~The Binding~
Chapter
11
“Nobody is here, I promise.” Kevin punched the code
into the alarm system by the front door. Turning the knob,
the door didn’t open. Trying again he pushed more buttons, the
door still wouldn’t open. “Dammit,” Kevin growled as he tried
one more time. Turning the knob, he smiled, “The third time
is always a charm.”
“How the hell am I supposed to remember that code?
I need numbers I know.” Bron turned and looked behind her to
make sure Kaylin was still with her and had the diaper bag as
she entered the house.
Bron put her hand up in the air to command the two
dogs to stop immediately and sit before they were all flattened.
Both dogs were barking madly and their tails thumbing on the
floor wildly. Holding Cooper in her arms, she scratched each
dog and cooed to them like they were children.
Shaking his head Kevin watched, “Kaylin’s dogs my ass.
They are devoted to you.”
“They missed me,” Bron
snubbed him and whistled for the dogs to come closer.
Kevin didn’t say much. He had listened to her bitch
all the way back home. Most of it was caused because he refused
to fly home and alert everyone that they were coming home.
Instead, they drove home in a one of Nick’s cars. They had
just spent sixteen hours on the road with two little kids, make
that three, Andrew was just as bad as Kaylin.
Bending down he stretched his back out, just in time
to hear Bron scream and the dogs snarl. Kevin came up and went
into defense position only to have Billy laughing at him.
“You’re pretty slow Kev. I could’ve taken you by now.”
Kevin shook his head as he stared at Billy.
“I hate you!” Bron’s feet slammed into the stairs
as she went up them.
“Wedded bliss,” Billy winked, as he watched Bron with
the baby go up the stairs firing him shitty looks as she went.
Kaylin followed along with Andrew. Two dogs obediently fell
in line with the family and went up the stairs with them.
“Ya scared her,” Kevin winced; the pain in his knee
was unreal at this point.
“DADDY TUCK ME IN!” was yelled
from the top of the stairs. The words sent Billy into another
fit of laugher after hearing Kevin whimper like a child.
“Hey Daddy,” Carlos snickered
as he came around the corner from the dining room.
Kevin glared at Carlos and Billy,
“I won’t ask how the hell you got in here with the dogs and
all.” Glancing to his watch it read nine in the evening. “Put
some coffee on and I’ll be down in a minute. I have to put
her to bed and take a quick shower.”
“You mean both of you will be
down in a minute.” Billy stared intently back at Kevin.
“Nope, the wife is going to bed
Bill. She’s tired and bitchy. It wasn’t an easy ride with
two kids. I had to listen to N’SYNC and Britney to satisfy
a seven year old. Bron is going to get some sleep, she gets
up in the middle of the night.”
Carlos’s brows crooked down, “I
thought you said Cooper was on a bottle now. You could get
up and help.”
Kevin’s lips pursed together,
“I do get up.” Kevin left them standing there as he dragged
his weary bones upstairs for a good night kiss, a hot shower,
and he was almost positive a verbal beat down from his wife.
After tucking Kaylin in and getting
his kiss, he walked into the bedroom, stubbed his toes on a
suitcase, bitched about it, and headed to the shower. Kevin
cleared his head as he showered. He went over everything he
wanted to tell them and he was going to tell them everything.
He was fighting for everything to make sense; eventually he
gave up maybe two clear heads that were not directly attached
to the situation could come up with something.
Bron came in to change as he dried
off from his shower. He sensed her mood and state of mind and
opted to speak before she did. It was in her eyes, they seemed
so tired and confused. “I’ll go down and talk to them tonight.
They want to talk to you, but I told them you would be too
tired and that you needed to sleep.” Kevin could see how tense
Bron was as she stood there. “Go get some sleep, Cooper will
be up to eat again soon.”
“I just don’t want to get into it with them tonight.”
“I understand,” Kevin paraded
around the bedroom in his birthday suit looking for some clothes.
“Too bad they are downstairs,”
Bron muttered as she went to his dresser and pulled out a pair
of boxers and then to the closet for a pair of sweats.
Climbing into bed, she watched
him put some things away, pick up some clothes, and hang his
coat up. Inside she smiled; he was stalling, waiting for her
to go to bed. “Can you tuck me in,” she smiled with a slight
laugh in her voice.
“Oh I’d love too,” as he made
his way over to the bed. Going up one step, he sat on the edge
of the bed. “Night-night princess.”
“Oh night-night… Prince. Sorry,
I can’t call you Daddy, it kills the thought I was having.”
Leaning down, Kevin brushed his
lips against hers, “Hold that thought for later. Maybe if you’re
not too tired, I’ll kiss you again.”
“Oh Sleeping Beauty, I like that
one.” Bron grinned.
“Goodnight wife,” Kevin kissed her again, this time
on her forehead.
“Such a chaste kiss,” Bron shot him a smirk.
“Anymore than a chaste kiss and
I won’t get downstairs and I know those two, they would come
up here.” Kevin’s hand rested on her arm as his fingers lightly
touched and rubbed her skin.
Yawning Bron pulled the covers over her shoulder,
“Not good.”
“No, not good,” Kevin turned the
light off and shut the door. “That definitely would not be
good.”
Kevin met Carlos and Billy downstairs
in the kitchen. The dogs traipsed after him wanting attention.
Justin plunked his butt down next to Kevin’s chair and waited
while Brit shadowed Kevin around the kitchen.
“I like your dogs, I thought they were going to eat
me until Carlos said something to them.”
Carlos was wearing a cheesy grin,
“Your wife taught me their commands. Gaelic, who would have
known.”
Kevin had mixed feelings that
Carlos knew about this. It was something that only Bron and
he knew about. It was her idea from the beginning; she had
seen a show about guard dogs and how they were taught in a different
language so that the average person couldn’t command them with
a familiar word. “Funny thing about that, I didn’t think it
would make a difference.”
“Well, we went over what you sent
us and here is what we are going to do.” Billy handed Kevin
a coffee cup as they began to go over the information that Billy
had.
Kevin answered every question
honestly. After an hour of review, they began to work on the
list. Kevin felt good that they had come up with the same names
as he had except for one. Andrew’s name was scrawled across
the pad. Kevin drew a line through it. “He’s out. I know
that for sure.”
Billy looked at Carlos and then
back to Kevin, “No you don’t. You don’t know anything for sure.”
“I’m telling you it’s not my step
son so take his name off the list now!” Kevin shouted loudly,
loud enough to bring attention to the kitchen.
Andrew stood in the doorway, “It’s cool Kev, they
are just doing what you hired them to do, protect your family.”
“And you are part of this family
and they will protect you also.” Kevin wasn’t budging from
this demand.
Without a second thought, Carlos
crossed Andrew’s name off the list. There were times when Kevin
was adamant about something it wasn’t worth the fight. This
was one of those times.
Kevin, true to his own nature,
waited for the name to be crossed off. “Now instead of implicating
him in terrorizing his mother, I suggest you ask him some questions.”
Andrew looked at the security
team and smirked, “So this is what you came up with for security?”
Andrew was a little steamed that Backstreet bodyguards were
going to be watching his mother and their family. He had his
own version of security tucked in the waistband of the back
of his jeans.
“I could always get Webster,” Kevin cracked as he
sipped another cup of coffee.
“Good point,” Andrew reached behind
his back only to have Carlos flatten him to the floor on his
stomach. Carlos pulled a 10mm Glock out of Andrew’s hand.
Kevin backed up and nearly jumped
from the table. “Get that damn thing out of this house. Where
the hell did you get that?” Kevin wanted to scream but couldn’t
because he knew that Cooper and Kaylin would hear him even if
Bron couldn’t.
Carlos shook his head as he picked
Andrew up off the floor by the scruff of the neck. “I can almost
bet Bron doesn’t know about this little toy. Does she Andrew?”
Carlos unloaded the weapon completely
while Billy stood and stared at the kid. Carlos clicked the
safety on and handed it to Kevin. Kevin didn’t want any part
of it and pushed it back towards Carlos. “Where the hell did
you get that?”
“I found it…” Andrew looked at
the floor. Now he knew he had screwed up. He didn’t think
that he would get caught with it, at least not that fast. Maybe
the Backstreet security wasn’t as lame as he thought it was.
“You didn’t have that when you
came in the house. You didn’t get it from upstairs. Where
did you get it?” Billy was playing tough guy with the kid but
he didn’t have a choice, he was just a kid.
“The barn, okay. It was in the
barn, it’s Mom’s.”
Kevin choked on his coffee as
it spewed out of his mouth. “Your Mother’s?” he wheezed.
“She’s never used it. She locked
it up in the bottom of the gun cabinet. My brother gave it
to her after… he promised to show her how to use it. She flipped
out and then locked it away.”
Carlos took the pistol and walked
out the back door. “I’ll take care of this and any other inventory
too.”
“Thanks for scaring the daylights
out of me boy,” Kevin cleaned the mess up that he had made on
the table. “Please, nothing more than a hunting rifle okay?
I know you are upset, we all are, we will get this settled.”
Andrew’s eyes misted and Billy
looked at the kid. The only other 18 year old he had seen cry
was Nick. Pulling a chair out, he pointed at it. “Now you
can do the right thing for everyone. You are going to sit down
and go over all these notes with us again and maybe you can
add to it for us. We also need as much background as you can
gives us on the people in your Mom’s life.”
It was two in the morning before
Kevin said that he was beat and couldn’t think anymore. Thanks
to Andrew, they had more information than they probably needed.
Billy and Carlos would stick around for a few days to see if
anything happened or a letter came. Other than that, it would
be a game of cat and mouse. They would have to wait and see
if somebody would make a move.
Kevin crawled into bed thinking
that maybe he should just go to the police with what he had
but he knew that everything would come out in the open if they
did. Most likely Bron’s trial would be delayed because of everything
going on. Christmas was less than two weeks away and he wasn’t
going to ruin his first family Christmas with his new family.
He had grand plans for Christmas and it eased his mind as he
drifted to sleep.
The wail of a hungry infant woke him an hour later.
Bron was so tired that she didn’t wake up. She had had a rough
day and Cooper was cranky for most of it on the way home. All
day he would either eat or cry on the drive home. It had been
a long night as well. It had been taking Cooper longer than
normal to nurse. Kevin assumed it was because they were separated
and he was used to the bottle. Kevin laughed as they made a
pit stop by the road, “Main course for a half hour, dessert
for fifteen minutes.” The remark earned him a smack in the
head from his wife.
Kevin had cussed and grumbled as he stumbled to his
son’s bassinet that had been placed in their room. Kevin had
moved the bassinet in their room the day Bron had come home
from the hospital. With an unplanned Cesarean Section as his
excuse, the less Bron was on her feet, the better.
Infants didn’t care whether their parents slept. Bron
wasn’t budging due to exhaustion. Kevin scooped him out of
his bed, “Boy, you eat like a man.” Changing Cooper’s diaper,
he carried his son over to the bed. The lamp on the night table
was set on low.
Looking at his wife, he could see the dark circles
under her eyes, “I think we are on our own, but Houston, we
have a problem, she has all the equipment. I could go make
a bottle but I’m too lazy. Besides why eat reheats, when you
can have fresh.”
Cooper began to get louder and louder with his crying.
Kevin reached over to the rocker that was now placed on his
side of the bedroom. The rocker was another piece of furniture
that he had moved into the room. Kevin would get up whenever
Bron did and talk to her while Cooper ate. It was his way of
feeling bonded to his son; technically at the time, he couldn’t
feed him because they had sworn off the bottle for the first
few weeks. After that, Bron would pump and Cooper could have
bottles when Bron wasn’t home or was busy. At night she would
nurse him because she was home.
“Alright, alright,” Kevin placed his son on the special
pillow. “I love this Boppy thing,” Kevin pushed the pillow
towards his wife. “If we’re lucky, she won’t move or wake up.
I should just go make a bottle for you but I’m tired.” Kevin
was now whispering since Cooper had stopped crying and was listening
to his father speaking. Kevin’s voice seemed to sooth the baby
on many occasions.
“Mom wears these special nightgowns, just for you.”
Kevin looked down at the bright-eyed baby looking back him.
Kevin smiled even wider when his son seemed to be smiling back
at him. Cooper had a head of coal black hair that was just
as wild as his father’s, only much thicker, like his mom’s.
Kevin winked at him, “I kinda like ’em myself. I get to peek
at the good stuff too.”
Bron lay on her side and never moved as Kevin’s hand
slid into her gown. Giving a small squeeze for his benefit,
not just Cooper’s he laughed, “Don’t tell her I was copin’ a
feel. She’ll beat me up. Besides, I have to get you started,”
Kevin moved his son’s head to his wife’s breast and Cooper latched
on and began to suckle. “There you go buddy.”
Kevin spoke to him and stroked his little head as he
nursed. “Dessert might be a problem, maybe we can wake her
up then.”
Bron lay motionless, trying to keep the smile that
she had in her heart contained. Kevin was an excellent father
to all of her children.
“Ya know Coop,” Kevin let his fingers rub his son’s
back as he lay next to him on the bed. “These milk machines
of yours’ are only on temporary loan to you. They aren’t yours,
they’re mine. You need to understand that up front buddy.
I love you and all, but I will not share them indefinitely with
you. Those babies are mine along with the rest of her.”
Bron laughed loudly, loud enough to startle the baby.
“I can’t believe you just told your son that.”
“Hell, shut up and go back to sleep. We’re bondin’
here.” Kevin’s laugh matched hers.
“Okay boss, you let me know when dessert is okay?”
Bron closed her eyes for a few winks until Kevin woke her up
to nurse on the other side.
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This page © 2001 - 2007 Bronwyn
All Rights Reserved
This is a work of fiction.
The characters and events portrayed are fictitious.
Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
Used with Permission
No part of this text may be copied or reprinted
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