Chapter 34
Dixie
Staring down at the baby in my arms, I smile. It’s strange being told I’m a natural when it comes to breastfeeding, but there is something surreal about feeding your baby with your body.
Jeremy latched onto my nipple right away, and he happily suckles away. This is going to take some getting used to, though.
He wears a little striped beanie, and his skin is so soft and warm. We’re being discharged in a few hours, and I can’t wait to take him home.
Penn and I both realized we never got a car seat, and he ran out to get one. Knowing him, it’ll be the best one he can buy off the shelf, and it’ll be far too expensive. But it’ll make him happy, and that’s what really matters.
Jeremy finishes his meal, and I adjust myself and prop him up slightly. I still can’t believe he’s here, and he’s so perfect.
The door to my room opens, but it’s not the confident push of the nurses or Penn. Of someone who belongs here.
My chest tightens instinctively, and a cold spike of adrenaline pierces through my exhausted haze. My hand rests on Jeremy’s back protectively, as if it’ll shield him from the man stepping into the room.
A man I didn’t expect to still be breathing, if I’m being honest.
“What are you doing here, Stephen?”
I’m taken aback by his presence. He normally wears expensive clothes and shoes, but he wears sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. He slips slightly as he walks, and his face looks even worse than it did the night I saw him last, when Penn fought him. Twice.
What shocks me the most, though, is the cheap cologne. Stephen has a signature scent, and when I looked it up, it costs nearly a grand. Besides it being ridiculously pricey, it didn’t smell that great. But it does smell better than whatever restroom cologne he’s found.
“Are you alone?” Stephen whispers. “I’ve been trying to get to you for hours. I finally managed to get away from the bikers.”
His threat to take Jeremy away from me and never let me see him again comes to mind, and my pulse races, thumping hard in my ears. “Get out.”
“Dixie—”
“If any of those men come in here to check on me and find you here, you’ll have a first-class trip to the morgue. And I won’t try to stop them.”
“You don’t understand,” he says, stepping forward and looking at the baby.
A flash of possessiveness crosses his face, and it makes my skin crawl.
“Dixie, we have to go. Right now. I have money. A lot of money. I have a bag hidden with over a million dollars in cash. We can leave Gravelton. We can leave this miserable state. Let’s go to Mexico, or South America.
Somewhere nobody knows us. We’ll start over. You, me, and our boy.”
My jaw drops. He can’t be serious. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I can give you the life you always wanted. My wife served me with papers. I’m free and clear of her and the kids. It’s just you and me, baby.”
How hard did Penn hit him? “There is no you and me, Stephen. You ensured that when you threw money at me, ordered me to get an abortion, and then set my house on fire.”
“I’m that boy’s father,” Stephen says, walking toward us.
“You think you can just keep him from me? Let some greasy biker in a leather vest raise him? If you don’t come with me, Dixie, I swear I’ll take him.
I’ll take him with me to Mexico. You have a choice.
You can come with us, or you can lose him. ”
Standing up, I hate the way I wince. My body’s much more sore than I expected, but I keep the bed between us. “You’re not on his birth certificate, Stephen. If you take him, it’ll be considered kidnapping.”
“He has my blood!”
“And you’ll have to jump through hoops to prove it since I’ll deny it. I’ll make sure it costs you every penny you have left.”
His eyes widen. “I’m taking my boy, Dixie. Whether you like it or—”
“Dixie, you okay in there?” Zep calls.
“Zep!”
The door slams open, and he walks inside. A surprised look appears on his face as he stands between Stephen and me. “Can’t believe you’re still walking.”
“Is she fucking you, too?”
He cheated on his wife, but I’m the whore? “No.”
“Penn’s not gonna be happy to find you here,” Zep says. “He might just kill you right here.”
“Kill who?” Penn asks, walking into the room with the car seat. “Holy fuck, you’re still breathing?”
We’ll have to address the language around our kid once Jeremy’s old enough to talk. “You guys thought he was dead?”
“Yeah, kind of,” he admits. “The Black Venom want his head on a stick.”
“You think a piece of paper changes things? I have rights,” Stephen says.
“The fuck you do,” he says with a laugh.
Swallowing, I try to determine whether I can slip out of here without being noticed. As much as I dislike Stephen, I don’t want to watch him die.
“What’d he say to you, baby?” Penn asks me.
“Don’t say a word, Dixie,” Stephen orders.
“She don’t owe you shit, motherfucker,” Zep says. “Especially not any type of loyalty.”
“He wants me to leave with him. To Mexico or South America. And if I don’t agree, he’ll take Jeremy, and I’ll never see him again.”
Penn leans back, his arms crossed. “And how exactly do you expect to get there?”
“He has a bag with a million dollars in cash,” I say.
“Shut the fuck up, Dixie!”
A hand grips Stephen’s throat hard enough that he can’t breathe, and he claws at Penn’s arm. Capone and Pacino join us in the room, and I’m not sure how all of these men fit in the small hospital room. Capone’s face is calm, like usual, and Pacino’s scarred face twists into a satisfied grin.
Jeremy begins to fuss, and I do my best to calm myself. “Shh,” I whisper. “It’s okay, baby boy. You’re okay.”
“Put him down, Penn,” Capone says. “State troopers have business with Mr. Patterson, and we can’t have blood shed on the hospital floor before they can read him his rights.”
He begrudgingly releases Stephen, who collapses onto the floor, gasping for breath. “I told you to stay the hell away from her.”
“Let’s go, Patterson. You got people to answer to,” Capone says.
“I think we should’ve let him kill him. There’s a trash chute just down the hall,” Pacino says.
“You think I’m going anywhere with you?” Stephen spits out. “I’ll cause a scene. Get security involved.”
Laughing, Capone shakes his head. “Did we forget to mention that the cops are waiting downstairs for you?”
“I’ll tell them everything I know about you guys!”
“You’re going right to lockup,” Pacino says. “Between the Venom and us, we have quite a few connections on the inside.”
“You won’t have time to talk to anyone about anything,” Capone says.
He grabs him by the neck and leads him away, Pacino following behind. Penn turns around and grabs my shoulders. “Are you two okay?”
“We’re fine,” I say, breathing deeply.
“It’s finally over. You’ll never have to see him again.”
Nodding, I let him pull me into his arms. It’s kind of sad to think of Jeremy’s biological father being killed in jail, but after everything he’s done, and everyone he’s hurt, he deserves it. “Can we go home now?”
“Of course. Let’s go.”
Iwake up in the bedroom alone, and I look at the clock. It’s three in the morning. I just fed Jeremy an hour ago, but the bed next to me is empty. And cold.
Climbing out of bed, I walk into the nursery to find Penn on the rocking chair, shirtless, Princess curled up at his feet with her bandage, and Jeremy sleeping on his chest. I lean against the doorframe, crossing my arms, and just watch them for a few minutes.
“Hey,” Penn whispers. “He got a little fussy after you fed him, so I got up.”
“I would’ve gotten up,” I whisper back.
“I know, but you deserve your sleep. And I can do this part. Not so much when he’s hungry, but right now? I’m happy to do this.”
He stands and gently places Jeremy into the crib, and I walk over to look over the edge with Penn. Our boy barely moves as he settles into the mattress pad, and I lean against Penn.
His arm wraps around my shoulders, and he kisses my temple. “You did so good with him,” he says. “I honestly don’t know how you did it.”
I give out a breathy laugh. “Honestly, me neither. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But so worth it.”
“He’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah, he is. And with a strong father figure like you in his life, he’ll be tough, too. Tough but loving.”
Guiding me out, we go back into the bedroom. Penn pulls me against him to rest on his chest, and he runs his hands through my hair. It’s going to be a long six weeks of recovery. If he keeps this up, I might explode from desire. There’s nothing sexier than a good dad.
His phone rings, and he reaches for it without moving me. “Zep? What’s wrong?”
My anxiety spikes. Misty still has some health risks from her complicated birth, and I worry something happened to her. The last thing Zep needs right now is Misty back in the hospital.
“Thanks for letting me know. I’ll tell her.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask as soon as the phone’s on the nightstand.
Kissing the top of my head, he sighs. “We got confirmation that Stephen Patterson’s dead.”
“What?”
“Yeah, the Venom had him butchered in his cell a few hours ago.”
I knew he was likely not going to make it long from what I understood, but I didn’t think his death would be this quick. “Wow.”
“Are you okay?”
“What?”
“He’s still Jeremy’s biological father.”
Shaking my head, I look up at him. “Blood means nothing. And I’m kind of glad he’s gone. Jeremy will only ever know you as his dad, and there’s no need for him to ever know of Stephen.”
“Are you sure?”
“Right now? Yeah. That might change when he’s old enough to understand everything, but you’re his dad, Penn. On paper and in love.”
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you, too,” I say, letting myself drift asleep until Jeremy’s next feeding.
This little life I have is better than I ever imagined, and I’m excited for every day. To watch our son grow up with Penn right by my side. It won’t always be easy, and it won’t always be this peaceful, but it’s all worth it.