“No sympathies needed, I’m glad he’s dead. He got what he deserved.” He smiles as he says it, seeming young and carefree, and the reporter’s mouth drops open, as her eyes nearly bug out.
“Excuse me, why would you say that about your father?” She leans closer, glancing at the camera, as it pans to him.
“My father was an evil man, who enjoyed pitting us against one another. If not that, then the best part would be all the blows to the face I took because he couldn’t handle the fact that I’m gay.”
I pause the video, a mixture of awed and shocked. I can’t believe he just came out with it, I don’t know how to handle this.
“Keep going, son. He’s about to pull out a letter.” Her eyes shine with tears, as I press play and steel my resolve.
“He always had to get his own way, and the reason he was killed, was because he kidnapped my best friend. No rhyme or reason for it, other than she looked like the woman he killed with his bare hands. He admitted it to her as he tried to choke the life right out of her, if Cole didn’t get there when he did, my friend would have died. So yeah, I’m glad he’s dead, I’m just sorry I wasn’t there to see it.” The video cuts off as I stare at my mom, and she pats me on the shoulder.
“Does Emmet know?”
“I don’t know, honey. This happened last night, so I imagine he would have heard about it by now. Open the letter, my love, I think you need it. Even if it only gives you closure.” She drops a kiss on my head, and leaves the room.
I know you’re probably angry, and I understand it. I never planned for it to go this way, but I couldn’t see any other way out. My nights are filled with terrors and I barely recognize myself. If I stayed with you, then that would mean being around Belle. Believe me, that isn’t a bad thing, but I don’t think I can handle it right now.
I don’t know how long it will take you to read this letter, a week, month, a year, five years, maybe never. That’s a risk I had to take, even though the thought of never seeing you again makes everything ache. I meant what I said, I will never stop loving you, and I know that it won’t grow weaker, or fade over time.
I did something that I can’t talk about, but it’s shattered me in every way imaginable. It’s why I can be around Darius, because he knows. I don’t have to watch what I say, or be careful about breaking down in front of him.
That being said, if you’ve opened this, then maybe it’s because you’ve realized something that I’ve always known. You are it for me, Tucker, you own one fifth of my heart, and I never want it back. I don’t know if the others will find their way back to me, but I still have hope. Even if they don’t and I only had you and my mountain man, then I know I would be happy. I don’t know where you are, maybe you stayed in New York, moved into the house you took me to, or moved somewhere entirely different, but if you don’t want to walk away, then you’ll find me in Savannah.
I’m looking for the perfect Starr, maybe I’ve already found it.
Always yours,
Tiny One
She’s in Savannah, I’m in… Savannah. I may not believe in fate, but I can’t just ignore this. I guess all I have to do no is find the perfect Starr, whatever the fuck that means.
I search everywhere, trying to figure out what she could mean. Isabelle is with my mom, and dad is working at the law firm we started. I no longer go by Harkwright, sick of that name and the black cloud that follows it. Instead, I took my birth mom’s name, and she’s even moved down here as well. It’s nice that both my moms get along so well, and they were more than understanding over my need to change my name. So, now I’m Tucker Davis, and people don’t just want a piece of me because of who I am, but because of what I can do.
Not that it’s helping me now, because I can’t find her. Wasn’t the letter supposed to tell me where she would be?
I growl out loud as I pull up Jake’s number and hit connect, it rings for a long assed time, before it finally connects.
“Um, hey, Tucker, what’s up?”
“Where’s Luna?” No need to waste time on unnecessary pleasantries.
“How am I supposed to know?” He laughs, and I growl louder.
“Put Daria on the phone,” I bark out.
“Whatever you say, this should be fun.” He cackles like a witch, before the phone goes muffled, and a light laughter takes over.
“Hey, Tuck, what can I do for you?” I bet she’s smirking right now, and I’m really not seeing the funny side.
“I can’t find Luna. She said she was looking for the perfect star, what does that even mean?” I grumble, as I pull over and rub the tension out of my eyes.
“Hang on, are you in Savannah?” Her voice drops, and my hand falls away.
“Yes, I live here. Have for the past month, I even have a law practice up and running,” I sigh, not seeing the relevance.
A whispered conversation takes place, and my frustration mounts.
“She hasn’t seen any buildings with Harkwright on them,” she says carefully, and I’m starting to understand the whispering now. She’s with Luna, which means all three of them are here, now.
“I’m not going by that name anymore, it’s Davis and Sons.” My tone is getting more clipped by the second, and I’m starting to wonder if I made the right choice.
“Did you read the letter?” I drop my phone, shock filling me as Luna’s voice hits my ears.
I hurry to pick it back up, before clearing my throat, and trying to sound calmer than I did a second ago.
“I did, and I don’t care what you did, Tiny One. You don’t have to tell me, but please, tell me where you are so I can see you. I really need to see you.” I sound desperate to my own ears, and a soft sigh fills my ears, before she reels off an address.
I put it into my GPS, before gunning the engine, and driving there as fast as I can. I’m coming for you, Tiny One, and I’m never letting you go again.
54
Finding Our Way Back To You
Aeron
One Year Later
I thought I was ready that day in the maze, but she knew I wasn’t. She always knew me better than I knew myself. It took me losing myself in the bottle and drugs, to finally see it. Sure, I still smoke pot, but I don’t do it to forget anymore. Now, it’s too numb the agony I feel everyday I don’t get to speak to her.
I’m ready now though, any doubts I had are gone, now that I’ve got my mechanics degree, and I’m on my way to getting a job I actually want. Not one in accountancy, and nothing to do with the Harkwrights. I may still share their name, but that is all we have in common.
My favorite Sin,
Did you ever doubt how true those words were? Wonder how I could walk away, when I claimed to love you? Sometimes I doubted myself, not the love I felt, but that I was strong enough to handle everything. I won’t ever throw your past in your face, but we travelled a hard road, and the strength I had to see me through, disappeared the night Cole, and then Sir, took me.
I struggled to pull myself out of bed, to eat, and just simply function to get by. It’s scary. It’s only been three, days, and today, I will have to say goodbye to you all. I know I’ve been avoiding you, but it’s because I know that if I don’t, I’ll never be able to walk away. I need to, Sin. I need to know who I am away from the Academy, and I can’t do that if I still have you and the others.