Damaged Love (Bound Series Book 2) (4 page)

“Hey Buttercup, that was some hot moves out there on the dance floor.” Wyatt says playfully.

“Hey don’t be jealous Wyatt. I know how to make my man happy.”

“Oh believe me. Vi makes me very happy.” Wyatt says.

“Yeah the whole club knows how happy she makes you.” I look over to VI and I could see she doesn’t care that the whole club heard her have sex.

She looks over at me and says, “Sorry about that, but I was horny and wanted to get laid. It is not my fault that I am a vocal person.”

“Let’s go. I’m beat. It has been a long day and I am ready for my bed.”

“Vi, are you coming home with me or you going to Kayla’s?” Wyatt asks.

“Everyone can stay at my house. I have plenty of room.”

CHAPTER FOUR

The Past Always Comes Back

“My life is perfect, even when it is not.”

~Ellen Degeneres

Kayla and VI are both passed out in the beast and my baby looks like an angel. I see her smile in her sleep and I hope that she is finally having good dreams.

Once we were back at Kayla’s, Wyatt and I carry the girls inside and put them to bed. I take a quick shower and brush my teeth then I go down to the kitchen for a snack while Kayla sleeps. I am walking down the hallway when angry voices greet me and fill every room of the house. Who the fuck is here? I peer around the corner, and I see Patrice talking to Seth.

“Patrice, I know damn well you remember our night in college,” Seth states.

“You mean the night you raped me? I was a virgin you motherfucker. I know you slipped something in my drink because I only had one drink and there was no way I was willing.”

“Our night together was magical. I didn’t have to rape you, you were more than willing. Besides, you know as well as I do that Kayla is your daughter as much as she is mine.” He states.

“If you knew she was your daughter, how could you let what happened to her happen, and then treat her like nothing?” Patrice says crying.

“I didn’t know then, but I know now. I knew the moment I saw you standing by her bedside in the hospital. I knew you looked familiar. I would remember you anywhere.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s my daughter, but I do care for her. I don’t know what happened to my daughter. I gave her up at the hospital. I never even held her. The only thing I remember from giving birth is how perfect her little cry was. They rushed her out of the room, and I cried myself to sleep that night. I could hear her crying all night long. So I left the next morning before staff change.”

“You are in fucking denial woman. That girl is ours.”

“Seth, I want you to keep your god damned mouth shut. Your family has hurt her enough, and she does not need any more fucking stress. If you so much as look in her fucking direction, I swear on everything I hold dear, I will kill you. And you can take that to the damn bank” Patrice screams.

I can’t believe what I am hearing, and I know it will kill Kayla to hear this. I don’t know what to do. I can’t tell her, and it takes everything I have not to go into that room and beat the fuck out of Seth for what he did to Patrice, and most of all, what he let be done to Kayla. At one point I really respected Seth. He had promise as a kick ass senator, and most likely would have made for a damn good president. But now that I know him, I am glad that he has taken a back seat in politics.

I quietly head back to our bedroom, crawl into bed, and hold Kayla close. I can’t help but wonder how in the hell she’ll survive this. She will be crushed to know Seth is her father, though I know she will be happy to hear she has a mother. But she can’t know this. With a heavy heart I sigh and try to sleep. I toss and turn and listen for Kayla’s steady breathing.  That is somewhat calming but I know her life is about to change, I just have to figure out how to tell her.

I fell in love with her back in St. James church when she was teaching me how to read. Even when I was going to be married to the gold digging whore, I was picturing Kayla walking down the aisle. That was the last thing I thought of before falling into a restless sleep.

The next morning we wake to the smells of coffee and pancakes. When we get downstairs, we find the news declaring Seth has officially pulled out of the presidential race. The rumor is he pulled out because of the scandal regarding his family.

“About damn time,” Wyatt declares as he walks around and kisses the top of Kayla’s head. He walks to VI and wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her to his side.

“I would kiss you, but I have a major case of morning breath.” VI tells Wyatt.

“Awe, babe you know I don’t mind your breath anytime.”

“No! That’s gross! Don’t come near me.” VI mumbles as she is covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry you are just S.O.L. There will be no kissing until I have coffee and get the funk out of my mouth. So just calm your jets there big boy.”

“Damn! No love this morning. You suck babe.”

“We all know I suck, and that I swallow too, but until I have coffee and brush my teeth, there will be no kissing, so suck it up buttercup.”

“Awe, aren’t you guys so freaking cute. Wyatt dear, when are you going to make an honest woman of VI?

“Kayla geez, you made me spit out my coffee. You ass,” VI says.

“I thought you said you swallow? I guess you spit as well,” I go over and give her a big hug, “it’s okay if you spit.” I hit her on her arm and tell her I love her fucking face.

Patrice comes out of the guest room looking like she saw a ghost. She won’t look at me—in fact, she says her goodbye using the excuse she’s going back to Garrett’s place to get ready for a date with Rodney.

I tell her bye and ask her if everything is okay.

“Yeah, everything is fine. Don’t worry,” she says rushing to the door.

When she opens the door, Rodney is standing there, fist raised to knock on the door. He doesn’t waste any time and asks Garrett to go to the station to answer a few questions about Seth’s attack.

“Babe, do you want me to go with you?”

“No. Stay here and rest. I am sure it won’t take long.” He says and kisses me on the forehead.

“Okay, I love you.”

“I love you too babe,” he kisses me again—this time, softly on the lips.

I watch him walk out the door. I turn and run into Patrice.

“I am so sorry, Patrice. I did not mean to run into you.”

“Kayla, it is okay, but I really have to go.”

Next thing I know, the door is being slammed behind her.

“VI, do you know what is going on with Patrice?”

“No, I was just about to ask you the same thing.”

“Has something happened back in Texas with her practice or something? I swear she was fine yesterday. I will get to the bottom of this, but first, I am going to go and get dressed and then go to the police station. I want to be there with Garrett because this is my fault after-all.”

“Kayla, it isn’t your fault. Garrett is a grown man who was trying to find his woman.” Wyatt says.

“You were there too, weren’t you Wyatt?”

“Yes buttercup, I was there. I was the one who gave him the black eye.”

“So there is no way he can get into trouble over this, right?”

“Well, I can’t answer that because we did go over to his house. We did kind of interrupt Seth’s sexual encounter, and then he proceeded to get a beating that he had coming.”

“You mean you guys walked in while he was having sex with Millie?”

“Oh no, Millie walked us back to the pool house, and he had some young intern bent over the pool table.” Wyatt said.

“Oh my god, are you freaking serious? Millie was there when he was having sex with someone else? That family is dysfunctional.”

“Well, they surely put the FUN in dysfunctional.” VI piped in.

“You are so right VI. Now I have to go and get dressed so I can go check on Garrett.”

“Okay. Love your face.”

“Love yours too, gutterslut.” I yell from the hallway.

I walk into my big, over-stuffed closet and pick out a pair of black leggings and a hot pink long sweater. Before walking out, I grab a grey and pink scarf and my black faux suede and thigh high boots. I don’t even bother taking a shower. I spray on some Wings perfume and get dressed.

I throw my hair up in a loose bun and grab my purse and head out to the beast. Jumping inside, I pull out and make my way to the police station. In the parking lot, I throw the beast into park and head into the building through the double glass doors. I walk in like I’ve been there a million times before.

CHAPTER FIVE

Dealing with the Truth

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

~Franklin D. Roosevelt

When I get down to the station, Rodney takes me into an interrogation room and starts asking me questions.

“Garrett, how long have you had a grudge against Seth?”

“I would not say it was a grudge. I just don’t like the man.” I tell him.

“Have you ever passed by his house with the intent to hurt him?”

“Hell no. I run a successful publishing company. I don’t have time for plotting to hurt some low life. And yes I know that comment makes me look guilty but to be honest, it was about time he felt some of the pain Kayla has felt for years.”

“Son, I won’t say he didn’t, but you and your brother really put a beating on him.”

“Yes, I know this, and if we have to, we will do what it takes to make it right, but I had to find my love. I have seen the way you are toward Patrice. Can you tell me that you would not have done the same thing if you knew she was hurt?”

“Off the record, you are right but I still have to ask these questions.”

“I know what is next. I have nothing to hide Officer Jernigan.”

“I have just one last question Garrett, and this one is the most important of all questions. How long have you known Kayla was his daughter and Patrice was her mother?”

When that question was asked, we heard glass shattering and ran to see what was going on out there.

I see Kayla, and she has tears running down her beautiful face. She has a cut on her hand and it is bleeding badly.

One cop is cleaning up the broken glass and another is bandaging her hand.

All she says to me is, “How could you? You are supposed to love me.”

She starts beating on my chest and screaming profanities. Kayla is crying and she never cries.

It takes two cops to pull her off me. Then one tells me to head home—the interview is over.

I tell the officer that the only home I am going to is Kayla’s because I have to fix things.

I will not lose her over some half ass conversation I overheard. There is no fucking way in hell I will allow this to break us.

We have been through way too much for something like this to damage our relationship, so I go and wait by the beast for her to come out.

***

I sit in one of the interrogation rooms while a cop, who moonlights as an EMT, bandages up my hand. For one split second I wondered what it would have been like just to end it right then and there. I could have with the shattered glass. I could have bent down and picked up a piece and ended it all. But that is the coward’s way out and I am not a fucking coward.

After they are done bandaging me up, I grab my purse and walk out the doors. I look out to my beast, and I see him standing there. I hold out my hand telling him to shut his mouth but I know I have unfinished business. If he kept something like this from me, then what future do we have?

“Garrett, I am mad at you. Why in the hell did you think it was okay to keep something like this from me?”

“Babe, please let me explain, I swear I only learned about this last night when we came home from the club. You had fallen asleep, and I carried you up too bed. I grabbed a quick shower, headed down stairs, and I overheard Patrice and Seth screaming at each other.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up? Or better yet you could have told me this morning. But oh no, you kept this from me. How can I ever trust you?”

“Honey please, I wanted to make sure before I said anything. I know how you wanted to find your birth mother. And I would have never wanted to give you false hope. If I would have said anything I would not have had any proof.”

“Garrett, you kept something huge from me.”

“But you’ve kept things from me. Such as your rape?”

“That is different. You all know why I did that. I was trying to protect you all.”

“Yes dear, I get that, but you did keep that from me. I know it’s not the same, but I wanted to make sure of the facts, and not come at you with half ass answers.”

“I guess I see where you would want to wait, but how can I trust you? How can we have a future if you are going to keep things from me?”

“Kayla baby, I love you more than life itself. I would never intentionally keep things from you. If it makes you feel any better, I wanted to go downstairs and beat the shit out of Seth. Babe, all I am going to say is listen to Patrice, hear her side before you just write her off. Please listen to her.”

“What are you not telling me?”

“Kayla, let’s go home and you talk to her. She will tell you what you need to know. All I ask is that you fully listen, not just with your ears but listen with your heart. It has never guided you in the wrong direction.”

“Okay, get in and let’s go, but I am still pissed at you and you have some major ass kissing to do.”

“Honey, if you forgive me I would gladly kiss your ass every minute of every day. Look baby I know you are mad at me, and I know you feel I betrayed you, but I love you and I know we can get past this if we try.”

“Just get in the beast Garrett.”

Before he can talk or say a word, I hold up my hand and say, “Look, I love you, and I don’t want to lose you, but I am not ready to talk right now.”

When we pull up at my house, Patrice’s car is there along with Wyatt and VI’s.

Garrett and I walk in the house, and they see the look on my face. I can tell they know something happened.

“Patrice and Kayla need to go talk alone, and I stress the alone part.”

Patrice, looks over at me, and I can see she knows that I know.

“Kayla come on. I know that you have questions, and I will do what I can to answer them for you.”