Chapter Twenty-Four – Mackenzie
MACKENZIE
I rolled over and smiled as I took in Bradly sleeping with Mr. Whiskers curled up next to him. The last month had been so amazing. After Bradly’s ride in New York City, charging my stepfather and mother with violating their restraining order, and flying back to New York to help Emily prepare to move to Montana, as well as watch Bradly shoot a commercial, life was finally settling down.
Kipton and Hunter had added a new family member on January 18th with the birth of their daughter, Callie Stella Shaw. They hadn’t told anyone Kipton was in labor, just her parents and Hunter’s mom and dad. We’d all gotten a text to come to the hospital to meet the newest member. The picture of her dressed all in pink was so adorable.
Bradly and I had fallen into a beautiful routine as well. He spent three nights at my apartment, then we spent a night apart, him at his house on the ranch, me here. Then I spent three nights at his place. I had so much fun helping him move in and get settled. I could tell Dirk and Merit were over the moon with having Bradly home full time.
“What are you thinking about?”
I smiled as I looked at him staring up at me from the pillow. “How life has been so amazing the last month.”
He stretched. “It has. I know Mom is beyond thrilled with Avery coming home tonight.”
Resting my head on my hand, I reached over and started to pet Mr. Whiskers. “Did you let your sister know we were picking her up?”
He rolled onto his back and laughed. “Yes. I also told her that our mom was planning a Sunday dinner with just the five of us.”
“You didn’t tell her about the big party this weekend, did you? Your mom and aunts really want it to be a surprise.”
He looked my way. “I didn’t tell her, don’t worry. If there’s one thing my sister loves, it’s a good surprise.”
I picked up Mr. Whiskers, kissed him, then put him at the bottom of the bed as I climbed over Bradly. “Have I told you how much I love family dinner each Sunday at your parents’ place?”
He put his hands on my hips and dug his fingertips in slightly. “Do you really want to talk about that right now?”
I slowly shook my head. “What do you want to talk about?”
His eyes turned dark with desire as he lifted me slightly and slipped his fingers inside of me. We both moaned, and I soon found myself slowly sitting back down, Bradly filling me in the most delicious of ways.
Rocking my body in an easy rhythm at first, we stared into one another’s eyes. Bradly reached up and cupped my breasts as he said, “I just want to say, this is the best way to wake up.”
Moving faster, I nodded. “It. Is.”
His hands went to my waist to hold me as he lifted his hips and drove into me. I dropped my hands to his chest and met him thrust for thrust.
“That’s it, baby…you feel so good.”
We soon got completely lost in one another. Bradly flipped me onto my back and slowly made love to me until we both came at the same time. When he leaned his forehead to mine, I felt tears slip down my cheeks.
“Nothing is more amazing than being inside you, Kenz.”
Smiling, I whispered my reply. “I agree.”
He sighed, then kissed me. A long, sweet, passionate kiss. “I need to get dressed. I’ve got to meet Dad in thirty minutes.”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let you sleep in so late. I just love watching you sleep.”
When he pulled out of me, I instantly missed his heat. He reached for my hand and pulled me up. Then, moving fast, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me into the shower.
We quickly washed and dried, and as Bradly got dressed, I made him some oatmeal to take in a thermos with him.
“Here’s your breakfast on the go, sir.”
Bradly leaned in and kissed me. “Thank you so much. What are your plans for today?”
I leaned against the counter as I watched him fill up a large, insulated cup with ice water. It was so cold outside, I wasn’t even sure why he was adding ice.
“I’m helping Lou this morning with getting the seeds planted for the spring garden. Plus, I have a surprise I’m working on for Avery. Lou and I moved some tables and made a section in the greenhouse for her to plant some seeds for flowers, come spring.”
He drew his head back and smiled. “Really? Avery’s going to be thrilled with that.”
“I think she will too.”
Avery hadn’t mentioned anything more about the small business she and Emily had talked about starting, and it wasn’t my place to say anything, just in case she’d changed her mind. I highly doubted she would, but I still wanted to let her be the one to tell everyone her plans.
Bradly held his hand out. I placed my palm against his, and he drew me close. “I’ve never been so happy in my entire life, Kenzie. I want you to know that.”
I sighed and ran my finger down the side of his face. “Neither have I.”
“Enjoy your day, and I’ll see you later.”
He kissed me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to deepen it. I was already missing him, as silly as that was.
When he stepped back, I handed him the thermos and tumbler. “Be careful out there today. It’s cold.”
He laughed. “Says the girl who grew up in the south. Tell Lou I said hi.”
Walking him to the door, I opened it. Standing at the landing was Pickles. He did a spin of delight at the sight of Bradly, and Mr. Whiskers rushed past all of us and down the steps.
“I’ll walk down with you so I can feed everyone.”
At the bottom of the steps, Bradly turned once more, kissed me quickly on the mouth, then started for the door.
“Have fun in the dirt today!” he called out as he walked past the stalls, saying good morning to the horses.
Pickles pranced behind him until I called him back for breakfast. After feeding everyone, I made my way back up the steps to get myself changed and ready for work.
By the time I made it to the greenhouse, Lou was watering while she blared Def Leppard throughout the whole place. She was a firm believer that plants grew better with music. Why it couldn’t be something more calming was beyond me.
I shouted out her name, but she didn’t hear me, so I made my way to the office to hang up my coat, hat, and gloves. Once I returned to the greenhouse, she was shimmying her way down the tomato aisle to “Pour Some Sugar on Me” as she sprayed the plants with water.
“Lou!” I called out as I walked closer. “Lou!”
She finally heard me, turned—and aimed the water right at me, soaking me within seconds.
“Oh my God! Mackenzie, you scared the shit out of me!”
Reaching for her phone, she fumbled until she hit something, and everything went silent. Well, except for the water dripping off me and onto the floor.
“Oh, dear,” she muttered, bringing her hand to her mouth to muffle a laugh.
“Go ahead and laugh.”
Pressing her lips firmly together, she violently shook her head.
“I’ll go change into the spare clothes I keep in the office.”
Turning, I headed back the way I’d come, Lou hot on my heels, issuing apologies.
“I’ll make us some hot tea!” she called out from the other side of the bathroom door.
Slipping the wet sweatshirt over my head, I replied, “Sounds good!”
My change of clothes were sweatpants and a shirt, but thankfully my emergency set included socks and another pair of sneaks. I pulled my damp hair up into a bun on top of my head and emerged with the wet clothes in hand.
“Let me hang them up so they can at least air dry some.”
Holding the pile of wet clothes out of her reach, I replied, “I’ll do it, you just get that tea ready.”
I made my way back into the greenhouse and hung my shirt and jeans over a clothesline Lou had up for the rags and such we used for cleaning. Something caught my eye, and I looked and saw someone walking outside, toward the greenhouse.
“I’ll be right back, Lou, someone’s outside the greenhouse.”
Without hearing what she said, I headed to the main door and opened it, only letting out a small screech when Merit was right on the other side. She was with a man in his late forties. He was tall, with light brown hair, and dressed in a navy-blue suit.
“You scared me,” I said with a nervous laugh.
“I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. When I called Lou’s cell to see if you were here, she said you’d gotten wet and were changing. I figured I would just escort Detective Brice to the greenhouse.”
I smiled, but I was pretty sure it was fake as all get out. “Detective Brice from…?” I asked as I motioned for him to come into the greenhouse.
“Atlanta.”
Everything inside of me went cold. Merit quickly walked into the greenhouse and asked, “Should we go to the office, or perhaps back up to the house?”
He looked at me, then her, then back to me. “That’s up to you, Ms. Reeves.”
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. “If you’re here to tell me something bad, I’d rather you just tell me.”
Pulling off his gloves, he nodded and looked around the greenhouse. “Is there a place where we can sit down?”
“My office,” said Lou from behind me. “I just made some tea.”
“Wonderful,” Merit said as she took my hand in hers. “Lou, will you lead the way for Detective Brice?”
Lou grinned and motioned for the police officer to follow her. I looked at Merit, who gave me a soft smile and squeezed my hand.
My breathing had picked up, and for a moment I was worried something had happened to Emily. It wouldn’t be a Georgia detective coming to tell me something had happened to my sister in New York City, though.
Somehow my feet moved, but I felt far removed from the scene. Once we got into the small office, Lou opened up a couple of folding chairs, poured some tea, and handed a cup to Detective Brice.
“We’ll let you have some privacy,” Merit stated as she motioned for Lou to follow her out.
“No, please, will you both stay?” I asked.
I sank down into the chair opposite Lou’s desk as she handed me a cup of tea, then poured one for Merit and herself.
“Why are you here in Montana? Does this have anything to do with George and Anna?”
He cleared his throat, took a sip of the tea, and then set it down on a table that was off to the side. “Anna Reeves Larkson is your mother, correct?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
When he looked at his notepad, then up at me, I could see whatever he was about to tell me wasn’t good news.
“I regret to tell you that Mr. Larkson took his own life, along with your mother’s, two days ago. They were both set to appear before a judge in Atlanta on charges of violating your restraining order. There appeared to be a struggle, we think your mother might have tried to run out the door, but…”
His voice trailed off, and it only registered to me then that Merit had sucked in a breath.
“Mackenzie… Oh, Mackenzie,” she said softly, making her way over to me. She wrapped her arm around me and held me tightly.
I forced myself to take a breath, then looked at the detective. “Has anyone told my sister?”
He paused for a moment, then answered, “Not yet. I know you’re the older sibling, and I thought it might be better to come from family. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
All I could do was nod. I was glad it wasn’t going to be a stranger telling my sister.
“Are you okay, Ms. Reeves?” he asked, concern both in his voice and on his face.
I felt my entire body relax against Merit. “Yes, I am. Thank you for asking. This may sound cruel, but for the first time in a very long time, I feel like I no longer have to look over my shoulder for one of them to appear.”
He nodded, as if my response wasn’t cruel at all. “I’m not certain if they had a will or anything.”
“We don’t want anything that was theirs. My sister and I will sign whatever we have to, but neither of us were in contact with my mother or stepfather. As a matter of fact, she recently got a restraining order against them both as well.”
That didn’t seem to be news to him. “Your stepfather’s sister has made arrangements for a funeral for both.” He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. “She’s asked me to pass this along to you.”
I unfolded the paper and saw the information for the service and funeral. Neatly folding it again, I handed it back to him. “I won’t need that information, as I have no desire to attend. But thank you.”
With a nod, he stood, and I did the same.
“Detective Brice, why did you fly all the way to Montana to tell me this?”
He looked away for a few moments, before his eyes met mine. “When I heard the name come in on the murder-suicide, I wanted to be the one to tell you, and I felt I had to do it in person.”
Frowning, I asked, “Why?”
“You don’t remember me, Mackenzie…but your father was one of my best friends. I didn’t know your stepfather, but I did hear your dad talk about him often. He never had a bad thing to say about him. If I had known…” His voice trailed off.
“Detective Brice,” I said, reaching for his hand. “Please don’t feel guilty. George was very good at hiding who he truly was, just like he was good at putting bruises where no one would see. The only person I blame, and I’m not entirely sure I blame even her any longer, is my mother. I think she was so lost and broken after my father’s death, maybe she hoped for something with George that she just never got. We’ll never truly know. The only thing I know for certain is that my sister and I are now free of their hold over us. I know it’s terrible that we lost our mother, but if I’m being honest, we actually lost her a very long time ago. So her death is less of a blow than you’d expect.”
“Your father was a good man, and he would be proud of both of you.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you so much. That means a lot to me. I also appreciate you flying all the way here to tell me in person. And for letting me tell my sister.”
“I’m just sorry it was to bring you bad news, Mackenzie.”
I squeezed his hand. “Thank you, Detective Brice. You brought me sad news, not bad. I hope you at least get to stay in Montana a few days.”
“Unfortunately not. I’m heading back to Missoula and flying out tomorrow. But my wife is with me, so I think we’ll find a nice restaurant to enjoy this evening.”
Merit smiled as she released my other hand. “I’ll give you some suggestions while I drive you back up to your rental.”
The detective nodded. “That sounds wonderful.” Turning his focus back on me, he said, “I wish you and your sister the best of luck.”
Shaking his hand, I replied, “Thank you so much.”
“Of course.”
I watched as he grabbed his gloves, and he and Merit made their way out of the office. Lou softly shut the door and turned to face me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Should I feel upset?”
“I don’t know.”
Slowly sitting down in the chair, I drew in a deep breath and exhaled. “I think she’s at peace now. She’s with my father and she’s at peace. I have to believe that.”
Lou rubbed my back. “Take the rest of the day off. Call your sister, spend some time alone, and I’m here if you need to talk.”
Standing, I shook my head. “I appreciate the offer. But please don’t think badly of me if I say I’d rather work today and keep my mind busy. If you’ll just give me a few minutes to call my sister.”
She took both my hands in hers. “You take all the time you need. I’m going to head back out there and finish watering and getting Avery’s area ready.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Lou. And thank you for never pushing me to share things.”
With a wink, she turned and headed out to the greenhouse. I drew in a deep breath and hit my sister’s number and waited for her to answer.
“Hey.” Her voice sounded sad.
“You know?”
“Yeah.”
“How?” I asked as I sat back down in the chair.
“A friend from high school sent me a text not that long ago to tell me how sorry she was to hear about Mom passing away. One quick Google search gave me all the answers.”
“I’m so sorry you found out that way, Em. I just found out myself. A detective from Atlanta flew all the way here to tell me. Turns out he knew Dad and wanted to tell me in person. I was hoping George’s sister hadn’t contacted you.”
“I haven’t heard from her in years.”
“The detective tried to give me the address of the service and funeral, but I didn’t take it. If you want to go, I can—”
“No, I really want to remember her the way she was before he came into her life.”
“Good. You’re okay?”
“Strangely enough, I feel relieved, Kenzie. Like she’s finally out of the hell she’d been living in. I hate that she died in such a terrible way, but maybe she’s with Daddy now.”
I quickly wiped away the tear that had slipped free. “I’m sure she is.”
We sat in silence for a few moments before my sister spoke. “We both know that she left us a long time ago.”
“She did,” I softly replied.
“Okay, well, that terrible part of our lives is over. I’m going to probably cry later, but right now, I’m going to focus on packing. Once Doug comes home, I’ll tell him and…” Her voice cracked slightly.
“I love you, Em.”
A soft sniffle came through the phone. “I love you too, Kenzie. Let’s talk tomorrow, okay?”
Nodding, even though she couldn’t see me, I said, “Tomorrow.”
The phone call ended, and I dropped my hand to my lap. I stared out the window that was behind Lou’s desk at the soft snow falling. As it covered the entire countryside in a beautiful blanket of white, a strange sensation came over me. Maybe it was peace. Relief. Sorrow.
Whatever it was, it caused me to wrap my arms around my body, close my eyes, and whisper, “Bye, Momma. I forgive you, and I hope you’ve found peace.”
I opened the door to my apartment to find Bradly standing in the kitchen. He had two bowls out and the ice cream scoop.
“I thought I’d fix us some ice cream before we headed to Missoula to pick up Avery.”
Kicking off my sneakers, I stood rooted in my spot as I stared at him. How was he real? This man who loved me so deeply and showed me what true support was. I almost pinched myself to make sure I hadn’t been dreaming the last month.
Bradly made his way over to me. He bent his head and captured my gaze in his. “Are you okay?”
Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them away. “I am now.”
Wrapping my arms around him, I buried my face in his shirt and breathed in his scent. It instantly calmed me. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there, but the sound of Mr. Whiskers’ meowing pulled me away from the safety of Bradly’s embrace.
“Did you buy caramel?” I asked, glancing past him into my small kitchen.
He rolled his eyes. “Please, this isn’t my first rodeo.”
I placed my hand in his and let him walk me over to the sofa. He sat and pulled me down on top of him. The feel of his warm hand moving up under my shirt caused my entire body to shiver.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Resting my head against his shoulder, I took a moment to just feel his strong body. I knew I could take care of myself, and had for some time. But knowing that I had this man in my corner, and that he would fight for me, made me feel like I could finally relax and simply breathe.
“I don’t. I did end up making an appointment to speak with a therapist, though.”
His fingers moved softly over my skin. “I’m glad you did. When do you see them?”
“Next week.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Make me that bowl of ice cream you were trying to surprise me with.”
The rumble of laughter in his chest caused me to smile. “I know you asked for caramel. But I also have hot fudge. Which do you prefer?”
I drew back and looked at him as if he’d asked the stupidest question ever. “Both!”
With a wink, he replied, “Done.”
Sliding off his lap, I lay down, Mr. Whiskers now on my stomach, and watched him move about my kitchen. When he smiled and the dimples appeared, my tilted world righted itself on the spot.
Bradly walked over and I sat up, making Mr. Whiskers meow in protest and sashay away. Handing me the ice cream, he sat next to me. We ate our dessert in perfect silence. When I licked the last of the caramel out of my bowl, I set it on the coffee table and turned to face him. I’d told him plenty of times I loved him. But I needed him to know that my love for him was everlasting. That he, unknowingly to either of us at the time, had saved me in a way I never thought possible.
He smiled and placed his hand on the side of my face. The trail of fire he left as his thumb swept over my cheek caused me to place my hand on my stomach to still the butterflies. And before I could tell him what I wanted to say, he spoke the words as if taking them right from my mouth.
“Loving you is as easy as breathing, Kenz.”
A single tear slipped free, his thumb catching it and sweeping it away like it was never there. Little did he know it was a tear of happiness, not sadness.
“And I promise you that I will love you forever. I’m not even sure forever is long enough.”
Cupping his face within my hands, I leaned for my forehead against his. “Forever is all I ask for. And you, Bradly Michael Littlewood, are the keeper of my heart, always.”
He drew back and kissed me so sweetly on the lips I nearly wept. When he deepened the kiss, I wanted to let myself get lost to it. Instead, I drew back and fought to catch my breath as I placed my hand on his chest. I could feel his heart beating as hard as mine.
“We have to leave to go pick up your sister, and I’m afraid if you keep kissing me like that, she’s going to be waiting on us a while.”
He shrugged. “With as much luggage as she probably has, she’ll be waiting forever as it is.”
Sweeping me up into his arms, he tossed me over his shoulder and headed to the bedroom, where he made love to me. Despite that, we somehow, by some miracle, made it to Missoula in time to pick up Avery.
Of course, none of us were expecting the little surprise she was bringing back home to family dinner night.