Wyatt, O, and I often talk about that fateful day, the day my mother got married. O had her baby while Wyatt was still recovering at the hospital from the gunshot to his abdomen. Wyatt spent four days in the hospital recovering from the gunshot to his abdomen. I spent another two weeks telling him everything about Ryan and I. Everything that I should’ve told him earlier. He was my boyfriend for a year, but he got a little clingy. So I decided to break up with him. At first, I thought he took it alright, but he said that he wanted to be friends. And continued to contact me. When I told him that we could no longer be friends, he got angry. Hit me. Pushed me down. I tried to call the cops, but he smashed my phone. When he finally left, I went to the police station and got a restraining order. He was told to stay away, but he didn’t. I saw him cruising past my house. He came to the café and sat in the parking lot until someone told him to leave. I called the cops. They enforced the restraining order, told him to stay away, but he kept breaking it. And each time that I saw him, I got more and more afraid.

Then I came to Wyatt’s house. This was the one place where I felt incredibly safe. Ryan couldn’t reach me here. He didn’t know where I was, nor did anyone else. I stopped hearing from him. Months passed, and I thought that he had moved on with his life. Then I got that first email.

My whole life was turned upside down. I started to panic. Fear ate me up inside. I was terrified. I couldn’t think of anything but him. The only thing that kept me going was that I really believed that he didn’t know where to find me. And then he did.

I didn’t know how he found out about this place, but then I got a call from my mom. Apparently, her trailer had a break in and some documents were missing. One of them was the letter from Wild, Inc. and another from Wyatt about repaying the debt, along with the letter was his return address.

“He must’ve just come here on a hunch,” Wyatt says when we talk about it again. Wyatt’s home now, but still a little weak from the medication.

“Yeah, that must be it,” I agree.

“I still can’t believe you did that,” he says.

“Did what?”

“Kill him like that. That took a lot of courage, Brielle.”

“I’m just sorry that I didn’t do it earlier, before he shot you,” I put my hand in his. “I knew how dangerous he was, and I just let it go. Let the scenario play out.”

“No, you didn’t,” Wyatt smiles and kisses the top of my head. “You didn’t know he was going to shoot me. He’s crazy. You couldn’t have predicted any of this.”

I try to believe him.

“Hey, I’ve been meaningto ask you something. I’m thinking of taking that job in LA working for my father’s company. After I get a little better. What do you think?”

“I think that would be so exciting. Yes, definitely. A nice change of place. You need that.”

I’m happy for him, but another small part of me is a little sad. What would that mean for us, then?

“Well, I can only do it on one condition, though,” Wyatt flashes his mischievous smile.

“What’s that?”

“You have to come with me. Will you?”

I look at him. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

“What would I do there?” I ask.

“Anything you want. It will be a new start for us. What do you think? Please say yes.”

I think about it for less than a second. “Yes! Yes!” I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him. “Of course, yes!”

Then something occurs to me.

“But only under one condition,” I say pulling away from him. “We go horseback riding first. After you get a little better, that is.”

“You want to go horseback riding?” he asks. “I thought you were afraid?”

“I am,” I smile. “Well, no. That’s not entirely true. I’m a little apprehensive, but I’m not afraid anymore.”

Wyatt pulls me closer to him and kisses me.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” he whispers through the kisses.

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THE END