What Would You Say?

She smiled widely at me as she tilted her head, playing with her necklace. “Well, I have a tracker, and Joey asked me to give you one too. And before you get angry, I am the only one who can track you. It’s not to control you, but to protect you. You can press it, and it will send out an alert. Within minutes, you will have an ambulance and the police at your location. Not only that, but the Morgan family has a lot of enemies. I’ve almost been kidnapped twice. It makes Joey feel better, so I’m okay wearing it. If it makes him happy, then it’s fine with me. But I understand if you decide not to wear your necklace. If you decide to continue to wear it, when you and Brennan get back together, I will turn over the tracking abilities to him,” she told me as her lips curled up in a sinister smile. “And we’ll make sure you can track him too if need be. I can track Joey. Dale and Ramira can track each other. It’s reassuring to all of us to know that our partners are safe.”

I sighed as I nodded. “I understand. You should have told me. I shouldn’t have had to find out like this.”

“You’re right, and I’m sorry, but I’m glad I didn’t. I found you at exactly the right moment.” She took both of my hands in hers. “I am so proud of you, Leah. You are amazing. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”

I sighed as I nodded. “I’ll try not to, but it’s hard. I was so scared. I don’t ever want to do this again.”

She laughed before patting my cheek. “You got your divorce, Leah. You never have to see him again. And if he ever approaches you again, we will handle it.” She tucked my hair behind my ear. “He won’t ever touch you again. That I promise you.”

“Thank you, Maddie.”

“Now, let’s go eat. I know if I’m hungry, you are too. What do you want to eat?”

“Are you sure you want me to choose?” I asked.

“Yeah! Whatever you want! We’re celebrating your freedom. My treat!” She gushed as she got back to her feet.

“I really want a stack of blueberry waffles that goes up to the ceiling with a pile of sausage links and bacon that is just as high,” I told her, making her burst out laughing.

“I got you. There’s a place that serves a breakfast buffet about half an hour away. I passed it on the way here. Follow me; I’ll show you where, and we can enjoy a long breakfast,” she ordered as she started to walk back to her car.

I turned back toward Kaden, pulling my feet back into the car. I smiled at him as I reached out to take his hand.

“Thank you for helping me, Kaden. It means a lot to me,” I whispered.

“Always, Leah,” he responded, raising my hand to kiss the back of it.

I leaned my head on his shoulder as he drove. “How are things going with Leisha?”

“Good. She’s amazing. Even more amazing than she was back then. And her son, Grayson, is just as perfect as she is. All I want to do is spend every second of the day with them! She let me join them at the park the other day, and Grayson was so happy! He showed me where his favorite spot in the park was, and you’ll never guess where it was.” Before I could say anything, he continued talking excitedly. “He took me to a bench where we could feed the ducks. He is such a happy little boy. Leisha really did a great job raising him. And when I see how she is with him, it makes me feel at peace. She loves him so much, and—I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I asked sadly. “For being happy?”

“I shouldn’t have bragged,” he answered.

“You weren’t bragging, Kaden. You are happy. I’m so glad that you’re happy. Out of everyone that I have met, you deserve to be happy more than anyone else. I’m glad you reunited with Leisha.”

“Thank you, Leah, for understanding what I needed more than I did.” He squeezed my hand. “Thank you for never giving me false hope. As much as it hurt in the process, I’m glad that our relationship is just friends. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to explain having someone to her.”

I let my eyes close to hide the tears in them. “Are you in love with her, Kaden?”

“Very much so. I think I’m going to ask her to marry me soon. I know it’s really quick, but it just feels right. When I’m with her, no one else is on my mind. When I’m not with her, I think about her all the time. When she looks at me, it’s like how you look at Brennan. It made me understand how much he means to you. It makes me realize that when it comes to Brennan, no one else will ever be good enough. It’s the same way with Leisha for me.”

“That’s great, Kaden.”

“I love you, Leah. I want you to know that. Even if I’m with Leisha, I will still be there for you,” he told me seriously.

“I love you too, Kaden, and thank you. You will always be my best friend.”

“Good to know; just do me a favor.”

“Sure, anything.”

“Don’t tell Maddie I’m your best friend. She might throat punch me, and knowing her, she wouldn’t even feel bad,” he said anxiously, making me giggle.

“I promise I won’t tell that badass that you’re my best friend.”

“Thanks, Leah.”

“Welcome.”

I finished the ride to the restaurant silently, listening to Kaden talk about Leisha and Grayson. It was nice to see him so happy. It almost cheered me up from the morning events. When we arrived at the restaurant, I hopped out of the car, bounding over to Maddie’s before she could get out. She looked up at me, shocked.

“What’s up, Leah?”

“Do you think you could call Brennan? I really just need to hear his voice,” I admitted.

She scanned my face slowly before nodding. “Get in.”

As soon as I was settled in the passenger seat, she had her car call Brennan. When he answered, my heart sped up.

“Hey, Maddie. Is Leah okay?” He asked the moment he answered, making me melt a little.

“Yes, she’s okay. I just wanted to check on you. How are you doing?” She inquired.

“I’m doing alright, I guess. I have a meeting tonight.”

“How are those going?”

“They are hard, but helping. It’s getting easier to talk about everything. Yesterday, I shared and didn’t break down. I actually smiled as I talked about my girls,” he told her.

“Do you think that you’ll be ready to talk to Leah about everything soon?” Maddie pressed.

“I have to go, Maddie. Thank you for calling.”

“Brennan, wait.”

“Yes?”

“If you could say anything to Leah right now, what would you say?”

He remained quiet for a moment before sighing. “I would tell her, thank you.”

“What would you thank her for?” Maddie asked.

“I would thank her for coming into my life and reminding me that life was worth living. I would thank her for caring about me in a way that no other woman has. I would thank her for being in my corner, even when I didn’t deserve for her to be.” He paused, and I knew he was trying to get his emotions under control based on his staggered breathing. “I would thank her for making me believe in romance again. I would thank her for giving me my hope back. And above everything else, I would thank her for being her, because she is everything good in this world.”

I looked away as I wiped a tear off my face, while Maddie took my hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Anything else?” Maddie inquired softly.

“I am not telling you anything else, Madison. The other things are not for me to tell you. Have a good night, Maddie, and when you see Leah next, give her a hug for me,” he requested.

“I will. Be safe, Brennan. And just so you know, I am very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Maddie.”

As she hung up, Maddie turned toward me to hug me tightly. “Do you feel better?”

“I do. Thank you.”

“Anytime, Leah. I told you that I’m here for you. One of these days you are even going to believe me,” she teased.

I giggled as I let her go. “I believe it more and more with each passing day.”

“Good. Now, if you don’t mind, me and my baby are ready to eat a horse. Can we please go in and stuff our faces like little piggies that haven’t eaten in a year?”

I nodded as I reached for the door handle as I agreed, “Let’s go pig out.”

I got out, followed by Maddie’s squeals as she mimicked a pig. “Oink, oink, oink.”