puts a lot of pressure on you, but…please be careful.”
Porter rolled her so she was on her back looking up at him.
He brushed a lock of hair off her forehead.
“I’ve never really thought too much about death before.
I knew it was a possibility every time we went on a mission, but I’ve got too much to live for to let some asshole take me out.
I honestly think the fact that Trigger, Lefty, Brain, and I have found women we want to spend the rest of our lives with, we’re actually more cautious than we were before. ”
She loved hearing that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Deciding that they’d been morose long enough, she said, “Well, if we’re going to be together forever, we definitely need a bigger place.
Not to mention, I have a feeling things with the powers that be in the Army would be easier if we were actually married, and I wasn’t just the neighbor who babysat the kids. ”
She was completely kidding, and awkwardly trying to lighten the mood.
“Yes,” Porter said without hesitation.
“Yes? Yes, what?” she asked.
“I accept your marriage proposal,” he told her.
Riley blinked up at him. “I didn’t propose,” she protested.
“Yes, you did. And I accepted. So now we’re engaged. Did you get me a ring?” he teased.
Riley wasn’t sure what had just happened. Was he kidding? She wasn’t sure.
“No matter,” he said, then rolled away. He opened the drawer in his nightstand and pulled out a small black box. “If you don’t like it, I can get you something else.”
He opened the box to reveal a simple diamond solitaire ring. The stone was emerald cut, and it sparkled in the overhead light they hadn’t turned off yet. She stared at it, then back up at him, speechless.
“I love you, Riley. I really do want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. I have a feeling nothing about our lives will be calm and sedate, but I can’t wait for what tomorrow brings. Will you marry me? Have more kids with me?”
“Oh, Porter,” Riley said.
He smiled and took the ring out of the box and picked up her hand. He slipped the ring down her finger. It was a bit big. “I wasn’t sure of your size, but I was too impatient to have you agree to be my wife to get it sized properly.”
“When did you get this?” she asked, still in shock.
“A week ago.” He shrugged. “I know it’s fast, but fuck it. I love you. You love me. The kids adore you. And after what happened today, after almost losing you all, I’m especially glad I already bought it so I could ask you right this second to marry me.”
Riley had never felt as happy as she was at this moment. “You know, when I get pregnant, I’ll gain weight. I think this ring might fit perfectly if my fingers swell up.”
She saw the flare of lust in Porter’s eyes at her words.
“Fuck,” he swore quietly. A hand went down her body to rest on her belly. “I can’t wait for you to be pregnant. I know that’s probably weird, but I can’t help it. Now that I know how awesome kids are, I want more.”
“They don’t come out being ten or six. Babies are loud. And they’re quite a disruption to life as you know it,” she warned.
“Don’t care,” he said as he lay down next to her. She was still wearing her sweater and sweatpants, but she didn’t have the energy or desire to get up and change. Porter’s hand slipped under her sweater and rested on the bare skin of her belly.
“Thank you for being so strong and not giving up,” Porter said softly.
“Thank you for finding our kids.”
“Love you.”
“Love you back,” Riley said.
The light was still on, she was still almost fully dressed, and she’d almost died that day. But Riley had never slept better as she did that night.