“Shut up,” the other officer said. “You can let go, sir. We’ve got him from here.”
They lifted Jake from the ground and put him in handcuffs. Then, they took him to the back of the car and locked him in.
“Are you okay, Ariana?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her wrists. “Just a little shaken up, you know. How are you feeling?”
I was in a lot of pain, but I wanted to stay tough, especially for her sake. “I’m okay.”
“We’re going to need your statements,” Officer Duff said, getting out a notepad.
“Go ahead,” I said, gesturing to Ariana. He sat at the table with her as she tearfully told him everything she knew about Jake.
I went to the sink and ran cold water, sticking my face underneath until the burning subsided a little. I was pissed at Jake for spraying me at such a close range, but at least it wasn’t a deadly weapon. I was thankful that things hadn’t been worse.
When it was my turn to give my account, I sat down at the table while Ariana went to the bathroom to apply ointment to her rope burns. I was so relieved that she was safe.
“What is your relationship with Ms. Colbert?” the officer asked.
“She’s my girlfriend,” I said. I suppressed a smile. It was nice to be able to use those words on an official record.
“Can you give me a detailed account of today’s events?”
I told the story from the second I opened the door and saw Jake intimidating her. I gave the facts and left out all the commentary of how I felt. I didn’t mention to the officer that I wanted to kill him for laying his hands on Ariana. I didn’t mention how the thought of losing her scared me more than anything in the world.
When I had given all the information they needed, the officer stood up and closed his notebook.
“Well, there’s enough information to charge him with multiple felonies. I think there’s a good chance that the judge will be informed that the assailant was warned by police to leave town, but refused and threatened to sue the police force. That’s not going to make him look good when it comes to sentencing.”
“You might want to take his explanation with a grain of salt,” I said. “Ariana says he’s a pathological liar. He even tried to tell me that he was going to frame me for her disappearance if he managed to kidnap her.”
“Yes, Ms. Colbert mentioned the fact that he shows abnormal psychological traits. We’ll make sure this is handled. If she testifies in court, she can ask the judge for a do-not-contact clause in sentencing.”
“You think he’ll be convicted?” I asked.
“I can almost guarantee it with evidence like this,” he said. “I’ll give you a call if we need any more information, okay?”
“Sounds good. Thanks for your help.”
Once the police left, Ariana reemerged and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” I said, getting choked up. I cleared my throat. I didn’t like people seeing me so vulnerable.
“I really think it’s all over,” she said. “I promise I’d never let myself get separated from you. I was ready to fight.”
I kissed her on the head. “That’s what I love about you.”
We stood in the kitchen and just held each other. I never wanted to let her go. She was the most important part of my life now.
“Remember how I said we should go on a vacation when all of our drama was over?”
“Yeah.”
I gave her a squeeze. “When do we leave? I think we’ve earned it.”
“Let’s maybe wait a few days. I hate to say it since we’re usually a pretty fine couple, but we look like hell right now,” she giggled.
“Speak for yourself,” I said, my swollen face still burning.
“I want to kiss you,” she said, “but I’m afraid it will make my face burn, too.”
“I think I have something at my office that will help with this. Do you want to come with me?” I asked.
“Only if you give me an examination, if you know what I mean,” she winked.
I knew exactly what she meant. We ran out to my car to take over my empty medical practice like a newlywed couple. We had a passion between us that would never die out. All the fighting had paid off. I finally had a girl to take care of, and in return, she took care of me.
Epilogue
Ariana
“Ariana,” my mom said, holding a paint sample to the wall, “what do you think about this one?”
“Looks good,” I said.
“You didn’t even look.”
I rolled my eyes. “They’re all fine. Honestly, I told you I trusted your judgment. I’m giving you complete power over the decisions regarding the baby’s room.”
She beamed. She loved decorating but couldn’t paint or put up art in her rented apartment. So, she came to Daniel’s and my place to express her creativity and bother me while I worked on my thesis.
“You know, Mom,” I said, closing my laptop, “I’m not due for another seven months. You don’t have to do all of the redecorating and shopping right now.”
“I know,” she said, moving furniture around. “The baby will be here sooner than you think. It won’t be long before you’re packing your hospital bag. You’ll be thanking me when all the work is done. Besides, I don’t want you doing any heavy lifting or breathing paint fumes. I don’t want you doing any work at all. You know it puts stress on you and the baby.”
“Daniel has told me this a thousand times,” I said.
The moment I found out I was pregnant, I was scared. But, Daniel was perhaps even more afraid. It wasn’t the fact that we were having a child that scared him so much, but the fact that I could have complications from my epilepsy. But, between Daniel and my new doctor, I had all the care I needed. Except for a little morning sickness, I was feeling better than ever. It was so cute to hear him talk about all the things he wanted to do to give our baby the best life possible.
I was almost done with my Master’s program, too. Inspired by Daniel’s work, I was wrapping up my thesis on medical practices. I was worried about finding a job once the baby arrived, but Daniel had the perfect solution. He wanted me to help him expand his business and have me take over the business aspect so he had more time to see patients. I was nervous to be faced with such a big responsibility but excited to be able to work for myself. Plus, since I was going into business with Daniel, I could adjust my schedule to take care of our new baby.
“Ariana,” Agnes called from the other room, “does two o’clock work for you? My friend who owns the bridal store just called me with an open appointment time.”
“Sounds great,” I replied. I rested a hand on my stomach. I hoped my belly would still be flat for my wedding dress by the big day. My mother and Agnes always gushed about how adorable I’d look with a giant baby bump. I hoped Daniel would agree when that time came.
The news of the baby came as a shock to us, but it wasn’t so scary when both Daniel and I knew we wanted to be together forever. Since we came to that realization, we thought it would be silly not to make it official. I wanted my new baby and me to share a last name and we knew it would make our mothers happy if we were wed first. I didn’t care what the wedding looked like, as long as it was done by the time I got too pregnant.
Our mothers were nothing but great. They were apprehensive to meet each other at first, given their shared experiences with Terry, who no one has heard from in months. Last Daniel heard, Terry was under investigation for his involvement in my attempted kidnapping and had fled the state, afraid he’d be caught for other offenses. Life had been easier without him, and our mothers became fast friends. I never knew that women could bond over a shared ex-husband. It was nice for my mom to have a new friend and a new project to keep her busy. She was already over Terry and back to her happy self.
They were basically planning everything when it came to the wedding and baby and I was fine with that. I just wanted to be done with school by the ti
me the baby arrived.
“Why are you home so early?” I asked Daniel as he strode through the door.
“It’s nice to see you too,” he joked, giving me a kiss. “My mom said there were important decisions to make. I took a half day.”
“Daniel,” Agnes called. “Come give me your input on the menu and decorations.”
He rolled his eyes at me and patted me on the belly before humoring his mother. He had his apprehensions about marriage and having a baby, but overall, he was excited. I knew he would be an incredible father. He was just so protective and nurturing.
“Agnes,” my mom said, running into the kitchen, “it’s time to meet with the caterer.”
Agnes looked at her watch and grabbed her purse. “We’re off to try a few options and look at place settings,” she said. “Ariana, don’t forget to meet us at Fleur Bridal in an hour.”
“I’ll be there,” I said, giving the women a wave.
When our mothers were out the door, Daniel wrapped his arms around my waist and gently lifted me into the air.
“Good,” he said. “They’re gone. I feel like they’re over here every other day.”
“I know. They insist on making this wedding a spectacular affair. I was fine with a courthouse wedding.”
He laughed. “You should have seen the look on my mom’s face when I told her that. At least she’s letting us keep our guest list to a reasonable number.”
“Is it too late to elope?” I asked.
“I’m afraid it is,” he said. “Anyway, I didn’t come home early for them. I came here for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been thinking about how busy things are going to get with the wedding planning. Then, it won’t be long until the baby is here and we never sleep again. I realized that I want to spend more time with you, just you. Our lives will never be the same again. It’ll be better, no doubt, but I’d like to savor the way things are at this very moment.”
I agreed. Things had moved so quickly that there was hardly time to stop and enjoy our love for each other. Life with Daniel had always been challenging, but it was more than worth it. Thinking back to everything we had gone through together, I’d do it all over again a hundred times. The hard times only strengthened our bond and made the good times sweeter.