Chapter Thirty-Eight
Shawn
“What are they doing here?” my father asked as he eyed the two of us coming in behind Valerie’s mother. He was watching the news, his nightly ritual.
“They have come home for a chat,” Valerie’s mother answered, almost cautiously. Even though she had tried to make it abundantly clear that this had nothing to do with Paul and that we must be mistaken, regardless of the mounting evidence against him, there was still a sense of distrust in her voice.
He spat out a bitter laugh. “Well, I think that my son said quite enough when he moved out and apparently, Valerie decided to follow.”
I watched as Valerie’s mother drew in a long breath and then pulled the note that Valerie had given her for proof. She brought it over toward him and pushed it into his hand. “Did you do this?” she asked, obviously trying to keep her composure.
He glared at it for a long time, before his lips curved into a smile. “No. I didn’t write this. Why?”
“Because I couldn’t imagine who else would. I didn’t…And no one else lives here.”
Casually, my father shrugged and ushered toward me before he answered, “Maybe he did it. You never can tell. He’s sneaky.”
I felt my blood pressure begin to rise as my fist clenched. I have been taking this kind of abuse from my father for too long. I certainly wasn’t about to take any more of it. He wasn’t going to make me out to be the bad guy this time. I was trying to help. I narrowed my eyes at him and stepped closer, but before I could say anything, Valerie’s mother answered him.
“He didn’t do it,” she replied solidly. This made me feel better about the situation. I figured that even if she was upset with me, she was still willing to help me figure out what was going on and that was important. She believed me and right now, she seemed to be the only person on the planet, besides Valerie, who had any kind of faith in me.
I calmed, feeling that at least someone had my back and sunk back a little to watch the scene unfold.
At this, my father turned off the television and stood up, now facing the three of us. Valerie had just come along to bear witness, because she really didn’t want to get involved, but she did want confirmation that what my mother said was correct.
I wanted the same validation, but I was a little more willing to participate, if I needed to, in order to have the truth come out.
However, I did realize that since my father had cut literally everyone else off, it was ultimately between him and Valerie’s mother. She needed him to tell her what happened. We tried to convince her already, but she wanted to hear it for herself.
Therefore, for as much as I could stand, I wanted to remain in the background. There was no reason for me to butt in when I didn’t have to. I remained quiet.
“How can you be so sure?” he demanded, after a condescending laugh.
“Because I know him. And right now, I’m thinking that I might know him even better than you do,” Valerie’s mother replied. “But this isn’t about him. This isn’t really even about Valerie.”
“Of course it is!” he hissed bitterly. “Everything is always about her.”
“No, Paul. You’re wrong. If this is about Valerie in the way that I fear, then the only problem here is between you and me.”
“You know, Diana, she could have written this,” he answered, thrusting it with his hand.
“I did not!” Valerie hissed. “If I wanted to leave, I would have just left!”
Her mother put her hand up to silence the outburst before she looked back at her husband. “No, Paul. Again, she didn’t write it either.”
“Oh and what are you? Some kind of teenage whisperer? You’re pretty naive to think that they wouldn’t pull something like that to tear us apart, just so they could be together…as gross as it is…” With that, my father’s lips curled upward in disgust as he looked between me and Valerie.
“No. I’m not naïve. I’m very observant and just like I know your son, I also know my daughter. I’ve spent far more time with them and don’t you dare say that their love is anything but beautiful!”
At this, everyone in the room gaped at my stepmother. I certainly didn’t expect that.
“They are just doing it to spite us!” my father insisted angrily.
“No. They’re not,” she answered. “I have watched the two of them try to navigate their feelings for one another since before we were even dating. While I hoped, for the sake of our marriage, that things would go differently, I can’t say that I’m surprised. The only thing that I could think of that did make me curious was the fact that they didn’t do something like this sooner.” She shook her head. “Seriously, think about it. You have been completely unfair to Shawn for years and he has tried to be good until now. Doesn’t that say something for the kind of man that he is?”
“Yeah,” my father spat back, “He’s weak. He couldn’t just pick any woman in the world. He had to go after your daughter.”
I felt my teeth clench as I growled at him. “I am not weak, Dad!”
At this, all eyes were on me. I hadn’t meant to speak, but his comment made me so angry that I couldn’t help but try to prove him wrong.
“Oh, really? Then why are you always the one to mess everything up for everyone. All you do is leave a cloud of destruction in your path. You’re just like your mother! All she ever did was build her life up, just so she could tear it apart. She had you and took off and you brought Diana and me together, probably just so you could watch us fall apart.” He narrowed his eyes at me and stared me down. “You’re not stupid, but you are pretty conniving…” He smiled in a wicked way and took a few steps toward me, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you.”
“Just tell us the truth!” I answered, trying not to say anything that I was going to regret. Even though my blood was boiling and my level of aggravation was skyrocketing, having all of those things said about me that wasn’t true, I refused to stoop to his level. Now that all eyes were on me the only thing I wanted to do was ensure that the truth was spoken. That was it. “Did you write the letter?”
My father ignored me, continuing to taunt me with his words. “You probably don’t even like Valerie. You are probably just doing all of this so that you can make the world fall apart. You strive in destruction and chaos. While the rest of the world burns, you think you are going to rise from the ashes. Your mother thought the same thing, but look where she ended up…”
I asked him again, “Did you mess with Diana’s phone?”
“You’re pathetic!” he yelled.
“Answer my question,” I replied, trying to stay level-headed as my father moved swiftly into my personal space. He was crowding me profusely, and it was all I could do to keep from hitting him.
“Even if you did like her, she would eventually figure out what a loser you are and she would leave you, just like your mother left me!”
“Answer me!” I screamed, but just as I was about to lose all control, I felt an arm push me back, while Diana ended up between us.
“That’s enough!” she exclaimed, glaring between me and my father, until finally, she stopped to focus on my father. “You know what? I’ve had enough. Even if you don’t want to admit what you did, I have had enough of this! I’m leaving!”
At that, the whole house grew deathly silent and my father gaped at Diana, as though she was completely out of her mind.
I backed up and eyed Valerie. For as much as I didn’t want to be the cause of their unhappiness, it was Diana who had made the decision and to that, all I could do in response was smile.
Epilogue
Four years passed. The divorce was final and as I stood in front of the mirror, staring at myself as I reflected in awe of what was about to happen and as far as we had come, I heard my mother come in behind me.
She smiled as tears welled up in her eyes. Her hand covered her mouth carefully as she tried to hold back the rush of emotion she felt. Behind her, Shawn’s mother came in and beamed brightly.
“You look absolutely beautiful,” Cindy said. “Shawn couldn’t have asked for a more perfect bride.”
In the four years since the two women finally found the real culprit behind all of the lies and manipulation, they first found common ground, and eventually became friends.
Shawn’s father had never admitted what he did or his end goal, but eventually, his reason and even his admission ceased to matter. Life went on for the four of us without him.
Even with all of the planning, all of the memories and all of the excitement that had led up to this day, I still couldn’t quite believe that it was here.
I was nervous and the jitters of both my mother and my soon-to-be mother-in-law didn’t help. Still, I was happy that they were there.
“Everything is going to be perfect!” my mother answered. I could tell that now, even with all of the reservations she had about the two of us going through with this at such a young age, she was completely content and at ease with our decision.
She didn’t say anything, but I could tell by the excitement in her eyes and that made me extremely happy.
“Thank you,” I answered, turning around in a flash of form-fitting white. My long train was my mother’s idea, but now that I was wearing it, I had come to enjoy the thought of having something traditional; even though we weren’t such a traditional couple.
I smiled and took a deep breath, trying to calm my frantic nerves.
“I think it’s almost time,” Cindy answered as she stuck her head out of the door and then made her way to her seat.
My mother hugged me briefly, probably afraid that she was going to lose it completely before she made her way back to her seat also.
It had been a long road. In addition to college and distance separating us at times, Shawn’s relentless, unsuccessful attempts to have his father join back into his life had caused a few highs and lows in the relationship, but we had persevered. And now, we were about to make our love official.
A few moments later, the organ started up and I began my walk toward my handsome groom. It was true, we were both young, but after dating through the rest of high school and college, we knew what we wanted so it didn’t make sense to wait anymore.
I smiled as I walked past the small congregation. Every face in the crowd I knew, but there was one that was not present, who I was certain would only be missed by one person.
Shawn’s father was invited to the wedding, but he never responded, despite the calls that Shawn had placed requesting his presence.
Still, even in his father’s absence, Shawn looked happier and prouder than I had ever seen him before.
This year had been good for us, even though things had not gone exactly as we had planned. Shawn’s father not caring about getting back into his son’s life wasn’t the only hurdle, but we had made it through and that was the important thing. After all, it was our life that we were living.
“It’s just as I told you a long time ago, Shawn…” I whispered to him as I made my way up to the altar and stood in front of him, “and it’s even truer today than ever before.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.” He smiled and swallowed hard before turning toward the priest.
“No matter what, we’ll always be friends forever,” I replied, smiling softly.
Then, just before the music officially stopped and the ceremony began, I heard Shawn whisper, “Yes, but starting today, we officially become so much more.”
At that moment, I couldn’t have been happier. I turned and smiled, realizing that was the moment when it all sunk in. This was finally happening and it was then that I started to look forward to our tried and true happily ever after.
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By Alycia Taylor
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Alycia Taylor
Chapter One
Ryan
I woke up that morning with a pounding headache. It wasn’t unusual for me. I hardly ever woke up without a headache. But that morning it felt worse than usual. I wanted to sleep in a little, but there was no chance I’d be able to with the way I was feeling. I got up, took two Advil, and headed straight to the shower. Afterward, I made myself something to eat and willed the pills to kick in. Thankfully, when it was time to head out to the training facility, I was feeling more like myself again.
Not sleeping in meant I was at the training facility earlier than I had planned. And yet, the moment I got in, I saw Nick there. I groaned. No matter what time I came in, Nick always beat me.
“Do you live here or something?” I asked him as I got nearer.
He laughed. “Morning, Ryan. Ah, beaten by me again. You’re early, though.”
“Yeah, but not as early as you, it seems. So, you ready to train today?”
“I will be as soon as I finish this tea. Get yourself some and join me for a little while. It’s still early.”
“You’re getting like an old man, you know. Drinking your tea, reading the newspaper.”
He laughed when he saw me reaching for the tea instead of the coffee.
“I had a bad headache this morning. I’m feeling better now but I don’t think too much caffeine is a good idea. I already had some coffee at home.”
“Ah, headaches again? You get them often, don’t you?”
“Nah, not too much anymore,” I lied. “But every now and then they come back around.”
“I’ll punch it out of you today, if you like.”
I laughed and sat down with my tea, pulling a part of the newspaper toward me to read. I loved being at the training center this early. The place got busy later on in the day, which is why we typically met up in the mornings. We usually had the whole place to ourselves. My happy place, I called it once, which I realized would sound crazy to anyone who wasn’t involved in MMA. But it was, I loved fighting more than I loved anything else in life. There was something about the adrenaline that pushed me to do more and more. And the more I did, the better I got at it.
“Hey, look here,” Nick said and pointed at his newspaper.
“What?”
“There’s some new cowboy movie that’s been shot in Buffalo, Wyoming. Isn’t that where your brother lives?”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s actually being shot at his ranch.”
“But you just came from there.”
“I know, I went to stay with him while the movie was happening.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
I laughed. “I didn’t know you’d be interested.”
“Well, I am. I’ve never seen a movie being made before. What was it like? And how was your brother with the whole thing? Isn’t he super protective of that ranch?”
I laughed just thinking about my brother. “He’s very protective of it. And he was very upset when they decided to film there. Do you know Sloan Hill?”
“Of course I know her. Not so long ago she was all over the news. Some big scandal or something. Oh, wait, it says here she’s the lead role. Don’t tell me that you actually got to meet her? She’s so hot. Check out this picture of her.”
“I met her,” I said and grinned.
“You did? And? What is she like in real life? Tell me she’s just as hot. Did she tell you about the scandals?”
I couldn’t believe that Nick was so interested in the celebrity lifestyle. Then again, I suppose I had also been pretty excited when I found out where they were filming. My brother was the only one who hadn’t cared at all. I couldn’t believe it when he hadn’t told me something that had been such a big deal.
“Well, my brother had no idea who she was.”
“Oh dear. That’s hilarious! I thought everyone knew who she was.”
“My brother would probably not even know who Brad Pitt is. He’s in his own world out there on the farm. Apparently, he wasn’t very nice to Sloan, either. He laughed at the clothes she wore when she was supposed to be horseback riding, and he mocked her attempt at a Western accent. I think he was just so annoyed that someone from her walk of life was taking over his ranch.”
“Oh boy. That couldn’t have gone down well.”
“Not at first.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, as it turns out, the two of them fell for each other.”
“You’re kidding me!”
“I’m not. I promise. Although I realize how strange it sounds now that I’m saying it out loud. The whole thing is crazy. If I hadn’t seen the two of them together, I don’t think I would’ve believed it myself.”
“Wait, you’re not joking?” Nick said.
I chuckled. “I’m honestly not joking.”
“And you said you actually met her?”
“Yeah, I got to spend some time with her. She came to my brother’s for dinner, and she’s actually really nice. She’s nothing like what you would think. She was easy to talk to and down to earth. I mean, I saw hints of the big New York actress that she says she is, but for the most part, she was really nice. And she was clearly smitten with my brother; I could see it right away.”
“And hot?”
I laughed. “And hot. She’s even prettier up close, and way better without all that makeup on. She likes the lifestyle of being with my brother, too. Although I think it took her a while to settle in. I mean, it’s a big adjustment. And as for the scandals, well, that happened after I left. Apparently, she’s about to release a statement explaining herself. I have no idea. I’m staying out of that one. I called my brother to warn him, but you know what he’s like—he won’t listen to anyone but her. He’s not into gossip at all. But he seems very happy, and that is really all that matters, to be honest.”
“This is crazy. I can’t believe this. Wait a second—Sloan Hill is going to be a part of your family now! That’s insane. And, did you meet any other good-looking girls while you were there?”
“Nah, I’m not really into the girls from there,” I said and took a sip of my tea.
He chuckled. “Not from the farm! I meant did you meet any nice girls from the movie set?”
“Oh,” I laughed. “Well, there was a girl.”
“Oh yeah? An actress?”
“Yeah, her name is Blaire. She was one of the side actors, and she was friends with Sloan. She was really nice. And very pretty. I wouldn’t have thought her to be an actress, to be honest. I suppose she was playing a part in Wyoming, but I saw her off set, and she just seemed like an everyday kind of girl. The two of us talked for a while, and she showed me around the set, but that’s about it. It was very brief, you know. Nothing happened or anything.”
“And yet, you’re still talking about her,” he teased.
“Only because you asked.”
“So, are you going to see her again?”
I shook my head. Blaire had been very nice. There was something about her that had attracted me to her almost instantly. But I didn’t for one minute think that the two of us would see each other again. Maybe now that my brother was dating Sloan, I would bump into her, but it was highly doubtful. “No, I highly doubt it, to be honest. She was nice, but she seems like a bit of a goody two-shoes. I honestly doubt anything will come of it. We did exchange numbers, but I don’t think it will go any further than that. Anyway, she’s some movie star, and I’m a fighter. We’re from different worlds.”
“Well yeah, but so are Sloan and your brother. More so, in fact. Your brother is so far removed from the rest of society, and yet, here he is in love with a movie star. Strange things can happen. I wouldn’t put it past you.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, she was sweet, but I don’t think anything will happen. She apparently lives around here, but I don’t think I’m going to call her. Now, enough girl talk. Let’s fight. Or are you putting me off because you’re scared?”
“Me? Scared of you? Never!”
Nick was a brilliant guy to train with. The two of us had become friends through MMA and had gotten close because nobody else in our lives could understand our obsession with fighting. Even though Nick didn’t compete anymore, he still came in to train with me. I had been worried that when he lost the sight in one of his eyes I’d end up losing a partner. But Nick had continued to be a part of it, even though I was sure that he missed doing title fights more than he dared to admit.
We trained for two hours solid until we heard the timer go off on Nick’s phone. We had started setting a timer because otherwise we’d forget about the time and end up going on for longer. Our coach had told us that training in two-hour increments was better for us than going at it all day. As usual, the two hours went by quickly.
We walked away with sweat pouring down our faces, and we waved to the two guys that had just walked in to train next. I unwrapped my hands and squeezed my fist to get the blood circulating again. It was amazing how much pressure we built up throughout the training. I never realized how tense I was until I got out of the ring and started to relax a bit.
“Can’t be easy training with just one eye. Although, I suppose at least you’ve got an excuse if I beat you now,” I teased. That was the one thing I liked most about Nick, as well as a lot of the other guys that I trained with: they didn’t take anything in life too seriously. We always joked around about each other’s misfortunes, and nobody took it too heart.
“Ha! You’re cocky now because you won your last fight. You know what happens to those who get too arrogant, don’t you? You’ll be too busy walking around with your head held high that you won’t see someone coming in and knocking you down.”
I laughed. “Ah, spoken like a true loser.”
He grinned. “How can you talk to your best friend like that? Especially a best friend with only one good eye!”
“Don’t play the guilt card with me. Anyway, I have to. You’ve spent years ribbing me, so I’m only getting you back. The amount of fights you won before me is way too many. I’m still trying to play catch-up.”
“You’re getting there, though. And now that I’m not competing, you’ll beat my wins in no time. You’re almost there, actually. Flip, Ryan, you’ve won so many fights lately. I’m putting it down to the fact that you’re training with one of the best.”
“I hate to admit it, but you’re probably right. You’re a good training partner. I just hope that I’m just not on some weird winning streak that is all going to come crumbling down around me someday. I’m enjoying all the wins.” I wasn’t looking forward to losing a fight again, which I knew would eventually happen. There was nothing quite like the feeling of winning.
Nick sighed. “That’s the thing with this game. You win some, and you lose some, and you’ve got to take the bad with the good. But if you continue the way you’re going, you’re going to be winning more than you’re losing.”
“That would be good! Anyway, I’m going to head home. I’ll catch you soon. Thanks for sparring.”
“You too man, and next time you have stories about celebrities becoming part of your family, I think you should tell me.”
I laughed. “I don’t think that’s going to happen again. But I’ll definitely keep you in the loop!”
I didn’t often talk to people about my brother. Brady was a solemn guy who liked to keep to himself. The two of us were close, but I knew he wouldn’t have been happy if I had gone around telling the world that he was in love with a famous celebrity. I still couldn’t quite believe it myself, really.
The moment I got home, I stepped into the shower, but the good feeling of the warm water washing over me was short-lived as my head started throbbing all over again. The Advil had worn off, and the pressure from the training had probably kicked in. Oh well; I’d just have to live with it. It was simply part and parcel of the fighting game.