Chapter 50
Dylan
After Kelsi was discharged, they’d spent another night in Virginia Beach, he and Kelsi sharing a hotel room.
Kole and Boone picked up Kelsi’s car from the courthouse and would drive it up to Oyster Shoals sometime during the week.
To be safe, Dylan and Kelsi had decided they would be better off not having her drive yet.
He was glad it meant he didn’t have to let her out of his sight for a single second. She smiled at him from the passenger seat when they finally pulled into Karen’s driveway. They needed time with their moms after the traumatic couple of days.
“Kelsi!” her mom screamed before running and wrapping her daughter in her arms, her body trembling with soft cries.
Dylan’s own eyes watered. He knew Karen had been terrified for her, hearing about what had happened through Boone and not Dylan, but he’d been too scared to make that call himself.
He had already been beating himself up over not being there to protect her.
He didn’t want to hear her mom tell him that too.
The voice in his head was enough. Once he’d had Kelsi back, he’d called her on his way back to the courthouse to let her know she was okay.
She slowly released Kelsi and surprised Dylan by pulling him into a tight hug too. “Thank you,” she breathed against his shoulder.
His throat worked hard to let air into his lungs. All he could do was give her a nod in acknowledgment when she stepped away from him.
His mom walked out of the house next and the whole process was repeated. By the time they were done, each of them was teary-eyed.
Dylan and Kelsi spent the rest of the evening in each other’s arms, telling their moms what had happened.
They cried again hearing about Kelsi’s abduction and how McGuinness had hurt her, seethed when they heard his confession, clasped each other’s hands tightly when Dylan explained how he had worked with their friends to find her.
By the time they’d finished recounting everything, Dylan’s body ached with exhaustion.
Their moms gave them another round of teary hugs, before Kelsi finally exclaimed that she was enacting a tear ban and everyone had to be happy from that moment on.
As Dylan held Kelsi close in his arms, not at all trying to conceal from their nosy moms that their relationship had finally taken a turn, he was in awe.
In awe of the girl who’d stolen his heart years before and never given it back.
She was so strong, and resilient, and stubborn, so damn stubborn, and she was his.
He pretended to ignore their moms flashing each other smug grins as he bent down and gave Kelsi a light kiss on her forehead.
She gave him a shy grin in return, cheeks flushing in embarrassment over a display of affection in front of their moms. He didn’t care about that. Let them see that she was his heart.
When the oven timer went off, Karen ran into the kitchen to grab their dinner from the oven. Lasagna, of course. They wouldn’t have anything else.
* * *
“I am so so sorry, Kelsi. This is all my fault.” Banksy had tears in her eyes as she looked at the two of them in her office a few days later.
But, as Dylan expected, Kelsi wouldn’t hear a word of it. “No. This was not your fault. This is McGuinness’s fault. The only thing you did was your job, and that is nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty over.”
Banksy, whom Dylan had only ever seen act cool and collected, sniffed as tears spilled from her eyes.
Kelsi got up from her chair and walked around the desk to wrap Banksy in her arms, meeting Dylan’s eyes over her head.
He understood how Banksy felt. After all, he should have been there for Kelsi when she was kidnapped.
He lived with the guilt of letting her get taken too.
Kelsi’s eyes narrowed at him, as though she could read those thoughts in his brain, and she shook her head.
He looked away, unable to bear the guilt that weighed his shoulders down, and the fear he still felt over what could have happened.
The dark possibilities were in an endless loop in his brain.
“Okay, that’s enough. Both of you.” Kelsi’s voice was firm and held no room for argument as she scolded them.
Dylan looked over and saw her standing there, hands on her hips, in a posture that said she was not budging.
“I am fine. Okay? It’s no use worrying about things that could have happened.
Let’s just be glad we’re all okay and get back to work, yeah? ”
Dylan and Banksy blinked at her for a few moments before nodding.
She relaxed slightly, letting her hands fall from her hips as she moved over to Dylan’s side.
“I do think we could maybe use a few days off, though, if that’s okay.
” Kelsi grabbed Dylan’s hand and tugged lightly, indicating she wanted him to stand with her.
He complied, keeping a firm grasp on her.
Banksy’s eyes widened slightly when she noticed their clasped hands, and she smiled through her tears. “Absolutely. Take all the time you need.”