Darkness Before Dawn (Darkness 2)

"Me too," I respond before clearing my throat. "I have a question," I start, training my eyes on the back of his shirt collar as I pluck it with my fingers.

He cups my chin to make me look at him. "What is it?"

"Do you really want to get married at the courthouse?" I ask in a small voice.

His eyebrows knit together as confused eyes scan mine. "You want a wedding," he says finally, his lips spreading into a victorious smile. "You want a wedding!"

I feel my own smile broaden as confusion clouds my thoughts. "Why are you so excited about that?"

"Because you, Blake Brennan," he says flicking my nose with his and placing a peck on my lips, "want to celebrate the fact that you're going to be mine." He places another kiss on my lips. "You, Blake Brennan, want to throw a party," he continues in between kisses. "You, Blake Brennan, want to celebrate something with guests. Do you not see what a big deal that is?"

I laugh against his lips and wonder if he's lost his mind completely this time, but before I can say anything else, we're interrupted by my rumbling stomach.

"I guess I finally have something worth celebrating," I respond with a nonchalant shrug.

His smile falters as he looks into my eyes, caressing my face with the back of his hand. "You're worth celebrating, baby," he says quietly before clearing his throat. "Does this mean we can't get married next week?"

"Let me call Becky and find out," I reply with an eye roll.

"Cool. I'll go make you breakfast," he says, setting me down on my feet before walking away.

I pick up the phone and text message Aubry letting him know that a wedding is definitely on but not to worry about Maggie's house just yet. I think I have the perfect location for our nuptials, and I want to figure out how to keep it a surprise from Cole for once. I dial Becky's number, biting down on my lip to keep from bursting out the news as soon as she picks up.

On our way to the therapist, Cole and I go over wedding colors, flowers, and honeymoon locations.

"You wanna get married on the farm?" he asks, slowing down for a red light.

"Maybe."

"Maybe, huh?" he asks, trying to stifle a smile as he leans in to tickle me.

"Stop!" I plead in between giggles. "Just let me get the invitations and then you'll find out where, but the farm is a maybe."

"Shouldn't I be part of this?" he asks, pressing the accelerator. "Last time I checked, two people are getting married next week and I happen to be one of them."

"It's going to be small, Cole. Just let me handle it. Please? I've never planned a party in my life," I pout, trying to make him feel guilty.

He leans in and pokes my rib cage again, making me shift in my seat and laugh. "Don't play that card on me. That's your own fault."

When he parks outside of the building and turns off the car he looks over at me. "It's your wedding, Blake. As long as I'm the groom, you tell me where to go and I'm there—no matter where you want to get married."

"Thank you," I whisper before leaning over the center console of the car and kissing him.

"I pick the music though," he says when I back away from him.

Our visit with the therapist goes over by thirty minutes, and we agree to meet with her once a month unless we feel the need to go back before then. Once we started talking about our past, we can't seem to stop. Both of our issues seem to stem from the night we were kidnapped and thrown in other homes. Dr. Laura seems to think that even though we grew up in great homes, we always held on to the feeling of abandonment from that night. My pain runs a little deeper since I experienced the abandonment twice and then recently went through the kidnapping and loss of the baby. Even though I feel like I'm in a good place about the loss, it hurts that somebody could be so cruel and wanted to take my life so badly.

We're both silent on our way to the hospital, our minds both jogging with everything we talked about. I know I should let things go, but I can't bring myself to just close a chapter of my life that I don't understand. I just don't understand that night and why it happened and I don't think I'll ever fully be okay with it until I do.

"What are you thinking?" Cole asks, interrupting my thoughts as he pulls into the parking garage of the hospital.

"I just don't get it. They did all of that for money. Everything was about money. We were taken over some deal gone wrong. And why did Alex take me again if all he did was apologize to me when I was in that basement?" I ask, burying my face into my hands in frustration.

Cole places his hand on my shoulder. "You just have to let some things go, babe. Does it really matter why it happened? It happened. We survived. Hell, we had each other all those years and we didn't even know it was us. We got through it together, just let it go."

Hospitals make me queasy. Everything about them makes my stomach convulse—from the monotone colors to the smell of latex and syringes. I take a deep breath and check in with security before following her directions to Dean's room. Cole holds my hand as we walk the eerie hallways and I make an effort not to look into the open rooms. With each room we pass, I wonder the same things: how many people have died in there, how many lives were saved, how much blood was lost, who put them there?

Cole stops walking, making me stumble over my feet and look up startled. I follow his eyes to the man walking toward us dressed in jeans, a black shirt and black jacket layering his broad shoulders. The grim look on his face turns into shock when he spots us, before settling on grief. He stops a couple of feet away from us, close enough so that we can hear him, far enough so that Cole can't hurt him. The patch that covers his missing eye makes him look more human, less horrid than the glass eye did.

Cole's hand painfully tightens around mine as Alex's eye burns into me, making me shift from foot to foot before I take a deep breath and stare back.

Alex rubs his hand over his forehead. "I'm sorry for everything, Blake. I was in too deep with Benny. He was wrong, but he was my brother and if I hadn't done what I did, I don't think you'd be here right now. But I'm sorry for taking you away from your life, your loved ones. I'm sorry for...Cory...I'll never forgive myself for letting Benny go into the house before I did..." he says, his gruff voice breaking.

"Is it true? What Benny said?" I ask quietly as tears sting my eyes.

"What'd he say?" Alex asks, his shoulders slumping.

I tilt my head. "That you're...that Liam isn't my father...you are."

Alex's eye widens and he places his hands on his chest, taking a step back as if I've punched him before he regains his cool and clears his throat. "That's impossible. Cory married Liam when I..." he gasps, looking at me as he shakes his head roughly. "I...that's impossible. I'm sorry," he says, his voice barely audible before he rushes off, leaving me standing feeling shell-shocked at his reaction.

Cole pulls my hand, turning my body to face his, and cups my cheeks with one open hand. "You don't need them," he says through gritted teeth. "He's nobody."

I blink rapidly before tears can consume my vision and nod. We walk to Dean's room and knock on the door, pushing it open slightly at the sound of voices.

"Come in!" A female voice shouts from inside, and when we step in, I see Dean laying on the bed with Sandra on one side and the most adorable blond toddler sitting at Dean's side.

"Hey," I greet with a smile looking straight at the little boy.

"Hey," Dean and Sandra say unanimously.

"Hope it's okay that we came by," Cole adds behind me.

"Of course," Dean replies. "Come in, take a seat. Elijah, this is Blake and her boyfriend Cole. Blake is your daddy's cousin."

"Fiancé," Cole corrects.

Dean chuckles, flinching and holding his stomach. "He doesn't know what that is."

The little boy scrunches up his adorable nose and scratches his head. "Does that mean you're my cousin too?" he asks, looking at me and ignoring Cole's comment.

"Yeah, I think so," I reply with a laugh.

"What's your name again?" he asks, tapping his

chin with his little finger in contemplation.

"Blake," I respond with a smile.

"That's a boy's name!" Elijah chides. "My friend's name is Blake and he's a boy like me."

"Well, my friend Greg thinks my name is a boy name too and you know what he calls me?" I ask, placing my hands on my hips.

"What?" Elijah asks, his blue eyes opening wide.

"Cowboy!" I exclaim before erupting in laughter at the sight of his face.

"That's for a boy!" Elijah says, giggling loudly.

"Yeah, my friend is silly," I reply, ruffling his blond curly hair.

I look at Dean, who's watching me interact with his nephew with a small smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," he replies with a shrug. "I got drugs and the cops off my back for now, so I guess I can't complain too much."

"They're still questioning you?" I ask in disbelief. "I told them everything that happened that night!"