Twenty-Nine

Genesis

Standing back on the sidewalk, I studied the Valentine’s Day display I’d worked on all day at Chloe’s Ocala store. I should have done it weeks ago, but life had taken a crazy turn, and I hadn’t found time. Thankfully, Chloe understood and didn’t mind.

It had taken me several tries to get it just right. Along with the lingerie I’d ordered, I had also designed a cocktail dress that was perfect for a Valentine’s date night. Satisfied with my final display, I took my phone from my pocket to take a few pictures so I could send them to the other stores for inspiration.

I had missed a text from Kye. I swiped my finger to open it.

Jag and I are running some errands. Should be back before you.

Kye had gotten so good with Jagger. He was comfortable keeping him alone while I ran to the store to work two days a week. They had been going out and doing things while I worked. One day last week, Kye had brought a picnic, and we had lunch with Jagger in the park. I was proud of the dad he had turned out to be. Watching the two of them together was my favorite thing in the world. I was ready to get back home and spend the evening with them.

I focused on taking the pictures from several different angles. The sooner I got this done, the sooner I could get home. I emailed the images to the different store location managers, said my goodbyes to Vera and Natalie—one of the young girls who worked afternoons at the shop—then grabbed my pink shopping bag, smiling at the thought of Kye’s face tonight when he saw me in what was inside.

Stopping at the grocery store, I picked up the items I needed for dinner. I was taking dinner over to my parents tonight. Mom had grown accustomed to me supplying their meals on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights. Although Dad had gotten better, was speaking clear enough that he could be understood, and feeding himself, he still required help in most everything he did. Cooking had become one of the ways I could help Mom, which was comical, considering I couldn’t be trusted to boil water alone six months ago.

Jagger also brightened both Mom and Dad’s day. They loved when he came to visit them. Mom had started referring to herself as Honey and calling Dad Pops when she talked to Jagger. I felt like Jagger had given Dad a reason to fight to get back his independence. I told Jagger often how special he was even if he was too little to truly understand how his life had brought joy to so many people.

By the time I pulled into the driveway, it was almost four. Kye’s truck was still gone, but there was a metallic-yellow Camaro sitting in the driveway. I didn’t open the garage and pull inside. Instead, I parked beside the strange car and left my groceries in the back when I stepped out.

There was a woman on the front porch, I realized. She had long platinum hair almost to her waist, a pair of tight pink shorts that weren’t much more than boy-short panties, and a matching halter top. When she turned around, her boobs were barely covered and pouring out of the top.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Can I help you?” I asked, already guessing this was one of Kye’s former flings.

She gave me a once-over and was clearly unimpressed before flashing me a syrupy-sweet smile on her red-painted lips. “You must be Genesis,” she said.

“Yes,” I replied, waiting for her to explain what she was doing here.

She glanced back at the door. “I rang the doorbell, but no one came. I assume Kye isn’t here.”

“He isn’t.”

She lifted her bare, tanned shoulders with a shrug, then walked down the stairs toward me with a white paper bag in her hand. “Could you give this to him? He forgot them the other day, and I know how much Jag loves that stuffie.”

I reached out and took the bag from her, glancing down to see one of Kye’s shirts folded inside, along with the stuffed alligator that had gone missing a few days ago. I’d asked Kye if he’d seen it, and he’d said no.

Why did this woman have it? And why was Kye’s shirt in here?

A sick knot formed in my stomach. I didn’t want to go there in my head, but right now, I wasn’t coming up with any other explanations. All things pointed to something that I didn’t want to believe.

“Who … are you?” I asked her.

The gleam of satisfaction in her eyes didn’t go unnoticed. She’d wanted me to know. That was why she’d brought the items here. She had known I’d be here.

“Winter,” she replied. “I’m one of Kye’s … friends. Anyway, I work tonight and need to get to the club. It was nice to finally put a face with the name.”

I couldn’t get a word out past the invisible clamp that was currently around my throat. The text messages. I said nothing as she placed sunglasses on and sauntered down the walkway and climbed into her yellow sports car. I managed to turn away from her and go up the steps, unlock the door, turn off the security system, and finally inhale some oxygen in a loud gasp.

My gaze fell to the bag in my hand. I reached inside and pulled out the black T-shirt I remembered Kye wearing when I’d worked earlier this week. It now smelled like that woman’s perfume. The alligator was something Chloe had brought him two weeks ago when she came to visit. Its bright colors drew his attention, and she was right. He loved it.

I felt numb as I carried the items to the sofa and dropped them. Gripping the edge of the sofa, I stared straight ahead, trying to think of a scenario that made sense. Any reason that woman would have Kye’s shirt. Jagger’s alligator. I was getting nothing. Instead, the graphic text messages she’d sent to Kye that I’d read were all I could see. They taunted me. Every single word of them replaying in my mind.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there when I heard Kye’s voice behind me.

“Why is the door unlocked and open?” he asked. “That’s not safe, Baby Doll.”

I couldn’t look at him. My head would not turn to make eye contact. I feared that if I did, I would end up falling apart.

Why had I allowed myself to believe him when he said I was all he wanted? I knew Kye better than that. How stupid could I have been? At the rate we’d been having sex, of course, he was tired of me already. He hadn’t been able to tell me that he needed variety again because he didn’t want to hurt me.

I placed a hand on my stomach. It hurt so much worse than I’d thought was humanly possible. This was excruciating. My mom had been wrong. I couldn’t survive this.

“Baby Doll?” Kye’s voice was right behind me now. He touched my waist, and I jerked. “You’re scaring the shit out of me. What’s wrong?” he asked, grabbing my shoulders and turning me to face him.

I kept my eyes down. I couldn’t look into his eyes.

Jagger was asleep in his car seat. Kye had set him down beside us. I wanted to sob. Wail at how unfair this was. He had let Jagger be held by that … woman. Another woman had not only been with Kye, but she’d also held Jagger. She’d had her hands on what was mine. Both of them.

But they weren’t mine. Not really. I’d been kidding myself.

Kye took my face in both his hands and forced my head back. “Look at me.” His tone sounded desperate. “What happened?”

When I finally allowed myself to see him, it was as if I had been punched in the gut with a sledgehammer. I sucked in air, and my eyes watered. I wasn’t going to be able to say words. It hurt too bad to simply breathe.

“Baby Doll, I need you to talk to me,” Kye said. I felt his body tremble as he searched my face. “I’ve never been this fucking scared in my life. Please say something. You’re killing me here.”

I was killing him? Did he have any idea how he had destroyed me? Death would be easier than this. How did I find a way to heal from this kind of pain? There was no way I would ever be the same.

“Jesus Christ,” Kye swore as he stared down at me. “I am going to kill whoever did this to you. Just give me a name. Nothing more.”

I let out a long, jagged breath and locked my eyes on him. “You,” I whispered.

He frowned, his eyes studying me as if he had heard me wrong. Then, he shook his head. “I don’t understand. What did I do?”

I swallowed hard, then winced. The tightness in my throat wasn’t easing. “Winter was here when I got home. She … she brought back your shirt and”—I closed my eyes and inhaled through my nose—“Jagger’s alligator that I couldn’t find.”

“No, Baby Doll. Look at me,” he pleaded. “You misunderstood that. She made sure you took that the wrong way.”

I opened my eyes and stared into his. The desperation there was going to shatter me all over again. If that were even possible.

“The shirt smells like her perfume. You wore it the last time I worked at the shop.”

Kye leaned his face closer to mine. “Liam called me to his office that day. They had information on Chyna—or Leslie. She was arrested in New Orleans for breaking and entering. He wanted me to be aware of her whereabouts in case she was released and tried to come back here and cause trouble.” He stopped and wiped the tears that had rolled down my face with the pad of his thumbs. His gaze seemed to be battling with pain, fear, and anger, all at the same time. “I had to feed Jag while I was there. He woke up, raising hell. I never left Liam’s office. But Jag did blow out a diaper, and shit got all over my shirt. It was funny at the time. I took off my shirt, and Liam gave me one of his, then sent mine to be washed. As for the alligator, I forgot that I’d put that in the car seat with Jag that day. It must have fallen out at some point. After getting cleaned up, I just wanted to get out of there and back here to you.”

There was nothing on this earth I wanted more than to believe him. The sincerity in his voice and the way he was looking at me soothed the torturous emotions that had flooded me.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you worried about Chyna. I have her being monitored, and if she gets out of jail and comes anywhere near Ocala, I will know.” Kye ran his hands down my arms until they reached mine, and he threaded our fingers together. “Baby Doll, I swear to you that I don’t see other women. I don’t want them. It’s only you.”

Drawing in a deep breath that no longer hurt, I nodded. “I’m sorry. I tried to think of an explanation for it, but I couldn’t. And when she said her name, I knew she’d texted you those things. My thoughts went dark, and I couldn’t pull them out.”

Kye bent his head and brushed his lips over mine. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I replied before his tongue slipped into my mouth.

My world began to slowly right itself as Kye held me against him, tasting me, making all else fade away. I clung to him, wanting to be lost in the moment. Knowing he was mine.

When he pulled back, he ran a hand through my hair. “I’ve got to go handle something.”

I didn’t want him to leave. He’d just gotten here. I shook my head.

He smiled and pressed one more kiss to my lips. “Baby Doll, if I don’t go put that bitch in her place and make sure she leaves what’s mine alone, my anger is going to simmer until I explode. The image of your eyes looking up at me with pure agony in them is going to haunt me. No one hurts you and gets away with it.” He buried his face in my hair, pulling me against his chest. “My fucking chest felt as if someone had sliced me open when I saw you like that.”

I ran my hands up his back and held him. “I’m okay now. Stay with me. Don’t worry about her.”

“If I don’t go to the source, my fury is going to manifest with my fist through a wall. The only thing keeping my rage at bay right now is you. Why don’t you take Jag to visit your parents? Let me do what has to be done.”

I wanted to beg him to stay and argue that there was no point. Kye’s body was strung so tight, and even though he was gentle and loving with me, the violent gleam in his eyes told me he was serious about needing to go do this.