I walked toward daddy and nearly knocked him down when I hugged him. He could never know how much it meant to me that he’d laid his prejudices aside and gave AJ a chance. In his arms I thought back to when I was a child, for a brief second it felt as though nothing had changed – I was still daddy’s little girl. Leaving him and Mom was going to be harder than I thought it would be. Of course I’d miss mom’s cooking and the sense of security I had there, but I’d also miss being surrounded by their love. Mom always had the best advice and she’d become a friend in addition to being my mother, and I now had a better understanding of daddy’s overprotective nature. He wanted nothing more than to protect me from the harsh realities of life while ushering me into being a well-rounded and productive adult. I appreciated the way they loved me – even when it was tough love.
Daddy squeezed me tightly and kissed my cheek – I saw him quickly wipe away a tear as he turned to walk toward the truck. Mom was crying, again. She squeezed me in her arms and turned to hug AJ briefly before turning to walk away.
AJ seemed to pick up on my growing sadness as I thought again about everything changing so quickly. “You’re gonna be fine. I promise,” he assured me. I hugged him and kissed him once on the lips after checking to be sure that my parents weren’t watching.
“See you in New York,” I whispered into his ear before finally letting him go.
He smiled halfheartedly and replied, “See you in New York.”
I walked slowly to the car and AJ moved aside, watching Daddy back the truck out with mom and I following closely behind in my new car. She shifted gears and started down the street as I watched AJ through the back window. This was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. My heart felt like it was torn in two and the largest part of it remained there with AJ. Would we make it through the tests that were sure to come? Was his father going to find some way so stop him from coming to Charleston to be with me? Was there still a possibility that he’d find someone else? With so many unanswered questions I stared at AJ with tear-filled eyes as he mouthed the words “I love you” before disappearing in the distance. With the very real challenges that we were sure to come against, I had to ask myself a question that I wasn’t quite sure how to answer: Is our love really strong enough to survive this?
To be continued…..
Bonus Excerpt
Free Falling Book 2: Secrets Rancid thoughts and sordid images pumped anger through my veins like venom racing toward my heart as I lunged, tackling him and narrowly missing the coffee table. Over and over again, my fists struck his face with such force that the left side began to swell before I even finished with him. The floor and wall were spattered with his blood and the stains grew each time I made contact. Even when one of his teeth flew out of his mouth, I didn’t let up; I couldn’t.
Desperately, he used his last bit of strength to try tossing me to the floor, but there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity to make him feel the same pain that he’d inflicted. I clasped my blood-coated hands firmly around his throat and squeezed until I nearly lost feeling in my fingers. The smell of fear was heavy in the air and I couldn’t get enough of it. I was drunk with the need to make these his final breaths. As his eyes dimmed I smiled as consciousness began to slip farther away from his grasp.
This was the first time that I’d actually seen red. I’ve heard people say it before, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant until this moment. My blood felt like ice flowing through my limbs as I brought him within inches of death. As he stared up at me, I somehow managed to squeeze tighter as the blood vessels in his eyes burst and the last bit of air sputtered from his mouth. It was such a rush knowing that in this instant I could end his life like he deserved. I continued to stare at his lifeless body lying on the floor long after I’d let him go. Watching him, I still felt like I hadn’t done enough compared to what he’d done. My fists were clenched as another wave of rage rolled through me. I couldn’t control it. The feel of his slick, warm blood on my hands made me want to hurt him more; one hit was all it would take at this point and I could see to it that the only way he’d be leaving here would be in a body bag.