Dangerous Embrace (Embrace #1) (44 page)

Mark looked up at her sharply. “He told you?”

“Two black eyes and a bloody nose left him with little choice.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “I wanted to believe the
I walked into a wall
story, but I’m not stupid.”

“Sorry,” Mark said.

“No, you’re not, and neither am I. Did you give him the black eyes?”

“Nope, I didn’t have the pleasure. Sarah did it when he cornered her.”

This time her laugh was full of humor. “Good for her. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I threw him out. I don’t want a man like that around my sons. Carl and I assumed Maylyn raped her. We didn’t know the details...at least not until today. How he could so easily victimize her again...it’s disgusting. I can’t imagine what she’s going through.”

“I’ll take care of her.”

“I hope she lets you. If anyone can help her heal, it’s you.” Ali hesitated for a long time, staring at the floor. “I owe you an apology, Mark.”

“Don’t, Ali.” He waved her off. “We’re beyond—”

“I’m sorry for what I put you through. I’m sorry I let him into my life.”

“You can’t regret him when he gave you Micah.”

She smiled again and it lit her face up. “Micah is a gift.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. I know now that my feelings for you were only a shadow of what they should have been. It would’ve ended eventually.”

“Your feelings for her are that strong?” she asked.

“Stronger—” He thought about the way Sarah looked in her hospital bed and it turned his stomach. “I’ve never felt like this. If something happens to her...” He made a fist and slightly pounded his forehead to push the dark images away. “She’s pregnant, I left her alone, and let a maniac have her.”

“Walking around with all this guilt will not help her recovery. Don’t do this, it’s a vicious cycle, you feel guilt and that’ll make her feel guilty, just stop.”

Mark nodded, she was right. “What are you going to do now? Will you be okay with the baby on your own?”

“I’ve been on my own for the last nine months. Carl never wanted a baby. He hardly spoke ten words to me since I told him about the pregnancy. He would have eventually left anyway.”

Mark shook his head. “Why didn’t you talk to me?”

“I couldn’t. Hell, Mark, with everything that happened between you, Carl, and me, I couldn’t come crying to you.”

“You can always come to me. I’ll always be here.”

“But I couldn’t ask you this time. I couldn’t...”

“If you need anything, especially now, call me.”

“I will. Thank you.” She gestured to the waiting room. “Who’s the cowboy?” she asked.

He smiled and thought about Sarah again.

“He’s a cop from Nashville. He’s investigating the murder of Sarah’s stepfather, Charlie. We suspect Kevin Lewis murdered him trying to get to her—”

Mark stopped when Sarah’s doctor came out of her room.

“Hey, Ali, will you go tell Devon he can come back now. I’ll meet him in there.” She nodded and went back into the waiting room.

He walked into Sarah’s room and found her propped up on pillows trying to sit up.

“Hi, babe.” he smiled at her. “Are you ready to see Devon?”

Her eyes grew wide. “He’s here?”

“He raced down here as soon as he got the call.”

“Hey, Baby Sis,” Devon said from behind Mark.

Devon propped himself on the edge of her bed before carefully leaning over to hug her.

“He’s dead, Devon, Kevin is dead. Mark killed him.”

~

Devon stayed until Mark reminded them about the other people outside waiting to see her. When Devon left, Mark walked out with him.

“Johnny, do you want to come back now?” Mark asked, breaking up his and Ali’s conversation.

“Yes, thank you.” He stood up and followed Mark out of the waiting room.

“Does it bother you if I make conversation with your ex-wife?” Johnny asked as they walked toward Sarah’s room.

“Not at all, converse with her all you want. I’m not her keeper.”

When they entered Sarah’s room, she gasped and tried to hide her face. “I didn’t know you were coming,” she shrieked. “Johnny Rhay, how the hell are you?” she asked, reaching her arms out to him.

“Well, I’m better ’n you darlin’,” he said, drawling out his accent a little too deeply in Mark’s opinion.

He hugged her and then pulled back, pouring his long body into the chair next to her bed. “You seem to be feeling a bit better now.”

“Yeah, I might survive.”

“Sarah Jean, why didn’t you call me when all this trouble started?” He leaned forward in his chair to look into her swollen eyes. “I could have helped instead of you spending eight years hiding from the bastard. You should have called me.”

She shook her head. “I couldn’t call you. I took off to freaking Flagstaff and got into this trouble on my own.”

“Don’t be foolish, you moved cause your mama moved. I know the story. And don’t forget, I know you, girl...and where you come from.”

“Yeah, but I was never going back, Johnny. That’s why I couldn’t stay in touch. It was too hard.” She frowned, unable to finish her sentence.

“You don’t have to tell me,” he muttered. “There’s no reason for you to miss a place like that, it wasn’t meant to be your home. Things were hard for you there, I remember.”

He smiled his charming smile back at her. “Sarah Jean, you were always a lady even at thirteen. Too classy for The Park, that’s for sure...and you still are. Some things never change.”

“I wasn’t the only one, you didn’t belong there either. A detective now, huh?”

“Yeah, well, back then we were both just a couple of lost orphans trying to find a home and a place to be.” He smiled halfheartedly at the memory.

She’d found what she was looking for. She belonged with Mark.

“I’ve finally found my place,” she whispered.

“You sure did, darlin’. Your home is wherever that man is.” He gestured toward Mark when he said it. “I see it in your eyes and I see it in his when he looks at you.”

She smiled and followed it up with a little yawn.

“That’s my hint to leave.” He stood up slowly and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Is it alright if I come back tomorrow?” he asked, looking from Sarah to Mark.

“Of course, she’ll still be here. Hey, do you have a place to stay tonight?”

“Yeah, I’m in a motel up the street.” He walked toward Mark and handed him a business card. “Will you call me if there are any changes? I’ll be working with Detective Hammel tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for coming out and checking into Kevin Lewis for us.” Mark reached out, shook Johnny’s hand, and then followed it up by handing him his business card. “Our home number and Sarah’s cell number is on the back.”

When Johnny Rhay was gone, Mark yawned too, resting his forehead on hers.

“Sorry I ruined our date,” she said.

“It’s not ruined, just postponed.” He lifted his head and gave her a seductive smile.

“Are you going home?”

“Not without you.”

“That’s not necessary...you need some rest.”

“No, I’m not leaving you alone.”

She nodded, and he could see her eyes water.

“Baby, you never have to be alone ever again. I promise.”

“Will you lie down with me?”

“Of course, scoot over—
carefully.
” He helped her as she slowly inched over to make room for him. He slipped out of his shoes and crawled into the bed next to her, spooning her hips with his.

“I love you.” Mark rested his hand on her belly when he said it. “More than my own life, I love you, baby.” He squeezed her softly and inhaled, taking in the scent of blood and dirt. The smell reminded him of how close he came to losing her.

“I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you. I broke my promise and I let that monster get to you. I’ll never forgive myself.” His chest heaved when he said it.

“Don’t. We both thought he was gone. I’m fine and the baby is fine. That’s what’s important.”

“When I saw you unconscious, I thought you were dead.” Mark was overcome again, burying his face in her hair against her neck.

Sarah turned her body to face him.

“Stop, it’s over. Kevin is gone and he can’t hurt us again. I love you, Mark.” Sarah’s eyes swam with tears as she cupped his wet cheeks and smiled at him. “You gave me my life back.”

“It’s going to take me forever to make this up to you,” he whispered.

“I guess it’s a good thing we have forever.” Sarah kissed him before curling into his chest, hugging the warmth.

They lay in the quiet for a long time and held each other. Mark could hear the flutter of their baby’s heartbeat coming from the monitor, and the sound combined with Sarah’s steady breathing comforted him.

He thought she had fallen asleep, but she said, “What are you thinking about?”

“How important you are to me, and how much I love you and our baby. How about you?”

“Johnny Rhay. He seemed sad. I hope he’s this happy one day.”

“What did Johnny mean by ‘The Park’?”

She laughed and then groaned in pain. “The trailer park.”

“Oh.” The conversation made much more sense to him now.

“Why did he say you were both orphans?”

“Well, my mama was never around for me and Devon. We were alone most of the time. Johnny lost his family in a house fire when he was a kid. After they were killed, he lived with his aunt, uncle, and cousin.”

“Wow, that’s awful.”

“It’s amazing he’s managed to do something with his life. He’s always been a good guy though, even when he was a delinquent.”

“He really seems to get you.”

“It’s a different world where he comes from. He helped me get through a lot of stuff.”

“Sorry to keep you talking, go to sleep.” He kissed her hair.

“I’ll go to sleep if you promise to be here when I wake up.”

“Is that why you’re not sleeping?” he asked, trying to look at her face.

She nodded into his chest.

He pushed the hair off her cheek and looked into her eyes. “I promise to always be here when you wake up.”

~

When Mark brought Sarah home from the hospital several days later, the house was full of people. She groaned when she entered and saw everyone. She tried to be gracious, and she was thrilled to see Ali’s new baby, but she wanted to be alone with Mark.

Catching her subtle hints, people slowly trickled out. Johnny Rhay and Ali lagged behind. Sarah suspected Ali wasn’t in a hurry to go home alone, but she wasn’t sure why Johnny Rhay was still in town.

“I’m surprised you’re still here. Haven’t you had enough of California to last you a lifetime?”

“I kinda like it here...and I need to talk to you and Mark before I leave.” He handed the baby back to Ali. “Kevin Lewis killed Charlie. We compared the DNA and it’s a match. The case has been closed.”

Sarah held her breath for several seconds, and then let it gush out in a long exhale. “I...I knew when I looked into his eyes at the party.” She bowed her head. “Poor Charlie.”

“Now, Sarah, Charlie wouldn’t want you to feel like that. Y’all were his only kin. He would have done anything to protect you. Don’t ruin his legacy by feeling sorry for him.”

She nodded and looked back up. “You’re right. I loved him too. He was a good man.”

“Johnny, thanks for staying to see this through,” Mark said.

“It’s been my pleasure. Y’all have a great group of friends and family out here. It’s a nice little town...not at all like the Metro, maybe I’ll visit again. Devon promised to teach me how to surf, although I don’t think I want to be eaten by sharks.” He reached in to hug Sarah. “Can you keep in touch this time?”

“I will e-mail, how about that?”

“Sounds real nice,” he drawled.

“Mark, it’s been good to meet you. Take care of this girl.”

“I will. Come back to visit anytime.”

“I just might do that.” He turned to Ali. “Miss Ali, may I buy you a cup of coffee before you go home?”

Ali looked surprised but nodded in agreement.

Mark walked them out and then snuck up behind Sarah to nuzzle her neck. “I have something for you.” He held her engagement ring out to her. “They gave it to me to take care of when you were in the hospital. I’ve been so distracted I forgot to give it back to you.”

Sarah let him slide the ring on her left hand and whispered, “I love it.”

He swayed with her for a moment, enjoying the quiet of the house and said, “It’s just you and me.”

“Just me and you,” she said, hugging the arms he held around her. “Just me and you.”