Forever Strong (Book 7 in Nemi Forever Series)

Chapter 16

Demi

"They think that I touched Karleigh... inappropriately."

I heard the words come out of Nick's mouth, but I couldn't wrap my brain around what they meant. What happened to this day that started so perfectly? How did it go from complete bliss to complete shit? This morning I walked into Reid's room & my heart soared, hearing his little voice as he laid in his bed, playing with a stuffed bear.

"Oh no, not anymore. Oh oh oh, I really don't care. Oh oh oh, I really don't care.. Oh oh oh, I really don't care." Reid sang, oblivious to me standing in his room, smiling, almost crying. Mercy was obsessed with my music at the moment, so she listened to it all the time. To hear Reid sing my song choked me up a little. It sounded so adorable coming from a two year old. He saw me, watching him. "Mommy! I sing yer song." I remember being so thankful that I was smart enough to keep my music relatively clean & rated PG.

"I heard. You sounded so much better than me." I said as he jumped off his bed into my not quite ready arms. Luckily, with Reid I learned to be quick, early on. "Whoah, buddy, you shouldn't jump until I'm ready. And if Daddy saw that he would have been upset."

Reid's puppy dog brown eyes got a little wider. "Oh, yea. I gotta be careful cuz of da baby." Reid whispered, like he thought Nick might hear him.

Was that just this morning? I didn't realize how hard I was crying, until Nick's blurry face was in front of me & he was wiping my tears. "Why would they think that, Nick?" I asked in a sob.

"She told the doctors or the police at the hospital when they discovered she had been being abused." Nick replied in a shaky voice.

I tried to calm myself as I angrily wiped the tears from my eyes. I shook my head, violently. "Karleigh wouldn't say that. Someone planted that idea in her head."

"So you don't believe it?" Nick asked as he choked on a sob.

My face crumpled, my hands going to his face. "Oh my God, how could you even think that I would believe it? Baby, I never believed it, even for a second. You're not even capable of such a thing." The blubbering came again as I reached for Nick to take me in his arms. I felt him sob into my hair, so I held him tighter. My hero. No matter what, he would always be my hero, even when he needed one, himself. I was determined to get to the bottom of this shit.

The door opened & one of the detectives came in. I let go of Nick & we both stood up, me in an angry stance. Nick had a grip on my arm, knowing I was about to go the fuck off. "So, while we are investigating this, you are free to go. Do not leave town." He said to Nick. I stepped in front of him & didn't care that he towered over me. My warrior was coming out & heads were gonna roll.

"Who's in charge here?" I demanded. The officer laughed, glancing at Nick, then back down at me. I cleared my throat. "Is it you?"

"Right now it is. Our sergeant isn't here at the moment." This detective was amused by me, but I wasn't at all amused right now. I was downright pissed.

"You're investigating this, huh? Does that mean you are looking into Karleigh's mother & her drug using friends or the boyfriend who's been in & out of jail since he was a kid? While you're wasting your time on railroading my husband, she is probably being abused as we speak. She is a part of our family & we love her dearly. Nick would never in a million years hurt her... IN ANY WAY!" I screamed in his face & he didn't even flinch.

Nick grabbed me around the waist. "Demi, don't." He warned.

The detective smirked down at me. "The evidence will prove his innocence then."