“Go ahead. This is taken care of.”
I wanted to open my eyes and beg him not to leave. But I didn’t for several reasons. Ezra was supposed to be dead. There was a strange man calling him Major and this Major had to go to Tennessee. I’d been a part of his work, this Ezra-Major, though Ezra didn’t exist. What had I gotten myself into?
Moulton had been a prison. Now it was where I wanted to be. Life was simple there. People were real. This life wasn’t for me. The price was too high and I wouldn’t pay it, so I kept my eyes closed and waited until Ezra was gone and the stranger followed. Once I knew I was alone I stared at the wall in the room and there was comfort. Peace in returning to Moulton. Soon I’d be home to rebuild a life I’d completely turned upside down, by leaving the town in the first place. The security of the bakery was no longer. But I would be there to help. We would be okay, every one of us. As a family we would survive.
Chapter Eighteen
I never saw the man. The one whose voice I heard in the room. Instead, Gia came to stay. When they released me the following day I had a brace on my arm. Ligaments were torn but the vomiting had stopped and my concussion was on the mend. Gia took me to the airport. She had all my things from the penthouse. I assumed Hale gave them over. He wouldn’t say no to her. That might get you thrown from the balcony.
She begged me to eat while we waited on my plane. However, when it was time to leave, she didn’t go, although she had a ticket. “I’m headed to Tennessee,” she said with a smile and a pat. “You’ll be fine Sammy Jo. You may think you’re alone but you’re not.”
Then she walked away.
I glanced around at the people boarding and wondered if he was here. The man who was escorting me. Observing my return to Moulton. Why couldn’t I know who he was? Had he been following us all this time?
The safety and security of a simple life in Moulton had never sounded more appealing. This world I was in right now was far bigger and scarier than I’d imagined. It wasn’t the answer to my hopes and dreams. Wasn’t all lights and excitement. It was dark and twisted, with an abundance of shadows and my soul wouldn’t be sold, not to become something else.
Stepping into line I bumped into a man and turned to tell him I was sorry. I had to tilt my head back to see him. He was tall with a beard and a man bun. His eyes were beautiful and I had a feeling without that beard he was gorgeous. The wall of muscle on his frame made me nervous. Before Hale men hadn’t frightened me. Now every size and shape caused a panic. Especially larger males.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly.
“My fault,” was his short reply. He didn’t smile or make eye contact. He glanced down at his phone then back at the line and his breathing was deep and steady. His chest rose and fell like the sea.
I turned and focused on the line as it slowly moved forward. The purse my mother had made me was locked on my shoulder and the clothes I wore were mine. Moulton was at the end of the day.
The life Hale had afforded was behind me. I had a few fond memories, though they weren’t with Hale, they were exclusively with Ezra in the city. He’d found a way into my heart and I couldn’t believe I would never see Ezra again. He was the guy I’d dreamed as a child. Yet I knew nothing about him. Because of his job Ezra was a lie. I didn’t know his true identity. That saddened me to an extreme. When he’d explained to me that his former life was dead, it was and Ezra was serious. He wasn’t exaggerating. His “before” was a different person. Never again would we laugh over dinner, or drink too much at a restaurant. Ending the night with a toe-curling kiss was now an unrepeatable memory. I’d been given a taste of what a real man was and then it was snatched from my grasp. Nothing I could do would get it back. I’d never been in his future plans. He was working when he spent time with me. It was a ruse, a fake and a con.
My seat on the plane was in first class. The big man sat beside me. Striking eyes and bun still there. He didn’t speak or glance my way. Instead he ordered a whiskey from the flight attendant and I ordered a soda after that. I didn’t try and talk because he gave off the vibe he wasn’t into conversation.
The rest of the flight was the same. The man beside me finished his drink and closed his eyes to rest. I turned my attention to the window. As we rose in the sky the clouds covered then cleared. This was my second time on a plane and it would be my last. I wasn’t chasing this dream again. I didn’t need another adventure. I wanted family, security and home. Maybe love would arrive one day. If I could learn to trust what brought it.
I no longer had a phone to call home. Momma didn’t know I was coming. I wondered if Hale got in touch with her. What would he tell her if he did?
Calling her from the hospital had been out of the question. It would’ve scared her and I’d done enough. I’d changed her life by coming to New York and now her life was altered again and my family was upside down. All because of me.
My momma was the best in the state of Alabama. Nobody could cook like her. She loved people enjoying her products. I’d taken that away from her. There wasn’t another bakery in Moulton. She wouldn’t be able to find another job where she ran it and made it prosper, because the customers wanted her treats.
I had to make it up to her. I would work three jobs if needed. She could stay home with Henry and I would take care of things. I’d save and work and buy her a bakery. It’d take years but I would do it. I owed her that because of my selfishness.
The pilot spoke and said we’d be landing soon. The flight had seemed fast, but of course I knew my thoughts had been elsewhere. I had to prepare to face my family. The pressure was mine to deal with.
I would be landing in Huntsville and I wondered how I was supposed to get to Moulton. I had some money but a bus didn’t go there. If Gia hadn’t planned a car or a ride I was going to call someone. Jamie and Ben would be best. I could pay for their gas and time. I had enough money for that. I didn’t want to bother momma. She was currently losing her job. That was my fault, not hers.
After the plane landed I retrieved my purse from under the seat in front of me. The man beside me slid my carry on from the compartment and calmly handed it down.
“Thank you,” I said and he nodded, remaining silent, saying nothing.
Something about him was peaceful. When you first looked at him he was large and intimidating, but there was a way about his demeanor. It eased you being next to him. There wasn’t any anger or hostility. Under the surface he did not seethe. That’s the best way to explain it.
When allowed to exit the plane he stepped back and let me go first. I went ahead and although I wanted to thank him I knew he didn’t expect it. I headed for the gate to find a bank of phones, if those even existed in this airport. Cell was king, even I knew that.
“Good luck,” the deep voice said. It came from behind me and I surprisingly turned because it was him speaking to me. He then vanished into the crowd as if he’d never been.
While redirecting my attention to the busy airport my gaze stopped on my mother. She was amongst a bunch of people but seeing her face made my eyes fill with tears. Her expression was full of relief and love and that tenderness she’d always given. I then saw forgiveness, which made me grow calm. “Mother, there was my mother.” I was home and safe with her. I should’ve never left Moulton to begin with. Not one tear had threatened to fall since the world I’d chosen began to crumble and then it crumbled around me. The little girl that I was, and that every woman is, fell to pieces in her presence. She’d bend down to pick them up. That’s what a mother did.
Chapter Nineteen
“No need to cry. It’s time to toughen up. It went to pieces and we’ll adjust. The world ain’t ended. Still spinnin’. We got our health and we got each other.” Those were momma’s words and as they sank in I threw myself into her arms. She was strong but I started to cry. That was always comforting knowing momma wasn’t scared when we, her children, were. She wasn’t afraid of anything. If there was anyone in this world I wanted to be like it was her, my mother and my friend.