Chapter Twenty-Five

Madelyn

“No!” Madelyn suddenly screamed, yanking at the tubes and wires that were running up and down her arms.

Her nails clawed at her arms, attempting to dislodge the small, plastic tube that had wormed its way into her skin, while her other hand went to the one on her face that was trying to climb up her nose. At the same time, she kicked her legs widely to get the heavy piece of cloth off of them. She felt restrained, confined, and it only made her panic increase. Even the steady beeping up by her head was beginning to speed up.

“Whoa, it’s okay, Madelyn,” the oddly familiar voice said as a pair of hands gently grasped her flailing legs. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

A second, larger pair of hands circled both of her wrists and pinned them down by her hips.

Madelyn blinked a few times, and the room she was in finally came into focus. She wasn’t still in the refrigerator as she originally thought. Instead, she was in a hospital room. The beeping was coming from the heart rate monitor. The tube she had torn out of her arm had been an IV and was now weeping blood down her arm, and she had a nasal cannula on her face providing her with a steady stream of oxygen.

Melanie was at the foot of the hospital bed, her hands on Madelyn’s shins. She had dark circles under her eyes, messy hair, and wore disheveled clothes, but she was smiling at her with tears in her eyes.

“Breathe for me, little dove,” a deep voice said from right beside her. Her gaze snapped to him as he released her wrists and placed a warm, calloused hand on the side of her face. “You gotta remember to breathe.”

Licking her lips, Madelyn sucked in a deep, shaky breath. Her whole body ached, and it felt like she had been hit by a freight train, especially in her chest. If she was being honest, she felt like she had a couple of cracked ribs, though she didn’t remember how she had gotten them.

As she looked between Melanie and Xavier, she discovered that she didn’t want to believe that any of this was real because she feared that it was all just in her head. She was afraid it was some kind of death dream and that, when she woke up, she would still be inside that refrigerator, taking her last breaths. Or, maybe she was already dead.

Madelyn had never been more afraid in her life than when she was locked inside that refrigerator. It had been so dark and quiet that it nearly drove her mad. She remembered how the air began to thin and how hard it was to catch her breath and keep her eyes open. She had fought hard to stay awake, but sleep had taken her against her will, which was the last thing she remembered.

“Good girl,” Xavier soothed after she did what she was told. “Take another deep breath for me.”

With her eyes locked on his, she breathed again, and some of the panic finally began to dissipate. It was then that she realized that his arm was in a sling. The left side of his zip-up hoodie was only draped over his shoulder, and a fresh bandage was adhered to his skin.

“You’re hurt,” she croaked, her voice sounding weak and pitiful.

Xavier smirked. “I’ve had worse. It’s just a scratch.”

Melanie snorted then, drawing Madelyn’s attention. “You’re here,” Madelyn said after a while. “You’re both here.”

“Of course I’m here,” Melanie replied. “My best friend gets kidnapped by a psycho and buried alive while her stalker boyfriend sets out on a quest to get her back and crush everyone in his way? You can bet your ass I’m going to be there.”

Madelyn laughed softly as tears formed in her eyes. The last time she had seen Melanie, she was screaming at her and calling her crazy for falling for her stalker. It appeared as though all of that had been forgotten, at least, for the moment.

“And there is not a single fucking place I’d rather be than right here with you,” Xavier added as he splayed his hand across her abdomen. “And our baby.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and the machine monitoring her heart rate betrayed it. “You know.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“How?”

He jutted his chin toward Melanie, which caused her brows to furrow. “And how did you find out?” she asked her friend.

“We found your purse in the parking lot of the clinic. It had your test results and prenatals inside,” Melanie answered, moving from the foot of the bed to the other side. “And I don’t want you to worry. The doctor already said that everything looks good and the baby is fine.”

“And C-Colby?” she asked, her voice cracking. “What about him?”

While she was beyond grateful that her baby was okay, it wouldn’t matter if Colby was still out there. He would never stop coming for them and would always be a threat to them and their child.

“Hey,” Xavier whispered. He pinched her chin between his fingers and pulled her attention to him. “You don’t have to worry about him anymore, okay? He’s gone.”

“Really?”

Relief flooded her system as Xavier nodded and pressed his lips against hers before gathering her gently into his arms. “I love you, little dove. And I am so relieved that you are okay.”

“I love you too,” she whispered, a few more tears falling from her eyes.

“Oh, gag,” Melanie teased softly, even though she seemed to be tearing up.

It seemed too good to be true; all of it did. It was hard to believe her fight with Melanie was over. She and Xavier were okay, Colby was gone, and both she and the baby were alive and well.

“In all seriousness though,” Melanie began, causing Xavier to release her, “I’m sorry about before. I didn’t know what was going on. I had no idea that you guys were fated mates, and I feel terrible about how we left things. Then you got taken, and I was afraid that something bad was going to happen to you, with you thinking I hated you.”

“I never thought you hated me,” she admitted. “I just… hang on, how do you know that Xavier and I are fated mates?”

“I told her,” Xavier said with a grin. “I was trying to convince her to stay away from Colby, but all it did was make her more determined.”

“So, she knows that?—”

“That the two of you are soulmates, that Xavier is a shifter, and that you are most likely carrying a shifter baby? Yup. I’ve been filled in on all the details,” Melanie interjected. “It’s a lot to get my head around, but I’m getting there. He seems to be completely devoted to loving you and keeping you safe, so we are good. For now.”

“Appreciate it,” Xavier chuckled.

Madelyn shook her head in disbelief but couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Her best friend and boyfriend were getting along. She never thought she’d see the day.

Taking a moment to get a look around the room, she realized that many of the flat surfaces were full of flowers, stuffed animals, and balloons. It almost looked like a gift shop, given how many there were in such a small, confined space.

Following her gaze, Melanie smiled at her. “From everyone at the station,” she told her. “They send their love and want you to get better soon.”

“And I’d like to add a few more from the Cortez family,” an unfamiliar, female voice said from by the door. “If you don’t mind.”

Madelyn looked over to see a gorgeous redhead stepping inside the room. She was wearing a pair of ridiculously tight jeans, a black shirt, boots, and a black leather jacket. In one arm, she was holding a huge basket full of all kinds of things, and in the other, she held a small gift bag and a stuffed wolf.

Xavier was on his feet in an instant, positioning himself between her and the newcomer. “What are you doing here, Isabelle?” he growled in warning.

Madelyn blanched. This was the woman Xavier hooked up with?

“Oh, relax, Xavier. I come in peace,” Isabelle stated, brushing him off. “You know I had to come meet the girl who stole your heart. And I brought gifts.”

Isabelle rounded the bed, all three of them staring after her in both surprise and disbelief. She set the basket in one of the chairs that wasn’t being used before turning back to face her. If Madelyn didn’t know any better, she would say that Isabelle appeared to be a little nervous.

“It’s nothing too crazy,” Isabelle rambled on. “It’s just some skin and hair care products, a couple of different kinds of coffee, and some chocolate of course. Because you can never go wrong with chocolate. And these,” she held up the stuffed wolf and small gift bag. “Are for the little one.”

Madelyn hesitantly took the gift bag and opened it. Despite her confusion about meeting Isabelle for the first time and seeing how gorgeous she was, a smile spread across her lips when she saw what was inside. It was a tiny black hoodie just like the ones Xavier always wore.

“I figured the kid was probably going to be a lot like its father,” Isabelle commented. “But if you don’t like it?—”

“It’s perfect,” Madelyn interjected.

Melanie laughed. “Yeah, it kind of is.”

“Thank you, Isabelle. You didn’t have to do this.”

“I know that you and I got off on the wrong foot,” Isabelle replied. “I knew what you thought when you called that day, and I didn’t bother correcting you. For that, I’m sorry. But the fact of the matter is Xavier is family, whether he wants to be or not, which means that you and this baby are too. And we take care of family.”

“So, I take it your father knows we worked together to take down Colby and rescue Madelyn?” Xavier asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Isabelle smiled. “You know there’s no keeping anything from him. He knows everything. He also said to give you this along with his congratulations on the newest member of your family.” She then pulled a letter out of her back pocket and passed it over to Xavier.

Madelyn didn’t know how she felt about Xavier’s old boss being so informed about her life. Melanie even met her gaze and lifted an eyebrow in question.

While Xavier read the letter he had been given, Isabelle stepped up to the side of the bed. “You’re good for him, Madelyn. You change him for the better, and I am really happy for the two of you.”

“You are?” Madelyn asked, unable to stop herself.

The redhead nodded. “Really. Take care of him, yeah?”

“I will,” she promised.

Isabelle patted her leg and quickly took her leave.

Once she was gone, Melanie blew out a breath and ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, that wasn’t weird or anything.”

Madelyn laughed weakly. “My life has seemingly become all sorts of weird lately.”

“And, it just got weirder,” Xavier added, passing her the letter. “Rodrigo set up a trust fund for the baby and gave us a shit-ton of money. He said he wants to make sure we are taken care of. He also said that he and the rest of the family will make sure that we are safe to live out the rest of our lives in peace and that, if we ever need anything, not to hesitate to give them a call.”

That really threw her for a loop. From what Xavier had said previously, once someone left the family, that was it. They were completely cut off. She suspected that Rodrigo saw Xavier as more of a son than he realized. It was the only explanation she had for what the guy had done for them.

When Colby had locked her in that refrigerator, Madelyn thought her life was over. She never expected to be saved, nor did she expect any of this. It was everything she had ever wanted but never thought she’d have. She had not had the best start to her life, but things were finally looking up. Her life was changing for the better, and that was all thanks to her stalker, the man she had grown to love, and her best friend, who stuck by her side, no matter what. Without the two of them, she and her baby wouldn’t be alive.

Madelyn no longer saw darkness around every corner and now knew what true hope and happiness felt like. It was a feeling she was going to cherish for the rest of her long life.