Real Shadows - M.E. Clayton Page 0,53

the details in order to move past what Thomas had done. Holding it all in wasn’t going to help anyone.

I took a deep breath and told them everything. When I was finished, Trevor looked pissed while Karla looked heartbroken. But then, she knew Thomas just like I did. He was a stranger to Xander and Trevor, but to me and Karla, he had been someone. He had been a friend at one time.

“Jesus,” Karla breathed out. “I’m…” She slumped back in her chair. “I’m not sure what I should be feeling, right now.”

I knew exactly what she meant. It felt like I was feeling everything but nothing at the same time. “He sounded like he really believed that it was love,” I told her. “I don’t think he saw it as stalking. I really think he thought he was…romancing me or something.”

Karla reached over and clasped my hand. “Well, it’s over now,” she said. “There’s still a lot of healing to be had, but at least you won’t be looking over your shoulder anymore.” Her eyes watered. “You can finally work on having a real life, Fallon.”

I looked over at Xander, and it wasn’t until he sent me a slow wink and tender smile, that I was hit with the realization that I had a chance now. A chance to be near my best friend and a chance at a real family. A life where I could love Xander freely and, maybe, one day, get married and have children.

“What do you say?” I asked, addressing Xander. “You willing to help give me that real life?”

He mouthed ‘I love you’ and it was perfect. I was scared, most likely traumatized, but it was perfect.

After Karla and Trevor finally took their leave, I knew it wouldn’t be long before the police showed up. It was late, but I didn’t think that would deter them. When the doctor had checked in on me again, I did ask him to convey that I’d be happy to speak with the police first thing in the morning, and he assured me he’d do what he could to deter them. It wasn’t that I wanted to put it off, so much as I was just so damn tired.

The clock was pointing to well past 10pm when Xander asked, “Why don’t we take your savings and my savings and put them together. We could get a nice house with what we have.”

I looked over at him surprised. He’d been lounging in the chair next to my hospital bed for a while now, as we watched T.V. silently, comfortably. “What?”

He looked at me, those golden eyes looking right through me. “I’d never ask you to go back to my house, Fallon. And I refuse to be without you, so that leaves a fresh start.” He let out a deep breath. “Truthfully, I’m not sure I could ever live there again, anyway, with what happened to you.”

It was too soon. Not to mention, we were both in a very delicately emotional state. But at one point in time, I had been willing to hand over everything I had to this man when he was a stranger to me, so handing everything over now was a no-brainer.

“So, you’re finally agreeing with Karla’s plan?”

His face was all love. “It’s a damn good plan, baby.”

Epilogue

Fallon – Ten Years Later~

As I tripped, and almost lost an eye again, I wondered why the hell I ever thought being a stay-at-home-mom was a grand idea.

Oh, that’s right. I hadn’t imagined my children would be little demons destined to drive me insane.

I kept the F-word firmly planted inside my head and didn’t share it with the identical six-year-olds playing in the living room, completely oblivious to my near death. But, to be fair, it was hard to feel anything but love for the two little heathens. They looked exactly like their father and that just sort of tripled my love for them.

It had taken a couple of years to put everything that had happened with Thomas behind me and move forward. It wasn’t until I sought professional help that I realized I needed healing from a lot of things beyond that fateful day in Xander’s living room. There was the classic abandonment that most foster care children feel, but also the six years that Thomas had stalked me. Those years had changed me, and I hadn’t even realized it until I embraced my therapy and strived to help myself overcome everything I needed to in order to