Running from the Past -Book One in Paradise Mountains Series

17. Planning Ahead

    Dr Thomas Whitehall is retreating to Paradise Mountains to heal his grief...

    I was in shock. How could it be? Had I been discovered? How?

    I realised I was trembling and had to sit down. Jared was looking at Alex, as if waiting for orders, and even Liam seemed to be waiting for him, in silence.

    "You'll be staying with me." Alexander said, his voice firm. I was so foccused in trying to control my breaths, in order to avoid a new panic attack, that it took me a while to understand what he had said.

    "No." I said.

    "Yes."

    "No." I repeated a little more forcefully. "You wanted me to stop running. You wanted me to face my fears. I can't do that if I keep on running. I wake up around 4 a.m. to start baking; I can't leave Mary hanging..."

    "We'd cut the rope a week or two afterwards." said Liam playfully, but Alex growled. He actually growled!

    "This is no joke! This is your life!"

    "I know. Believe me, if anyone knows that, it's me. I'm the one who spent weeks, if not months, at the hospital..."

    "Don't remind me..."

    "And I owe Mary an explanation. She deserves more than my silence."

    "Heavens above, woman! You're not going to the moon!"

    "You can't face him alone." said Jared.

    "I know. And I won't."

    I turned to Alex.

    "How long will I have to put my life on hold?"

    "For as long as it takes."

    "Precisely. I will be a burden."

    "That's the most idiotic thing that I've heard, and I've served with Liam overseas!" muttered Jared. Alex seemed near a heart attack but Liam intervened. He pulled his phone, made a phone call and put on speaker.

    "What?" growled Sam's voice.

    "Where are you?"

    "Outside the bastard's home."

    "Any movements?"

    "All is quiet. He didn't leave his house for the entire day."

    Liam turned off his phone and looked at Alexander.

    "We have eyes on him. We'll know when he'll make a move."

    "Do you think you could keep bakin here?"

    "Well... yes..."

    Alex turned to Jared.

    "I'll make a few phone calls. How many days off do you guys still have?"

    "A few."

    Alex turned to me. I was still in shock with the news, fear was slowly creeping inside me, but at the same time I was strengthning myself. For too long I had allowed him to dictate my life; now I knew what it was to be loved, to be respected, to be a woman for someone. I would not let him control me anymore. I needed to live and for that, I needed to be free from fear.

    "We'll speak with Mary. She'll have to pass on your daily cookings at the diner, but you'll continue to bake here. One of the guys will be with you. Mack will collect the baked goods daily."

    "You can't spend all day with me, Alex..."

    "Try me."

    "And there are worst days of spending time." Liam chuckled but Alexander didn't even look at him.

    "But today, I need to return to Mary's. I need to speak with her, to explain,"

    "There are phones..."

    "I also need my things, I can't be here with the same clothes all day every day..."

    "Princess..."

    "Alex, you have him under surveillance. We'll know when, or if, he makes a move. Besides, how many towns called Paradise Mountain there is?"

    "Are you truly willing to bet your life on that? And I mean literally?"

    "Of course not. Which is why I'm willing to compromise. Don0t think i'm not grateful, because I am. You're the only ones who ever standed up for me."

    "And we'll ever will..."

    "And I'm thankful for that. But I can't forget that Mary lended me a hand when I needed as well, and she deserves an explanation."

    "Knowing her, she'll kick you in the butt if she thinks you're putting yourself in danger because of her."

    "Maybe... but I still need tonight."

    I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't afraid. Hell, I was still trembling by the time Alex took me home. Not convinced in the least, Alexander agreed to compromise. Defeated, but not convinced, Alex allowed me to return to the inn, speak with Mary, leave some meals ready for next day, take all my baking materials from the diner, all my things from the inn's room and go to Alex's.

    I was living at the inn in a semi-permanent way. When I first arrived, I thought I would leave in a week. But as the time passed, I started to save some money so that I could rent an apartment in town. But until then, I was at the inn and had been happy up until that day.

    Alex took me home. When he turned the engine off, silence fill the spaces between us. We had argued because he wanted me with him, but I couldn’t leave. What about my job? At least I had to return and speak with Mary. Explain things to her. Take a few days off. Knowing her, it wouldn’t be too hard. We had both stamped our foot and the compromise was the best we had managed.

    Alexander was the first to break the dense silence.

    "I'll pick you up in the morning, around 5 a.m."

    It wasn't really a question but I felt compelled to say:

    "He may never come. There are more Paradise Mountains, we’re not sure he’s coming to this one. And I… he already took so much from me; I don’t want to give him the pleasure of taking anything more. This I my place. I want to stay; I want to be a townie as much as you or Mary or even Herbie… I don’t want to be that sad pathetic little creature anymore."

    "You were never pathetic, princess."

    "Yes, I was. Every time I allowed him to push me, to hit me… I was weak. He made me believe I was nothing, I was worthless and I let him. He will not take anything more from me ever again."

    Even in the dark I could see Alexander’s eyes glittering with unshed tears.

    "I’m so f*****g proud of you."

    I smiled. I was proud of me too. And I knew I would have to face him, sooner or later. But Alexander… no, Alex was on my side. With him, I could conquer the moon. Yes, I was afraid of him. I had four years of fear pented up inside. But I wasn’t alone anymore and that made all the difference.

    "See you tomorrow."

    We kissed, and I felt his strength envolping me, as if he wanted to keep me in his arms and never letting me go. His tongue made me moan. I loved him with all I had. It never ceased to amaze me that he loved me back.

    Too soon we broke apart, his breathing ragged, my heart beating wildly in his chest.

    I left his jeep and jogged to my room. By then I had a permanent key so I didn’t need to disturb Mary. She and Mack shared a room in another floor, so it was as If I had the whole inn for myself.

    When I entered my room, I didn’t turn on the lights. The night was calm, it had snowed during the day and the heavy clouds up on the sky were promising even more snow. So I went to the window and absorbed the beauty that lay beyond its boundaries.

    Next, I felt a sharp pang in my head and everything went black.