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“We’ll do everything we can to keep the ones we love safe. I could move there. We both could move somewhere else. But, whatever it takes, I need you. I love you. I want to be with you. And if you would consider being with me, it would make me the happiest guy alive.
“So, what do you say? Will you give us try?” I said for the first time, speaking entirely from my heart.
Every second that passed in silence was a century. I aged waiting for him to speak. When he did, I didn’t know what he would say. So, when he said, “I could never live without you,” I remembered how to breathe.
“I need to see you,” I told him meaning it.
“I need to see you too,” he said sounding as desperate as I was.
“But, how?”
“I’ve been thinking about this.”
“You’ve been thinking about this?” I said with a smile.
“All I’ve done is think about you,” he said melting my heart.
“What have you been thinking?”
He paused.
“I have a plan.”
Chapter 17
Hil
I couldn’t do it. I knew the best thing for everyone was if I forgot about Cali. I should have moved on and somehow pretended that the last few weeks with him hadn’t happened. But I could barely breathe without him.
I tried to get out of bed. I truly did. It was like my arms didn’t work. My legs couldn’t move. Everything on me ached. I needed Cali.
But no one deserved to be hurt because of me. So, as I stared at the ceiling with uncontrollable tears rolling down the sides of my face, I imagined what could happen.
If Cali were to refuse to accept my request, I would find a place where no one would be in danger except the two of us. Maybe it meant living our lives on the run. And maybe neither of us would be able to see our family again. But it would work. And the two of us could be together.
So when he called and I heard his voice, I knew what I would be doing for the rest of my life. I would be spending it with him. We were going to see every part of the country. Cali would teach me how to camp. And our lives would be each other.
This was what I told Cali before he agreed to drive up to get me. It seemed like a tough existence, but it wouldn’t be all bad. I would be taking with me as much cash as I could carry. My family wouldn’t miss it.
With it, we could have whatever life we wanted. We could eat anywhere and buy anything. We could get the cutest RV, decorate it like it was our dream home, and eat caviar every night.
I couldn’t imagine that would be what Cali would want, though. Knowing him, he would probably want something simple. I looked forward to finding out. I couldn’t wait for our new adventure to begin.
With him already on his way to our meeting spot, I waited for the perfect time to leave. I would escape the way I had before. After I did, I would head to the home of my best friend in the world.
It turned out that Dillon hadn’t been the one to tell Remy where I was. Remy had figured it out on his own. I could trust my best friend. And when Dillon agreed to do everything he could to help me with my plan, I knew I would love him forever.
I was so happy I would be able to see him one last time before I left. For our escape to be successful, Cali and I would have to cut ourselves off from our families entirely. When the reality of it sank in, it became harder for me than I thought. As much of an asshole my big brother Remy was, I also loved him. I couldn’t have survived my penthouse prison sentence without him.
For a guy covered from neck to wrist in tattoos, he was surprisingly funny. I often wondered who he would have become if he wasn’t saddled with the responsibilities of this family and our father. He might have ruled the world. I was going to miss him.
I was also going to miss my parents, but in a different way. I was never able to fully embrace who they were and what they did, but not everyone got to grow up unquestionably loved like I was. I was never going to forget that.
But, however I felt, I knew that what Cali was giving up was so much more. When I asked who would take care of his mother, he said his brothers would. They, like everyone in town, loved his mother. She would always be well taken care of.
I also asked if he thought his mother would understand us leaving. He said she would. He told me that it had something to do with his birth father. I didn’t quite understand it and he didn’t go into details, but he seemed confident in his decision. He loved me as much as I loved him. I was the luckiest guy in the world.
When it became time for me to leave, I looked around at my room for the last time. I was not going to miss this place. Yes, it had everything a person in confinement could dream of. But being here wasn’t living. I was choosing life.
