Two months later
Iwalked into the county jail to see Vickie, not because I wanted to, but because I needed to close the chapter of my life with her in it forever.
When they escorted her to the holding unit, I instantly saw that she looked like hell, hair pulled back in a bun and no makeup. It did not look like her stint in the clink had done her any kindnesses.
“Jacob.” Tears filled her eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, you look sorry,” I answered. “You couldn’t post bail and couldn’t find anyone to help you out with that either, it seems. Was it all worth it?”
“Was it worth it…” She repeated my words retrospectively, looking at her handcuffs. “Thanks to no one helping me with bail, I could be in here for years before my trial even starts, you know. All I wanted was to have you to myself again.”
“You never had me to yourself in the first place. You realize that not only did you destroy my happiness and fuck with my mind by lying about that kid being mine, but you also fucked over a lot of other people with your sick-ass, demented plans. And for what, to take Ash away from me? That’s why you did all of this?”
“I was foolish.”
“That would be the understatement of the century,” I said. “Dumping all of your stocks to the company you worked for the night that Ash caught you wasn’t exactly the brightest move either, wouldn’t you agree? Did you actually believe you’d get away with any of this? What the fuck, Vickie?”
“I lost everything, and that was before I lost you.”
“So, it all comes full circle? You used me for my fucking money?” I couldn’t help but half-smile. “Did you come out here with the hopes I was posting bail for you?”
“I may still get out,” she whimpered.
“More lies?” I shook my head. “They’re probably going to do a psych eval on your ass and slap you into a mental institution. Jesus, Vickie, I’d think you’d be smart enough to have stayed the hell away from a guy whose entire life was being recorded live for the fucking nation to follow. Even if you do get out of here, with what they know about you, you’re going to have to move to a deserted island.” I shook my head at this psychotic bitch who’d fucked my life worse than the media could have tried to. “It’s over, Vickie. I came here to tell you that I don’t want to see your pathetic face again, but I’ll be sure to show up at any court dates to continue to testify against the evil, vindictive woman you truly are. People don’t like assholes like you.”
“Go to hell.”
“I’ve already been there,” I said with a smile. “It seems like it’s your turn now. Enjoy your five-diamond facilities. I’m sure life behind bars is quite enjoyable for a parasite such as yourself.”
She called for the guard, and I watched the broken woman walk back toward the door, a correctional officer following her like the brazen and heartless criminal she was.
Thank God Ash had caught her. I owed her everything. I was a fucked-up mess after Jim sat with me and explained everything. Trying to detach from a child that I’d finally accepted only to learn it wasn’t mine wasn’t easy, but I’m glad it didn’t happen after the baby was born, and I was able to bond with it.
I wanted to strike Vickie with all the hatred I held for her and what she did with my life, but it was pointless. She wasn’t worth it. Hell, she wasn’t even worth my showing up today, but it was something I had to do for myself.
Now, I had to see Ash. I had to hope I had a second chance with her, at least. An excuse to check on her dad and personally thank her since not seeing her since her dad’s surgery should help.
I left the detention facility and drove to Ash’s place, bracing myself for where this might take me. I was slowly taking back my life since the media had shifted their attention more to the doctor who’d muscled through the gossip and managed to celebrate breaking ground on Saint John’s new heart facility.
That was one of the happiest days of my life. Saint John’s Heart Institute was finally being erected, and a dream of mine since medical school was happening. I would head the entire unit once the building was up, the staff was hired, and patients were transferred over. We would specialize in everything I pressed in that docuseries, which by the way, was the new greatest docuseries out there. It was about damn time.
Once I got to Ash’s house, I knocked on the door, nervous as hell. Carmen answered, chilling me out some.
“Jake!” She braced my face, kissing each cheek and most likely smearing red lipstick all over it. “Get in here. Watch the boxes, sweetie,” she said.
“Boxes?” I questioned.
“Moving time, mijo. Mark’s heart is doing so well, you know.” She looked back and smiled. “Don’t worry, he’ll always be your patient. Although, we might need you to recommend a good doctor up by Santa Clarita soon.”
“Well, the closest doctor I know of is me,” I smirked, glancing around, my heart sinking they were moving. “Is Ash around?” I asked.
“She’s visiting the art institute up north. Baby girl is thinking about getting back into college.” She smiled back at me. “I’m happy it’s all worked out for you, Jake Mitchell. You’re a terrific doctor, and you do remarkable things. We watched the dedication of the heart hospital. It must be a dream come true for you.”
“You know me well enough, Carm,” I said with a smile. “Smells delicious in here.”
“Why don’t you stay and eat with Mark and me? We could use the company.”
“I have to meet up with the guys later,” I said. “Actually, I left some stuff here. Maybe I’ll grab my toiletry bag unless Ash burned that,” I teased.
“Ash wouldn’t burn a thing of yours. She’s not psycho like those others.” Carmen hit me with that motherly eyebrow arch.
“It’s all in the backroom. Be careful, though. Her paintings are all over the place too.”
“I’ll only be a minute,” I said.
I walked into the room where Ash had a small bed in the corner and what seemed like a gallery full of artwork. My eyes were drawn to the one with the sparkling ocean. It was the view from my beach house. I walked toward it and ran my fingers over the brilliant specs of light, wondering how the hell she’d managed to make it look like diamonds were shimmering on the canvas. My eyes drifted up toward the sailboat, gliding through the water that looked like glass around it. The sun’s rays pointed down on the couple on the bow, and I smiled at the way their clothed bodies were tangled up together. She recreated my dumbass statement of what I saw on the water, and it was a masterpiece because I saw the beauty of the portrait through her eyes.
I thumbed through the canvases and noticed that when the light of the room hit the painting, it came alive in a 3D effect, almost like a black light was shining on it. It was mesmerizing. How did this woman not have a multi-million-dollar gallery running?
“Her work takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” Mark said, standing behind me.
“How does she manage this?” I questioned. “The way it lights up as if it were backlit.” I pointed to a butterfly she’d painted, the colors shimmering.
“It’s interesting,” he said, walking up next to me. “She paints the white canvas black, and then she slowly brings her acrylic paint to life as she works magic with her brushes.” I looked at his smile. “Funny how darkness can be used to find light in fascinating ways, isn’t it?”
“It’s how she sees it all, isn’t it?”
“What?” He smirked. “Taking a white canvas, blacking it all out, and then bringing it back to life more beautiful than ever?”
“Yes,” I answered, somehow relating this to our pure and happy relationship being blacked out and hoping life as beautiful as this could be pulled out of that darkness and made to be more beautiful than the white canvas of our lives that we’d started with.
“It’s who my daughter has always been. She stopped painting when her mother passed. Her final piece after her mom died was painting a canvas black. She left it at that, and then Ash went through her life for too long in that dark stage. Then you came into her life, and I’ve never seen her paint more beautifully.” He walked over toward a portrait, and my heart nearly stopped when I saw it. “This was her first portrait after spending that first weekend with you.”
“Oh, my God,” I said, walking toward it. “I took a picture of her, walking toward the edge of my patio to the rail when she saw the ocean.” I ran my hand over the brush strokes of the woman’s hair being tossed in the wind. “It was the most beautiful moment. She was so beautiful that it captured my breath, and I took the photo, texted it to her, and told her this is what I wanted over that million-dollar painting in my house.”
“Then it’s yours,” he said.
“No,” I answered. “If it were, she’d have given it to me already. It looks more real than the day I snapped the photo.”
“She’s an amazing young woman,” Mark said.
I looked at him and smiled. “The best woman I’ve ever known. I’d give anything to reverse the hurtful things I said. The life I had—”
“Easy, now,” he said with a smile. “I believe the strongest relationships are the ones that go through hell and back. If it’s all roses, then what’s there to challenge the love two people have. You both have gone through hell and back, so will you come out stronger? Will you let the fire have burned you both and purified a love to what others could only dream they had?”
“Getting sentimental on me, boss?” I teased.
“I think I am. Don’t let this beat you. You both love each other, but you got beat down. Fight for her. I think she deserves that, don’t you?”
“She deserves more than that,” I said. “But will she have me again?”
Mark smirked. “That’s the best part of fighting for a woman you love. Having faith that it’s meant to be.”
“Look at you, giving me all the advice now.”
“It’s the new heart.” He smiled. “After meeting the donor family, that day taught me to live for the one who passed and gave me life.”
“I wished I could’ve been there for that.”
“Ash was there, and she came out of it a different person too.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I believe Clay and Joe are bringing her to a place called Kinder’s tomorrow night.” He smirked. “They’re doing everything they can to convince her to stay. Clay even offered her work as a real estate agent for his firm. Maybe you can convince her to stay too.”
“Perhaps I might try to show up.”
“You do that. Now, let’s grab a beer and show Carmen we can make better corn tortillas than she does.”
“I believe I owe you both carne asada on the grill as well?”
“My doctor is allowing me to cheat on my diet?”
“For one night only,” I said.
