Dare To Love Again

I wasn’t even aware of putting the key in h the door. But when it crashed against the wall, the sound reverberated and seemed to strum through me. I stared at her for a few seconds before making my way across the room, ignoring Calen’s order to come to him. I heard the drone of Rebecca’s voice saying something to him, perhaps calling him off; I’m not sure.

I could hear the beat of my heart in my ears could feel its erratic pace, but what I saw on her face made me see red, and that’s why I pulled my hand back and slapped her as hard as I could. That smug self-assured look filled me with such anger that I couldn’t restrain myself, and I used both hands to slap her face over and over again.

I didn’t hear her screams of rage, didn’t see Rebecca holding back Calen, didn’t hear him calling to me, but I was tired when I finally felt his arms come around me. “Okay, it’s, okay baby, that’s enough now, come back.”

The monster was screeching bloody murder and making threats against us, but Calen wouldn’t let me turn to look at her.

“You’d have to make it out of here first.”

“Mom!”

“What? Who’ll miss her? Between Gerard and Jeremy, I’m sure we can get the body out of here without anyone noticing.” I couldn’t believe it, but I laughed so hard Calen had to hold me up. It was his mutters that kept me in stitches, or maybe I was having a psychotic break because this was surely no laughing matter.

“Wait, wait, I know Dana called her the first time; who tipped her off this time?” Until Rebecca said it, I hadn’t given that question much thought. I just figured Ann was doing one of her routine check-ins since there’s never any rhyme nor reason to them. But now I waited for her answer.

I was finally allowed to look at her still from the safety of Calen’s arms and saw the damage. If she were anyone else, I would feel sorry and for her and have a whole lot of remorse for what I’d done, but as it stands, I couldn’t find it in me to care all that much. She had a split lip and a black eye. My dad was dead, and I’d almost lost my husband.

It was at that moment that I realized it was finally over. The panic in my heart eased when I looked up at Calen and saw the love in his eyes, and I smiled. For the first time in my life, I smiled with no trace of a shadow, no worry in the back of my mind that this could all be taken from me. The threat was gone.

I hugged him so hard my ribs ached, but when he hugged me back just as forcefully, it didn’t matter. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time as every emotion known to man coursed through my body at the same time. “Get a room, you two. Hey, you still haven’t answered my question; how did you know my daughter came back home?”

“Your daughter? She’s not…”

“You want me to knock some more teeth out of your head? Do you know who I am? If I say she’s mine, she’s mine. I’m sure Sterling would approve, seeing as how we’re the same ilk. I’m sure wherever he is, he’s much happier knowing that his beloved child has found a home with a mother who loves her the way she deserves to be. Now answer the question before I make sure you take nothing with you when we kick you off of my daughter’s estate.”

It was like watching the clash of the Titans. Two matronly women squaring off against each other. One bloody and beaten and the other with not a hair out of place.

“What difference does it make?” Ann gritted the words through her teeth.

“Well, she’s the one who told us that you were going to be here. How do you think my son knew to come here? You didn’t think Giselle told him, did you? As afraid of you as she was…”

What? I almost started to correct my mother in law but stopped when Calen squeezed me gently, and then I saw why. Somehow Ann found the energy to be pissed off at what she perceived to be Dana’s betrayal. With one last hateful glare in my direction, she dragged herself up off the floor and headed for the door.

“Are we just going to let her leave?”

“Yes, she won’t get far. How much did you hear?”

“Everything.” I looked up at him so happy I could fly.

“We’ll talk about you disobeying me later. I remember specifically telling you not to leave the house as for you, mom, I can’t even.”

“Oh hush, what’re we going to do about that? You know she’s heading to the estate.”