I let his words sink in. It’s as if the elephant of fear sitting on my shoulders is gone. It’s all gone. The videos, the pictures, my mother and her sidekick. I’m safe, and I have Owen and his brothers to thank for that. If they hadn’t shown up when they did, well, I don’t even want to think about what could have happened. “You still want that? I mean, you still want me?” I need to hear him say it.
“Fuck, yes, I want you. All of you. Your heart, your body, your mind, your soul.” He stops and shakes his head. He slides the ring off my finger, and I fight back the urge to cry. He kisses my finger and smiles up at me. His blue eyes are filled with so much love, I can feel it radiating off him. “Layla Massey, will you do me the incredible honor of being my wife?”
I don’t say anything as I stare at the man who changed my world. He brought me to life and showed me what it’s like to have a family and to love and be loved freely.
“Layla?” he asks, his voice wavering.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Yes, I’ll marry you,” I say, my voice stronger. He exhales and slides the ring back on my finger, kissing it before standing to kiss me.
“I know it’s not an elaborate proposal, but I couldn’t wait a second longer to know that you’re going to be mine forever.” The smile that pulls at my lip causes pain from the cuts, but it doesn’t stop me.
Forever.
I get to spend forever with him.
The door opens. “Hi,” a young girl says. “I have some food for you.” She places a tray on the table and moves the table over to the bed. “Looks like you don’t get the good stuff yet,” the young girl says. “Broth, Jell-O, and applesauce.” Lifting the lid, my meager dinner is waiting for me. “Once you’ve eaten, the nurse will be in to give you some more medicine for the pain,” she says, reading from her piece of paper. She pulls the small plastic cover off the broth, and the smell hits me, causing my stomach to roll.
“O-wen, I’m going.” I barely have the words out before he’s springing into action and places a small pink tub under my mouth as I vomit the water I just took in.
“I’ll go get the doctor.” The girl sounds scared to death and runs out of the room as if her ass is on fire.
Barely any time has passed and Dr. Higgins appears again. “Layla,” she says. “Tell me, what are you feeling?”
“I feel okay, no change, but the smell.” I push the table away from me. “It hit me, and I couldn’t seem to hold it in.”
She nods. “Okay. We’re going to draw some blood and run some tests.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Owen says, the worry evident in his voice. She nods and leaves the room. “You want the Jell-O or applesauce?” he asks.
“Either. I need this taste out of my mouth.”
He picks up the applesauce container and begins to feed me.
“I can do it on my own,” I tell him.
“I’m sure you can, but you can also let me take care of my fiancée.” He winks.
I don’t argue with him. It’s nice to know that I have him to lean on. I’ve just taken the last bite when two uniformed police officers knock on the door. They ask me about what I remember, and I tell them everything. It’s all still very vivid in my mind. They assure me that my mother and Don are going away for a very long time and that they will be in touch. They pass the nurse, who is there to ask me about my pain.
I feel the pain of the beatings they gave me, and the bone-deep exhaustion of the stress of the entire situation. I fear that when I close my eyes at night, it’s all going to play like a highlight reel over and over again in my mind. My eyes trail to Owen, and that fear that threatens to cripple me loosens.
I know that this man, the man who has stolen my heart, and asked to keep it forever will be there for me every step of the way. He’s proven that time and time again.
He’s never given up on me. He won’t give up on me.
“Dr. Higgins wants to hold off on pain meds until we get your bloodwork back,” she explains as she draws two vials of blood. “Here are two Tylenol. Hopefully, this will help a little.”
“It’s fine. It’s not unbearable at the moment.”
“She put a stat order on this, so we should have the results soon.”
“I’m going to call everyone and let them know you’re awake.” Owen kisses my temple and grabs his phone from the small table by the bed. I listen as he tells his parents, and asks them to call everyone except Marshall, who he would call himself.
“Why Marshall?” I ask him.
“He feels guilty. He heard you on the phone with your mom at the office, and he’s beating himself up over the fact that he let you leave.”
“I wouldn’t have let him drive me. This isn’t on him.”
“I know that, but he’s struggling.”
“Dial the phone,” I tell him, holding out my hand. Doing as I ask, he dials Marshall’s number and hands me the phone.
“Hey, brother,” he greets solemnly.
“Marshall,” I greet him.
“L-Layla?”
“It’s me,” I assure him.
“Oh, thank God,” he breathes. “How are you?”
“Well, I’d be better, but I need something from you first.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to tell me that you know this wasn’t your fault.”
“Fucking Owen,” he mutters, making me laugh.
“Marshall, my mother is crazy. She would have found a way to get to me. She’s been recording me for years, and I had no idea.” The thought of what she did to me, how she exploited me like that, it causes bile to rise in my throat. I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s over, and she can’t hurt me anymore. I can finally start my life looking forward instead of over my shoulder.
“I’m so sorry, Layla.”
“You want to make it up to me?”
“You know I do.”
“Okay, I’m going to need a glass of that ice, you know the small chunks like they have at Sonic?”
“Are you kidding?” he asks.
“No. The ice chips here are bigger, and I’m on all liquids for a while. So, I’m going to need a big glass of that ice.” I grin and wink at Owen.
“I’m on my way,” he says, and I can hear him putting his shoes on.
“Thank you. Please drive safe.”
“You got it, sis,” he says, his voice cracking.
I hand the phone back to Owen, and he leans in for another kiss. “You did a good thing.”
“I don’t want him blaming himself. He’s not to blame. If anything, he helped you know there was something to be worried about. At least, I assume that’s why all of you were there. I think it was all of you. That part is a little fuzzy.”
“We were all there,” he tells me.
“I’m sorry your family got involved with my crazy.”
“Your family.” I hear a female voice. Turning my head, I see Lena and Stanley standing there smiling, both of them with tears in their eyes. “Your family got involved with the crazy lady who is nothing but an incubator for you. We love you, Layla.” Lena comes to me and gives me a gentle hug.