Disarming My Destiny: Sulfur Springs Book 5

by Taylor Rylan

  Table of Contents

  Table of Contents

  Copyright © 2019 by Taylor Rylan

  Acknowledgements

  Note to Readers

  Prologue

  Bishop — 1

  Xander — 2

  Bishop —3

  Xander —4

  Bishop — 5

  Xander — 6

  Bishop — 7

  Xander — 8

  Bishop — 9

  Xander — 10

  Bishop — 11

  Xander — 12

  Bishop — 13

  Xander — 14

  Bishop — 15

  Xander — 16

  Bishop — 17

  Xander — 18

  Bishop — 19

  Xander — 20

  Bishop —21

  Xander — 22

  Bishop — 23

  Xander — 24

  Epilogue

  Connect with Taylor!

  Current List of Books

  Copyright © 2019 by Taylor Rylan

  Published in the United States by Taylor Rylan

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, scanned, or transmitted in any format or by any means without the prior written permission from the author, Taylor Rylan. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are a product of the author’s imagination. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, is pure coincidence. As are any similarities to any businesses, events or locations.

  All products and brand names mentioned are registered trademarks of their respective holder and or company. I do not own the rights to these, nor do I claim to.

  Copyrights and Trademarks

  Motrin

  Fortnite

  Netflix

  Hallmark

  Walmart

  Special K Red Berries

  Wendy’s

  Animal Planet

  Diet Coke

  Five Guys

  The Umbrella Academy

  Bondi Vet

  Acknowledgements

  Cover Design and artwork by Jay Aheer

  Beta Reading by Kirk Waite at LesCourt Author Services

  Editing by Sandra Dee of One Love Editing

  Proofing by Judy Zweifel of Judy’s Proofreading

  Note to Readers

  Hi readers! Let me first say thank you for reading Disarming My Destiny. Bishop and Xander are very special to me and I hope you enjoy their story. I wanted to mention that Alzheimer’s is something that many of us will have to deal with in our lifetime, sometimes more than once. Each and every person’s experiences with it are different and Bishop’s is from my own personal involvement.

  Prologue

  June 2017

  “Bishop, son, it’s what’s best for everyone.”

  “No, Dad, I don’t know that. This is your home. This is where you raised me,” I argued as I looked around the living room of the house I grew up in.

  “You have your own life, and I can’t do this alone anymore. The state hasn’t really given me much choice. I no longer have a driver’s license after my last episode.”

  I turned and observed my dad. The only parent I ever really had and realized he looked…tired. And I was losing him. So much faster than I was ready or prepared for.

  “Dad, why don’t you come live with me in Wyoming?”

  I watched as he shook his head at me, already knowing what he was going to say. “I can’t leave my Ellie. You know that. What would she think if I didn’t come visit her?”

  I wanted to cry. I was so frustrated, but I knew there was no arguing with him. Not really. “Dad, Mom died twenty-five years ago. She doesn’t know you visit. Come to Wyoming with me. We’ll get a house there, and I can watch after you.”

  Dad looked at me with determination in his gaze. “No. This is your first assignment with your new job. I’m so proud of you. First you served our country, and now you’re a federal marshal. You make me so proud.” Dad touched my cheek, and it was difficult to not let my emotions get the best of me. I’d never hidden my feelings from Dad—never had to. But now, this was different. I knew I had to be the strong one because he needed it.

  I knew arguing with Dad about moving with me wasn’t going to work. His mind was made up, and I realized that as I looked around the house. “Dad, where are all of the pictures?”

  “I have everything in some totes that I’ll take with me to the new place. I’ve been going through and slowly getting rid of stuff since I was approved for the new place a few weeks ago.”

  “Dad…” I turned sad eyes to my father but didn’t finish my thought. It was no use. He’d already made up his mind.

  As the executor of Dad’s estate, and owner of the house, I’d seen the contract when I had to sign the paperwork. The house was mine and I didn’t even know it. Dad had “sold” it to me two years ago and signed my name on the paperwork when he had a power of attorney while I was deployed. He’d paid the gift tax, and that was it. It was a done deal, and I hadn’t even known it.

  Now it had been sold again, and the new owners were simply waiting for my visit so I could sign the closing paperwork on the sale. How the hell did I sell a house I didn’t even know I’d owned? I glanced at Dad and knew he was doing what he thought was best for me, but I didn’t need the money. I’d had nothing to spend my pay on for the past ten years.

  Dad’s new place of residency at an assisted-living facility that specialized in Alzheimer’s care was already set up, and since the house was mine, when the state had liquidated the rest of Dad’s estate, they couldn’t touch the house or the funds from the sale. Dad had said he put the house on the market because he wanted me to live my life, not worry about taking care of him. But I just wanted Dad. I didn’t want to have to put him in a care facility. I just wish he’d said something sooner and maybe I could have talked him into coming to Wyoming with me.

  “This is what I want. I hope you can support my decision,” Dad said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

  I sighed in defeat. “Do you want help moving?” I asked, giving in.

  “You can lug totes out to the truck for me. They’re full of papers and pictures, and some are heavier than I realized.”

  I nodded, resigned that there was no changing his mind and that this was how I’d spend the last visit at my childhood home. Fuck!

  November 2017

  “Dad, what do you say we fly up to Wyoming for the week? I can take some extra time off and show you around. It’s so beautiful in the mountains there.” I watched as my dad simply sat there and looked at me with a blank look. “Dad?”

  “Bishop, son, you know I don’t want to leave. What would we do with Oreo?”

  I looked down at my dad’s companion of the past five years. She was perfectly content with her current place in Dad’s lap.

  “Well, she’s small. We can bring her with us,” I said, hoping to encourage Dad to come to Wyoming with me. If I could just get him out of Texas, maybe he’d want to stay with me and I could watch over him more than I had been.

  “No. Oreo and I need to go see Ellie. She was so beautiful yesterday. You should come with us,” Dad said as he got up from the chair he’d been in for the past hour.

  “Sure, Dad. I’ll go with you,” I told him as I joined him at the door. But when we left, he didn’t turn toward the parking lot. He went back toward the large room where everyone see
med to gather. I watched from the doorway, unsure what exactly to do.

  “Your dad has more better days than bad ones, but his bad days aren’t what I’d really call difficult yet.” I looked over at the woman who was standing beside me. Her badge said Dr. Richards.

  “Then I guess this would be a bad day, then, since he was going to go see my mom, but yet here he is,” I said as I pointed toward my dad, who had sat down on a couch with two other gentlemen. They were all chatting and seemed comfortable with each other.

  “Yes, if he’s talking about your mother, then this would be a bad day. I’ll be honest, it’ll get worse, so be prepared. Especially since you don’t visit often.”

  I turned completely toward the doctor before I replied. “I visit as often as I can. I’ve tried to get him to come to Wyoming with me so I can watch over him there. My job has me there, and I can’t exactly quit. I’ve asked for a transfer, but so far, nothing is open here.”

  “I wouldn’t recommend you do that. He’s happy here, and we’re one of the highest-rated facilities in the state. If he continues to progress at his current rate, before long, he’s not going to remember you. I’m not trying to seem cruel, Mr. Jones, but I do want you to be prepared. Your dad was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in 2014, and he’s showing rapid progression.”

  “I realize that now. I wish he’d said something then, but I was deployed most of that year.” I sighed, frustrated. “I’m not a shitty son. I want what’s best for him,” I told her.

  “Trust me, we all know that. But you need to be ready for him to not recognize you. It’s only a matter of time,” Dr. Richards said as she gave my arm a pat.

  “I wish I wasn’t so far away. It’s a four-and-a-half-hour flight, otherwise I’d be here more often. I guess I’d better go say goodbye now while he still remembers me,” I told her before I walked over to my dad. I missed him and hated that he was still in Texas while I was fourteen hundred miles away.

  “There he is. Marty, that’s my son. He’s in the Marines. Bishop, when did you get here?” Dad asked as I approached the group.

  “Dad, I’ve missed you,” I said as I kneeled down in front of my father. Fuck, this was more difficult than I expected.

  December 2017

  “Mr. Jones, we’re sorry, but you’ll have to take Oreo with you this time. Your father is having more episodes and isn’t able to care for her any longer,” Dr. Richards told me as I stared at Oreo, who was hiding under the bed in Dad’s room. I got down on my knees, hoping she’d come out of hiding. Dad was at some activity in another part of the facility, and for that, I was grateful.

  “Come here, girl. Come on,” I said, and thankfully, she came over to me. She was badly matted and needed groomed desperately. I felt bad for her but wondered what I was going to do with a dog. I worked long hours and at times was gone for several weeks on assignments. “I’ll take her, no problem. Does she have a carrier or anything like that? Do you know?”

  “I’m not sure. We weren’t able to locate a carrier, but I did find her vaccination records for you,” she said as she handed me an envelope. “If you want, I know there are several of the staff here that would love to have her. She’s such a sweetheart,” Dr. Richards said as she reached over and gave Oreo an ear rub. The dog groaned in my arms, and although it was tempting, I couldn’t do it. There was no way I could let Dad’s dog go to anyone but me, so I shook my head and looked around for anything for her. I didn’t even feel a collar on her, and that was concerning.

  “Is there someone who can watch her for a few minutes? I want to see Dad before I take her.”

  “Sure. You can leave her with Jay at the station. He’s quite fond of her, and I’m sure he’d be more than willing to watch her for a few minutes. I’m really sorry we had to call you down like this. I know you were planning on coming down in a few weeks for Christmas.”

  “It’s okay. Luckily, I could get a flight easy enough,” I told Dr. Richards as we walked out of Dad’s room. Jay was only too happy to watch Oreo for me for a few minutes while I went and saw Dad. Not knowing what to expect, I prepared myself for the worst but quickly realized you can never fully prepare yourself for something like that.

  “Mr. Jones, Gerald, you have a visitor,” Dr. Richards said moments later as we walked up to Dad. He was sitting all alone in the activity room, staring at nothing.

  “Hey, Dad. How are you?” I asked as I crouched in front of him. He looked at me with a blank look on his face.

  “What did you do with Ellie? She was just here, and you made her go away. Why are you here?”

  I looked to Dr. Richards for guidance, but she only offered a subtle shake of her head.

  “Dad, I—”

  “That’s right. I have a son. How did you know? My son looks just like his mom. My Ellie is so beautiful. My son’s in the Marines. He’s a good boy, but he’s off at war now. I hope his momma keeps him safe. I know my Ellie will. I just know it. Do you have children?” Dad asked, looking at me expectantly.

  “Umm, no. I don’t. I’m not married, Gerald.”

  “Do I know you?” Dad asked as I stood up.

  “No, sir, I was just saying hello,” I said, and it absolutely killed me. The man I knew, the loving, tender man who had raised me was gone. “I hope you have a great day and that you find Ellie soon,” I told him as I turned and walked away.

  “I’ll see Ellie soon, I’m sure,” Dad said as I walked away. I made it back to the station with Dr. Richards beside me.

  “How long has he been like that? I just saw him a month ago.”

  “It comes and goes. Some days he’s with Ellie more than others,” Dr. Richards told me. I nodded but couldn’t offer her a smile. Inside I was shattering. “Mr. Jones, it’s okay if you space visits out. Unless you can spend hours a day for several days in a row, you might not see a good day.”

  I nodded again and reached for Oreo. She whined when Jay handed her over, but I needed to get out of here. I knew they’d seen plenty of family members break, but I didn’t know what to do. The fact that I’d lost my dad before he was gone gutted me.

  “You have my number if you need me. Please keep me updated on his condition,” I told the doctor. She offered me a sad smile and a nod before I turned and fled.

  There was nothing else I could do. I’d gotten a call this morning, letting me know I had to make arrangements for Oreo, and the only thing I could think to do was take a personal day and fly down to Texas. I needed to stop at a pet store and get a carrier for her, and then I didn’t have a whole lot of time left to get back to the airport.

  I found myself talking to Oreo as I climbed into the rental car I’d gotten at the airport. “You ready to join the great white north, girl? Huh? We’ll get you cleaned up once we get back. But it’s looking like you might be sporting sweaters this winter.”

  Thankfully, I knew my way around this area well, and in no time, I was purchasing a soft-sided pet carrier and then we were on our way to the airport to fly home to Wyoming. I had an almost five-hour flight home to process things, and that didn’t help. How do you process the fact that your parent doesn’t know who you are?

  After checking in, Oreo and I quickly made our way through ABIA and to our gate. I was no stranger to flying, but this unplanned trip couldn’t have come at a worse possible time. My partner, Adrian, and I were in the middle of a case, and he was already pissed that he was stuck with me. Fuck my life.

  Bishop — 1

  December 2018

  I hated Texas. The only thing that kept me coming back to Texas was now gone. I watched as they lowered the casket into the ground and felt like shit because it was a relief that my dad was finally with Mom. He was no longer suffering, and that was important.

  I’d spent the last eighteen months going back and forth between Wyoming and Texas every chance I had, but it didn’t matter. My dad hadn’t remembered who I was for the past year. I tried to remind myself that it wasn’t anyone’s fault, that it was a sym
ptom of the disease that was destroying the once-vibrant man I’d grown up with, but it didn’t work. I missed my dad.

  I’d lost my mother to breast cancer when I was in elementary school, and now I’d lost my dad to Alzheimer’s. I’d held it together during the five-hour flight, but once I’d checked into the hotel, I broke. I’d thought I’d already cried all of the tears I was going to, but I guess not.

  Everything had already been taken care of, something my dad had done a long time ago, I’d come to find out. I stared at the headstone and wondered if my dad was truly with Mom now. I honestly didn’t know, but I hoped like fuck he was.

  Once the burial was over, I simply left. I’d been in Texas for several days now, and all I had to do was load up my rental car with the last of Dad’s things, check out of my hotel, and head on home. I had a dog to rescue from boarding. At least she was happy to see me. I’d spent the last year with her living with me, and for the first week she would hardly eat, but she had more than warmed up to me now—and I’ll admit, she made life better.

  The biggest obstacle had been keeping all of this from Adrian. It wasn’t too difficult since he’d met his boyfriend, Cody, six months ago, but he still thought I was running off to hook up. Boy, he couldn’t have been further from the truth.

  I unlocked the rental as I walked up and was grateful I’d been able to get an SUV. I assumed Dad’s things wouldn’t fit in a car, and I’d been correct. I drove back to the hotel, and after changing into jeans and a button-down shirt, I loaded up everything from the room and then checked out.

  It was a long-ass drive back to Sulfur Springs, but I could still make it halfway tonight and then be back in Wyoming late tomorrow night. I tried not to think about Austin and all that I was leaving behind, but it was difficult when you didn’t have anything to occupy your mind. I led a boring-as-fuck life. I had my job and a partner who seemed to tolerate me more now that he’d found love, a dog that was happy I fed and played with her and would sit in my lap while we watched TV, but that was it. I didn’t date; I didn’t have anyone on my radar even. My mind had been too focused on Texas for the past eighteen months, and I had nothing left to give.