Page 30 of Forget Me Not
“Kind of. The thing is Danny. When I left home, I didn’t know I was going to be a dad. If I had, I would have stayed.”
“You’re a dad? Where’s your son?”
I went down on my knee and pulled his hand in mine. “You’re my son.”
“No. My dad died in a car accident.”
David pressed his hand to Danny’s shoulder and sighed. “Buddy, he’s telling you the truth. Drake is your dad. He didn’t die in the accident.”
“You’re my dad?” Danny held my gaze. I held my breath, waiting for him to say something, but was completely surprised when he wrapped his arms around my waist. “I have a dad.”
My eyes filled with tears as I pulled him tighter against my chest. I buried my nose in his hair and inhaled his scent. This boy opened his arms unconditionally and embraced the truth like it was always meant to be.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you.”
“It’s okay. You can be here now. Mommy is going to be so happy. Where is mommy?”
“She’s handling some things and will be home soon. Do you think you would mind staying with grandma and grandpa for a couple of days?”
“I rarely stay all week during school, but I guess it will be okay. Can I call mom and ask?”
“She told me it was okay. You stay here and I will go help mom with her problem.”
Danny nodded and then hurried off to his room. I was still stunned by how easily he took the truth. A part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I could only hope Mackenzie took it as easily as he did. No matter what, I wasn’t leaving again.
Mackenzie
The room smelled like mold and trash. I stretched my legs, trying to determine if I could move around. From what I could tell, my legs were bound, and my hands were tied behind my back. I was leaned against what felt like brick, but the room was dark, so I didn’t know for sure.
“Austin?”
I called his name, hoping he was somewhere nearby. When I got no response, I leaned my head back and let the tears fall. What the fuck had I gotten involved in? All I could think about was Danny. What if the man who took me killed me? Danny would grow up with no parents. I closed my eyes and conjured up memories of him as a baby. He had kept me alive when my heart was nearly destroyed from his father's death. I had devoted my life to him, making him my entire world. And until recently, I hadn’t considered starting over. That made me think of Drake. Everything about him was familiar and mysterious, yet I wanted him. For the first time in nearly ten years, I was falling for a man—a man I might never see again.
I rocked my body, wiggling myself toward the closed door. If I could get close enough, maybe I could use my feet to bang on the wood. For what felt like hours, I used my heels to beat on the door—when finally, it was opened.
“What the fuck? Stop kicking the door or I’ll put a bullet in your head.”
“Why am I here?”
“Because your boyfriend is barking up a tree that he shouldn’t. He should have stayed dead—then you wouldn’t be here.”
“I don’t understand. Where’s Austin? I want to talk to him.”
“He’s a little tied up.” The man laughed manically, giving me chills. “But don’t you worry, Maximus will be here soon. Maybe he’ll answer your fucking questions.”
He slammed the door shut, leaving me in darkness again. What did he mean my boyfriend should have stayed dead? Had they tried to kill him before? I worried about Danny. I prayed he was safe and that these monsters hadn’t done anything to my in-laws. I wouldn’t be able to live if I lost him—he was all I had left of his father.
The room was disgusting. It smelled of shit and moldy water. I had no idea where they had taken me, but it wasn’t somewhere anyone would find me. I wondered about Austin. What did the man mean when he said he was tied up? Had they done something to him too? And how the hell had he gotten involved with these psychos?
The sound of the door unlocking again had me pushing myself up. If it was Maximus, he was not here to be gentle or nice. I watched as the brooding man stepped inside and grinned.
“Why hello there.” He laughed. “How are you liking the place?”
“What do you want?”
“I want your boyfriend to leave Austin alone. I can’t have my Doctor being investigated—it creates problems for my business.”
“I don’t understand.”
