Chapter 17

The entire drive to the hospital Emily couldn’t keep still. There was no doubt her father was going to fight her every step of the way. Her mother always told Emily she got her stubborn streak from her dad. So she knew when she butted heads with him it was like two bulls clashing, but she wasn’t backing down. She needed to know what her parents were hiding.

Walking into the hospital, Emily grabbed Keith’s hand and clung to it as if it was a lifeline. At this point, she didn’t care who saw or what they thought. Keith kept her calm, and she needed his strength.

When she walked into her mother’s room, her father wasn’t there. Her heart dropped for a second, but it was probably better to start with her mother. Not that her mother was a pushover, but from the conversation Emily had overheard, her mother wanted to tell Emily.

“Emily, I’m so glad to see you.” Her mom looked so much better. She was still really skinny, but her color was back. “When Kurt told us what happened I was so worried. How are all your girls? I heard Ada was hurt, but she’s going to be okay.”

“All the girls are shaken a bit, but they’re fine. Ada was injured pretty badly, but she’ll be okay.” Emily sat on the bed next to her mother and took her hand. “Mom, I know dad didn’t want to talk to me about this big secret, but we think it has something to do with what happened to the salon and to you. I need to know.”

Her mother opened her mouth and closed it again. She was definitely struggling with whatever this was.

“Mrs. Bradshaw, this could be important, and trust me if it doesn’t have a connection we’ll make sure it doesn’t leave this room.” Keith appeared at the other side of the bed, and her mom reached for his hand.

“I don’t want to go against Nel’s wishes.” She sighed.

“Mom, please. This is important.” Emily wasn’t above begging.

“Emily.” Her father’s voice boomed from the doorway.

Emily squeezed her mother’s hand and stood up. She turned to face her father with all the stubbornness she’d inherited from him.

“This is what you do. You ambush your mother when she’s recovering.” Her dad closed the door and glared over her head at Keith. “And you. I hired you to keep my family safe, and what happens? Someone blows up my daughter's salon.”

“Mr. Bradshaw….” Keith started, but Emily held up her hand.

“Don’t you dare blame Keith for this. He has been keeping me safe.” Emily fisted her hands at her sides.

“Watch your tone with me, young lady.” Her dad growled.

“Dad you can chastise me later. Right now you need to tell me what you’re hiding. There is nothing you can tell me that would ever make me hate you. I’m not backing down on this, Dad.” Emily could see her father’s face go from angry, to concern and then fear.

It was the fear in his eyes that had her going to him. Whatever her parents were holding in seemed to bring out an emotion in her father that she rarely saw.

“Dad, please.” Emily took his hands. “I need to know.”

Her dad squeezed her hands, and his gaze moved to her mother. Emily saw the tears in his eyes, and it tugged at her heart, but she couldn’t back down.

“Nel, it’s time.” Her mother’s voice came out in a whisper.

“It amazes me how much you look like her.” Her father looked down at Emily and smiled.

“Dad, Elaine is more like mom. Stop stalling.” Emily sighed.

“Not your mother, sweetheart. You look like her sister.” He closed his eyes and dropped his head.

Emily knew her mother had a sister that had died years before in an accident, but her mother never actually talked about it. Emily knew the pain of losing a sibling, so she never asked.

“What does Aunt Nora have to do with this, dad?” He dropped her hands and slowly sat in the chair next to the door. He rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands in front of him.

Emily glanced at her mom who clung to Keith’s hand, and she nodded.

“Dad,” Emily whispered as she knelt in front of him.

“I killed her.” He choked out.

Did she just hear him correctly? There was no way her father would hurt anyone let alone take a life.

“You killed her?” Emily said the words as if they were another language. “I thought it was a car accident.”

“It was.” Her mother said.

“Dad, I don’t understand.” Emily cupped his hands in hers, and he raised his head.

“Start from the beginning, Nel.” Her mother encouraged.

Her dad pulled his hands out of Emily’s grasp, and he cupped hers in the same way she’d just been holding his.

“You know I’ve been in love with your mother since I was seventeen years old.” He forced a smile and Emily nodded. She’d heard the story of him chasing after her mother until she finally agreed to go out with him.

“She was beautiful, and there was never any other woman for me.” He glanced over Emily’s shoulder obviously looking at her mother.

“There was never any other man for me, either.” Her mother’s voice cracked.

“Your Aunt was younger than your mom.”

“I know.” Emily’s heart raced, and at the rate, her father was telling the story they were going to be there forever.

“She had a huge crush on me, and I was flattered, but she knew I loved your mother.”

Emily was getting more anxious, but it seemed so hard for him to get this out. She knew her aunt had died when she was just sixteen years old.

“Emily, we’ve kept this buried for forty years because we didn’t want to tarnish Nora’s reputation.” Emily could see he was trying so hard to keep the tears back.

“Or yours?” Emily cringed at the words, but he’d said she would hate him if she knew.

“Yes.” He sighed and sat back in the chair letting her hands drop. Emily still kneeled on the floor in front of him, and she rested her hands on his knees like she did as a little girl when he would read to her and her siblings before bed.

“I’d finally convinced your mother to go to a movie with me just after I turned twenty. Nora was sixteen and was starting to hang around with a crowd of hard cases from school.” He sighed.

“I remember mom saying she was wild.” Actually, her mother had said Nora was hell on wheels.

“Your mom was really worried about her, and since she knew Nora was crushing on me, she asked me to talk to her.”

“You spoke to her?” Emily didn’t have to ask because knowing her father he would do anything for her mom.

“I took her out for ice cream one day and asked her about the people she was partying with. She told me she was seeing some guy from town and he drove a motorcycle, and he told her when she turned eighteen he was taking her away.” Her father seemed to be finding it easier to talk, so Emily just continued to listen.

“I did the asshole thing and laughed at her. Told her to grow up. She threw her ice cream at me, told me I was going to be sorry I was ever born and ran out of the soda shop.” He shook his head.

“I tried to catch her, but by the time I got outside, she was gone. I went straight to your mother’s house and told her what happened. I asked your mom not to tell her parents. I wanted to find her. It’s something I regret to this day.”

“That’s when she had the accident?” Emily asked.

“No. I knew where the teenagers went to party, so I went there to find Nora. When I got there, I didn’t see her at first, but it didn’t take long to find her. She was huddled in the grass with a really rough looking guy and let's just say they weren’t even trying to hide what they were doing.” He sighed and cursed before he continued.

“She was drunk, and I pulled the guy off her. You know I still don’t remember the guy's name. I should have killed him for taking advantage of Nora in her state, but I grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the car. She was screaming that she would tell her parents I raped her and ruin my relationship with her sister.”

“She was drunk, dad.” People could be asses when they drank.

“I know, and that’s why I didn’t pay attention to what she said. I put her in the car and brought her home. Drunk or not she did exactly what she said she would. I was thankful your mom or grandparents didn’t believe her.”

“They knew a good man when they saw one.” Her mother said, and he smiled at her.

“Dad, I still don’t know how any of this has to do with me,” Emily said.

“Em, let him continue,” Keith said. Emily nodded.

“A couple of days after that I got a call from your mom saying that Nora had taken off with the guy she’d been forbidden to see. He’d picked her up on his bike when her parents went out. Your mom tried to stop her, but she punched her and broke her nose.” Emily gasped.

“I was so angry. I should’ve just called your grandparents, but I didn’t. I went off like a hot head to find Nora and that ass. I drove around SummerBrook, Hopedale, and some of the other communities. I couldn’t find them. Then, I was on the way back home, I saw him turning onto one of the backroads with Nora on the back of his bike. I couldn’t help it. I saw red and hit the gas. I caught up with them and kept honking the horn to get them to pull over. He wouldn’t, and like I said I wasn’t thinking I floored the car and pulled in front of him. He turned to avoid me and lost control of the bike.”

Emily glanced back at her mother because she knew where the story was heading. It was the accident that killed Nora and all these years her father blamed himself. She just didn’t know why it was this big secret.

“ I jammed the car into park, and when I got out of the car, I ran right to him. He was getting up, and I’m ashamed to say I pounded the shit out of him. By the time I got myself under control, he was unconscious. I turned to talk to Nora….” Her father stopped and swallowed several times before he finally continued. “She was under the bike….” He swallowed again. “Her eyes were open and ….” He pulled his hands down over his face and took a huge intake of breath. “You don’t need to know that part, but she was gone.”

None of this was explaining why there was a crazy man obsessed with Emily. It made sense why her father felt guilty but not why it had to be kept from her, or anyone for that matter.

“What happened to the guy?” Keith asked.

“Between Lynn’s parents and mine, he was paid off to keep his mouth shut and take responsibility for the accident. I never saw him again, and neither of our parents would tell us who he was.” Her father took her hands. “Emily, it’s why I butt heads with you so much. I know you were never wild like Nora, but you look so much like her and every time I look at you, it reminds me of what I caused.”

“Dad, it wasn’t your fault.” Emily didn’t know when the tears started to run down her cheeks, but she wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him.

“I love you, Emily, and I’m sorry I’ve given you such a difficult time with your shop.” He was squeezing her tightly.

“Mr. Bradshaw, you don’t know what happened to the guy?” Keith asked.

“No, my father told me never to mention it again, and Mr. Miller told me to follow his story to the letter. I was to say that I saw the accident and nothing else.” Her father kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know how Lynn’s dad never blamed me.”

“He knew it wasn’t your fault and I’ve told you to stop blaming yourself.” Her mom’s voice was soft and shaky.

The room was quiet for a few minutes except for the quiet sniffing from her mother and the soft sobbing from Emily. She was still clinging to her father because she couldn’t believe that he’d been keeping this from everyone for so long. Keith was the first to break the silence, and from the way her father’s body tensed, he didn’t like what Keith was saying.

“Mr. Bradshaw, I know this has been kept quiet for a long time, but you need to tell Uncle Kurt. This guy could be the one that took your wife.” Keith said.

“You think he’s trying to get back at dad by hurting mom or me?” Emily turned around to look at Keith.

“You want to know what I think?” Keith asked.

“You think he sees me as Nora.” Emily didn’t need Keith to say it. She’d seen enough crime shows to know people could snap and see things that weren’t there.

“When he told you to call Emily, what did he say?” Keith asked her mother.

“He didn’t speak. Just showed me a picture and handed me the phone with Emily’s number punched in. The only noise he made was growling when I refused and when he would….” Her mother swallowed. “Hit me.”

“You never heard his voice?” Keith asked, and her mother shook her head. “And you didn’t see his face or anything that you would recognize?” Her mother shook her head again.

“Kurt asked her all these questions.” Her father sat on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on her mother’s leg.

“Kurt didn’t have all the information.” Keith raised an eyebrow at her father, and Emily really wanted to punch him.

“Keith, don’t start,” Emily warned him. She didn’t know why he seemed so angry, but she could tell by the way his jaw was clenched.

“I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Bradshaw, I know this has been something you’ve hoped wouldn’t have to come out, but when you knew what this guy wanted you should have filled me in. I need all the information to do my job. You need to call Uncle Kurt now and give him this information.” Keith turned to glance at Emily. “I’ll be just outside the room.”

“Keith,” Emily called out as the door closed behind him. “What the fuck?” Emily tossed her arms up in the air.

“Watch your mouth, Emily.” Her father warned. “I understand why he’s upset and he’s right.”

“Dad, just so you know. I don’t hate you, and how you ever thought I would because of this, I’ll never know. I do believe you need to call Kurt and also tell Elaine and Edward.”

“I know. I do feel lighter just telling you.” He stood up and opened his arms.

“I love you both. Now I’ve got to give Mr. O’Connor a piece of my mind for being an ass.” Emily turned to leave the room.

“.” Her father said stopping Emily in her tracks.

Emily turned slowly to face her parents. Her father was sat next to her mother again, but he wasn’t looking at Emily. His eyes were glued to her mother.

“I don’t think that applies to me, Dad,” Emily said.

“I believe it applies to you more than you believe, sweetheart.” Her father turned to her and smiled.

Emily glanced between her mother and father. They were serious. How could they think Keith was worried because he loved her? Sure, she was falling faster than a wheel rolling downhill, but there was no way Keith felt the same way.

Emily turned without saying a word and opened the door. Keith leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest talking to Rex. His gaze met hers as soon as she left the room.

“You ready to go?” Keith pushed off the wall.

“Yes,” Emily replied and without waiting for him started toward the elevator.

By the time she got to the elevator which was about ten steps from her mother’s room, Keith grabbed her hand to turn her around.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered as they stepped on the elevator.

“You shouldn’t have made my dad feel bad. He’s been holding this in for almost forty years and now because of it some crazy person kidnapped his wife and hurt her, blew up my salon and for some reason is obsessed with me.” Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Why would someone be obsessed with me?”

Emily’s eyes flew open when the elevator jolted to a sudden stop. Keith was just pulling his finger away from the panel and turned to her.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Keith, what are you doing?” Emily shouted.

“Do you want to know how someone could be obsessed with you?” Keith’s eyes locked with hers. “Well, Princess, I’m going to tell you. For one, you’re beautiful, smart, sexy as fuck and do you know what the best thing is?”

Emily didn’t speak.

“Do you?” He apparently wanted an answer.

“What?” She whispered.

“You have no fucking idea just what people see in you. You want to know something else?” He rested his hands on her hips and pulled her towards him.

“What?” She smiled up at him.

“I’m fucking obsessed with you.” He brushed his lips against her ear making her shiver. “You’ve invaded my house, my room, my thoughts, my dreams and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“You’re crazy.” Emily pressed her forehead against his chest.

“You’re not the first one to tell me that, but everything I said was true.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Can we start the elevator?” Emily mumbled into his chest.

“Yeah,” Keith kissed the top of her head again as he leaned towards the panel. The elevator jolted and started to move.

It’s difficult for a man to see the woman he loves could be in danger.

Her father’s words echoed in her head. Keith hadn’t said he loved her. He was obsessed with her wasn’t the same thing, but it did warm her heart.

The warm feelings that she’d gotten from Keith started to fade. With the realization that there was someone out there that hurt her mother to get to Emily was terrifying. Her body suddenly felt icy cold, and as if Keith sensed it, he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and pulled her into his side.

“I got you, Princess. I always got you.” Keith whispered as the elevator doors opened.

Yes, you got me. More than you know.