“Good for them. If they need any help, don’t hesitate to ask.”
My dad was taking an interest in my life. I wanted to scream with excitement. The noise came back into the room. I wasn’t sad our time was ending since my parents wanted to talk tomorrow. We normally only talked once a month at best.
“Nikola, I probably need to go, but know I love you. Your mother and I love you. Your mom wanted me to wait, so don’t tell her, but we’re coming back to America after this year. I’m buying out the rest of my contract.”
The dam in my eyes broke as he said those words. Feeling the love from my dad, even after the funeral, felt like we may be changing our comfortable paths we’d become accustomed too.
“You’ve made my day. I can’t wait to tell Brandt. I’ll act surprised when Mom tells me. Thanks, Dad. I love you, too. I’ll talk to you and Mom tomorrow.”
“Can’t wait. Night.”
“Night.”
I pulled into the parking lot to wipe my eyes and decided to text Brandt.
Me: My dad told me he loves me and wants to talk again tomorrow. They’re moving back to America!
Brandt: I’m glad, baby. He’s always loved you. Should I come home?
Me: No, I’ll be there in an hour or so. Don’t cancel the meeting with the lawyer.
Brandt: Perfect. May need to make use of our room before it’s gone.
Me: Deal! Also, would you go with me to Grandmama’s house later? Dad reminded me that she left something special for me. I remember Grandmama talking about it in the hospital.
Brandt: Of course. We’ll go whenever you’re ready.
Me: Thanks. Love you!
Brandt: Love you, too.
Brandt helped keep me centered and balanced. I guess we did that for each other in many ways. I started back for the house and my phone rang. It was Gavin.
“This is Nikola.”
“Hey, Nikola. This is Gavin. Have I caught you at a bad time?”
The last thing I wanted to do was work, but he was the client. “No, I’m on my way to the house while Brandt handles some business in town. What can I do for you?”
His voice was still a smooth velvet. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Ainsley updated me.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” I was ready for him to get to the point of the conversation. My emotions were a little raw after talking with my dad, and I wanted some time to process. The last thing I needed was to cry on the phone with a client.
I heard a vehicle door open and close. “Well, I’m sure you’re wondering what the point of my call is about since I’m not a man for idle chat. My girlfriend and I will be in Atlanta for a function tomorrow, and I wondered if maybe you and your husband would be up for lunch. Ainsley and her significant other would be welcome, too.”
“Thanks. Let me check with Brandt, and I’ll get back to you in a bit. We’re meeting in about an hour. Does that work?”
“Perfect. See you soon.”
I hung up. Gavin was an odd equation. He seemed personable, but he also seemed fake. I wasn’t sure how to categorize him. The meeting with the board wasn’t for another three days. However, it seemed normal, with the sum he was paying me, that he’d want to meet eventually, since they might hire us for the other Livingston Cleaning Products. For now, I was going to blame all these weird thoughts on all the stress I’d been under.
I pulled into the driveway, hit the button to open the garage, and got out. The neighborhood was quiet. I stopped right outside the garage when something caught my eye. It was a bird soaring in the sky. For whatever reason, I felt peace as I watched it glide through the air to wherever it was headed. As I was about to start moving again, a sharp pain tore through my body, starting with my head. I tried to stay upright, but my legs became jelly as the world faded from color to gray to black. The last thing I heard were tires screeching and then—
I felt cold.
I saw only black.
I heard nothing.
“Why is it taking so long? Is she going to be okay?”
Brandt. He sounded so concerned. My body felt like lead. My veins felt like sludge pumped through them, weighing me down. My eyelids felt taped down.
There was so much sound in the outside world. It hurt my head. I was lying on concrete. Am I dead? I felt the wind blow against my arms. I don’t think I’m dead. I tried to speak, but my muscles wouldn’t cooperate.
Fingers touched my jaw. “Sir, your wife is stable. Her heart rate is increasing. How long was she out?”
“I pulled up right as that motherfucker hit her on the back and she went down. That was twenty minutes ago.” It was Brandt’s voice answering.
“Was there any point at which you noticed that she wasn’t breathing?”
I wasn’t able to place the person asking the questions.
“No,” Brandt said.
My mind loosened, trying to free itself.
Someone spat from the distance: “She’s nothing but a teasing whore. I hope she dies.”
Where do I know that voice from? It sounds so familiar. Lance. Is that Lance? It sounds like Lance. Why is Lance here? Why is he calling me a teasing whore?
There were sounds of commotion all around me. I couldn’t make sense of all the noise, but it sounded like fighting. My heartbeat drummed in my ears as I tried to piece the scene together.
Brandt. I need Brandt. I willed my voice to work. “Brandt. I need Brandt.”
“Sir, your wife is waking,” said the voice that had been asking the questions.
Next, I felt familiar hands on my face as my eyes fluttered open. Brandt’s concerned, deep blue eyes were looking down at me. He had a cut on his face. “Baby, you’re awake. How do you feel? Thank God you’re awake.”
I tried to sit, but the world spun as the paramedic spoke. “Mrs. Mattox, let’s stay lying down. We want to check you out at the hospital. How do you feel?”
I nodded as I lay back down with Brandt’s help.
“My head hurts. What happened? Was that Lance? Were you fighting?”
The paramedic with sunglasses on top of his head had crystal green eyes, like mine, and messy blond hair. He motioned in the air. I heard wheels rolling on the concrete. I turned my head slightly and saw a gurney being lowered. Part of me wanted to rebel, but my head was still spinning.
Two additional paramedics came into view. On the count of three, they lifted me and we were off to the ambulance. They were all speaking about my condition, but it was fast and hard to process. I wanted answers. They lifted me into the back of the ambulance, the big doors closed, and then we were on our way. The blond paramedic checked my vitals again. The inside of the ambulance smelled like a hospital. There were lots of doors and cabinets, and there wasn’t much working room. In a real crisis, I imagined things could get pretty crazy in here. Brandt’s eyes searched me over. His shirt had spattered blood on it.
“What happened?”
The paramedics sat back after they finished with me.
Brandt scrubbed his hands down his pants before grabbing my hand. “I was just a few minutes behind you. The meeting was canceled, and I wanted to surprise you. I hurried through town to make it to the house before you left. When we were texting, I was already in the car. As I came into the neighborhood, I saw Lance running from his car to you. He hit you on the back of your neck with a bat and you collapsed right as I pulled into the driveway. He started to run, and I chased that motherfucker down. The cops came, and Lance is in custody.”
Brandt trembled as he tried to control his rage. His hair was pushed back. I knew he’d probably beaten Lance’s ass. Not knowing how serious it was, I didn’t ask any other questions. From the amount of blood spatter, I guessed Lance looked worse.
“Thank you for being there. Are you okay?”
Brandt leaned forward and kissed my hand. “You’re okay. That’s all that matters. I’m fine. I thought I’d lost you. You’re my beginning, end, and everything in between. I will always