Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Travis
As I walked behind Kylie and Gage, my heart remained firmly affixed in my throat.
Right where it had been from the moment I saw her standing by that river.
From the instant my brain accepted that she was alive, the hole in my chest started knitting back together, sealing off the pain I’d endured from the moment the doctor told us that he had done everything he could.
My wife was alive.
Alive.
And to think, I’d thought Brantley was out of his fucking mind when he first tried to feed me that bullshit. I’d thought he was off his rocker.
But, no. Brantley wasn’t short on marbles, and his gut instinct had led him to the truth. I would never doubt him again. Not about anything.
Kylie was alive.
Having her in my arms had filled a gaping hole that had taken up residence in my soul since that horrific day at the hospital. Part of me had died that day, but it had come to life instantly upon seeing her again.
That wasn’t to say that I expected her reintegration into her former life to be easy.
Not in the least. While I knew deep in my heart that my Kylie was in there, this woman was different.
And I wasn’t just talking about the fact that her hair was thinner, longer, or that she’d lost weight.
And I didn’t mean ten or fifteen pounds.
No, the weight she’d lost was significant.
And scary, if I were being honest. My wife was nothing more than skin and bones, most definitely malnourished, although I sensed Kieran had been attempting to help in that department.
Fucking Kieran. That bastard was lucky he was still breathing. Hell, just thinking about him made me want to commit murder. My own fucking cousin had known my wife was alive, and he’d kept it from me. Us. Her family.
I took a deep breath as I walked up onto the porch. Now was not the time to let my anger take root. There would be time for it later, not to mention a conversation that would likely end in a black eye. His or mine, I didn’t know yet.
I stepped into the house behind Kylie and Gage, closing the door and locking it. I followed them into the living room, my eyes meeting my father’s while Joe Prescott let out a pained sob.
“Daddy,” Kylie greeted, her voice raw.
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God,” Joe muttered as he pulled his daughter into his arms, cradling her as though she might break.
He looked at me over her head, his eyes shiny with tears. I could tell he wasn’t sure whether he should believe it. I knew how he felt. But it wasn’t a dream. She was really there.
When Kylie pulled back, Joe cupped her face with both hands and stared at her. They remained like that for a few heartbeats before he dropped his hands and took a deep, shuddering breath.
My wife turned and my mother was right there, tears steadily streaming down her face as she took a step closer to Kylie.
The two most important women in my life stood face to face for a moment.
My mother was holding back by sheer force of will.
I could practically see her arms wanting to embrace Kylie, to hold her.
I understood that feeling all too well, too.
That was all I wanted to do. Hell, we could sit on the couch for the rest of the night as long as I could hold her in my arms.
“Hi,” Kylie whispered to my mother. A sob followed the single word as she walked into Mom’s arms, letting herself be held and holding on just as tightly.
I could see the concern etched on my mother’s face.
She wasn’t the only one worried. Kylie looked fragile and ill.
A trip to the hospital was likely what she needed, but that was a nonstarter since she’d already refused when Gage and I attempted to broach the subject on the way home.
According to my brief conversation with Kieran, a doctor had been taking care of her these past few weeks.
It wasn’t enough, but that was a topic to tackle tomorrow.
The room remained silent while the women embraced. No one moved until Pop caught my eye and gestured toward the kitchen. I met Gage’s gaze to check in. He nodded, but remained where he was.
As soon as the door swung shut behind me, Pop said, “Jessie and Braydon are on the way over.”
I nodded. I would’ve preferred to keep them away until morning, but it would’ve been cruel to ask for such a thing. Her sister needed this reunion as much as we did. I could only imagine what had gone through her mind when she learned the news.
“Where are the kids?” I knew they weren’t sleeping.
“Watchin’ a movie.”
“You told them?” I asked.
“We did.”
I took a breath in, and it was in that moment that everything came crashing down.
One second, I was staring at my father; the next, I was leaning over, my palms flat on the counter, my entire body racked with the emotions that slammed me like a wrecking ball.
I shook and trembled as the sobs tore through me.
I couldn’t stop them. Wasn’t even sure I wanted to.
I didn’t expect my father to ask what was wrong, and he didn’t.
No, my dad put his hand on my back and stood there beside me.
It was his way of showing that he cared while not prying my feelings out of me.
He knew I wouldn’t share them because I rarely ever did.
But this … having him there … that was what I needed right then.
“She’s alive, Pop,” I said, my voice thick with the turmoil invading my body.
“I know, son. I know.”
I let the tears fall for a moment, unable to hold them back. I was sure it wouldn’t be the first emotional breakdown I had in the coming days, so it was pointless to fight it. My wife was alive.
It took me a moment to pull myself together, but when I did, I stood tall and wiped my palms down my face. “How’d they take it? The kids. How’d they do when you told them?”
My father cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sure Kate’s comin’ outta her skin. She promised to stay up there until I came to get her.”
My oldest was a strong one; I’d give her that. She’d endured so much, but at the same time, she’d held on to hope when the rest of us had accepted the shitty hand we thought we’d been dealt.
“Go on back in there,” I told my father. “I’ll go get ’em.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” I needed a minute anyway. I wasn’t prone to falling apart, but I was dangerously close to doing just that.
When Pop turned and left, I took a deep breath and headed for the stairs. I took them slowly, attempting to rein in the restlessness I felt. It wasn’t easy. And I got the feeling it wouldn’t be for a while.
When I reached the second floor, I found Kate standing in the doorway to the kids’ playroom, white-knuckling the trim as though it took tremendous force to remain in place.
I stopped in front of the door and dropped down onto my haunches, meeting her gaze.
“Is she here?” The words blew out of her mouth like she’d been holding them in forever.
I nodded.
Before she could race past me, I put my hand up, willing her to wait. “She looks different right now, Kate.”
My daughter’s forehead creased, her eyebrows darting down. “Pop said she would. Is it bad?”
“Not bad,” I lied. “Just different. She’s been through a lot.”
“She was kidnapped,” she said, as though trying to make me understand.
“Pop told you that?”
“No.” She stared at me. “But it’s true. Mommy wouldn’t have left us.”
God, the things this girl had been through. It broke my fucking heart that, not even eight yet, Kate understood where her mother was coming from. After all, it had happened to her, too. Not to the same extent, but she’d certainly experienced a similar trauma when Juliet Prince had kidnapped her.
“You’re right. She wouldn’t have.”
“I want to see her,” she insisted.
“Okay. But let’s not run in there all crazy, okay?”
Kate nodded emphatically and then squeezed around me, heading for the stairs. I got to my feet and looked at four more pairs of eyes watching me intently.
“Come on,” I told them. “Let’s go see Mommy.”
“Where has she been?” Kade prompted, drawing Avery up short before she could dart past me.
I stared at my boy and sensed his reluctance. Turning, I met his gaze. “She was taken away and kept somewhere that no one knew about.”
“Why didn’t she sneak out?”
That was a valid question coming from a six-year-old. To him, it would’ve been easy to break free from captivity. After all, he was into superheroes and wouldn’t understand that things weren’t always that easy.
“I’m bettin’ she tried to,” I told him because I wanted him to understand.
“Yeah,” Avery said, agreeing. “But the bad man was too strong.”
“Probably somethin’ like that,” I agreed. “Why don’t we go down and see her? Then tomorrow you can probably ask some of those questions.”
“Why not tonight?” Kade asked.
“Because Mommy’s been gone for a while. Right now, we just need to be glad she’s home.”
“I’m glad,” Avery said, still standing next to her brother.
“I know you are, baby.” I stepped back. “Come on. Let’s go see her.”
When Avery and Kade started down the hall, Haden stopped beside me while Maddox came over and grabbed onto my jeans.
Haden didn’t rush to follow, likely didn’t understand the significance of this moment.
He’d still been a baby when Kylie was taken.
Haden hadn’t even been three at the time.
I only prayed that once they saw her, all those memories would come flooding back.
Swinging Maddox into my arms, I let Haden lead the way, taking the stairs slowly, one by one.
When we reached the living room, my heart kicked hard in my chest as I saw Kylie sitting on the couch with Kate practically molded to her.
Avery and Kade were on each side, their hands on their mother’s shoulders.
The girls were crying. Kade was staring as though he didn’t recognize her, but he wanted to.
I didn’t bother fighting the tears. It was pointless.