Page 30 of A Constant Love
Dina Suzanne Flemming
Taking a seat in the grass, I sat with my legs crisscrossed and started toying with a blade of grass between my finger and began to speak.
“Hey Mama. I know it’s been a while since I’ve been out here to see you. I’m sorry about that. Haven’t been here in Kansas much.
“I finally got out of this town just like you always wanted. I’m afraid I haven’t quite been setting the world on fire like you wanted though. Truth is, I’ve been doing exactly the opposite. Truth is…I’ve been hiding.
“You were right…James was an asshole. He tore me apart, Mama. Ripped me open from the inside out. Ever since then, I’ve been hiding. Too afraid to really live my life. Too scarred and damaged to even go by the name you gave me when I was born. I’m sorry I let you down.”
A single tear fell down my cheek.
“I did meet someone though. His name is Tyler, and you would adore him. He might not be a prince, but he’s probably as close as anyone can get. I love him so much, and he loves me…despite how much of a mess I’ve become. I think he may be the one I give your letter to…if I don’t ruin it by pushing him away.
“No matter what, I am going to find a way out of the mess I am in. I promise I’m going to live the life you always wanted me to.
“I miss you, Mama.”
The last words came out as a whisper. As cliché as it sounds, I swear I could feel her there with me, reassuring me it would all work out. Maybe it was my conscious just trying to cope, but either way, it made me feel a bit better.
I took my time walking back to the house and tried to get my thoughts in order.
My mom was right. I used to be a force to be reckoned with. I didn’t sit around crying. No. If someone fucked with me, I kicked down every single door I had to until the problem was solved. My foul mouth and hard right hook got me in trouble more times than I could count. I didn’t let anything stand in my way.
Until James.
His confidence from being a sociopath drew me in, and his narcissism tore me down every chance it got. And I was too close to the situation to even see it happening.
Now, he was an FBI agent with a grudge who was bound and determined to make my life absolute hell. He was determined to eventually kill me.
But I made up my mind right then and there that I wasn’t going to keep going on the way I had been. It was time to draw my line in the sand. I was done living under his thumb. If he was going to kill me, fine. He could either get it over with or leave me the fuck alone to live my life the way it was meant to be lived.
First thing’s first though…calling Tyler to apologize for just leaving. It was about time I start treating him like my partner instead of as an outsider.
When I began walking up the gravel driveway, I stopped dead in my tracks. There, leaning up against a very expensive car, was Tyler Wendell.
Speak of the devil.
He wore a fitted black t-shirt with a pair of dark jeans looking sexy as hell. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and he looked around, not yet spotting me.
I called out to him. “Sir, do you know you’re on private property?”
His head turned to me, and he smiled that smile that made me melt.
“Is that right?”
“Yep. And around these parts, you better be careful. I hear the man who lives here has a bunch of shot guns,” I said, finally reaching him.
“Well, maybe you can help me then. See, my girlfriend jumped on a plane to get away from me, and I’m looking to bring her home.”
“She sounds like a real bitch,” I quipped.
“Nah. I think she’s just a little misguided. See, she’s under the impression that I’m not the type of man to come after what he wants.” He leaned in so his mouth was close to mine. “But I’m the type of man who will never stop coming after the woman I love.”
I smiled before jumping into his arms, hooking my ankles around his back.
“You came for me,” I whispered and smiled.
“Always will, Kansas.”