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Liam
Man, this past week has been rough- and I meanrough. First, Mr. Laurier approaching us and threatening us, then flying all the way to New York, not knowing what to expect there. Managing to bring Samantha back home- and then this shit with her father seeing us in a magazine together?
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified of what her father was going to do. I mean- I can’t really blame him to be honest. Not saying the guy isn’t a total dick- but if it were my daughter- I probably wouldn’t be too happy either.
But regardless- my main goal is to protect Samantha. She is all that matters, and I will do whatever I have to do in order to make sure she is happy and safe. I won’t let her father do anything to hurt her, that’s for sure.
And honestly? After hearing some stories from her about her childhood with her father- I’m not sure I even want her going anywhere near him again.
But of course- this isn’t the only thing I’ve been thinking about since we landed back in Houston. One of the main things that’s been on my mind has been Asher.
It’s weird, but since we flew to New York as a team to bring Samantha back home- things have been surprisingly civil between us. Maybe even more than just civil. Things are good.
We’ve been getting along like we’ve been best friends for years now. Almost like all the bad blood between us never happened. I’m not sure how to feel about it.
Anyways, after a few very long hours- Asher and I have managed to calm Samantha down and put her to sleep. It took a while, but I’m proud that the two of us were able to do it.
See, when I received the text from Asher to come over- I had no idea what I was about to walk into. But to see Samantha breaking down like that? It was horrible. I didn’t know what to do, or how to help her.
It took a while for me to even understand what she was trying to tell us, but when I could- I was horrified. The girl was just done, sick and tired of her life. And I don’t fucking blame her.
“You wanna slip outside to share a cigarette?” Asher whispers.
“Sure,” I nod.
The two of us quietly get up and slip out of the bedroom and into the living room. He grabs a pack of cigarettes from his desk drawer, and we step out onto the front porch.
He lights one for me, and then one for himself, and the two of us sit in silence for a while- just puffing away.
“This sucks,” he finally says.
“Agreed.”
“I’ve never been in a situation even remotely like this. Like, I honestly have no clue what to do.”
“I’m in the same boat as you man,” I sigh. “I wish there were more I could do- but I really don’t think thereisanything.”
“All we can do is just be there for her. Stay by her side. What she needs right now is to not be alone. She needs support. And that’s what you and I mean to her. She feels safe with us- and we need to make sure that she continues to feel like that.”
“You’re absolutely right. She needs us now more than ever.”
We sit in silence for another few minutes, until Asher breaks it once again.
“I’m sorry,” he blurts out.
I turn to look at him, unsure of how to respond. He’s staring at me, eyes wide and honest.
“I’m sorry too,” I nod at him.
And I really mean it.
“I’ve been so nasty to you over these years. And for what? I’ve realized this past month or so that there really was no reason for us to hate each other as much as we did. I mean, do you even remember how that started?” he asks.
“I actually do. Well, sort of. I remember accusing you of stealing one of my prized cattle. And you swore up and down that you didn’t do it for so long. But then one day she was found roaming on your fields. And then from there on, I just hated you. But I do agree- things got way out of hand. We were really childish.”
“Ah, yes. I remember that very clearly now. But I still swear to you that I stole nothing from you. But I can see that that whole misunderstanding was the one thing that caused everything else to happen.”
I peek at him, to see if I can tell by his face if he’s lying. But all I see there is honesty and openness. He has no reason to lie to me right now.
