Dalton"Did you hear the news this morning?" Drew asks as he comes into the shop, sipping on his mug of coffee."News really wasn't what was on my mind this morning.""Judging by that goddamn hickey on your neck, I can just imagine what you were busy with," he grumbles."Don't hate, he'll start sleeping through the night again.""Not soon enough for me," he takes a healthy drink of the coffee this time. "I don't understand how one baby can be so much more work than two were.""Would you like me to cry you a river, or are you going to tell me what news I missed?"He gives me an annoyed look, but I'm having way too good a morning to pay any attention to it. "They pulled a body outta Barren River last night."Now I'm paying attention. "Oh really? Anyone we know?""Judging by the info they've released so far, it's Owen. We'll confirm with our source at the medical examiner's office, but at least we know for sure what happened to him."There's another piece of that puzzl
DaltonThree Weeks Later"Whatever." I fling a rag at Caelin. "You absolutely did not get a woman my age to pay for your damn meal last night.""I didn't ask her to," he argues. "Talk to Remy, we were together. She paid for both of our meals."I shake my head. "You're so full of shit.""She did!"We've been giving him a hard time this morning. He and Remy went out for their weekly dinner and drinks, but they came back with this story about an older woman paying. "Pictures or it didn't happen."He throws the rag back at me. "I don't need you all to believe me, I know what went on."I'm still chuckling as I make my way back over to the bay I'm working in. There's a car up above my head, and I'm getting ready to change the oil when I feel a vibration in my pocket. Pulling my glove off, I reach in and grab my phone out. I'm surprised when I see Mandy's name.M: I need you to come home.D: Home? I thought you were at work.M: I had to leave. I need you here, D.D:
Mandy"I'm scared." I reach out for Dalton's hand, holding it tightly as I press into the contraction. "It's been a long time since I had to do this.""You're the strongest person I know, babe. You've got this."A part of me wonders if he's right. Do I have this? Can I bring this child of ours into the world? There were times these last eight months I wondered. Like when they put me on bedrest, and that one time we couldn't find the heartbeat. I'd almost crumbled, but Dalton had been there to hold me up. We've fought, but instead of each other this time, we've fought as a unit, to bring this baby into the world.It's a surprise. If it's a boy or a girl. He gets to pick the name for a girl.I get to pick the name for a boy, and I know exactly what I'll name our son. "I don't know, feels like it hurts a lot more than it did last time." I grit my teeth, pushing into the contraction like they told me too. "And the room isn't done. What are we going to do?"He kisses me on
CaelinInside the sounds of the party spill out, to where I'm sitting on the back porch, finishing up the last of this particular pack of cigarettes. I always tell myself this one will be it. The final one.But within a few days I'm right back to the familiar hard pack. It's my go-to for everything. When I'm stressed, when I'm bored, and when I'm doing my absolute best to keep my hands off Justice Walker, I smoke.The party going on in there isn't about to stop anytime soon. The Walker twins are popular at school, and the fact they're turning eighteen on a Friday night into Saturday isn't lost on anyone. My phone vibrates and I take a minute to look at the pictures my sister sends me of my niece. Just what we needed, another girl around here. But she's got me wrapped around her little finger. All of a sudden, I hear voices start yelling."Ten!"The countdown has started, it appears."Nine!"I'm supposed to be watching over them, but I had to come out here to get rid
JusticeGazing out the window next to my bed, I look up from my laptop. I've been writing on her for years, and she's having a hard time keeping charge, but I'll keep her around for as long as I can.She's seen it all. The aftermath of the kidnapping with Travis, the bond Caelin and I have forged from one of the worst nights of our lives, and the kisses we've shared since. Going to the folder I've labeled as my journal, I look for a few particular documents. When I see them, I click on each, taking a moment to read how I felt in those moments. The AftermathDoc Jones said it would be good for me to start writing my feelings out. This is my first attempt. Here it goes…I was kidnapped and Caelin Blackfoot saved my life.SafetyIt's slightly insane. In the five years since the kidnapping, I've started to only feel safe with one person. Caelin.Although I know the people in my life would move heaven and earth to save me, the only person who's ever gone through with that is him. A
Caelin"C'mon, I just need you to please fix my laptop."Justice Walker can plead like no one else, and she knows I'll do anything she asks me to.It started with a kiss.No, that's a lie. It started in the middle of a dangerous situation where my family was being threatened. As a seventeen-year-old kid, I hadn't known what to do. Instead, I'd acted on instinct, and killed a grown man to save the then ten-year-old standing in front of me.Never will I be able to forget the minutes that lead up to the decision I made. The fear on her face, the smugness on his. If I close my eyes, even now, I'm right back there. Mildew and mold, along with the musk of disuse build in the back of my nose, almost to my throat. A dungeon of equal parts dust and moisture, confusing the senses, not letting one believe where they truly are. In the distance there's a drip, drip, drip. A steady cadence of water coming from above our heads. But it's what's right in front of me that's scaring the fucking shit ou
JusticeI'm emotional as I carry my laptop out to my car. This is the one thing I never wanted to give up. Seems crazy and stupid, I'm sure my therapist would tell me all the ways I'm co-dependent with it, but she's gotten me through a lot.Opening my trunk, I put her safely amongst a blanket, rubbing her beat up cover, and thinking about all the papers, poems, and thoughts I've written on her. "Justice!"Turning at the sound of the voice, I grin when I see my dad, jogging my way. "Hey." I reach out, hugging him tightly. "I haven't seen you in a few days. Are you finally okay with me and Harley moving out of the house?""I'll never be okay with that." He tightens his arms around me. "But your mom mentioned I had to let you two live your own lives. Whatever the fuck that means.""Dad…""I know, I know. What are you doing here?"Tilting my head toward the trunk, I glance down. "She's given up the ghost and I was hoping Caelin would be able to fix her.""Jesus, you and that laptop. Could
CaelinThe vibration of the bike underneath me is one of the things I love most about riding. The way the bumps in the road move up through my body, the wind slapping against my face, and the howl of my bike slicing through the air as I speed down Louisville Road with my dad beside me.Early morning is our time. I'll never give it up, even for all the money in the world.We come to a stop over the river, obeying the red light. "Do you want to stop at the law office before or after breakfast?" he yells over the idling."I'll do it after. If she's nice, I might even give her a biscuit."Dad grins, causing me to smile back. "At some point you're going to have to admit it.""Admit what?""That you've got it bad for little Justice Walker."The light flips to green, allowing him to take off before me. I immediately hit the gas to catch up, his words tumbling around in my head. Little Justice Walker, my ass. The last few months she's grown up more than I ever thought possible. Since her and