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There was no way I could stick around Clear Lake when I knew what kind of life awaited me.
No one was going to come looking if Carl reported me missing.
I’d graduated a year earlier.
It was summer, and I was eighteenaboutto turn nineteen.
Legally, I was an adult.
The bus arrived shortly before midnightandthat was whenthe text messages came through.It made my skin crawl, but I didn’t care.
Where did you go, Golds? That one was from Trevor.
Eric’s had beennext.Come back to us, Golds.
Baby’s message though….it had been delayedbutit had come. For some reason, his had made my blood run cold.
There is nowhere you can hide, Halo.
After all, he’d been the only one to use my real name.
ASHTON
I wasn’t sure what I thought of the woman on the screen before me. This was our third meeting in two months and the desperation was starting to set in.
“I can sense your apprehension, but I need you to trust me.”
Scanning her appearance, I noted she was wearing a dark green blouse with white polka dots, and around her neck was a decorative necklace with a peacock on. It was an extravagant piece of jewelry, but it seemed to suit her very well.
Blowing out a breath, I controlled my features that threatened to shift into a snarl. Truth was, I needed her but I could never let her know that.
“Ms. May, I reviewed the potential candidates, and I just don’t think any of the women fit what I’m looking for.”
Slowly, I watched as the woman swept her freshly cut black bangs out of her face. I knew they were freshly cut because our last meeting, she hadn’t had any.
I paid attention because I couldn’t afford not to.
“Again, I need you to trust the process,” her brightly painted red lips curled into an uneasy smile and it seemed overly fake. “I’ve been doing this for a while. Can I share something with you…”
She paused as if she were unsure if she should go any further.
Nodding, I watched as she touched at her bangs again. “I was married before. It didn’t end so well and so that was when I conceived the concept of my company, Mr. Tanaka.”
She began to flicker around on her desk still talking. Before I knew it more candidates were on the screen.
“These women are accomplished. One is even an opera singer.”
Ms. May went on to point out attributes, but none of them sounded appealing.
Raising my hand, I stopped her.
“I think that I’ve seen enough.”
One of her pencil-thin eyebrows raised itself. I could tell she wasn’t used to someone being dismissive but I didn’t give a shit.
My sister’s kids needed me to stay in this fucking country and the best way to do that was to get a wife, quick fast, and in a hurry. I was having a meeting with a social worker shortly concerning the children.
It hadn’t been on my bingo card to be staying in the United States this long. Naturally, I hadn’t intended to be the guardian of two girls, a fourteen-year-old and an eight-year-old.
