Chapter 6

6

Tyrion

T hen

“Where could she be?” I said aloud as I paced back and forth with Summer Rose in my arms.

It had been three hours since Evenie left for the grocery store, and she should have been back by now. I’d called her phone, and it went straight to voicemail. I tried checking her location and got nothing. Panic was setting in. This wasn’t like her at all. Evenie was the most responsible and punctual person I knew.

If she said she was going somewhere, that’s where she went. If she gave a timeframe, she stuck to that. When she couldn’t stick to it, she would always communicate the problem. That’s how I knew something was wrong.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed my mother-in-law’s number. Maybe she’s stopped by there or something.

“Hey, Tyrion.”

“Hey, Ma. Have you seen or heard from Evenie?”

“No. Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know. She left here three hours ago to go to the grocery store, and she hasn’t made it back yet. She’s not answering her phone, and I can’t pin her location.”

“Maybe her phone died, or she made another stop—”

“Nah, Ma. That’s not like her. She would have sent a text or something. She definitely would have checked in on Summer Rose by now. You know how much she loves her.”

“I know, baby. How about I try calling her?”

I sighed. “Fine.”

“David, bring me your phone,” she called to my father-in-law.

“What’s going on?” I heard him ask.

“Tyrion can’t get ahold of Evenie, and he’s worried. Hold on a second, baby.”

A few seconds passed before I could hear the sound of the phone ringing on the other end. It just rang and rang, but she never picked up.

“Do you know what store she was going to, Tyrion?” Mama Cheryl asked.

“She usually goes to The Village Market over on—”

The sound of my doorbell ringing caused me to stop mid-sentence. It wasn’t a regular, somebody’s at the door type of ring. A chill ran up my spine as I noticed the red and blue lights flashing through the curtains.

I swallowed hard. “Ma… the police are here.”

“W-what?”

I slowly approached the door and unlocked it before opening it. There stood two officers. Both of them removed their hats.

“Are you Tyrion Lewis?”

I nodded. “I am.”

“I’m Officer James, and this is Officer Bond. I’m afraid we have some bad news.”

That was when I noticed Evenie’s purse in his hand.

“Is it my wife? Please tell me she’s okay.”

“Unfortunately, sir, we can’t determine that at this time. Your wife was in a car accident. Looks like she ran off the road and crashed into some trees. We have rescuers searching the area for her, but so far, they’ve come up empty.”

I heard Mama Cheryl scream in the phone followed by anguished cries that pierced my ears. Mr. David attempted to calm her down and figure out what was wrong.

“Come up empty?” I parroted. “She has to be out there. Maybe someone helped her. Have you checked the hospitals?”

“Yes, sir. No reports of her or a Jane Doe coming in. They’ve been instructed to contact us if she shows up.”

I clutched my baby girl to my chest as the word “if” sank in. What happened to my wife, and where the hell was she?

Now

I sat at my desk going through paperwork, with music playing softly in the background. I managed to make it to work with five minutes to spare, considering the fact that I overslept. I had a meeting in about an hour, and I needed to ensure I was fully prepared. For the last nine years, I’d been working as a portfolio manager at a private bank.

I liked the job, mostly because I loved numbers. I could do them in my sleep. I made great money, and if I needed to, I could work from home if I needed to be with my baby girl. Where most people would stress over the challenges, I thrived.

The sound of my phone ringing broke my concentration. I frowned at the unfamiliar number before answering the call.

“Hello?”

“Is this Tyrion Lewis?”

“That depends on who is asking.”

“I’m Officer Hilbert of the Cayman County Police. Is Evenie Lewis your wife?”

I froze. While Evenie was still considered a missing person, I hadn’t had any contact with the police about her case in a long time.

“Yes,” I answered faintly.

“I’m happy to report that she’s been found safely.”

My ears had to have been playing tricks on me. Did she just say that?

“I’m sorry… what? Repeat that.”

“She’s been found, Mr. Lewis. She’s here at the police station.”

“Are you sure it’s her? This isn’t some sick joke, is it?”

“I assure you, it’s not.”

“I—I um… I need to hear her voice.”

“Of course. If you hold on one second, I’ll get her.”

“Okay.”

I sat frozen as the hold music played in my ear. Evenie was alive? She’d been found? For so long, I’d waited to hear those words, and now that I had, I couldn’t believe them. My soul never believed that she was gone. I talked to her sometimes, and it never felt like I was talking to a ghost. I never got any sign of her presence, but I also never felt the void of her spirit.

My grandfather told me when he lost my grandmother that he felt like part of him was gone forever. He said he physically felt that she was no longer a part of him. Now, I wouldn’t say that was the same for everybody, but my pops was a wise old man. If he said he felt that, I believed him.

After what felt like an eternity, the music cut off. I closed my eyes, preparing for the next thing I heard to be the voice of my wife.

“Tyrion?” she whispered.

Somehow, I forgot to breathe. Hearing her voice again was like hearing it for the first time. She’d been a shy sixteen-year-old girl, and I was completely smitten.

“Tyrion?” she said, a little louder.

I forced down the lump in my throat. “Evenie… is that really you?”

“It’s really me.”

I broke into tears, releasing the ugliest audible cry. I was a man, but I was human as well. If one hadn’t felt that pain of not knowing if the person they loved was dead or alive, they would never understand what I was feeling. I was in shock and disbelief at this very moment.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment,” I declared through my tears. “Oh God, I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too. I thought about you and Summer Rose every single day.”

I couldn’t get my questions out fast enough. “How are you? Are you hurt? What happened to you? Wait! Don’t answer. I’m on my way. I’m leaving the office right now. Just wait for me.”

I was so busy trying to gather my things as I spoke to her that my feet were moving in different directions. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor behind my desk.

I groaned as I pulled myself to my feet. “Shit!”

“What happened?” Evenie asked, her voice full of concern.

“I tripped over my own two feet.”

She giggled, and it was music to my ears.

“Damn, I’ve missed your laugh,” I confessed.

“I’ve missed watching you fall over random things.”

I chuckled. “I’m still just as clumsy as I’ve always been.”

“Please be careful on the road, Tyrion.”

“Say my name again.”

“Tyrion.”

Damn, that made my heart flutter. “I can’t wait to see you.”

“I can’t wait to see you, either. Be safe. I’ll be right here.”

“I’m getting in the car now. I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“Okay.”

“Ev?”

“Yes?”

I was quiet for a moment before the words just came out. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

We disconnected the call as I grabbed my bag and sprinted out of my office. I stopped by my boss’s office on my way out, not bothering to knock. His head jerked in my direction as a frown formed on his face.

“What’s the meaning of this, Tyrion?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Moore. I have an emergency. I have to leave.”

“What kind of an emergency? You have a meeting in less than an hour.”

“My wife… she’s been found.”

“Found? Is she…”

“She’s alive.”

“Well, don’t just stand there talking to me. Get out of here. Go on.”

I quickly closed his door and damn near sprinted through the building and out to the parking lot. Jumping in my car, I cranked up and plugged the Cayman County Police Station into my GPS before peeling out of the parking lot. I was driving for about fifteen minutes before I realized I was speeding and needed to slow my ass down.

My hands were sweaty.

My heart was racing.

My nerves were on a thousand.

Ten years. Ten long ass years I’d been waiting for this moment. I wasn’t sure what I would say or do when I saw Evenie. I knew for sure I needed to know everything that happened to her. If it was foul play, I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t react or vow to look for anybody involved. Somebody had to answer for this shit. People didn’t just go missing for ten years and pop back up like it was nothing.

The entire drive, I had to talk myself down. The more I thought about what could have happened to her, the angrier I became. I didn’t want that to be the first thing she saw when she saw me. I finally decided to put on my gospel playlist for the last thirty minutes. Maybe a little Jesus would lighten the mood.

I finally pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car. For a moment, I had to sit there, coming to terms with what was about to happen. The reunion I prayed for on so many nights was about to happen. After saying a quick prayer, I got out of the car and went inside. The building was pretty quiet, which came as no surprise, judging by the looks as I drove through.

Cayman was a small town. It was one of those places where everybody knew everybody and their business. There were probably generations of families all living in the same area. I stuck out like a sore thumb by the looks people were giving me as I walked up to the front desk.

“Good morning,” I said, greeting an older woman whose desk tag read Margret.

“Good morning, handsome. What can I do for you?”

“I’m here to pick up my wife.”

“Bail, bond, or—”

“No, no, ma’am. Nothing like that. She was brought in as a rescue. Her name is Evenie Lewis.”

“Ahhh! I got you. Give me a second to page Officer Hilbert. She’s the one that found your wife.”

I nodded as she picked up the phone. I turned away, looking around the room. Nervously, I rubbed my hands down my slacks. My palms were even sweatier now, and my tie felt like it was choking me. I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.

You got this. She’s your wife, and she needs you, I told myself.

“Mr. Lewis?”

My eyes flew open, and I turned to see Officer Hilbert approaching me with a smile.

“Good morning,” I spoke.

“Good morning. I can imagine you’re in shock right now.”

“Shocked is an understatement… How is she?”

“She’s good, anxious to see you. Come on, I’ll take you back.” She motioned for me to follow, but I stopped her.

“Wait,” I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face me. “I um… I need to know what happened to her before I go back there.”

She sighed as she pulled me off to the side. “She was kidnapped. The night she went to the grocery store, a man by the name of Leon Kane approached her, thinking she was his wife. Leon suffered from mental health issues. They got worse after watching his wife die in a car accident the day she left him. Mr. Lewis, your wife is a dead ringer for that woman. I could see how his mental made him think she was her. It’s no excuse, but it explains a hell of a lot.”

“Where is that son of a bitch now?”

“Dead. Mr. Kane died of a suspected heart attack this morning as he was going to deliver breakfast to your wife. She took the opportunity to take his truck and run. I found her wandering the road a few miles from his place.”

My fists clenched at my sides. That bastard was lucky that God got to him before I did.

“I’m ready,” I said after a beat.

She motioned for me to follow, and this time, I did. We turned a couple of corners before she came to a stop in front of a door. She knocked softly before turning the knob. The door opened in slow motion. There was Evenie, pacing back and forth in front of a window. She chewed her thumb nail, a nervous habit of hers. When she looked up and her eyes landed on mine, she froze, and so did I.

I had to take her in. Her once petite, five-foot-five frame now carried the curves and a little weight but also some muscle. The bob I remembered had been replaced with a head full of natural curls that framed her face. She was still as beautiful as I remembered. Those hazel eyes still captivated me. Those full lips reminded me of why kissing her was my favorite pastime.

“Tyrion,” she whispered.

We vacated our spots and met in the middle of the room, grabbing each other up in a tight hug. I heard the door close behind us, but all I could focus on was holding her. Her tears stained my suit as mine fell into her mass of curls as we clung to each other.

“I’m so happy you’re alive,” I whispered.

She pulled away from me and cupped my face. The beautiful smile I fell in love with spread across her face as she peered up at me.

“You’re still as handsome as I remember,” she said, fingering the beard I’d grown out. “A little older, but still handsome. I like the beard.”

I grinned as I fluffed her hair. “I like the curls.”

We stared at each other for a moment before she pulled my face to hers and kissed me. There was so much love… so much passion and longing in that kiss. It was a kiss I’d waited so many years to feel again.

“Please take me home,” she whispered when she pulled away.

Home… that was when it hit me.

Shit… I did have a fiancée. How did I forget that? Better yet, how the hell was I going to explain Iona to her and her to Iona?