Moments of Reckoning (15 page)

Chapter 22
Hannah

Stepping out into
the sitting area that over looked my parent’s large backyard and in-ground pool, I inhaled the fall air. It had been close to a month since I was released from the hospital with a sprained wrist, bandaged cuts, and bruises covering most of my body. But thankfully I had only been kept in their care for around twenty-four hours. The worst part was reliving everything, the morning after waking up, with the detectives. After the woman had found me walking down the road and took me to the hospital, she had ridden with the police to show them where she had found me. It didn’t take them long to find the abandoned warehouse sitting back off the road, the car he had stolen after he ditched the truck—and of course, Matthew’s lifeless body. The whole interview with the detectives was a blur, mainly because my mind seemed to have blocked that part out so I didn’t have to continue to relive it over and over again. If only I could block out the images of Matthew during his last few breaths, then maybe—just maybe, I would start to feel like my old self again.

Not long before my release from the hospital Landon had shown up. We were all sitting around in my room waiting for the doctor to come in when a low knock sounded from the other side of the door and Landon stepped in.
Jason didn’t seem very happy about his presence. Shortly after Landon and I began talking he realized that Landon was there as a friend and nothing more. It was nice to know that people actually cared about how I was doing. Being locked away for almost a month, I hadn’t realized how big of a media frenzy had taken place. My hospital room ended up lined with flowers, cards, candy, and photographs of people wishing me well. We had to use a completely separate car to haul everything to my parents’.

The first night out of the hospital my parents
asked Jason, Xavier, Abby, and I to stay at their home because they needed to know we were all going to be all right. That was definitely something that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon—me being okay, that is. I can hardly keep the smile off my face every time I think about that night. Xavier and Abby had shared one of the guest rooms downstairs on the opposite side of the house than my parent’s room while I stayed in my old room and Jason took the room directly across from mine. Jason and I hadn’t really had the time or the privacy up to that point to talk about what had happened between us at Silhouettes the night I was taken.

It was the night the nightmares began. I had left the door to my room cracked open in hopes that Jason might come in before I fell asleep so we could talk about things. Instead my eyelids fluttered shut and I was out o
f it not long after my head hit the pillow. My dream that night was haunting. There was so much blood as I held Matthew in my arms and screamed for help, but nobody came. It seemed like an eternity passed until Matthew’s body was engulfed in an ocean of blood as I began to drown in it myself. The next thing I knew I was being jarred awake. When I opened my eyes I found Jason holding onto me as I thrashed violently around my bed with sweat coating my entire body and tears covering my face. After he calmed me down, he didn’t even ask for an explanation, because I think he knew without me telling him. He pulled the covers back, stripped down to his boxers, and climbed into bed beside me. Pulling me as close as I could get to his chest, he stroked my hair until I drifted back off into a peaceful sleep.

One thing that surprised me was how Alex seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. We had been friends for so long, even though we hardly saw one another, I felt like he was a brother to me.
Pulling out my cell phone I decided to text him.

To Alex Cell:

Hey
stranger…Just thought I would see how you have been, I miss you…

Staring at the screen for god knows how many seconds; it lit up as his name flashed across it. My phone beeped numerous times before I opened the message.

Reply from Alex Cell:

First I want to say that I know I’ve been M.I.A for a while now Han…I’m sorry for that. I miss you more than I can explain through text, but I couldn’t come back around after all that with Abby. When I saw that you were missing, I felt like a complete jackass
for not being there to keep you safe. We’ve been friends for years and I failed you when you needed me the most. Weeks later when the news broke that you were home safe, I was too ashamed to contact you to see how you were doing. I’m a shitty ass friend huh?

To Alex Cell:

Alex, I’m
sooooo sorry that she did you that way. I never thought that would happen, but the lack of time you all spent together made it hard. Don’t get me wrong…I DO NOT agree with what she did and never will, but I am happy to see her smile again. No you’re not a shitty ass friend! I can’t say what I would have done if I was in your shoes. But I do know that I want you in my life still, let’s just forget the past and go from here. Agree?

Reply from Alex Cell:

Okay, let’s forget the bullshit between everyone else and get back to our badass friendship.
Lol.

To Alex Cell:

Awesome! So when am I going to see your face? It’s been too long!

Reply f
rom Alex Cell:

Well……..I kind of took a position in New York. DON’T FREAK OUT!!!! I come back to Cali every so often and next time I do, we will get together for sure.

To Alex Cell
:

WHAT THE HELL!! New York!?!? You took the break up to the extremes mister… Can I
come visit?

Reply from Alex Cell:

Abby broke my heart Hannah…But y
ou know you’re welcome anytime. It’s good to hear from you, call next time! I miss your voice… See you soon.

To Alex Cell:

The phone works both w
ays! See you soon Alex.

A familiar voice brought me back to reality.
“Hey, beautiful…I’ve been looking for you.” Just hearing those words come from him was everything I could have ever hoped for. I turned around as I felt his arms snake around my waist.

“
Just clearing my head...” I sighed as I breathed in his scent.

“Ready to head home?” he asked.

Ready was an understatement. We had spent the whole day at my parents’ house grilling out. Abby, Xavier, some of my parent’s friends, and this lovely man of mine, Jason. It was a perfect day in all, but alone time sounded wonderful.

“Yes
, please.” We held hands as we headed back inside and downstairs to tell everyone goodbye.

∙∞∙

Opening my eyes to Jason scooping me up out of his Camaro I realized we were back at his place—well, our place. The sound of that was still so weird;
our place
. A couple days after I went back to Abby’s and my apartment we decided it was best to break the lease. Xavier was doing all but begging Abby to move in with him and ever since I was back home, Jason and I were inseparable. It only made sense to do so.

Jason was fumbling
with his keys while cradling me, but he finally got the door unlocked and I pushed it open with my free arm.

“Shouldn’t you have waited to carry me over the threshold until our wedding night…?” I joked.

“Baby, I’ll carry you over the threshold of our home any moment I can, because each time is just as special as the time before.”

He seriously knew all the right w
ords to say to cause me to melt at his feet faster than an ice cube on a hot summer day. We rounded the corner to our bedroom and he lowered me slowly onto the bed as he covered my body with his.

“Have I told you
lately how breathtaking you are?” he whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver in response. He began trailing kisses across my ear and down my neck as I ran my hands through his already tousled hair.

“Don’t ever leave me
, Hannah…I could never live without you…” he whispered against my skin as he continued to kiss his way down my collarbone and onto my chest.

I leaned
up just slightly onto my elbows, causing Jason to stop what he was doing to look at me in confusion. I took hold of the bottom of my shirt and peeled it off for him, then tossed it on the floor beside the bed. When I reached around for the clasp of my bra Jason grabbed my arm to stop me.

“
Are you sure about this?” the sincerity in his eyes was mixed with desire. I knew there was nothing I had ever been more sure of in my life than this, with him, right now.

“Yes
, I’m sure, we have waited long enough,” I said as I crashed my lips to his. After a few moments of exploring each other’s mouths he pulled back.

“Let me do this…” he spoke sweetly as he reached his hand around and unclasped my bra with one swift movement
. Slowly pulling the straps down he kissed my collarbone until he had my bra off and thrown to the side where my shirt was.

“God
, you are beautiful Hannah.” His words were intoxicating as his eyes drank me in.

Jason and I hadn’t gone much past kissing since I was back but I knew eventually we would get to this point. Living together for almost a week with so much built
-up tension, I knew it was bound to happen sooner than later. No, I wasn’t a virgin and I was pretty positive he wasn’t either but this seemed different, it was more intimate and real than anything I had ever felt for someone before.

Running my hands up the back of his shirt I decided he had on too many clothes.
I pulled at the hem and he understood what I was doing so he broke our kiss and yanked his shirt the rest of the way off before tossing it into the growing pile of clothes beside the bed. We explored each other’s bodies softly and slowly until there were no boundaries between us. All that separated us was that one movement that would connect us forever. Placing his forehead to mine we stared into each other’s eyes as we became one.

Slowly moving against one another we found our perfect rhythm
. We continued to move as one as my release was building. It didn’t take long until I was free falling into bliss and Jason followed not long after me. Falling onto the bed beside me, he pulled me against his chest and engulfed me with his arms. Tilting my head so I could look up into his beautiful brown eyes I placed a soft kiss on his lips.

“I love you forever
, Hannah Davis,” He whispered against my lips.

“I love you times infinity
, Jason Malone,” I whispered back.

Snuggling as close as our bodies would allow me, I drifted off to sleep in the arms of the man I loved. No matter how many turns my life
will take, from now on I will always know that I have Jason there to comfort me and keep me safe from harm.

Forever and always.
 

Jason

Lying with Hannah in my arms was the only place I wanted to be for the rest of my life. This girl was it for me. She owned my soul from now until eternity. Realizing that everything that had happened since I met her was meant to happen allowed me to let go of the anger I held towards Matthew. If things hadn’t happened the way they did, we wouldn’t have been in this very moment, wrapped up in one another. Hannah still hadn’t told me everything that took place while she was with him and I was okay with that. She was dealing with those demons one day at a time and all I could do was be there for her whenever she felt like she needed me.

I felt her breathing even out—and
I knew she was fast asleep. Kissing the top of her head I pulled the covers up around us and whispered into her ear.

“You are my world
, Hannah…and one day you will be my wife.”

Epilogue

(Four years later)

“Hello
, darling…”  I chimed answering my cell phone through the sound system in my new Audi Q7.

“
Hey, baby, have you picked Lydia up yet from daycare?” Jason’s voice came smoothly through the speakers. I was in awe of my new vehicle—and of course my lovely man.

“Sure have!
I left the office earlier than usual because my last client didn’t show up. I hope he hasn’t fallen off the wagon again, that would just break my heart. Oh, and by the way, she
can
actually hear you right now!”

"
You mean you actually figured out how to use the Bluetooth connection without any help? I’m shocked… How is my little Lydia today?!” he teased before changing his voice to a soft loving tone when speaking to Lydia.

“
Fineee…When is the ice cream—are you hiding in here?” Lydia’s face was glowing at the sound of Jason’s voice coming through the speakers.

“Ice cream is soon and no
, baby girl I’m not hiding in the car.” He laughed at her silly response.

God
, I love the two of them so much.

As Jason and I continued to talk about the afternoon plans, Lydia went back to messing with the new Barbie I had surprised her with when I
picked her up.

“
Are you coming straight to your parent’s house or do you have to stop by ours?”

“Probably
stop by ours for a few minutes. I need to change out of these work clothes; these heels are
killing
me today.”

“I’m sure you look damn sexy in them…”

“Jason! Watch your mouth!” I glanced into the rearview mirror to see if Lydia was paying attention and sure enough she wasn’t.

“
My bad! I forgot…Maybe the Bluetooth connection wasn’t the best idea…” he laughed.

“I guess I’ll forgive you this time.”

“Darn…I was hoping to be punished…” he trailed off, completely taking the conversation into the red zone.

“On that note… I will see you
within the hour.” Laughing in between words, I cut him off.

“Okay, see you soon. Love you.”

“And I love you, Jason.”

∙∞∙

I turn into my parent’s gated community and the guard’s wave as they allow me to enter. The new guards never ask for identification either, not since the incident years ago that made me famous for all the wrong reasons. Lydia was knocked out in her car seat as I pulled into my parents’ drive. Jason was standing not far from where I parked, smiling at me sweetly while he talked on his cell.

“There’s my girl.” He smiled, sliding his phone into the back pocket of his dark jeans as he made his way over to me. Placing
a few loving kisses on his lips in between sentences I sighed. “Lydia asleep?” he asked.

“Of course she is
; that girl never sleeps in a car until you are almost to your destination.”

Slowly unbuckling her from her seat, he scooped her
up into his arms. Holding the gate open so that Jason could carry Lydia through, I noticed Abby waving like a mad woman as she stood up from one of the lounge chairs and made her way around the pool.

“Is she seriously sleeping?!” she asked in pure shock.

“Yes, ma’am, she sure is,” Jason half-whispered.

“Are you sure you don’t wa
nt to take up shop at our house? She only sleeps when one of the two of you is around,” Abby joked with us.

“You know I would g
ladly take Miss Lydia as my own,” I reminded her.

After closing
the gate behind me, she hugged me tightly.

“Hannah, you will be a wonderful mother someday.”

“Thanks Abs…You and Xavier are wonderful parents yourself.”

My parents had been having a cookout on the same weekend every year since my kidnapping. Exactly a month after I was released from the
hospital, it has sort of become this celebration of ours. All of our friends, some of our co-workers, and even extended family have started attending. This year is actually the first year Jason’s mother, Olivia, and sister, Elizabeth, have gotten to come. Needless to say, he is one happy camper. My parents had a new, rather large, fire pit and sitting area past the in-ground pool that everyone was gathered around. It was good to watch my father flip burgers on the grill that was built into the brick wall, as he laughed with their guests. Before that god-awful day, he was a very stern man that I rarely got along with. Now, not only was he my loving father, he was also my business partner.

After I finished
out my degree in psychology at UCSD, my father suggested that we partner up. His suggestion came as a shock to me because my father never liked working with a partner ever since he left the last person he worked with back in Santa Monica years ago. When I accepted his offer he gave me full reign over expanding the practice and handling patients with mental illness. With everything that happened to Matthew throughout his life, I found this to be the perfect way to hopefully reach out and touch people’s lives that need assistance in dealing with the evils of mental illness. Doing so brought a sense of peace to me about everything that had transpired between us.

“I cannot believe you and Jason have been married two years next week.”
Elizabeth said, taking the hand that bore my engagement ring and wedding band. “He did a great job, didn’t he?!” she winked at me.

The day Jason proposed to me
was one of the best days of my life. It was graduation day at UCSD and my parents were holding the four of us a lavishing graduation party at their place afterwards. All of our family, friends, and some of our fellow classmates were invited. Jason’s mother and sister were able to come in, along with some of Abby’s extended family. It was truly a beautiful day for us all. Little did I know, Jason was going to ask me to be his wife. He was so nervous all day, but I chalked it up to everything that was going on with graduation and the fact that his family was coming in for the first time in a while. Graduation went by in a blur and we soon found ourselves drinking, dancing, and exchanging laughs with everyone at my parents place. I had walked up stairs to change out of my gown and into a party dress when I heard a low knock on the bedroom door.

“Come in,
” I called to the door as I rummaged through my overnight bag.

Jason slowly pushed the door open before walking in with a nervous smile across his face.

“Hey, beautiful…Can I come in?” he asked.

“
Yeah, I just came up here to change out of this gown. Could you give me a hand with the zipper?” I asked, turning around so he could reach the zipper.

“Sure…”
he responded while pushing my hair around to the side of my shoulder. He unzipped the zipper as I held onto it so it wouldn’t fall to the floor. “There you go,” his voice was low and husky.

“Thanks
, darling,” I leaned forward and kissed him before I stepped into the adjoined bathroom. I was afraid my parents or someone would walk in, so I thought it was better to change in the bathroom since Jason was in the room with me.

Stepping out of my gown and into my party dress, I pulled my hair into a loose side braid before heading back into the bedroom. Pushing the door open I found Jason leaning aga
inst the door frame.

“You look stunning in that dress
, Hannah…” he trailed off.

“
Really? I was undecided about it…as always,” I smiled sweetly at him.

He cupped my fac
e in his hands. The look of pure love was in his eyes as he began to speak aga
in, “You do know how much I love you right?”

“
Yeeees…I love you too, Jason…What’s going on?!” I asked nervously.

“
I know we haven’t been a couple that long, but I can’t picture my life without you. We’ve known each other for so long that I feel like all those years we spent as just friends were the foundation to something great. When you were kidnapped I thought I would never see you again and my heart shattered, Hannah…Absolutely fucking shattered…” he paused, took a deep breath, and got down on one knee.

“OMIGOD
, Jason…” I breathed in shock as the tears began falling.

“Hannah Davis…
I want you to be the woman I wake up to every morning, the woman I share my heart and soul with. You have been the love of my life since the day I first laid eyes on you and I will love you for eternity if you will allow it.” Taking another deep breath he opened the small black box in his hand. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

I fell
to my knees in front of him as I grabbed the sides of his face. I kissed him with every ounce of passion I could put into it and after a few wonderful minutes he broke the kiss.

“I’ll take tha
t as a yes?” he laughed.

“Of course it’s a yes
, you fool!” I laughed through my tears.

He slid
the gorgeous emerald cut engagement ring onto my ring finger and pulled me to my feet. He then scooped me up into his arms and headed for the door.

“What are you doing?! I don’t have any shoes on!” I laughed hysterically.

“I can’t wait any longer to tell the world that you’re going to officially be
mine
!”

He rushed
down the stairs and through the glass doors that lead out into the back yard.

Jason called out to the crowd,
“SHE SAID YES!!!” as he held my hand up in the air for everyone to see.

The cheers were unbelievably loud as I fel
t my face flush red. We were all smiles for the rest of the night.

“He sure did,
” I smiled remembering that wonderful day as I watched Jason and Xavier playing football with recently turned four-year-old Braxton.

Abby and Xavier
didn’t mess around when it came to baby making. Abby had found out she was pregnant not long after they had moved in together and a little over nine months later, baby Braxton was born, followed by little Miss Lydia a couple years after him. Never in my life did I imagine those two being together, let along having two beautiful children, but they made one of the best couples I have ever seen.

Sitting back in the lounge chair by the pool, I watched all the people that I love
d laugh and interact with one another. My life couldn’t be any better than it is, right now, in this moment.