All Roads Lead Home

by Wasowski, Mary

  “The girl, a natural free-spirit, never denied who she was and what she wanted for her life. Although she loved him, he could not make her stay, so he watched her board a plane to her new life. Through the years and on their own, he never gave up hoping for the one day she would come back for him. If ever granted this chance with the girl he loved, he would vow never to be so careless with her fragile heart. He would promise to love her for all the days of his life.”

  “The boy who trusted the girl all those years ago is now a man asking for that same promise of the beautiful woman in front of him. Tenley Faith Fairchild, I love you more than any man has ever loved a woman before. You are truly my soul mate, the one that I love, and will continue to love until I draw my last breath. Today, I unconditionally give you my heart, where I’m asking and trusting you to always cherish and protect me with your love, as I will do the same for you. I’m asking you to marry me and share your life and heart with me. I swear it on the heavens above that I will make you so very happy for every day you allow me to. You were meant to be a Parrish, as I always knew I was meant to be your husband. Marry me, Tumbleweed, and we will fly together, hand in hand…always.”

  I opened the black velvet box and presented her with a ring I had designed especially for my girl. It was a two carat yellow diamond halo set stone. It was surrounded by rows of diamonds, and on the outside was a sunflower etched out onto the gold band. She always loved sunflowers, something shared with her mother.

  The girl I fell in love with had grown into a sophisticated woman. Back then, my girl never needed what money could buy, and she always appreciated the simple things. I knew I needed to present Tenley with a ring that would make her feel special and wanted. I could buy her the biggest ring in the showcase, but that was not Tenley. The ring I had designed for her was perfect and was waiting to be placed on her finger. Her mouth was covered by her hands as I waited for her answer. She wiped away her tears and pulled my lips to hers, kissing me with all the love she felt for me. My heart was beating, my temperature was rising, I wanted her with me forever, and all I needed was her answer, the one word that would turn my world right. The one word that would erase all of our past mistakes and replace them with new memories to make.

  This is all I want with Tenley. It’s what I have always wanted but was too stubborn to realize. The pain of losing her, losing Jamie, and losing myself in the process has shown me how precious life truly is.

  I’m not a patient man. I want nothing more than to make love with my girl and lose myself in her for hours, but I won’t until I have her answer. God! She’s killing me. I have never loved her more. Please, baby, say yes.

  “YES. MY ANSWER is yes. You’re the one, it was always you Jagger. You say our story is written in the stars, that may be true, but it so much more than either one of us ever realized. It took leaving you to discover what I had all along, but my foolish choices and maybe even stubborn pride held me back. You will never truly know how sorry I am for ever getting on that bus that day instead of dropping to the ground and wrapping my arms around your neck. When you asked me to stay, I thought my heart would stop beating. How is it that after all of this time, you still wanted me?”

  “Maybe it took me leaving to grow up and be worthy of your love. I believe I am so ready to become a Parrish. When I look into your beautiful eyes, I see the boy now a man who will fight, protect, and love me always. You loved me through it all in spite of myself, and you never gave up even in the darkest hours when you thought you did. When I returned and saw you again, I felt at that moment complete. I no longer had shattered pieces, I was whole again. Your love brought me back to life and back to where I belong.”

  “I trust you with my heart, Jagger Lucas Parrish, today, tomorrow, and always. I promise to never break your heart and cherish every minute spent with you. I’m looking into your eyes, and all I see is HOME. You. Are. My. Home. My answer is yes.”

  I held out my hand for Jagger to take. He slid the ring onto my finger and placed a kiss upon it.

  “Thank you for saying yes. I love you, Tenley. I’m going to make you so happy.”

  I kissed him back and said, “You already do. Now, may I ask you a question?”

  “Anything.”

  “I would like my future husband to make love to me. Please, Jagger, make love to me, with me, and never let me go.”

  “Always, baby. Always and forever.”

  Jagger and I made love until we literally passed out in each other’s arms. I dreamed of becoming his wife as I soundly slept, and saw my brother with tears in his eyes. He whispered to me…

  “You. Chose. Right.”

  We kept our “official engagement” a secret until Christmas day where we could share our news with our family and friends. Wendy knew instantly from the expression I wore. Our home was bursting with sounds of laughter and new memories being made. As a Christmas gift to Jagger, myself, and Shane, my mother presented us with a photo collage of our life shared with Jamie.

  The frame was double the size of an average poster frame. Wendy laughed and called out to us before we knew what was inside. “Go big or go home,” she said. Leave it to our friend for always saying how it is. I loved her for that. My mother gave a short little speech before she allowed us to open our gifts.

  “Merry Christmas. For the first time in a long time, this house is no longer silent. It is loud, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I will always remember the good feeling I have in my heart when my eyes scan this room and see all of you smiling back at me. Brock and I are truly blessed to have you all in our lives, but I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the one person who truly never gave up on reuniting all of us here today. To our son, James Brockton Fairchild. He is our guardian angel in heaven who looks out for us all. Not one person in this room hasn’t stumbled a time or two, maybe even fallen so hard it took a long time to get back up.”

  My mother paused and smiled at me, as Jagger leaned in and kissed away my tears.

  She continued, “Each and every one of you meant so much to our son, and mean so much to us. We are a family forever, and just know that whatever road you find yourselves on beyond the gates of this land, always remember…all roads lead home. Home to the ones who love you. Your family. Let’s all raise our glasses to Jamie and to each other.”

  “To Jamie!” We all toasted together. Not a dry eye in the house. Wendy was passing out tissues to us and using some for herself. The three of us looked at my mother, and then my mother waved us off and gave us permission to open our gifts.

  I waited and allowed Jagger and Shane to go first. Shane got his open first and took a step back to admire the living memories in front of him. Jagger did the same and both men were speechless. My mother, along with Jagger and Shane’s mom, all pulled pictures of the guys from their childhood. Shane and Jagger’s collages were filled with pictures of Jamie, and all three of them together. From their toddler years, to school years, to adulthood. Every box told a story about the trio of cowboys whom I loved very much. All I could do was smile and close my eyes where I could see Jamie smiling back at me. Okay, brother, stop showing off. I smiled and wiped away more of my tears. Wendy called out to me.

  “You’re next, Tumbleweed. We’re all waiting.”

  “Okay Wendy, hold your horses.”

  I slowly opened my gift, and my collage was my life in pictures. My birth picture where I made my entrance into the world, and one of Jamie holding me when mama brought me home. Jamie always said it was his favorite one of us together, it was our first. Of course my collage wouldn’t be complete without pictures of the guys and me. We were the perfect square. All of us had a side that completed our perfect shape. My eyes found the last picture we all took together. The guys had this one too. It was the summer I graduated college. Three cowboys engulfed me as my mother snapped the picture. It was a perfect day, kind of like this one right now. I hugged my mother and thanked her over and over again for the best gift I could ever receive.

&
nbsp; “I love you, mama.”

  “I love you, daughter. Thank you for coming home.”

  “Thank you for still providing a home for me to come back to. I swear it, mama, I’ll never stray so far away again.”

  It was the perfect day spent all together. I would never forget this Christmas for as long as I shall live. Jagger and I spent the rest of our time together locked away in my family’s cabin. We tried to forget about our upcoming trip to New York and the problems that were waiting for me to come back to.

  Jacob messaged me on the new burner phone he left when he was first here. Cheryl did what was asked of her. The trap had been carefully set, and upon my return, we would wait for the rat to take the bait.

  “Are you ready?” Jagger asked me as I looked around the room. My stomach was tied in knots. “Wipe that worry off your face. We will see this cabin again, I promise you, baby. Nothing will happen to you.”

  “I know that. I’m just allowing my mind to get the best of me.”

  He held me in his arms and the knock at the door alerted us that our car was here. I opened it to find Shane standing there with a bag in his hand.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised.

  “I’m coming with you to New York.”

  Jagger didn’t look all too surprised by this news, and then Wendy walked up behind him. I was the only one that didn’t know what was going on.

  “Wendy…” I said very slowly. She was the only one that I trusted to keep our secret and know what to do in case our plan did not work out the way we hoped it would. Wendy had made enough promises to see two lifetimes, but she never complained. It was her love for all of us that guided her to do what always came natural to her. She loved us unconditionally like we were her own.

  “Now, Tumbleweed, don’t go looking all snarky at me. You need all the help you can get. Those macho whatever hood rats you call them will not see these boys coming. You don’t mess with a cowboy and get away with it.”

  I told the driver to wait and gave a look to Jagger and Shane who were completely ignoring me. I took Wendy’s hand and pulled her into the bedroom.

  “Wendy! How could you tell Shane about New York? It’s hard enough I have to involve Jagger, and now Shane too? What were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking with my heart, and my love for you. What have I always told you? You don’t always have to be tough, and you should know by now that those men out there will walk through fire for you. You need their help, and they need to be allowed to do so.”

  “Wendy, Shane is about to marry Shelby, so she should be his priority, not me. I can’t risk him getting hurt.”

  “Don’t you worry about Shane and his love life. You need to concentrate on putting the bad guy away and come back home here to stay.”

  “Wendy, has something happened with Shane and Shelby? I know she wasn’t able to join us for Christmas with her visiting family out of town, but is there something else I should know about?”

  “Don’t worry about Shane. He’s fine and happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. Please focus on what you need to do, and come back home to us. Now go!”

  “Where have I heard that before? I love you, Wendy.”

  “I love you too, Tumbleweed. You will never know how much. Be safe, and call me as soon as you can. I’ll take care of everything here, no worries.”

  “I never do, Wendy, especially when it comes to you.”

  I made my way out to the room, where Jagger took me in his arms. He whispered in my ear to not be mad. I wasn’t. I grabbed my bag, and the guys followed me to the car.

  “Hold onto your cowboy hats! New York, here we come.”

  Shane let out a big whopping “Yee-haw,” and then grabbed his bag to follow us out.

  NOTE TO SELF: Leave the never-flying cowboy home on the ranch. It was a hellish flight I had to endure, with Shane vomiting all over first class, to Jagger nearly having an anxiety attack once we took off. Although Jagger had flown before, he said the take-off always gave him the jitters. Once we were in the air, he calmed. Shane was another story. Jacob’s pant leg took the most damage when Shane didn’t reach the bathroom. He was beyond livid that they had to travel with us at all, but try telling Jagger to stay behind.

  It would prove difficult enough for me when I would have to ditch my security team and take matters in my own hands. While Jagger and Shane were doped up on Dramamine, I used the quiet to devise a new plan. One that would require some means of persuasion, an insurance policy to use when it was absolutely necessary. This would be one of those times.

  Convincing Jacob of my new plan would be another story. He and his team were already in place to take out Roberto if necessary, but this capo was delusional if he thought for even a second that he was the one calling the shots. The boss was no other than Anthony Bornarelli, and he was currently sitting in a New York State Correctional Facility awaiting relocation to a Federal Prison. I realized the plan in place was wrong. To take out his son would only ignite a mob war. I knew I had to go directly to the top of the food chain, and that would bring me to Anthony himself. Jacob would be furious with me for not disclosing what I had on certain city officials, but their hands were just as dirty as Roberto’s. The only difference…They were still operating in the appointed positions they held and were walking free as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

  I was going over my case file when Jacob approached me.

  “Tenley, I need a minute, and in private,” he said.

  I looked over to Jagger who was sleeping soundly. I closed my laptop and followed Jacob through the cabin where we could speak freely without being interrupted.

  “What is it, Jacob?”

  “You tell me, Fairchild.”

  “Ooh, using my last name can only mean one thing: You’re pissed off about something, but for the life of me have no idea why.”

  “You know why, so drop the act. Other than the vomiting episode, all of your attention during this entire flight has been spent on your computer. What are you looking for that we don’t already know the answer to? Be straight with me, Fairchild, or I will throw your ass so fast in protective custody that your head will spin.”

  “Keep your voice down, please? Jacob, I am not hiding anything from you. All I was doing was going through some of the court transcripts from Tommy’s case.”

  “What are you hoping to find that we haven’t gone over a thousand times already?”

  “Jacob, I think I’ve come up with a way to neutralize Roberto without the threat of violence.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “Will you promise to keep an open mind?”

  “Tenley, my patience is running thin, and I’m in need of a shower. Let’s hear it, or any bargaining chip you may have will not even be considered.”

  “You’re right about my chips. I have many to use and will use if necessary. I want a meeting with Anthony Bornarelli.”

  “Out of the question, my superiors will never grant you access to him.”

  “I wasn’t asking your superiors. I have my own connections to get to him.”

  “Like hell you will! Tenley, we’re supposed to be partners on this, and there is no way I’m going to stand back and let you take the lead on this case.”

  “Jacob, no one lets me do anything. I say. I do. And I will let you know when.”

  I watched his jaw tick with anger. Jacob was always cool and collected, but this conversation with me had proven to be a bit tasking even for him.

  “Jacob, Anthony is still the boss of his family, no matter his current location. His son has gone rogue and needs to be reeled in. If his hand is forced, Anthony will take him out. Roberto has proven to be an embarrassment for his father. No man in his position of power will stand for public humiliation, especially from his own son. I need a sit-down with him.”

  “I think you’ve been watching too many Hollywood movies. Tenley, this is the real life mob, not a group of actors portraying one. Roberto vowe
d vengeance against you when his father was sentenced. That psychopath will not stop gunning for you, and he feels entitled because of his name and will use that as a way to get to you with any means he can.”

  “I disagree, and will prove you wrong once I meet with his father, which by the way will happen, so save the effort and don’t try to stop me,” I said.

  “What if I try? Will I be wasting my effort? Or is my fiancé not worth the risk?” Jagger interrupted, as he made his way over to me, clearly overhearing my conversation with Jacob.

  “Hey, how are you feeling? We should be landing soon,” I asked him.

  “I’m better, so what’s this about a prison meeting with the mob boss?”

  “Jagger, I’m not going to discuss this right now with you, and in front of Jacob.”

  “Why the hell not? You had no problem when you thought I was sleeping.”

  Jacob took that as a clear sign to give us some privacy, but his eyes told me that our conversation was far from over.

  I placed my arms around Jagger’s waist and pulled him closer to me. “Baby, this is my job, and it’s a job I do very well. I can take care of myself. I have been for a very long time.”

  “That’s just it, Tenley. You don’t have to do that anymore. You have me, and no one is going to hurt my woman.”

  “I love you for that, I really do, but you need to stay out of it, Jagger. I’ve got this, and I will win.”

  “You know, Ten, you don’t always have to list your accomplishments every time we have a conversation. I know you are a somewhat of a badass. I watched you in action, remember? But this is me and you here, and you don’t have to put the walls up and shut me out, not after all we’ve been through to be together. Please let me help you?”

  Jagger looked at me with sad eyes, imploring me to lean on him for support. I knew I was responsible for the hurt he showed me, but he was in my world now and this was what I did. This need for control fueled me to take on the injustice of the world and fear no one. I wasn’t afraid of the looming threat, they should be afraid of me.