by Terry Towers
“You’ve never been to Niagara Falls, right?”
“No.” She sat up straighter in the seat as her eyes began to scan the buildings as we passed by.
“Don’t suppose you want to play tourist for a day or two? God only knows we both deserve a day to adjust and maybe begin to feel normal again.”
~*~*~*~*~
Gwen
“’bout time you got back, I was starting to think I was going to spend my first night as a Canadian alone!” I leapt from the bed and then grimaced as I landed on my feet and pain rushed up my injured leg. The painkillers Lance had given me helped, normally, but not when I was jumping from beds with the enthusiasm of a cheerleader at a big game.
“Seeing the falls at night is the best time to see them.” He rushed to me and slipped his arm around my waist, steadying me. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to walk?”
“I’m fine, just gotta be gentle with it.”
“I can go get you crutches. I should have done that already.”
“And have you leave me the rest of the night while you look for some, no thanks.” I flashed him a smile. It hurt, but I’d be fine. “So why don’t you have any bags? I thought you were going and getting something.”
“I was and did. Come on, let’s go see the falls, they’re all lit up and it’s beautiful out tonight. The perfect night if I’ve ever seen one.”
After slipping on my canvas sneakers we left the hotel and made our way to the falls, which thankfully was only a short five-minute walk, although the crowd of people was insane. He was right, it was incredible. The falls roared as the water toppled over the side and a spectrum of colours shone through the falling water.
“There’s a lot of people here, someone might recognize me,” I whispered to Lance when he slipped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his broad frame.
“They won’t. It’s night and I think they’re more interested in the falls than us.”
We came to an overlook that gave the most spectacular view of the falls. Looking over my shoulder there was a massive fountain and park area behind.
“This is breathtaking and there’s even a band doing classic rock covers over there.” I pointed to the stage set up, surrounded by tourists. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a romantic setting.” No wonder so many people went to Niagara Falls for their honeymoons. If there was any place in the world for new lovers this was it.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“What are you planning Lance?” Looking up into his eyes I saw a glimmer of… something.
“Well, it occurred to me, you know, once you pointed it out a few days ago –” he grinned and gave me a wink “– that I hadn’t properly asked you something.” He leaned into me, “And if by some chance people decide to take pictures of this, keep your face away from the cameras so they don’t get a direct shot.”
“Huh?” I crinkled my nose up at him. What in the hell was he talking about, why would people take pictures of us? As soon as the thought came to mind he fell to one knee and my question was answered. I looked around us nervously, as a smile spread across my lips. Several people had already noticed he was knelt before me and more were taking notice.
“Lance?” I looked back down at him and watched him produce a ring case from the inner pocket of his denim jacket. “People are watching,” I whispered just loud enough for him to hear.
He opened the case to display an engagement ring in a platinum setting to match our wedding bands. “I know we haven’t travelled the easiest road to get here, we’ve gone through hell, but we’ve survived and we’re standing here together, despite it all. I have no idea what the future holds for us, but what I do know is that for the first time in my life I’m in love. I knew from the moment I first saw you that I needed you in my life. And I knew I’d do anything to make sure you’re safe and cared for.”
The group around us continued to grow in size, forming a circle around us. As Lance had predicted some had their phones out and were taking pictures; some were recording. I rearranged my hair so it hid my face from the cameras.
“This is crazy.” Despite my words I knew I was smiling like a lunatic. He was giving me my dream proposal. My heart swelled and I didn’t think I could have loved anyone more than him at that moment.
“What I’m saying is I want you to be my wife not because you have to be, or because it’s the safe option, but because you own my heart. And for the rest of my life I’ll do everything in my power to prove myself worthy of you.”
“Ohmygod!” We may already be married on paper, but that didn’t matter. As I extended my shaking hand to him and he slipped the engagement ring onto my finger to sit beside my wedding band I knew it was for real and that I’d never love anyone so fully and with such intensity as I did Lance.
He grinned. “So that’s a yes?”
“Oh God! Yes! You’re so crazy, of course.” As he stood I threw myself into his arms and was lifted from my feet into a hug so tight and enthusiastic that it left me breathless. As he set me to my feet his hand slipped to the back of my head as his lips came crashing down onto mine and I lost myself in his kiss.
I’d spent a month living a nightmare, but as the crowd cheered around us I knew I would have endured that nightmare a thousand more times if it meant we’d end up at this moment. I’d lost so much, the people I loved had lost so much, but there was a light and he was standing before me.
Epilogue
Gwen – 1 week later
“So what do you think?” Lance asked as he pulled the blindfold off of my eyes and gave me a moment to look over the house before me.
I squealed with excitement. “It’s everything I dreamed of having.” I barely had words to describe how happy I was at that moment. One of our conversations at the compound had consisted of what our dream houses would look like. It was as if Lance had jotted down every single detail of what I’d told him and had the perfect house built for me. It was a modern two-story house in the suburbs, white in color with a cute little fountain on the front lawn and a white picket fence surrounding the lawn. The windows even had flower boxes! It was sweet. It was quaint. It was perfect.
“You still need to see the inside.” He jingled the keys before my eyes then took my hand and led me up the cobblestone path to the front door… Can you imagine! Cobblestone!
“Unless it was formerly owned by an animal hoarder and never cleaned up I know I’ll love it!” When we reached the large oak door sporting a large stained glass window I was absolutely giddy.
“Here’s the keys.”
When he passed me the keys I was so excited I dropped them. Bending I snatched them up and fumbled a couple of times before finally inserting the key into the lock and unlocking the door. The front door led into a small foyer and immediately I sprinted for the staircase to check out the upstairs with Lance trying to keep up behind me.
After running frantically from room to room of the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2500-square-foot house I ended the tour in the center of the living room. “It’s perfect.” I did a complete 360-degree turn in the living room envisioning what it would look like furnished.
I turned to Lance and shared a smile with him. This was the first time I’d seen a smile on his face for a few days and I was beginning to worry about him. The news had been buzzing about the explosion at the compound as well as countless stories about the suspected disappearances and assassinations of high-profile political and corporate personalities from around the world. The stories of the political assassinations took precedence over the cheerleader gone missing story and I was more than okay with that.
Lance stepped up to me and pulled me into his embrace. “I’m glad you like it.”
Slipping my arms around his neck I pressed myself flush against him and brushed my lips across his. “It’s more than I could have dreamed of. You’re more than I could have ever dreamed of.”
~*~*~*~*~
Gwen – 2 weeks later
“It h
as been confirmed, Congressman Walter Winters died in an explosion that took the lives of over a dozen domestic and international politicians and public officials…” the reporter on the flat screen television mounted on the wall announced then proceeded to give an in-depth report on the incident.
Ohmygod! I had to cover my mouth to stifle the gasp that tried to escape me as I looked over Lance’s shoulder to the television set featuring a picture of the congressman, impeccably dressed and with a wide smile on his face; Congressman Walter Winters was The Boss.
“Lance.” Walking around the sofa I sat down next to Lance and snuggled tight. “Are you okay?”
“… In a twist to this story, anonymous sources have leaked documents linking the Congressman along with dozens of other politicians and public figures from countries around the world with a human trafficking and arms dealing ring. Investigations are pending, but as of yet no official charges have been made...”
“And no charges will be made,” Lance growled. Lance looked over at me and attempted a smile, but failed miserably. Pain and remorse filled his eyes, emotions I had never seen in his eyes before.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“It’s not that… Keep watching.” He redirected his attention back to the television.
“Civil war has once again broken out in the West African state of Liberia…” Lance shut off the television and tossed the remote onto the coffee table; it skidded across the table and fell onto the floor.
“Ten thousand people have died so far,” Lance said, thrusting a hand in his hair and giving his head a shake.
“I don’t understand.”
“The last deal I did was with a Liberian militia group. I knew they were going to go to war and sold them the guns anyhow. Those lives are on me.” He leaned forward on the sofa and laced his fingers behind his neck, bracing his elbows on his knees. “All of those lives.”
I slid from the sofa, to the floor and crawled over to him, situating myself between his legs and looking up at him so he was forced to look at me. I placed my hands on his thighs and stroked his outer thighs over his jeans. “No, they’re not. They’re on the people pulling the trigger. You didn’t cause the problems there.”
“I armed them.”
“And if you didn’t? Someone else would have swooped in and armed them instead. If they want to go to war, they’re going to war whether they use your guns or someone else’s.”
“That’s not the point.”
“It is the point,” I insisted. “We can go around and around debating the issue until we die of old age, but you need to take a page from your own book. While what you did was heinous, you fixed it, you’ve made the world a better place. In fact, what you did at the compound did more for people than most of us could ever dream of.”
I chewed at my bottom lip and the news articles I’d printed from various online sources came to mind. I got to my feet and walked to my purse. Rummaging through it I unzipped the side hidden compartment and pulled out the dozen printed articles, all with pictures that made my heart sing each time I looked at them and then brought it over to him.
Retaking my spot on the floor between his legs, I thrust the first printed article under his nose. He remained silent for over a minute reading the article and then staring at the picture.
“Her daughter has a mother again, because of you.” The picture was of Becca with her arms around her little girl Tia. I hadn’t known Becca had a daughter, until I noticed the article online and immediately printed article to save. The article spoke of the abduction, but she refused to comment on how she was freed to the press. My interest had been piqued so I’d searched out the other girls and found something on most of them.
He took a deep breath in and slowly released it. “Wow.”
“There’s a dozen more just like this one in various papers around the U.S. All of the abductees you saved. I spread the remaining articles with the faces of the women I’d lived with for weeks across the coffee table. None blame you, you’re a hero to all of them. They all say it to the reporters in interviews. It appears from what I read the twins have a fucking crush on you, and I have to say I’m slightly jealous,” I teased.
Slowly he nodded and a cocky smile spread across his lips, his mood lifting. I knew he’d be carrying the guilt for a long time, maybe for the rest of his life, regardless of what I said, but I could see the darkness fading from his eyes and that’s all that mattered. “For the record I never had sex with either of them.”
I returned his smile, pressing my forehead to his. “I believe you. No man who was having sex with them would come back to me nearly ripping my clothes off needing to fuck me if he was having sex with a bunch of other women.”
“Mmmm. Good point.” He lifted his head and ran his fingers through my locks. “So despite everything that has happened, are you happy, Gwen?”
I thought about my family. They’d been given information from the other abductees that I was alive and well and protected, or at least that’s what I heard on the news. When I saw my mother and father on the news the previous night, they looked better than they had the first time I’d seen them, as if the knowledge I was alive and cared for was better than the worst they could come up with on their own. I suspected they held the hope they’d see me again, just as I did. I held faith I would and that somehow made it feel okay. It wasn’t goodbye, it was until we meet again.
I’d lost so much, but gained so much more.
I have an incredible husband that would risk his life to save mine. The home of my dreams and a future where the sky is the limit. I nodded, my smile widening. “I’ve never been happier.”
Update from Gwen Anderson Lillian Walters:
Well, that’s my story and I’m so glad you took the time to read it, it’s a story Lance and I felt needed telling. It’s been several months since my husband (and hero) saved me from a fate that would end up being worse than death and with each day that passes I love him more.
I’m not sure if you guys care or not, but my cheer team won the national cheer competition! I’m so excited and proud of them, they even dedicated their win to me. And guess who took over as captain – Becky Peters, did I call it or what?
Oh, and guess what else… After doing a little Facebook stalking to find out how Brandon was doing – the news pretty much lost interest in him so it was my only way to find info – I discovered he took Becky Peters to the prom and they’re officially a couple. Their grad pictures were stunning, the new school power couple, and I’m sure when they go to college they’ll make quite an impact.
So, I guess that’s it. I’m going to university here in Toronto in the fall to start my Bachelor of Arts degree and Lance is going to start the graduate program. On occasion I still mourn the loss of my previous life, mostly because I miss my family, but all-in-all I’m happy - we’re happy. Slave 342 is dead, but Mrs. Lillian Louise Walters is alive and well.
The End
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Excerpt From
Taming A Dark Heart
By
Terry Towers
Available Now
Chapter 1
“And what exactly am I supposed to do with them?”
Gabriella snickered softly as she watched her co-worker at the animal shelter, Tonya Gibson, deal with a tall, dark-haired, strikingly handsome man who was attempting to drop off a carrier of kittens. She inched her way a little closer to the open doorway, while trying to keep out of sight from the man on the other side of the counter.
“What every other responsible pet owner does, man up and keep them.”
The man on the other side of the counter was becoming increasingly irate as it became clear to him that the shelter was not about to take the pet carrier of four crying kittens from him.
“Man up! Have you not been listening to
me? These are not my kittens!”
Tonya crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. “If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that, I wouldn’t be working here for a living, Sir.”
The condescension in Tonya’s tone wasn’t lost on Gabriella. Apparently it wasn’t lost on the man either; she could see the muscles flex in his throat as he attempted to force his temper down and she covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle another giggle.
“Listen, lady. I woke up this morning, I went outside to go to work and lo and behold there was a carrier of kittens on my doorstep. I don’t want animals. I don’t like animals. I don’t have time for animals. And I know damned well if I did have animals I wouldn’t have a cat and sure as hell wouldn’t have it wandering the streets getting knocked up so I would have even more animals.” He threw his hands up in exasperation. “Are you following me, honey?”
Gabriella almost lost it again at the pissed-off expression on Tonya’s face as the man threw the endearment “honey” at her.
“Oh, I follow you, baby. But you need to listen to me now. Even if I did buy your story, we’re full up here.”
“Full up? What do you mean full up? How can you be full up? This is a shelter. You guys take stray and abandoned animals and I happen to have abandoned animals.” He pointed to the pet carrier of kittens.
Tonya straightened up to her full 5’9”, which was roughly six inches shorter than the man, planted her hands on her hips and raised a brow at him. “So you say.”
Gabriella had to bite down on her knuckles to keep from laughing full out as the man on the other side of the counter was rendered speechless. Knowing that Tonya’s technique in dealing with him was getting them nowhere, Gabriella unbuttoned a couple of buttons on her white blouse so there was a teasing view of her white lace bra and pulled the elastic band from her shoulder-length blonde hair. Flipping her head forward, she fluffed out her hair and straightened back up. There was more than one way to get a guy to take some kittens home; time to try a different angle with him.