Discovering Pride (Pride Series) (30 page)

Walking over to Lacey, Megan took her bandaged hand in her own. “If I know anything about you,” she looked down at Lacey. “And I think I do, I know you would never blame Aaron for this.”

“Of course not! I agree. Aaron, there was nothing you could have done.” He walked over and took Lacey’s hand from her brother, who quietly stepped back.
 

“
If I had just…” he started to say.

“Shhh.” Looking up into her brother, Todd’s eyes, she pleaded with him.

“We’re just going to take a walk.” Todd walked to the door holding Matthew. Megan and Iian quietly followed him out. When the door shut with a light click, Lacey continued.

“
You know how much you mean to me. I have never and would never blame you for..”

Aaron leaned over and kissed her lips, quieting her with his mouth.

“I don’t want to lose you, I can’t lose you. Stay with me, be with me.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “Be with me, forever.” she pulled back and looked at him, understanding.

“Are you sure? Because I don’t play games Aaron. If I say yes, I come with a family, town, a dog, the whole nine yards.” she looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to move to the east coast, California, or…”

His mouth covered hers again. “I want all of that Lacey. All of it! If it comes with you. What do you say? Please say yes.”

Looking deeply, she saw the truth. “Of course, yes.” she smiled and was kissed again.

To Lacey it seemed like a three ring circus, she had spent Valentines night in a bright room, being woken up and checked, what seemed to her, every five minutes. Aaron sat in the chair next to her bed. Sleeping in between nurse visits. Always watching over what they did and even double checking everything again after they left. After successfully making it through the night, with out killing anyone, she was released, and sent home.

A few hours later she sat propped up at Aaron’s house. She had a dozen or so towns people around her chatting and eating the food that everyone had brought. Aaron announced their engagement shortly after arriving home. The news was followed with cheers.

It was more a tradition then anything, that the town people seemed to come out in spades when one of their own was hurt. She had been there for others in town. When Betty had lost her husband, when Tom and Becca had been married, when Matt had died, she had been there for everyone. She had also been there when Megan had been recovering from the explosion that was her ex-husband.

Now, however, everyone was here for her. She was propped up on the couch, her left arm tucked close, wrapped tight in a splint, her cuts all bandaged. Bruises were beginning to turn a darker purple, and the Motrin she had taken earlier was starting to wear off. But, still she smiled and chatted as best she could. She was finding it harder to concentrate on conversations, but these were her people and they had come out for her. To show her how much they cared, how much they loved her.

She was on orders to rest for the next week from her doctor, a doctor who was standing across the room, helping dish out some of Betty’s wonderful angel food cake. It had snowed again last night, and to her it seemed that spring was years away. She enjoyed the snow, she even enjoyed being out in it, but just now, she wished for the warmer rains of spring.

Aaron watched her from across the room, she was pale, bruised, cut, and could have ended up dead, all because of him. Oh, he heard everything Megan had said yesterday, but to be honest, he kept playing everything over and over in his mind.

If he had just handled Jennifer differently, maybe, just maybe he could have gotten through to her. Thinking of what could have happened to Lacey, his mind fogged. Lacey. Sweet, trusting Lacey.

Thinking of the differences between the two women, there was no doubt about Lacey’s honesty. He had never really trusted Jennifer it had always been something else. Desire, he had wanted something he had never had before, and he thought he would have it with Jennifer. A family. Now, however, he looked around his crowded living room. This was what he had always thought the true meaning of “family” meant.

Lacey was bored. Three days of doing nothing. Did Aaron really believe she needed this much time to recover from a few scratches and a twisted wrist? She was determined to tell him so, just as soon as he got home. She was determined to go to work tomorrow. She didn’t care whether he had lots of fancy degrees and years of medical school. She was feeling well enough to go to work. So, she would lay off caring heavy trays of food for a while, but at least she could do simple things. The sitting around was driving her nuts.

Aaron had stayed home that first day after the incident, but then he had gone off to work and left her there alone. Watching daytime TV was only fun if you had someone to watch with. Beside, she had never really gotten into the whole soap opera scene, and she didn’t think she wanted to start.

Iian, Todd and Megan visited on and off, but for the most part, she was on her own, at least until she could convince her doctor to prescribe a good dose of work.

At least Bernard and Cleo had been keeping her company. They were running through the back yard, playing in the snow, when she heard a car drive up.

It had taken only three days of staying in the slimy motel outside of Edgeview to make up her mind. She wasn’t about to lose. The man at the motel believed her when she said her fiancee had abandoned her there with no money, just the rental car. She even told him that she was waiting for her sister to bring her money and that the bill would be paid in full on Friday. She had no intention of paying or going back to the filthy dive.

What she did have in mind was getting rid of the bitch that had ruined everything. She had even driven to the Hospital and pretended to be concerned and gotten all the updates on Lacey’s health. Bruises and scratches did nothing to clear the path for her. She needed more action. Something more permanent. Now, after days of planing it, she knew exactly what to do.

Knocking on the door, she started to shake, knowing this should be her door, her house with Aaron. They could have children here, or maybe they would move back east, get that large place in the gated community. Yes, she would show Aaron that it would be for the best, move away from the back water hell hole, he’d been hiding in.

When the slut answered the door, it was so easy, she was so small, one swing had her sprawled on the floor in a small little heap.

Knowing it was important, Lacey tried to stay focus. Her head hurt and she had landed on her bad wrist. Looking up from the ground, she saw Jennifer step in and start to shut the door. Pushing up from the ground, she kicked out, catching Jennifer in the knee. When she fell, Lacey got up and made it past the front porch just as her bad arm was wrenched behind her.

“
Now, let’s try this again, shall we?” Lacey felt the blade on her neck, then she heard the dogs barking.

“What the…” Jennifer backed up, pulling Lacey with her. “Call them off now.” she said as the two dogs came running around the corner. Bernard was growling, baring his teeth. When Cleo felt his tension, she piped in with her own low growls.

Lacey tried to think. “Bernard, go to Megan’s.” she said in a shaky voice, knowing Cleo would follow him, she sent them to the only place she knew help would be.

As Bernard continued to growl, Lacey said it again in a more forceful voice. This time he stopped, looked at her, then turned and ran down the path with Cleo trailing behind him slowly.

“What do you want Jennifer?” she tried to sound calm and tried to think.

“I want Aaron, he’s mine, he just needs to get all the distractions out of the way. I just need to clear the way, and then he’ll see that he can’t live without me.”

Lacey could see Jennifer’s eyes darting around, looking for an escape route. As Jennifer started pulling her down down the path towards the pond, Lacey knew she was in trouble. Jennifer was yanking her arm up behind her back, causing searing pain.

“There is only so much I can tolerate, I mean, seriously. Do you think Aaron would hang around here much longer? You know the life, the family he came from. They’re above all this, this backwater life you live. Seriously, can you imagine him living here?” She stumbled on a large tree root jutting from the ground. “In this dirty place. I mean there’s only so much filth I can put up with.”

Jennifer was marching fast enough down the path, that Lacey was being dragged. Her arm throbbed, her head was splitting, and she was starting to see double.

They reached the clearing, just as snow flakes started to fall in large wet clumps. When Jennifer saw the pond, she dragged Lacey to the large rock that hung over the frozen water.

Lacey fought, she kicked, dragged her feet, did everything she could, until Jennifer nicked her neck with the knife and tightened her hold. She was shivering now, realizing she had no shoes, no jacket, and in fact all she was wearing was light sweat pants, a light t-shirt, and her Bert and Ernie socks.