Page 94 of Bound By Fate
He held me while all my emotions poured out of me. How long? I had no idea, but I finally got myself together but still didn’t move from his embrace; just felt his warmth seep into the coldness I’d become over the last few hours.
“I thought he was you. I thought you didn’t love me. I thought you hated me.”
“Fuckin’ never, Wild Kat. Never will I even think the word hate when it comes to you. I love you with everything inside of me. You’re my air for breathing. You’re my everything.”
Peeking up, the gurney was gone, and the officers were congregating on the other side of the lawn. The older couple were sitting in the two chairs on their front porch.
“I have to tell them I’m sorry,” I told Dryerson, who didn’t resist for a second when I went to get up. Another sign it was my guy. “I ran into their house and might’ve knocked the woman when I grabbed the phone.”
“Come on,” Dryerson said, grabbing my hand. Instantly I felt it. That spark, zing, connection, whatever you wanted to call it hit me. This was nothing like the dead man. No, this was my man. His touch was everything.
We walked hand-in-hand up to the couple who tracked our movements to them.
“You alright, young lady?” the older man asked.
I probably looked like the dead since I still had blood on me. Weird. Didn’t even think about the blood on me until that moment. All it made me do was itch to take my clothes off and burn them.
“I will be. I’m so sorry for dragging you into this. For getting you hurt and storming into your house.”
“Nonsense,” the older lady said before I could finish whatever tirade my brain was going on. “You’re safe. That’s what matters. Now that it’s all over, we feel good that we were able to help in some small way.”
“You’re way too kind,” I told them. “I really didn’t think I had another option…”
“You didn’t,” the older man replied.
“Jeannie and I are the only ones home at this time in the neighborhood. Everyone else works. If I hadn’t been mowin’, you wouldn’t have known to come.”
Yes, they were way too sweet.
The older man turned his attention to Dryerson, who had his arm around me as I leaned more into him. I felt exhausted. “There’s two of ya?”
“Didn’t know until a couple hours ago.”
The older man shook his head and looked at me, a small smile on his lips. “Jeannie here has been wantin’ one of those beds that moves up and down by a remote. Now, she’ll get to have it?” he said, completely ignoring the twin conversation. He must’ve been wise to know how all of this was affecting me.
“Will you be able to sleep there? In that room? I’m so sorry ... I just…”
“You were protectin’ yourself, young lady,” the older man answered. “Once we get it cleaned up, it’ll be just like new. You don’t worry about us at all.”
“She will. Worry about you, that is,” Ensley came up and said. “I’m her sister and know her like the back of my hand. Can I get you to write your names, address, and phone numbers down? Once Katie gets out of the shock of the day, she’ll want to really sit down with you or call you. And she’ll beg the hell out of me to get it. So could you help a sister out and give it to me so we don’t have a moment?”
I felt my lip tip up for what felt like the first time. There hadn’t been anything funny these past few hours, but my sister was funny and knew me well. I loved her so much.
“Why of course.”
“Miss. You need to go get checked out, or answer our questions,” a cop came up to us and said.
Dryerson didn’t miss a beat. “I’m takin’ her now to get checked at the hospital.”
I wanted to askyou are?But refrained. My gut told me that I didn’t want to talk to this cop about anything that had happened here. Not yet.
Dryerson said some words to Micah as he opened the door for me to get into the SUV, and he followed me into the backseat. His arm went around me, and he pulled me in tight to him. I heard the bikes roar to life. “You’re letting Princess ride your bike?”
He sighed deeply. “I need her home and I’m not waitin’ around for Booker to get here with the trailer. It’s just easier. I’m sure I’ll get shit about it, but I don’t fuckin’ care. I have you in my arms, and that is all that matters to me.”
I snuggled in deeper and the day, the emotions, all took their toll on me, and I fell fast asleep.
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