Sophie

Kade kisses me, his lips soft, and his fingers gentle as they brush my bruised jaw. But all the passion and heat and gravity that has pulled us together from the very start is there. And I fall into him, wanting to trust him with every damaged piece of my heart.

“Get what you need,” he says, “And I’ll take you home.”

Home.

“Kade...” Those three words stick in my throat. “I...”

Emotions sting my eyes, but I see him smile down at me.

“I know,” he says, as if reading my thoughts.

Damon is waiting outside for us when Kade locks the apartment up. The only things I bring with me now are the garbage bags of clothes and the manila envelope I clutch to my chest.

“I know what I’m getting you for your next birthday,” Kade says as he places the garbage bags in the bed of his truck. “Suitcases.”

“I hope I won’t be needing them anymore.”

He turns to me, and something resembling happiness flashes in his eyes. His lips twitch up before he says, “You will.”

“Oh.” My heart does a little dive.

His arms wrap around my waist, and he pulls me to him. “Because we have a lot of places to visit. And I was thinking we could make Disney World our first destination.”

“Disney World?” I know it’s silly, but I swear my inner six-year-old stands up and does a happy dance.

“I’ve been wanting to take Lola, and the bar is doing well. We could go for a week, get away from here.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him hard, ignoring the shooting pain in my shoulder when I do.

“That would be incredible,” I say.

He kisses the tip of my nose. “You know what else would be incredible?”

“What?”

“Having you in my bed right now. Lola won’t be home from school for another couple of hours, so we have some time—”

I kiss him again, whispering, “I love you, Kade Savage.”

He swallows hard. A smile spreads across his face. “Thank you.”

“For what? Falling in love with you?”

“No. That was the easy part,” he says, winking. “For trusting me. And...for letting me be enough.”

The man is more than enough. More than I could ever have hoped for.

“Let’s go home,” I say, loving the sound of it.

He nods, still grinning down at me.

Damon, who had been on his phone, approaches us. “I’ve notified the authorities a few towns over with Charlie’s description. We’ll find him.”

I nod, unease slowly forming in my chest again.

“But I do think you should file a restraining order,” Damon adds.

“Okay.” I know he’s right.

“I’ll bring the paperwork by later.” Damon glances at Kade, and I see the concern in his eyes.

I hate that I’m the cause of it.

“I’m sorry about all this.” My words come out weak.

Damon shakes his head. “This isn’t on you, Sophie. We won’t let this fucker mess with you again.”

I give him a grateful smile before Kade leads me to the passenger side door. He traces his index finger down the worry line between my brows once I’m seated.

“Damon’s right. You’re safe now.”

I want to believe him, but there was something in Charlie’s eyes, something I can’t get out of my head. When Kade is beside me again, all the fear melts away, and I feel protected, safe.

Once we’re inside his house, it doesn’t take long before his hands are on me, his mouth exploring mine, and our clothes strewn across his bedroom floor.

Our bodies were made for one another, but it’s so much more than sex. It’s the feeling of belonging, of...coming home.

“I need to be inside of you,” he murmurs against my mouth, and I see the possessiveness in his gaze when he looks down at me. But it isn’t a possessiveness to control, like Charlie. It’s to protect, and I accept it. I accept everything he has to give me.

Because I realize that I don’t just want it. I need it. Need him.

His body.

His strength.

His heart.

Desire pools inside me, and I take what he offers.

Love surrounds me, powerful and blatant, as Kade eases inside of me, filling me completely.  

“I love you, Sophie.”

Again, those words. They send warmth scattering across my flesh.

“I love you, too.” I feel it in every crevice of my heart, illuminating the shadows and making the demons run away.

Peace. Serenity. Mixed with the wildness he pulls from me is the unbridled passion that rages between us.

“You captivate me, Sophie,” he breathes as he moves inside of me. “You consume me.”

The way he looks at me is staggering, like he sees me. All of me.

Gravity. It pulls and stabilizes and makes everything right.

“God, Kade,” I moan, arching towards him, our bodies burning with need.

Emotions mix with desire, and I’m falling and flying at the same time.

He drives into me. Stroke after stroke. It’s almost more than I can take. He owns me in a way I never imagined I could allow.

I never thought I’d love anyone again. But Kade, he’s undone me and put me back together.

“Love you,” he rasps out, over and over again, like the words are oxygen.

I beg and writhe beneath him as he thrusts hard and fast, taking us both to the highest peak. And when my orgasm rolls through me, I swear I feel the ground shake beneath us.

My name is a desperate roar on his lips as he comes with me, holding me in his arms like he’s afraid if he lets go I might disappear.

I want to ease his fears, to tell him I’ll never leave, but words get lost in the bliss that envelops us.

Breathless, slick with sweat, he kisses my forehead. “The bus will be here soon. I need to get up.”

I give a little moan of protest, not wanting him to move.

He chuckles and kisses me again, before rolling out of bed and finding his clothes.

“I thought we could tell Lola together about you moving in when I get home.”

A sliver of insecurity races through me. “I hope she’s going to be okay with this.”

Standing there, naked and looking delicious, I can’t help but let my gaze roll down his body.

“Are you kidding?” He pulls his jeans on. “She’s been begging me to have you move in with us.”

“Really?”

He leans over and brushes his lips against mine. “She loves you, Sophie. We both do. And I want us to be a family.”

My heart cries out in joy.

“I want that, too.” I place my hand on his face, and he takes it, kissing my knuckles before standing and finishing getting dressed.

When he’s gone, I tidy Kade’s room, then head into the kitchen. I find some pancake mix and chocolate chips, wanting to do something special for Lola when she gets home.

Home.

How long has it been since I’ve had that? Even the first year with Charlie, it never felt like a home. There was always conflict. When I had Noah, things got worse. I’d tried my best to make a home for Noah and I, and I’d started to, when it was all ripped away.

That ache in my chest isn’t as heavy as it usually is, but I know it’ll never fully go away.

But here, with Kade and Lola, I can find a new happiness. A place where my heart can beat for all three of them. Kade, Lola, Noah.

Love, Love, Love.

I’m about to pour batter on the frying pan when I hear the front door open. I spin around, ready for a bouncing six-year-old to jump into my arms, but it’s Kade I see instead, fear tightening his features.

“She wasn't on the bus.”

“What?”

“She wasn’t on the fucking bus.” His words are panicked, and ice fills me. He grabs his keys and wallet off the counter. “I’m going to the school. Stay here and answer the phone in case they call.”

“Kade—”

“It’s going to be okay.” I can tell he’s trying to rein in some of his terror, but I see it blazing in his dark eyes.

He’s out the door before I can respond.

Hands shaking, I lean against the wall, clutching the mobile phone in my hands. As the minutes tick past, I pray for it to ring.

When it finally does, I jump.

“H-hello?”

Kade lets out a shaky breath before speaking. “The school said she went home with her uncle, but I can’t get a hold of Abbott, and Damon doesn’t have her.”

“Do you think...” I swallow, not wanting to put my fears into words. I finally just say his name. “Charlie.”

Silence beats through the phone like a sledgehammer in my ears, deafening and full of unspoken words.

“Stay by the phone,” Kade finally says.

“Okay.” It’s all I can say before the line goes dead.

I pace the kitchen, not knowing what to do, but knowing that if anything happens to that little girl, it’ll be all my fault.

Finally, the phone rings again, and I don’t hesitate to answer it. “Did you find her?”

Heavy breathing is the caller’s response, before a gruff, familiar voice growls out, “Yeah, little bird, I found her.”

“Charlie,” I whisper. “If you hurt her—”

“You’ll what? You’ve already taken everything from me.”

I close my eyes and try to breath, but my words come out cracked. “She’s just a little girl.”

“And she’ll be safe if you do what I want.”

“Anything.” My fingers are sticky with sweat as I grip the phone to my ear. “Where are you?”

“Across the street. Come alone.”

I glance out the living room window, scanning the area. I see a little blonde head in the distance, jumping along the rocky shoreline of the beach.

Lola.

But I don’t see Charlie.

“Please, just—”

“Hurry, little bird. There are lots of hazards for kids at the beach. But then, you already know that.” He chuckles sadistically. Before he hangs up, he adds, “I’d hate for her to have an...accident before you got here.”

I fly out the door, not even bothering with my shoes. My only thought is of Lola, of keeping her safe. No matter what.

“Lola,” I cry out as I cross the road, sharp stones and thorns digging into the soles of my feet as I run through the dunes towards the beach where Lola is ankle deep, her jeans rolled up to her knees. She doesn’t hear me.

I know she can swim, but flashes of another blond head cloud my vision. I shake them away. Only Lola matters right now.

I’m still too far away from her when a hand grabs my arm and I’m yanked against a wall of muscle. My focus was only on Lola. I hadn’t thought to check for Charlie lurking in the shadows of the large oak tree.

Pulling me back, he presses his nose against my neck and inhales deeply. “When are you going to learn, little bird? You belong to me.”

I can’t catch my breath, but I manage to say, “Just let Lola go.” I don’t take my eyes off her, willing to punch and claw my way out of his grip if I have to.

“You know what you have to do. Just come home with me, and no one gets hurt.”

Kade, Lola, my heart beats.

“Okay.”

“Good girl.” His fingers loosen slightly.

“I’ll go with you. Just let me take her home, so I know she’s safe.”

He twists me in his arms, suspicion blazing in his blue eyes. “Fine. But don’t even think about trying anything. I’m in control here.”

All I can manage is a small nod.

“Hurry up.” He releases me, and I don’t hesitate to rush to where Lola is playing by the water’s edge.

She gives me a big grin when she sees me, running and tossing her arms around my waist. “Did you see Uncle Charlie? He said he’s a friend of yours.”

Uncle Charlie.

God, that’s how he lured her here.

I crouch down and take her by the shoulders, hearing Charlie approaching behind me. “I’m taking you back to the house now. When you get there, I want you to lock the doors behind you and call your daddy. Don’t open the door for anyone. Understand?”

Her little face pinches, but she nods, taking my hand just as Charlie yanks me up.

“Let’s go.”

“Sophie?” Lola says, her voice quaking with concern.

“It’s okay.” I hold her hand and walk her quickly back across the road, then kiss the top of her head before saying, “Remember to do exactly what I told you.”

“Five seconds or I take the kid with us.”

“I love you, sweetheart,” I tell her, trying not to let the tears form in my eyes. “Lock the doors, okay?”

She doesn’t want to release her hand, but I make her. As soon as the door shuts, Charlie is dragging me back across the street towards a beat-up old Chevy pickup I don’t recognize.

“Get in.” He opens the door and pushes me inside, slamming it on me. My fingers shake as I fasten my seatbelt.

But I have to get him away from Lola.

He won’t stop.

Ever.

And as long as I’m here, I put both her and Kade in danger.

The tires squeal as he floors the gas.

“Why do you make me do these things?” Charlie’s fist slams into the dashboard twice, causing two pieces of the old radio to fly off and blood to form on his knuckles. He drags the same hand back through his dirty blond hair like he doesn’t feel the pain. “I didn’t want to hurt you. Or Noah. Do you think I wanted to harm that little girl?” He roughs a hand over his face. “But I would’ve.”

I believe him. And it’s not just his threat against Lola that has prickles of ice racing across my skin. There is something else in his rant, like a confession.

His blue eyes are wild when he glances over at me. “I love you, Sophie. That’s why I do this.”

“Love?” I shake my head at him, my stomach curdling in revulsion at who he’s become, for everything we’ve lost, and what he’s taking from me now. “This isn’t love. I don’t think it ever was.”

He takes my hand, but his grip is frantic and hard. “We were happy.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“Before Noah.” His lip curls back over his teeth and he rips his hand away, staring back at the road. “You loved him more than me. That was our first problem.”

It isn’t the first time he’s said the words, but something is triggered inside of me. He’d been so jealous of Noah. It was one of the reasons I left.  

His knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. “I thought if we could go back to what it was like before...”

The day flashes in my mind’s eye again. It’s been such a blur, my emotions chopping the events into pieces. The perfect day, playing on the beach. Charlie showing up, drunk and enraged. Then, people screaming, a man pulling my son’s body from the lake.

But pieces come back to me. My back had been towards the lake, but Charlie’s hadn’t, and when I’d turned to look for Noah, he’d grabbed my shoulders and screamed at me, keeping my attention on him.

No.

He couldn’t.

Wouldn’t.

But his words...I didn’t want to hurt you. Or Noah.

“You saw him.” The words are out before I even know I’m speaking them. “You saw Noah go into the water.”

His gaze jerks to me, his eyes narrowing. “Careful.”

“Tell me the truth.” Even as I say it, I’m not sure I want to know.

“He was fine. I didn’t think...” The truck swerves onto the gravel, before he straightens it out again. “If you hadn’t been such a bitch, refusing to let me take him, he would have been fine.”

Oh God. It may not be a confession, but it’s close enough. Bile rises in my throat.

“No one else needs to get hurt, little bird.”

I’m going to be sick. “Pull the truck over.”

He doesn’t answer.

Some type of insanity takes over my body, because I need to get out of the truck, need to get away from him. Frantically, I yank at the door handle, but it doesn’t open. I skim my hands over the door, looking for the lock.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“I...can’t...” I find the lock, then hook my fingers around the latch.

The door starts to open, but Charlie reaches over and slams it shut. “Are you insane?”

Yes. Right now, I am. Because I’d do anything, even jump out of a moving vehicle, to get away from him.

When I reach for the latch again, Charlie starts to slam on the breaks, swerving to the side of the road. But this time when he tries to straighten the truck, he loses control.

A scream catches in my throat as we flip once, twice, rolling, the world spinning. Something jabs painfully into my leg before everything around me finally goes black.