Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
Owen
Daisy and I lay on our sides in my childhood bedroom as the sun sneaks over the Cascade Mountain Range. Just like when I was a teen and had a girl in my room, my door is open. Only for very different reasons.
After everything that went down, I didn’t want to leave Mom and Olivia on their own.
I know the bad guys are dead or behind bars, but tonight I want us all under the same roof.
Four men died on our property tonight. Losing the criminals was easy to take, but the bodyguard who died trying to protect my family — that was a heartbreaker.
I can’t imagine how mixed up that has them feeling, no matter how okay they pretend to be.
Here, in my old bedroom, is where I need to be.
The walls of my room are no longer littered with supermodels and football stars.
Mom has turned it into a highland cow themed room.
From the pictures on the wall to the throw pillows on the bed, there are cows as far as the eye can see.
My favorite piece of decor is the 8x10 photo of my dad with Sharon’s sweet Bernadette on the dresser.
God, I wish he were here. He’s been gone for nearly ten years now.
I miss him every day, but today I miss him for my mom and sister, too.
I wish he were here to comfort them. To protect them.
“You comfortable?” my four-leaf clover whispers.
Not in the slightest.
“I’m fine.”
“Can I get you anything?”
“No, baby, I’m good. Just sleep. It’s already morning.”
“Sorry, but I get to be the boss this time. I’m taking care of you. Not the other way around.”
“Okay,” I relent.
Except for when she tried to rip Madden’s face off in the barn, Daisy hasn’t left my side all night.
Even in this double bed that is too small for the both of us, I don’t want her anywhere else.
She offered to sleep on the floor, but that was a hard no from me.
I know I should try to close my one working eye and sleep.
But how can I when a creature as beautiful as Daisy McKinnon is next to me?
She was my rock tonight.
The only thing that kept me from falling into a downward spiral.
Once the torture was over, and I knew all three women were safe, the pain that followed was excruciating.
The shock of adrenaline left my body, and the misery set in.
Deep cuts, swollen lumps, and bruises covered every inch of my torso and face.
I felt every wound in high-def. It hurt in real time as he beat me, but my mind had other things to focus on.
The county officers insisted on the ambulance ride to the hospital.
Daisy rode with me, and one of my officer friends drove Mom and Livvy to meet us there.
Deputies took our statements at the hospital.
We were there for hours while they tended to my contusions and stitched up my face, head, and back.
It seemed like days passed as they sewed me up.
They told the girls how many stitches it took, but I don’t care to know.
It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we all made it through and that prick is in custody.
I’d take a thousand stitches if that’s what it took.
Smith was also at the hospital. He escaped with a broken leg and some scratches, but luckily, he’s going to be okay. The thug who caused his accident didn’t fare so well at the end of Smith’s gun. He’s at the morgue.
Sharon, Cal, Knox, and Angus showed up shortly after we did and stayed until I was released.
Knox agreed to go get Maui and keep her at the cabin with her brother Rocky until Daisy and I are back home, because even though we haven't discussed it, Daisy is home. For the first time since I purchased my house, it’s finally a home. I refuse to give that up.
The doctors cleaned up my face as best they could but said I should wait a minimum of twenty-four hours before showering.
When we got to Mom’s, Daisy used warm washcloths and cleaned me from head to toe, her touch delicate as she worked her way over my body.
While she wiped away the misery of the night, I thought about how grateful I was to have her in my life.
That it was her caring for me. There’s no one else I would have let into such an intimate moment.
Only her.
It was tough to find a comfortable position.
Lying on my back is neither recommended nor pleasant.
With one side of my face as swollen as it is, I’m really only left with the option to lie on the other side.
Daisy was patient and adjusted my pillows and gave me my pain pills.
Now, she’s next to me, her hand on my arm, one of the few places on my upper body not damaged.
The warmth of her skin against mine and her beautiful chocolate gaze are the last thing I see as the medication sets in, and sleep finally comes.
“Well, there he is,” Mom says, doing her best not to flinch when she catches sight of me.
There is nothing pretty about her son right now.
I had a hard time looking at myself in the bathroom a couple of minutes ago.
Not because only one eye is functioning, but because I don’t even recognize myself.
Welts and bruises, along with cuts and the imprint of Madden’s brass knuckles have made a mess of my face.
Stitches that will probably scar do their best to knit my flesh together.
I made the mistake of rolling onto my back, and the pain woke me up.
Considering the sun was rising when I drifted off, waking alone in the dark took me by surprise.
When I checked the time on my phone, I saw I had likely missed breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What happened last night is clearly public knowledge because I have endless texts and missed calls.
Unfortunately, in my state, I can’t read any of them.
I also have no desire to talk to anybody not in this house.
With my head pounding, my muscles aching, and my skin stiff from all the stitches, it took me far too long to get out of bed and pull a T-shirt over my head. I’m embarrassed to say how hard it was to get down the hall to the kitchen.
“Hey, Mom. Sorry I was out so long.”
Where the hell is Daisy?
“Nonsense. You needed your sleep.” She meets me in the middle of the room, reaching for my hand instead of hugging me. “How are you feeling? What can I get you?”
“I’ve been better, but I’m okay. How are you?”
“Oh, sweetie, I’m just fine.”
She wouldn’t tell me if she weren’t, though.
“I have good news.”
“Was last night a nightmare?”
“No, I’m afraid not. But I’m gonna be a mama!”
“Excuse me?”
“Basco is finally coming home.”
Oh, thank God.
She’s been waiting for Basco, her retired police K-9 from the Portland area.
He retired months back but needed some medical attention before he could make the move to the ranch.
Basco and his handler are legends in the Portland metro area.
It’s a relief to know she’s going to have protection here at the house.
It’s a win-win for both of them. Basco will get spoiled rotten as he should be, and my mother and sister will have someone to look after them when I can’t.
“Perfect timing. You could use a furry friend with teeth.”
“Yes, it is. But the important thing is that he gets to live a life of luxury in his final years.”
“He’s a lucky boy. But are you sure you can handle him? He has quite the badass reputation.”
She knows I don’t really mean it. Mom is a renowned horse trainer and working dog trainer.
She’s been taking in retired police dogs for decades.
Although Basco is truly a legend in his field.
He and his handler hold the record for the most captures by a dog team in the state.
He’s going to be a lot of dog for her to handle.
Hands on her hips, she looks at me as though I’ve lost my mind. “Who are you talking to? If anyone is a badass, it’s me.”
I chuckle, and it hurts, but it’s worth it. She’s right; she is the badass in this equation. “Damn straight.”
“I appreciate you checking on me, but I know who you’re looking for. She’s in the barn.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.” She waves me away. “Go find your girl. Your boots are by the back door.”
If I had it in me to sprint to Daisy right now, I would. Instead, I move at a snail’s pace until I’m leaning against the barn door watching the love of my life brushing Blue. I ignore the police tape in the corner and focus on my person.
When Mom said she was in the barn, I was worried. Why would she want to be at the scene of the literal crime? Seeing her now, it makes sense. The horses were part of last night's trauma. She wants to make sure they're okay. She hums under her breath as she soothes him and herself at the same time.
“You takin’ care of my boy for me?”
She gasps at the sound of my voice, setting the brush aside. “Blue, your daddy is awake. We’ll pick this therapy session back up later.”
“Hey, baby,” I say once she’s in my arms.
“Hey, baby,” she repeats back to me. “I won’t ask you how you’re feeling, because I know you’ll lie and say you feel fine.”
She’s right. I feel like shit, why fake it?
“Did you get any sleep?”
“A couple hours. Did you take your pain meds?”
“Not yet.”
A horse sighs and chickens cluck in the distance, but neither of us speaks. We drink each other in, grateful to both be standing here.
“Owen?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really glad you’re on this earth.”
Her smile radiates the joy I’ve felt every moment since she told her family I was hers. She’s my everything.
“Daisy?”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t go home?”
“Tonight?”
“Ever?”
“You sure?”
“I’m stuck, remember?”
“You looking for a full-time co-parent?”
“Nope. Just want you. Every day.”
She slips her fingers through mine, leading me out of the barn. “Come on, let’s get back to the house. You need your pain meds, and I need to call my realtor.”