Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Kylie
I was so ready to go home. So ready to get back everything I’d lost.
Needless to say, I’d been tense and anxious for most of the morning into the afternoon. But my stress level was nothing compared to Kieran’s.
I was surprised when he hadn’t gone after Allison right away, instead choosing to pace the house like a caged tiger.
But the second time I asked if he’d heard from her was what set him off.
At my urging, Kieran had gone after her a few hours ago when he couldn’t reach her by phone.
According to him, that was unlike her. I figured he knew best, and since I was beginning to fantasize about getting back to my life, I didn’t care what either of them did, as long as it paved the way for me to get back to my husbands and babies.
It was hard to believe that I’d been absent from my life for one year, eight months, and twenty-six days.
I hadn’t seen my babies in all that time, and while Allison and Kieran had assured me they were all doing fine, I needed to see for myself.
I didn’t want to sit on the perimeter of their lives and hear stories about their milestones.
I couldn’t take another tale about how they went to the bookstore with Gage or how Travis had taken one of them to the doctor.
I wanted to have a firsthand account of what books they purchased and what the doctor said about their fever or cough or whatever else ailed them.
I wanted to be there with them, to experience as many firsts as I could.
Although I’d missed out on so many already, there were still many, many more to come.
Now, as I stood at the edge of the river, watching the water move rapidly, I tried to come up with a way to tell Kieran to take me home.
I didn’t want to wait any longer. I was tired of their excuses.
My family thought I was dead. My dad and sister had mourned me.
My husbands and kids were forced to wake up each day thinking I was gone forever.
I couldn’t imagine how hard that had been for them.
It was killing me to be away from them any longer.
The water rushed by, the banks nearly overflowing thanks to the rain.
I suspected there was more to come, but I didn’t know for sure.
I hadn’t seen the news, and I didn’t have Kieran’s iPad to tell me what was going on in the world.
I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know. At times, I couldn’t deny that living in an insulated bubble had its merits.
At the same time, that was a cop-out, a way to pretend that I was doing the right thing.
Instead of running away, seeking help to get back to my family, I was hiding out.
I could run.
Today, I could.
There was no one here to ensure I stayed put. Kieran had told me to lock the doors and stay inside, but he hadn’t forced me.
God, it was hard to believe that he’d been there, keeping an eye on me this entire time. My husband’s cousin. Travis was going to be fit to be tied when he learned what was going on.
The thought made me smile. Anytime I thought about Travis or Gage or my sweet, sweet babies, I couldn’t help but smile. I missed them. The ache in my chest was proof that this had gone on long enough.
Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the moist air. Although the calendar said it was fall, it didn’t feel like it.
Wait. It was fall.
The thought brought another ache to my chest as I remembered how Kate and Avery would help me put out the decorations, changing it up for the season even though the actual weather hadn’t changed all that much. Kate had looked forward to that, which was why I’d loved doing it.
My eyes misted as the pain swirled. Would my kids even remember me?
Especially Maddox. He’d been barely one and a half when I disappeared from his life.
And Haden had only been two and a half. I couldn’t imagine either of them would know me now.
And what about Kate, Kade, and Avery? Had they moved on?
Would they recognize me if they saw me? Would I recognize them? Were they—
A sound interrupted my thoughts.
I turned, my attention shifting to the house as I listened intently.
There was a vehicle approaching the house.
I knew because the sticks and leaves were a warning as they broke and crumbled beneath the tires.
I wasn’t all that familiar with the sound, but the couple of times Kieran had returned, I’d heard the same thing.
But he said he wouldn’t likely be back until late, if he came back today at all. He was determined to find Allison, and he didn’t expect the search to be easy. Apparently, she was good at hiding out.
Had something happened? Did he find Allison? Were they here to whisk me away to another safe house? Or perhaps they were here to take me home?
Or had Martin found me?
My heart kicked hard in my chest as I stood there, unable to move, unable to come up with a plan.
The sound stopped, but it was followed by car doors opening and then closing. More than one. A lot more than one.
Oh, God.
I turned away from the house, staring at the water. The thought of being trapped in a room… I couldn’t do that again. Kieran had promised me he would make it safe for me. And I had believed him.
I refused to let Martin Calloway win. I refused to let him get away with this any longer. I wanted my life back. I would jump in that river if that was what it took to get away from him. I was not going back. I was not going to let anyone—
“Kylie!”
The sound of my name caused me to turn, and as soon as I did, my heart stopped. Then it kicked hard. It skipped a beat, maybe two. My chest swelled at the same time a lump formed in my throat. My sinuses burned even as I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me.
They were here.
Travis. Gage.
Oh, my God! They’re here.
A sob ripped free as the dam on my tears broke. My heart slammed against my sternum when Travis came toward me at a run, Gage right beside him. It felt like an eternity had passed before they finally reached me.
But then they were there.
“Travis,” I croaked. “Gage. You’re here.”
I ran into Travis’s arms, and the next thing I knew, I was trapped between them both. Safe and secure for the first time in so long.
Was this real? Or was this some sort of warped hallucination? Maybe Martin had drugged me, and he was screwing with my mind.
But then I realized they were crying, too. The tears weren’t only mine. Their bodies shook with violent sobs as they held me. Had it not been for their arms around me, I would’ve been on the ground. As it was, I could hardly breathe for the relief that was tearing through me in an emotional storm.
I couldn’t believe they were there.
I didn’t move, not wanting to risk waking up if this were a dream because my husbands were there. I could feel their warmth, hear their breaths. It was surreal and a relief.
The nightmare was finally over.
One year, eight months, and twenty-six days.
That was how long it had been since I’d seen my husbands.
That was how long it had been since I’d held my babies.
“You ready to go home?” Travis asked, his big arms still wrapped firmly around me.
I nodded, not sure my voice would work if I tried to talk.
When he released me, I managed to remain upright.
My knees felt like Jell-O, so I took a second to compose myself.
When Travis pulled me against his side and Gage took my hand, I was able to breathe a little easier.
We walked like that toward the house, and that was the moment I took my first deep, cleansing breath since the nightmare started all those months ago.
I prayed like hell that it was really over.