Briar Valley: The Complete Duet

19. Willow

CHAPTER 19

WILLOW

FALLING APART – MICHAEL SCHULTE

“Alright, then.” Lucas’s voice rumbles down the phone line. “We’re preparing to release your public statement on the hour. Any last minute changes?”

I clear my dry throat. “I don’t think so.”

“Good. We can expect a barrage of media attention. Probably nothing national, but the sleazy gossip mags and celebrity news pages will be all over this shit as Sanchez is involved.”

Scratching Demon’s ears, I focus on the feeling of her coarse black fur. “I understand.”

We’re sitting in Lola’s living room, surrounded by half-filled boxes and packing tape. Killian and Zach are working on boxing up her possessions while Albie continues to sort paperwork in the kitchen.

“You’re doing a brave thing, Willow,” Lucas offers. “We’ll do our best to manage any fallout and Dimitri Sanchez’s response if any.”

“Thank you, Lucas. You’ve been a huge help.”

“Well, that’s my job. It’s been a pleasure. Take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

Tossing Zach’s phone aside, I rub my aching temples. This isn’t a day I thought I’d ever see—I’m getting a divorce. Officially.

Lola’s lawyer has arranged the paperwork. It’s been delivered to Mr Sanchez’s real estate offices by courier, and now the real war will begin.

“Babe? You good?”

Zach stands behind the sofa, leaning over to massage my shoulders. Releasing my temples, I blow out a tense breath. That phone call was tougher than I’d anticipated.

“The statement will be released on the hour,” I answer shakily. “Lucas and his team will monitor the response and keep us posted.”

“And what’s in the final statement?” Killian asks, his head in a box. “Did you make any changes?”

“That Mr Sanchez was abusive throughout our marriage and engaged in illegal activity. I’ve fled from his violence, filed for a divorce and will be taking full custody of our child.”

Nodding to himself, Killian seals the box in his hands. “Good. Short and simple.”

“I don’t like it,” Zach gripes.

“Why not?”

“Abusive?” He stops massaging, his lips wrinkled with disgust. “That doesn’t even begin to cover what he did to you and others. The world needs to know what a piece of shit he is.”

“And it will when the time is right. Ethan instructed me to protect the ongoing investigation.”

He huffs in frustration. “This is bullshit. He’s out there strutting around and running his mouth. I want to fucking end him.”

Reaching up from my seated position, I clasp his firm bicep. “We will, Zach. Be patient. His time will come.”

“We don’t have time to be patient.”

“We have plenty!”

“Nine months.” He throws his hands in the air, his eyes darkening. “Two of which have already gone. I want him behind bars by the time our baby is here.”

“Who’s talking bullshit now?” Killian glowers at him. “He should’ve been behind bars years ago. Willow and Arianna matter just as much as our baby does.”

Slumping, Zach looks contrite. “Yeah, of course. It’s just?—”

“No, kid. Just nothing. That’s final.”

Falling silent, Zach looks like a kicked puppy. I hate that look on his face.

“I really didn’t mean it like that,” he mutters.

“I know. It’s okay, we’re all stressed.”

“No excuse to be an asshole,” Killian comments.

“Hey,” Zach snaps at him. “Is this coming from you, oh mighty one? King of the assholes on his throne?”

“If I’m king of the assholes, you’re my lackey. And I say get back to work, packing bitch. We have shit to do.”

“Not your packing bitch,” Zach murmurs under his breath in a derisive tone as he resumes bubble wrapping delicate trinkets.

We’re finally beginning the mountainous task of clearing up Lola’s stuff. It won’t be thrown away but put into storage, safe and sound. Having it around is just a constant reminder of her absence.

Returning to the stacks of TV magazines next to the sofa, I laugh to myself at the folded down corners and circled programs that she wanted to watch. She loved her gardening shows.

“Nice,” Zach snorts as he glances over my shoulder. “If it involved a rake or soil, you can bet Grams would watch it.”

“I don’t know how she found the time alongside running the town. There’s so much to do around here.”

“We’re doing alright,” Killian chimes in. “The place hasn’t burned down yet, so that’s something.”

Lifting my notepad from next to me on the sofa, I flash it at him. “Have you seen my to-do list?”

“You’re making an actual list?”

“Summer will be here soon! There’s so much to do!”

Zach snatches the notepad from my hands and begins reading before I can steal it back. He dances away from me in the process.

“Plant summer crops, weed vegetable patches, organise hunting schedule, clear out cold storage, catch up on taxes…”

His huge, dramatic yawn causes me to glower at him.

“Boring,” he singsongs.

I manage to snatch the notepad back. “She left me in charge. I have to take that responsibility seriously, or this won’t work.”

The easy smile falls from his lips. “I know, babe. I’m just kidding around with you.”

“Well, don’t. Not about this. Lola trusted me to do her job. I can’t let her down.”

Standing up, I stack the magazines in the overflowing rubbish bag then leave the living room to find Albie. My eyes catch on the ticking grandfather clock in the hallway as I pass.

It’s time.

The statement just dropped.

The panic and fear I was expecting to rush over me doesn’t come. Instead, determination filters into my bones. I’m taking control of my life and finally standing up to that monster.

Now we wait. He will fire back, there’s no doubt about that. Letting me or Arianna go without a fight isn’t in his nature. But we’re in the limelight now, and the public will protect us. At least, I hope so.

He can’t hurt us if the entire world is watching, or he’ll risk tearing apart his only defence against the oncoming storm—his picture-perfect public image. That gives us an advantage.

“Albie?” I step into the kitchen.

He looks up from his perch at the kitchen table, and the moment our eyes lock, I feel a rush of stickiness between my legs. It takes a moment for the penny to drop and terror to set in.

Warmth.

Blood.

Bracing my hand against the doorframe, I bring my hand to my stomach and breathe through my gritted teeth.

“No,” I whine. “Please, no.”

“Willow?” Albie immediately shoots to his feet. “What is it? Are you okay?”

“Not again. Please!”

He rushes over, gripping my shoulders and taking my weight against his body. The warm sensation has settled, but I can feel it soaking through my panties and plain black leggings.

“Is it the baby?” he asks urgently.

All I can do is nod.

“Guys!” Albie shouts. “Kitchen, now!”

The thud of a box being dropped echoes through the house followed by thumping feet. When Killian appears next to me, he takes one look at my face and goes white.

“What is it?”

“I’m b-bleeding,” I choke out.

He looks down between my legs. “A lot?”

Nodding, I let Albie transfer me into his arms. Zach is fisting his hair and freaking out behind Killian.

“Call Doc,” Killian snaps at him before turning to Albie. “Go and find Micah.”

Both step aside to follow his orders as Killian tows me towards the downstairs bathroom. Once inside, he squats down in front of me and grabs the waistband of my leggings.

“Can I?”

“Y-Yes.”

Pulling them down, he takes a look at the sodden fabric and somehow manages to turn an even paler shade of white.

“Fuck, Willow.”

“Kill,” I begin to sob. “What if…?”

“No, don’t say it. Let Doc come and take a look at you, okay?”

Shaking my head, I’m hardly able to see him through my falling tears. I brace my hands on his shoulders and let him pull me onto his lap, not caring about the blood smeared over my thighs.

We cling to each other, terrified and desperate, until Zach returns with Doc in tow. He stands back to let him into the room.

“Willow?” Doc asks in a gentle voice. “Can I come in and have a look at you please?”

“Yes, D-Doc.”

“Zach’s filled me in on the situation. You should’ve told me about the baby. I need to know so I can look after you properly.”

“We’re sorry,” Killian cuts in. “We wanted to wait until after the first trimester before telling anyone, given it’s high-risk.”

“That shouldn’t include her physician.”

“No,” he admits shamefully. “I guess not.”

Crouching down next to us, Doc takes a look at the wet leggings and blood smeared across my legs. It’s not much compared to the tsunami that poured out of me last time.

“We need to bring her over to ours,” Doc decides. “I have sonogram equipment in my home office. It’ll be quicker than travelling to Highbridge.”

“Am I having a m-miscarriage?” I hiccup through my tears.

“I don’t think so, Willow. Some bleeding can be expected, especially as you’re having a high-risk pregnancy. But let’s make sure, okay?”

His words are a tiny pinprick to the balloon of fear sitting on my chest. I draw in an unsteady breath and nod. Killian wraps a towel around my lower half as I’m boosted into his arms.

I bury my face in his flannel shirt to hide from anyone milling around outside. It’s the middle of the day, so most people are busy working on allotments or housework while the kids are at school.

Racing across the town square with Hyland following hot on our heels, we get to Doc’s cabin. He leads us down a dark, wood-lined corridor to his home office, leaving my bodyguard outside to stand sentry.

It’s a huge room, filled with bookshelves and medical equipment. After rolling a piece of blue protective paper over the examination table, he gestures for Killian to set me down.

“Just here please.”

Removing the towel, I’m laid down in my panties and shirt. When Killian tries to move away, I cry out, snatching his hand into mine.

“Please d-don’t leave me!”

He ducks his head to kiss my knuckles. “Never, princess.”

Killian perches himself on the end of the table to let Doc wheel the sonogram machine closer. I lift my shirt so he can squirt gel across my raised belly and bring the wand to my skin.

“Let’s take a look, then,” he hums, his eyes on the black and white screen. “How many weeks are you?”

“Nine,” Killian answers for me.

Before Doc can respond, the door to his office slams open. Zach, Micah and Albie arrive, all puffing from running fast. Micah’s face is a picture of terror as he looks between me and the machine.

“What happened?”

“Just a little blood.” Doc frowns at the screen as he moves the wand around. “We’re doing some tests to assess the baby.”

“Blood?” Micah repeats.

Pulling his twin into a side-hug, Zach holds him close. “Didn’t the doctors say this could happen? Like spotting or something?”

“It can happen,” Doc replies. “Willow has a scarred womb and significant internal trauma from Arianna’s birth, so some blood would not be entirely surprising.”

Breathing evenly through my nose, I fight to remain calm by latching on to his words. Just the sight of red between my legs caused me to spiral into a pit of panic after what happened.

“Okay, here we go.” Doc turns the screen so we can all see as he points to a speck of grey. “There’s your little one.”

It feels like everyone is holding their breath—terrified and silent.

“And there’s the heartbeat. A very strong one too, for this stage of the pregnancy. Would you like to hear?”

“Yes,” Micah rushes out.

Fiddling with the machine, he flicks a few switches and moves the wand again. The sound of a rapidly fluttering heartbeat fills the room. My tears intensify, and I’m quickly sobbing again.

“It’s okay,” I weep, still clutching Killian’s hand. “I didn’t lose it again.”

Head lowered, he kisses my hand. “You’re okay.”

The twins crowd around us, both misty-eyed and sagging with relief. We all cling together in a tangle, their hands rubbing my back and smoothing hair from my tear-soaked face.

“I’ll give you guys a moment.” Doc retreats, smiling to himself as Albie follows him out.

“Thank you, Doc.”

“It’s a pleasure, Willow.”

Once we’re alone, Micah lifts my chin and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Breathe, angel. Our little one is okay. You’re okay.”

“I w-was so scared, Mi.”

Standing next to his brother, Zach kisses the top of my head and smooths my hair. “Everything is going to be alright now.”

“Zach,” Killian warns.

I know what he’s thinking. That’s a promise Zach can’t keep. We may be here again another week’s time, having the same conversation but with a different ending.

The sound of a phone ringing breaks the moment, and Zach fishes it from his pocket. He takes one look at the caller ID and frowns.

“It’s Lucas.”

“Don’t answer it,” Killian snarls.

Before he can hit the red button, I shout. “No, we need to know what’s been going on since the statement was released.”

“After what just happened?” Killian pins me with a glare. “You need to rest. No more stress.”

“Back off, Kill. I’ve been working towards this day for weeks. Give me the damn phone.”

Caught between us, Zach relents and passes the phone over. I accept the call and hold it to my ear, pulling the towel back over me to hide my bloodstained legs.

“Lucas?”

“Willow. I’m just calling with an update for you. The statement dropped half an hour ago, and we’re getting a positive reaction so far.”

“Positive?”

“The media is taking your claims very seriously.” Despite the good news, his voice sounds strained. “But that’s not the reason why I’m calling.”

I look around the room, meeting the eyes of each guy surrounding me. My family. My loves. I can face anything with them at my sides, holding me steady in the comfort of their love.

“It’s Dimitri Sanchez,” he continues grimly. “He’s responded.”