Chapter 39

McKenzie

Isuck in a breath, my eyes getting used to the dark. I glance over at Nix to make sure he's still asleep. Rolling over, I face the opposite wall and begin to dissect everything I just remembered. I was under the impression the things I forgot were related to Phoenix.

I can't believe I forgot that. Maybe I chose to forget it. It seems my dad had a plan. Did he use me? Did he really trust Dick and didn't realize he would turn on him? Why would he tell me to stay close to Phoenix? Was he hoping he would buy me all along? I have to speak to my dad.

I try to force myself to go back to sleep, but my mind won't stop. So, I finally get up and walk downstairs. I made some chocolate chip cookies yesterday when we got home. I needed to do something normal. I'm guessing that, along with what Alice revealed, is what triggered these memories to return.

Grabbing a few cookies, I pour a small glass of milk and sit at the island eating them and think back to high school. Small memories begin to trickle in. I squeeze my eyes shut, my head hurting slightly from all the new memories. I was always so shy, but I knew Nix had a soft spot for me. He always says I was oblivious, but I wasn't. My dad told me to get close to him, but I didn't have to. Phoenix was always around, and I loved it. I fell for him. He treated me the way my mother always said the man I fell for would treat me.

He sat with me in the library, walked me to classes, and allowed me to be me. In the beginning, I considered joining the cheerleading squad, but I couldn't. I'm not coordinated enough or extroverted enough. At first I thought that was the only answer to getting close to him, but he was my tour guide on that first day and every day after that, he was always around. Phoenix helped me become comfortable in my skin, so eventually I didn't care what anyone else thought of me.

I close my eyes and let out a long breath. I have to tell him what I remembered. "What will he think?" I whisper.

"Who?" Nix says behind me.

I take a deep breath and turn around to face him. He's standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking sexy as hell in his pajama pants. He walks into the kitchen and I stare as his muscles flex.

"You," I admit. Might as well go ahead and get this over with.

He tilts his head at me. "What will I think about what?"

I close my eyes. "I had a memory." He stops in front of me, placing his hands on my knees as he spreads them and steps between my legs.

"Tell me," he murmurs. I swallow, take a deep breath, and tell him everything.

Phoenix

After McKenzie tells me everything, I take a deep breath and step away from her. I have the same questions McKenzie does.

Did her father use her? Was he really telling the truth that night about Dick? Did he really think I'd keep her safe knowing who my mother was? And if he did, why did he think that?

It seems Marcus was a lot smarter than I gave him credit for. I always had this feeling my dad was never smart enough to outsmart Marcus. He also never seemed to have the courage to go directly for Marcus. If I ever find out Marcus used his daughter, I might kill him too. I pause at that line of thinking. Would I have done the same thing if the roles were reversed?

If McKenzie told me specifically she didn't want our child going to Brighton, I would have found another way. But from the stories she's told me of growing up, it doesn't surprise me.

"I swear I didn't know, Nix," Kenz whispers.

I take a deep breath and step toward her. "I believe you, love. And even if you did, it wouldn't change anything. I will always love you."

Her shoulders slump in relief. "We need to call my father. I don't understand why he hasn't come around all these years. Why hasn't he tried to find out what's happening? It doesn't make sense."

I huff and shake my head. "Because he knew I'd never let anything happen to you. He knew I'd keep you safe, even against my mother." I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my arms. I don't know why he had so much confidence in me, but he did. Maybe even more so than my own father. "We'll go find him tomorrow," I promise her.

The next day, I get Rex and Jason to find Marcus. They find him in a few hours at the docks, as expected. I let McKenzie know, and she's ready within thirty minutes so we can leave. Anna meets us at the door as we're leaving and gives McKenzie a hug.

"Good luck," she whispers.

I told McKenzie to wear something comfortable. She stops at the sight of my motorcycle and her mouth breaks out into a huge smile.

"We're taking your bike?" I nod and hand her the helmet. She puts it on and I make sure it's on correctly before grabbing mine and putting it on. I climb on and she climbs on behind me. "Have I ever been on this bike before?" she asks through the headpiece in our helmets.

"You have." I grab her thigh and pull her closer. She wraps her hands around my waist and I soak in her closeness for a moment before starting the bike and heading down the driveway. "We've even fucked on it."

She rocks against me. "Nix," she moans, and I chuckle.

"Since you can't remember it, I'll have to remind you later." I'm sure she'll get all her memories back eventually. Now that things have settled down, I'm going to make weekly appointments with Dr. Pearl to help McKenzie. We can finally focus on ourselves and move forward.

I enjoy the ride with her arms wrapped around me, and she points out things she sees during the trip. When we get to the port, Rex and Jason are waiting. I park the bike and help McKenzie off. She grabs my hand and clutches it. She hasn't seen her father since I bought her. That's been four years now.

We greet Rex and Jason and they lead us inside the gate. Marcus is standing there leaning against a forklift, waiting for his daughter. McKenzie stops as she takes him in. He looks the same, maybe a few more gray hairs, but the same as he did four years ago. He pushes away from the forklift when he sees his daughter. His mouth tips into a smile. McKenzie releases my hand and claps her hands.

"Daddy!"

It takes everything in me to stay rooted where I'm at and allow her to run to him. Until I hear his side of the story, I'm not sure I can trust him. Will I be able to trust him even after I hear his side of the story? I wonder if James, the security Kenz told me about, still works for him. Maybe I can talk to him and make sure their stories align. She runs into his arms and he wraps her up, holding her tight. My throat grows tight, a little envious of their display.

She had the parents I always wanted. Marcus pushes her away for a moment to look at her, then pulls her into another hug. When he does, his gaze catches mine. He waves at me. "Come here, son."

I walk toward the two of them, wondering what he's going to say and do. I stop in front of them and he offers me a smile. "McKenzie says she remembers," he says.

I tilt my head at him. How did he know she lost her memory?

"Larry and I are very good friends," he answers my unasked question. McKenzie pushes back from him and gapes at him. I'm sure my facial expression looks the same as hers. "I'm sorry, but I had to find a way to keep track of you two. When McKenzie wound up at his house all those months ago, he told me. He also told me how possessive and protective you are of Kenz." He slaps a hand on my shoulder. "I knew you'd take care of her."

He chuckles as Kenz steps back and stands next to me. I wrap my arm around her waist. "I knew Richard, or Dick, as you called him, was on your mother's payroll. I took a huge risk allowing him to bid on McKenzie. I was prepared to kill him if he wound up winning the bid that night, but I knew when you started bidding, he wouldn't win."

"Dad, you came downstairs and watched." McKenzie sounds disgusted.

"I didn't watch. I was in the room, yes, but I promise I didn't watch. I followed you two to the parking lot to make it look believable. Kenz, I'm so sorry for deceiving you, but it was the only way."

"How did you know I would protect her?" I ask.

"Because Richard told me how much you were around her. He even told me once he couldn't believe you allowed her to have a boyfriend." He glances between the two of us. "McKenzie and I wrote to each other, and she talked about you a lot. She said she didn't have to try to get close to you, that it just kind of happened. So, I knew." He chuckles. "Admittedly, I didn't know you two would get married. I do hate that I missed that."

McKenzie and I share a look. So he doesn't know everything. I try to communicate with her through a look that it's up to her if she tells him or not, but she shakes her head lightly.

McKenzie huffs. "I don't remember everything. I forgot you told me to get close to Phoenix." She pulls her lips between her teeth. "And I don't remember the letters." I think back to the day Anna gave her the letter and how sad McKenzie looked. Does she remember that day?

Marcus gives her a sad smile. "Maybe the accident altered your memories." He glances at me, then back at her. "Maybe someone can help."

McKenzie and I share another look realizing he thinks she lost her memories because of an accident. "Nix called Dr. Pearl. I'll start seeing her next week to help."

"That's good, Kenz. That's good," Marcus says. He looks at me and claps me on the bicep. "How are you doing? I know everything that's happened over the past several weeks. I know you might still hate me, but I'm here if you need me."

"I need some answers," I admit. I have to know what all he was planning before I'll be able to trust him.

"I know you do." He looks between the two of us. "I am sorry I deceived you. In the end, I never found Alice. As hard as I tried. I'm sorry you had to kill her."

I take a deep breath and nod. Maybe he'll turn out to be more of a parent to me than both of mine were.