Chapter 20
Troy
The day after Robert kidnapped Kayla and almost got her killed, Detective Marlow called and said they got a confession out of him. He’d refused to speak for hours, but the detective was a smart man. He figured out Robert’s weakness and used it against him.
Robert was obsessed with Kayla, and all Detective Marlow had to do was talk about her relationship with me. That sent Robert over the edge, and he went on a rant that lasted for twenty minutes. He finally shut up when he realized how much he’d revealed.
He admitted that he’d hired Magnus to kill Daniel and make it look like a random mugging. Hiring him the second time to attack Kayla and make that chilling phone call had been about bringing her back into his life. She had distanced herself from Robert because she’d wanted him to get over his feelings for her, but he needed a reason to be indispensable to her. That was when he offered to pay for a bodyguard.
He wanted to make himself look like the good guy. Someone she could trust and turn to. And she had thought of him that way. Until she realized the truth.
Not only was he in trouble for murder and kidnapping, but they were still investigating his part in a Ponzi scheme. Given everything he’d been involved in, I had a feeling he would be spending the rest of his life in prison. Magnus hadn’t fared any better. After Robert confessed, Magnus buckled under pressure as well.
A couple of weeks went by, and Kayla handled herself like a trooper. She’d been through a terrifying experience, but she didn’t allow it to keep her from living life. She didn’t return home right away, but stayed with her parents, and I was glad about that. The thought of her being alone after what she’d gone through was too much, and her mom and dad weren’t ready to let her go, anyway.
Her mom kept saying, “I knew there was something wrong with that man,” referring to Robert. Kayla was initially devastated that she’d misjudged Robert and hadn’t seen through his intentions. She read a book about choosing safe people in your life, and she took a hard look at why she’d allowed herself to trust Robert so easily.
She said he’d deceived her, but more than that, she’d felt indebted to him because of all he’d done for her. He’d been stacking up “good deeds” for years so she’d trust him, and she had, unfortunately. The red flags had been there though. Her mom had told her she didn’t like Robert, but Kayla had chosen to overlook that.
I encouraged her not to beat herself up over any of it. Men like Robert knew how to make themselves look respectable. He lied to her and pretended to be her friend. That was on him, not her. Ultimately, God answered her prayer and brought him to justice. The trial hadn’t started yet, but the district attorney had plenty of evidence against both Robert and Magnus, and I had no doubt they would be convicted.
All these thoughts were running through my head as I sat on a plane headed to Buffalo, New York. I glanced over at Kayla and took her hand. We were flying out for a four-day trip to see my mom and dad, and I was excited about taking this step. It was strange to think that when I’d first met her, I’d inwardly mocked the fact that she was the girl-next-door type. Now, I couldn’t wait to show her off to my parents.
There had been a lot of media attention around Kayla’s kidnapping and Robert’s arrest, and my parents had followed it all on TV. My dad had reiterated several times that he was proud of me, and I was thankful we were finally communicating.
Mom invited me back for a visit, and when I suggested that Kayla come so they could meet her, it was as if I’d just promised them my firstborn son. They were ecstatic that I’d finally found someone I saw a future with.
“You doing okay?” I asked Kayla. I asked her that a lot these days. She was a strong woman and was fine on her own, but I wanted to be there for her. Not so I could look like the good guy, but because I loved her and didn’t want her to have to deal with the difficulties of life on her own.
“I’m great.” She smiled and squeezed my hand. “Just can’t get over the fact that I’m about to meet my boyfriend’s parents.”
“Do you regret saying yes to this visit? Did we move too fast?” There must have been concern on my face because she reached up and massaged my forehead with her fingertips.
“Relax. I’m loving every step of this journey with you. I guess I’m just…” She trailed off, smiling to herself, and her dimples were so cute I wanted to touch them.
“You guess…what?”
“I’m surprised God is giving me a second chance at love. When Daniel passed away, I didn’t think I would find that kind of happiness again, but then you entered my life.”
I laughed. “I’ll never forget the first moment I saw you. You were jumping up and down in front of the restroom, and I thought—”
“You thought I was a complete idiot.”
Smiling, I gave into the temptation to kiss the dimples on both sides of her mouth before I answered that question. “All right, I’ll admit it. I did think that.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “I’m glad you’ll always tell me the truth, and you know how important that is to me.”
“I don’t think I ever told you this one thing, though.”
She sat up a little straighter in her seat and turned to face me. “What?”
“When I pointed out the toilet paper stuck
