Infinity & Always (6 page)

“I
can walk, babe.”

“I
know, but I don’t want to let you go,” he smiles at me,
pecking my lips again.

When
we arrive in the kitchen my dad claps and cheers at us. He holds out
a beer to Knox and a glass of Jack and Coke for me.

“Thanks,
Dad,” I smile at him.

Knox
finally lets me down and I help Dad with dinner while he talks to
Knox about the house. I listen to them chat and hear Knox say he was
over there.

“You
saw the house?” I ask, looking at him.

“Yeah,
my dad gave a tour,” he gives me an apologetic look.

“Shouldn’t
it have been the other way round?” I ask, taking a seat beside
him.

“Yeah,
it should have,” he agrees taking my hand and kissing it.

We
have dinner with Dad and decide to walk back over to the house. I
bring some flashlights because I don’t know if there is any
power. Once I open the door, I check the lights, but they are off.

“I
need to get the power back on so your dad can work.”

“You
mean the builders he hires can work,” he chuckles from behind
me, wrapping his arms around my waist. We walk through the house and
out onto the back porch.

“Knox,
I need to talk to you.”

“Okay.”

We
sit on the steps and watch the lake in the darkness. Taking his hand,
I link my fingers through his.

“I
spoke with my attorney today; I have to give another statement to the
judge. He says he needs me to give my testimony again because the
first time I was so emotional the stenographer put every breath and
sob into the transcripts and he thinks it will sway some of the
jury.”

“Darlin’,”
Knox wraps his arm around me.

“Yeah
I know, it’s going to be a pain in the ass but at least I can
do it over the phone and it will be recorded.”

“When
does this happen?”

“Monday,
nine am,” I sigh.

“Do
you want me to be with you?” he asks, kissing my head.

“I’d
like you to be with me, but I can’t ask you to take time off
work.”

“Darlin’,
do you really think your dad will say no?”

Shaking
my head, I say no because I know when I tell Dad he will probably
insist on it.

“So
how about a proper tour?” he asks, looking back at the house.

“Yeah,
let’s go,” I reach for his hand and he pulls me up. We
walk around the house with our flashlight. Knox listens as I talk and
tell him my ideas. When we get upstairs, we walk into one of the
spare rooms.

“I
was thinking of making this a guest room.”

“Yeah
sounds good darlin’. Will you be entertaining many guests?”
he teases.

“Not
really, probably my Mom or Paige. It’s a long list,” I
laugh.

We
walk into another room that faces the front garden. It has an
attached bathroom and walk-in closet.

“I
was thinking of making this room for Max, but don’t tell him. I
want to surprise him. I know you will want him close and I’d
miss him too if he weren't around.”

Knox
just shrugs and follows me into the master bedroom. I point the
flashlight around the walls.

“What
do you think if we put the bed at that wall? Then we can put the TV
up on this one and have room over on that wall for pictures.”

Knox
looks confused. “It’s your house darlin’. You can
do whatever you want.”

“Knox?”
I look at him for a minute. “Don’t you want to live
here?”

He
opens and closes his mouth like a fish, then runs his hand through
his hair.

“I
thought you bought it for you,” he says.

“Yes,
I did but I’m hardly going to live here alone. What did you
think was happening here?”

“I
thought you bought it to live alone,” he says.

Shaking
my head, I laugh at him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I rest my
head on his shoulder. “No, you idiot, I saw it for sale and I
thought I’d snap it up before someone else got it. You always
tell me that you love my dad’s house, so I thought you’d
be happy here.”

He
holds me close to him. “I want to live where ever you are
darlin’. I want to marry you and have kids with you. I fought
hard for you and I’m not giving you up.”

“Knox,
I don’t want to give you up either. I’m sorry for
stressing out and pushing you away. I didn’t mean to, I am just
so angry…”

He
places a soft kiss on my lips, cupping my cheek in his hand. “I
know darlin’. I’m sorry too, I’m sorry I wasn’t
there for you when you needed me.”

Looking
up at him I nod, he kisses me again, and then picks me up off the
floor and twirls me around.

“So
you really want me to live with you?” he asks, grinning at me.

“No,
I figured we’d get married and I’d live here and you can
pitch a tent out back.”

Laughing,
he pushes his hips into me. “I can damn well pitch a tent
darlin’,” he says proudly. We laugh so hard we both have
tears in our eyes.

“God
I missed us,” he says leading me down the stairs and out the
door. We walk around the lake then go back into my dad’s. Knox
makes me a drink and we sit on the window seat in the dark.

“Do
you want to hear my ideas for the kitchen?”

“No,
I want it to be a surprise.” I smile at him, “I trust
you.”

“Really?
Maybe you shouldn’t darlin’, I mean, I have been known to
go crazy with my credit card.”

I
laugh at his sarcasm because we both know he almost breaks out in
hives if he has to crack out the plastic. I finally relax, feeling
the tension leaving my shoulders and I sigh. All the back and forth
with Knox has been hard. I really hope he sticks to his word and
stays by my side with this sentencing hearing. I catch him yawning,
and pressing the heel of his hand into his eye, rubbing it.

“You
still have a headache?”

“Yeah,
it doesn’t want to go.”

I
clean up our glasses and we go up to my room; he smiles when he steps
inside. Commenting how he hasn’t slept here in over a year,
it’s weird thinking about it. I take a quick shower and throw
on a t-shirt. Crawling into bed, I burrow in beside him.

“I
love you darlin’.”

“Love
you too, babe.”

I
wake up early - my body is wrapped up in Knox, and I feel content. He
kisses my shoulder and asks if I am going for a run.

“No
babe, not today.”

Knox
lifts his head and looks down at me. “You feeling okay?”
he questions.

“Yes,
I take Sunday’s off since I started practice again.”

“Well
it just so happens that I have Sunday’s off too,” he
says, placing soft kisses along my shoulder.

“I
know, but why are you awake at this hour?”

“Can’t
sleep,” he whispers, against my neck.

Turning
around I face him and frown. “Why can’t you sleep?”

“Because
I have crazy thoughts running around in my head.”

I
begin to get worried and check his eyes as best I can in the dim
light. They don’t look as bad as before. He smirks at me.

“Darlin’,
not that kind of crazy,” he says, pulling me on top of him.

“Oh,
that kind,” I smile.

“Yeah,
that kind.”

I
hesitate for a minute because it’s been a few months since
we’ve had sex and I’m not sure if I want to jump right
back in. But then he pulls me down and kisses me softly and all my
hesitation flies out the window.

By
the time the sun comes up Knox and I are sweating and smiling. I can
feel his heart beat against my cheek as I look into his eyes. He
traces his fingers up and down my thigh, smiling at me.

“I
think it was worth the wait,” he announces, settling back
against the pillow with his arm behind his head. Shaking my head, I
gently bite his chest making him flinch. “Ouch darlin’,”
he laughs, covering my mouth with his hand. He smooth’s my hair
off my face, brushing his thumb along my cheekbone.

“What
do you want to do today?” I ask.

“Nothing,
just stay in bed and turn off our phones and listen to music,”
he smiles.

“Yeah,
sounds like fun. We haven’t done that since last Christmas.”

I
remember last Christmas Eve we did just that, cut ourselves off from
the world and stayed in bed all day. We watched movies, listened to
music, and made love, and we also ate way too much chocolate. Knox
closes his eyes and smiles. I bet he is remembering that day too.

“Come
on, we can get breakfast then come back up, but no candy today.”

He
laughs and agrees, pulling on his jeans he follows me downstairs.
After breakfast, we spend the day in my room watching movies and
making love. Everything feels like it’s getting back to where
it belongs.

After
a shower I throw on a tank top and jeans, my heart is pounding in my
chest as I walk down to the kitchen. Knox has breakfast waiting for
me, but I can’t eat, shaking my head I take a seat at the table
and place the phone in front of me.

“You
okay darlin’?”

Closing
my eyes, I take a deep breath and rub my sweaty palms up and down my
thighs. After the day spent in bed yesterday, I was able to forget
about this morning, but now that’s here and I am a nervous
wreck. Knox takes a seat beside me and holds my hand. We both just
sit in silence as time ticks by. The shrill of the phone ringing
makes me jump with fright. Knox gives my hand a squeeze and I pick up
the phone.

“Hello?”

“Good
morning, Bailey,” Rachel says. “I just wanted to go over
a few things before we are put through to the court.”

“Okay,”
I answer.

“Okay,
just relax, you will be sworn in and then the judge will ask you some
questions. Remember this will be recorded as testimony and if I feel
something is out of line I will object; otherwise I’ll stay
quiet, but I will be on the line, okay?”

“Yeah,
thanks.”

“Okay
then, here we go,” she says.

I
listen to the bailiff swear me in and repeat his words. I can feel my
hands begin to shake. Knox grips me a little firmer, letting me know
he is with me.

“Good
morning, Miss Mortenson, my name is Judge Abraham and I will be
asking you some questions.”

“Good
morning,” I croak out.

“In
your own words, Miss Mortenson, can you tell me what happened…”

My
mind blanks, I can’t hear what he is saying and I start to
panic. Knox turns my face to his and smiles, mouthing for me to
breathe. The Judge calls my name and I snap to attention.

“In
your own words please,” he says again.

Closing
my eyes, I picture myself and my Mom arguing in the car, then me
getting out and walking to the graveyard.

“I
walked into the graveyard and sat in front of my friend’s
grave. I was speaking to her, telling her about my life. When I heard
a voice behind me, I turned around and saw Ben Miler. He wouldn’t
let me leave; when I tried to he kept blocking my way. He was
taunting me and calling me names. He admitted to sending me the dead
roses.

I
tried to walk away again, but that’s when he hit me across the
face. He accused me of turning my best friend against him and blamed
me for her killing herself. Then he jumped on me, pulling my hair
back so hard I couldn’t move. He punched me in the stomach and
I knew I had to do something to get away, so I punched him in between
the legs.

That’s
when he grabbed my hair again and began punching me in the face. I
tried to fight back. I hit him and scratched him, but I could only
see out of one eye. I remember scratching his eyes and he twisted my
wrist so hard I felt the bones break. I fell to the ground and he
pulled me up by my hair. He smashed my face into the headstone,
twice. Then I woke up in the hospital.”

The
line is quiet for a few minutes before the judge clears his throat.
He thanks me for my time then hangs up. Rachel says she will call me
later after my testimony has been submitted. I put the phone down on
the table and take a few deep breaths. Knox lifts me onto his lap,
and I press my face into his neck as my tears fall. To this day, I
can feel every punch and kick.

“Knox?”

“Yeah,
darlin’?”

“Will
you tell me what happened after that?” I ask.

We
never spoke about it. It was too painful for both of us. Then life
moved on and so did we, for a while anyway. When Knox, Max, and Paige
had to give their testimonies in court, the defense attorney argued
until I was removed from court, so I never got to hear their sides.
That was the day I fired my uncle; he didn’t even try to stop
me from being thrown out.

We
argued on the steps of the courthouse and I fired him. Then in my
regular fashion I walked downtown and found myself a new attorney and
haven’t looked back since.

“Are
you sure you want to hear this darlin’?”

“Yes.”

Knox
takes a deep breath and clears his throat. “After you left with
your Mom, I got Max and Paige to walk to that café with me.
When we got there, the waitress told us you went up to the graveyard.
I wanted to give you some time so Paige got us coffees to go. I don’t
know why, but I was getting a bad feeling so I started walking that
way.

Paige
was acting weird, so Max and I walked in front of her. When we got to
the graveyard, we heard a scream. I knew it was you, I just knew. I
took off running and found some guy beating the shit out of you.

I
just crashed into him to get him off you and started punching his
face. I don’t know how long or how many times, but I just kept
going. The next thing I know, Max has me in a bear hug pulling me off
the guy I wanted to kill. When I got to you, I tried to lift you up a
bit, there was blood everywhere, and your face was so swollen that I
could hardly recognize you.

Then,
you stopped breathing in my arms. I swear I died right there. I
couldn’t believe that you left me. I didn’t want it to be
true. I had to fix it. I had to get you back, so I just started to
breathe into your mouth. I remember screaming at Max to help me. The
next thing I know some guy is cutting off your clothes and I wanted
to kill him too, but Max held me back.