Page 21 of Wicked Deceit
“Her heart gave out.” Her lips roll together when frantic breaths soar through her nose.
“Mom.” I lean over again, quickly taking her into a hug. Her body relaxes in my touch, and she happily soothes a hand up and down my back.
“Sorry, Sweet Pea,” she whispers. “I know you just got out of the hospital, but I didn’t want to keep this from you and have you hear about this later. I’ve sent Crowe some flowers and… I can’t imagine how he’s holding up. First Magnolia and now his wife. It’s been a hard two years for him.” She takes a deep breath, kissing the top of my head. “I’ll be fine. She and I drifted apart many years ago.”
“But why?” I blurt, hoping she’ll give me answers. As heart-wrenching as this is, I need to understand how two best friends suddenly drifted apart.
Addison was a staple in our home, and her daughter, Magnolia, was my best friend. Everything we did was together. Outings, playdates, and shopping adventures (that I hated), but being with her and having Addison there was familiar. Until she pulled away. Magnolia still came around, spent the night, and played with me. But Addison retreated, leaving my mom, her best friend, in the dust. The last time I saw Addison was when I sat in Magnolia’s room. She looked so sick and pale in her hospital bed. She could barely lift her arms when she had called for Crowe, her husband. And now, she’s another name on the list of their victims—another person whose death I need to rectify.
My mom worries her bottom lip between her teeth, blinking back tears, sighing. “Addison—I loved her dearly, but she didn’t like me nagging about her love life. I was not and am not a fan of Crowe.” Her head turns to look at me as I nod. “There’s just something about him, deep in my gut, telling me he’s...I don’t have an appropriate word to describe it. She didn’t want to argue with me anymore about my concerns and walked away from the friendship. And now the woman who helped me through a lot in life is dead.” Tears spill over her cheeks again, but she plays it off.
“I’m so sorry about all that happened. I didn’t realize—” Mom snorts, adjusting her posture.
“You were a kid, too young to understand the dynamic. Now, your boyfriends look like they’re about to devour this car to make sure you’re okay. So go on, go back to school, and get some rest. And I mean rest, Kaycee. You need to take it easy for the next few days until you come home for Thanksgiving. Stay in your apartment, lay in bed, and make those boys cater to you. There are four of them, after all. You’re excused from school for the rest of the week. Call me if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll see you when you get home.” Leaning over, she kisses my forehead and hands me my pain pills. “And take these if you need to.” I nod and grab them.
“Thanks, Mom,” I whisper, clinging to her in a desperate hug. For some reason, this feels like a critical moment for us, and I don’t want to let her go. I’ve never felt comfortable enough to rest in her arms without my skin wanting to peel away from my bones. But here and now, I’ve never felt more secure and loved in her embrace.
“You’re welcome, Sweet Pea. I’m thrilled for you. You’ve grown so damn much in the few months you’ve been away. Oh God, I’m going to cry again,” she murmurs the last part, wiping a hand across her moist cheeks. I snort, pulling away. “Your brother will be here to escort you home on Sunday afternoon. I’ll tell him to behave, but I’d be careful with how many boys you bring around.” A smirk pulls at the edge of her lips when she eyes the boys who step away from Chase’s vehicle with determination.
“I don’t know, and they’re kinda super fans. It’s weird,” I mumble, looking out the window toward them.
I swallow hard at the intensity of their glares. They cross their arms across their broad chests, anticipating my exit. They’re ready to swoop in whenever my mom is done with me. Or they might drag me out of this car before she’s ready to let me go.
“Go on before they start circling the car like blood-thirsty sharks.” She barks a laugh, shooing me away from the car with a hand wave.
I stand in the middle of the parking lot with my meds and a college acceptance letter in hand, watching as my mom slowly leaves. She puts a hand out the window, waving like crazy, and then she disappears down the main road leading out of East Point Bluff. My mind turns to all the possibilities, but my body begs for bed more than anything. Despite laying in a hospital bed for three days doing nothing, I’m fucking exhausted. I'm beat—between the meal, the badgering, and the humiliation. I want them to carry me through the maze and cuddle me forever until I fall into a dreamless sleep. I scrunch my nose, looking up at the sun high in the sky. It’s only four in the afternoon but fuck the time of day.
“You good, Sunshine?” Chase whispers, trailing a finger down my swollen and bruised cheek.
“Yeah,” I rasp, leaning into his touch, despite the pain spearing through me from the mere touch of his fingertip.
“Here,” Seger murmurs, pulling the things from my hands and stuffing them under his arms. “Let’s get you home.”
Home.
That glorious word sends butterflies swooping in my belly, and warmth spreads throughout my limbs. I sigh with realization. My home doesn’t have walls or a roof. Home is where my heart is. The arms I fall into when I’m having a dreadful day and the eyes I look into when I need reassurance. Home is where the spankings and teasing hands are. It’s where my boys are. And right now, with all their eyes on me and their hands on my body, I am home, and I never want to leave them again.
“Home,” I rasp, with emotions thickening my throat.
My eyes grow heavy the longer we stand here, staring at one another. The boys can’t take their eyes off me as they, once again, catalog my injuries from head to toe. With a gentleness I haven’t seen before, Chase scoops me up into his arms. He allows me the comfort of burying my face in his neck carefully, avoiding my bumps and bruises. Once I’m settled, we set off toward our home with four walls and a protective maze surrounding it.
“I’m tying you to the bed, Baby Girl,” Zepp mumbles from Chase’s side. “We won’t leave your side, ever. Anything you need, we’ll do it.” I smile against Chase’s neck, inhaling his crisp scent.
Every inch of my body aches and throbs, so I don’t argue with Zepp. If they want to keep me in bed and watch over me, for once, I’ll let them. I need my strength for what’s about to come, and if my princes want to coddle me, I’m down. Just tie me to the bed and feed me cupcakes. I won’t complain. Not today, at least.
My eyes close against Chase, my brain barely hanging onto the moment. With the sharp turns Chase makes, I can tell we’ve made it into the depths of the maze. The cool air rustles the surrounding evergreens, encasing us in its protective hedges. The breeze brushes through my hair, and goosebumps form along my skin. I sigh into Chase’s neck again, reveling in his warmth. His arms tighten around me when sleep slowly takes me under its spell, and I fall into the abyss of darkness, barely clinging to reality. It isn’t until Chase whispers in my ear that my brain comes back online and registers what he says.
“We have a surprise for you, Sunshine,” Chase whispers, gently squeezing my ass.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I mumble sleepily, dragging my eyes open, but they refuse. Even though I was out of it for two whole days after the accident, my mind and body still get exhausted so damn easily.
“Ah, you’ll like this surprise, Angel,” Seger says, rubbing his hands together. I don’t have to look up at the joyful smile lining his face because the giddy laugh says it all. They’re up to something, and I don’t know if I’ll like it.
My eyes stay closed as Chase walks up the stairs to the porch, through the front door, and across the hardwood floors. Without looking, I hear the other boys behind us until we all come to a stop.
“Open your eyes, Sweetheart,” Carter mumbles against my hair, kissing my head.
“Can’t we just go to sleep?” I ask through a yawn, forcing my eyes open.
