The nex
t week was a blur of police officers, questions, security upgrades, and lawyers. Bonnie was overwhelmed by it all, especially after just being kidnapped and locked in a trunk.
But, through it all Dylan was there.
He was there when the security team found the two of them walking up to the house.
He was there when the police caught her kidnapper trying to get onto the highway with two flat tires.
He was there when she had to tell the police what happened and explain the bruises.
He held her hand when the lawyers came to explain what was happening next.
He promised her he would always be there.
And she believed him.
Every night, she slept in his bed. He was there when the nightmares of being trapped in the trunk again would wake her. He would hold her and whisper calming words into her ear. He saved her every night, just as he had saved her from the trunk of that car.
A week after the incident, things finally seemed to settle back to normal. Well, as normal as things could be with the insane amount of security both Dylan and Carter hired for the ranch. She was set to testify at the trial for her kidnapper, and after what the Trio had done to stop her brother from testifying, Dylan wasn't taking any chances.
The police wanted to put her into hiding. Bonnie found it hilarious that now, after all of her running and telling the police the mob was out to get her, now they were going to do it. Except, she didn't want it now. Dylan was her protector. He was the one who would keep her safe. He'd already proven that he could.
Bonnie stared out the car window as Silver Springs vanished into the distance. Two unmarked black SUVs followed closely behind them. She saw them and ignored them, knowing she was safe.
Bonnie wasn't thinking about the police or the upcoming trial. Today, she was going swimming with her boys. Dylan and Bonnie were taking Tyson to a pool with water slides and a diving board. Dylan had rented the entire place out, so it would be just the three of them and Bonnie couldn't wait.
She sat in the car and bounced in her seat as Dylan drove them down into the city.
“I'm not sure who is more excited,” Dylan said, turning of the highway and onto a smaller road. He glanced at his two passengers out of the corner of his eye. “Bonnie or Tyson?”
“I am!” Tyson announced from the back. He was bouncing up and down, too.
Bonnie laughed. For the first time in months, she wasn't afraid of going into the city. The mob had found her. The terrible thing she'd been running from for the past few months had happened. And she'd survived. She felt like she could take on the world.
“I don't know, Tyson,” Bonnie said, turning around in her seat. “I'm pretty excited.”
“I'm super excited,” Tyson assured. He crossed his arms. “Super duper totally excited.”
“That's pretty hard to beat,” Dylan agreed. He pulled into an empty parking lot and both Bonnie and Tyson squealed with excitement.
The three rushed out of the car and went inside the building. It was the closest recreation center to Silver Springs, so it wasn't the fanciest or biggest, but it did have two water slides and a diving board.
Tyson grabbed Dylan and Bonnie's hands and pulled them past the front desk and toward the smell of chlorine. Bonnie grinned as they hurried to the pool and found an oasis of water park fun.
They left their clothes by the side of the pool. Tyson finished first and ran to the top of the nearest water slide. He didn't hesitate at the top. He just hopped on and took the slide down, not realizing the depth of the water below.
Bonnie held her breath as the boy who hated the feeling of water on his ears zoomed down the slide and dropped into the landing area. He was a good enough swimmer she wasn't worried about him drowning, but she was afraid of how he was going to react to the sudden sensation of water on his ears and face. She braced herself, ready for the sensory meltdown.
He came up, wiped his eyes, and grinned. “That was great!” he shouted. “Come do it with me, Bonnie!”
Bonnie stared at him, surprised and pleased. The water didn't scare him anymore. He had learned to overcome it and find the fun. He would never really enjoy being underwater, but he was no longer afraid of it. He no longer hated the sensation, and Bonnie couldn't have been prouder.
“I'll be right there,” she told him. She watched as he got out of the pool and began the climb up the stairs to do it again.
Dylan kissed her cheek as he joined her at the pool's edge.
“What was that for?” she asked, turning to smile at him.