Fallon continues to surprise me. She quickly became my obsession, and now my drug. I held her in my arms while she slept on the rest of our plane ride, even during the pit stops. She starts to release soft little sounds like a light snore, which just makes me smile with newfound discovery. She’s so unexpected. When I first met her playing poker, she was intoxicating. Our second meeting, she was intriguing. When I figured out she was my mom’s protégé, she almost became an enemy. Now being my wife, I’m finding her becoming my love.

My mother was right; she is perfect for me, and I knew she would be. Ever since the first time I laid eyes on her. I’ve just been too stubborn to admit it. Mom was right again when she said I’m allowing my fear to take over. It’s like I’m waiting for the twist, just like in all my mom’s usual games. I’m scared I will allow my obsession for her to blind me. Knowing my mother had a lot of time with her and she had trained her scares the shit out of me. Catherine was always the best mother anyone could ask for, but she weakened my father, and I always tried like hell to be my own man. Catherine made me stronger, but will Fallon make me weak?

When she told me she loved me, I knew it hurt her when I didn’t say it in return. That’s the last thing I want to do. I don’t want to hurt her, especially after everything she told me about how she grew up.  She’s incredibly strong, yet she still seems fragile. When I didn’t say I love you back, I was scared she would shut down.  But not Fallon; she showed me how resilient she is. I know how I feel about her and how close I was to saying it back, because I do love her. I’m just not ready to give her that control...at least for now. I have a feeling it won’t be long.

I wake Fallon when it’s time for our arrival. We exit our plane and are taken to our beautiful villa. We decide to eat and rest until tomorrow. Having her in my arms for the last two nights, I begin wondering how I ever slept without her.

The next morning, we start early, wanting to see as much as we can. Croatia is gorgeous. It has an old world charm, but the beaches allow for a new feel – and the food? Oh my God, the food is incredible. Even though our day is amazing, I feel Gabriel has pulled away from me. He’s been pleasant, yet distant. I don’t know what’s going on. I’ve tried asking, but he tries to put me at ease. He tells me he’s fine and that everything else is fine. I feel it, though...something is wrong.

“Gabriel, I want to buy a camera. Can we look for one?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Well, you threw my phone out of a moving car, remember? We haven’t gotten a new one yet. So, I would like to have a camera to take pictures of us on our honeymoon. I want pictures for a photo album. You know, for memories.”

“That sounds good. My mom has a bunch of photo albums of all of us growing up. I think we can find one around here somewhere.”

“I’ve seen your baby photo album, you know.”

“Ha! You did?”

“Yes, Catherine said to make myself feel at home. One day in the library, I found all the photo albums. You were so cute.”

“‘Were?’”

“OK, fine, you still are.”

Laughing until he suddenly gets quiet for minute, he asks, “Did you have pictures of yourself when you were little?”

“Gabriel, you know I don’t like talking about my past.”

“Fallon, you’re my wife. We’re married for life, but I need to know the life you had before me.”

I think about what he said. I realize he’s right; I have to give him more.

“No, Gabriel, I have never seen any pictures of myself. My mother was not like Catherine. She was just a woman who barely put up with my existence.”

“What about your father?”

“I never met him. Maybe that’s why she didn’t like me; maybe he left her because of me. I don’t know; I have no idea. She never talked about him. I know absolutely nothing when it comes to him. The one time I gathered up enough courage to ask her about him, she slapped me so hard, I never did it again.”

“Shit, Fallon, I’m sorry. What about grandparents?”

“No, it was just me and my mother. I don’t want you to be sorry, Gabriel. I feel like if I hadn’t lived that life, it wouldn’t have led me to you, and if that’s the case, I would live it all over again.”

I kiss him, and he kisses me back.

“Fallon, I –”

“Shit, watch it kid.”

Some teenager almost ran us over just as Gabriel was about to say something. He then changes whatever it was he was about to say.

“What were you about to say, Gabriel?”

“Nothing. It wasn’t anything important. Tell me about my mother. How did you meet her?”

“I already told you, Gabriel.”

“I know. Tell me again.”

“Fine. You know I worked in a diner called Earl’s, and I was on the brink of being homeless. I met her there. She started coming in for months before she actually spoke to me. When she finally spoke, she told me she had plans for me.” I begin to laugh. “I thought she was crazy. I mean, really crazy. But I was only eighteen years old when I met Catherine. I had never seen a woman like her before. She was beautiful, classy, and intimidating all at the same time.  She said if I were smart, I would follow her and listen to everything she was willing to teach me. She also told me about her son, but when I met you, I had no idea it was you until my birthday.”

“So you just left and went with her?”

“I had no other options, unless I was willing to prostitute myself. You don’t know what it’s like. So, yeah, Gabriel, I went with her.”

“Wait, she’s fucking had you since you were eighteen? Three years before I met you?”

“Yep. She said I was perfect for you, and she and you had to have me. She claimed I was still too young, and I needed training and an education. So, for those three years she taught me everything. I would do it all over again, Gabriel. She rescued me from that life, and you’re damn right I jumped at the chance. Was she wrong, Gabriel? Am I perfect for you?”

He gathers me in my arms and says, “I don’t care what Catherine did or how she molded you. The new or the old Fallon are both perfection. I think I would have found you, no matter what.”

I pull away from him and start to walk. “Ha, you never would have even noticed the old me, Gabriel. You see this shiny new version –”

He grabs me again. “Fallon, I’ve lusted and wanted the new, shining version of you, but it’s this Fallon, the one I know lived through things I can’t imagine and came out stronger for it. It’s that Fallon I fell in love with.”

I started crying as he kisses all my tears away one by one. He loves me, and that’s all I ever needed. Three words.