“I know, Mom. I’ve always admired you.”
“And I certainly have never ‘needed’ your father. But I couldn’t manage a day without him, because I love him. So in that way, yes, I desperately need him in my life. If you look at the love you feel for Luke in that way, maybe you can learn to give a little.”
“Okay, when you put it that way, it starts to make sense.”
Her mother’s lips curved in a smile. “You mean you might actually agree with me?”
Emma laughed. She leaned over and threw her arms around her mother. “Yes, it means I agree with you. Thanks, Mom.”
“Anytime.”
After having dinner with her parents, and, more important, talking with them, Emma had a lot to think about.
She’d been awful to Luke, pushing him away when he’d been there for her.
Fear had made her do stupid things. She and Luke had settled in to what had become a perfect relationship. Until Vaughn had shown up and ruined everything.
No. That wasn’t right. She couldn’t even blame Vaughn for what had happened. She was the one who had ruined everything. She and her own stupid fears. Now she had to figure out how to fix it.
She opened her front door, and the dogs ran inside. Daisy started fiercely barking, followed by Annie. The hairs on the back of Emma’s neck stood on end. It wasn’t like the dogs to bark like that inside the house, which could mean only one thing.
Someone was in her house.
So here was her independence. Should she take out her gun and go check it out herself?
Hell, no. She was independent. Not stupid. She needed to get out of the house now.
“Oh, all right, enough with the crazy barking,” she said, trying to make it sound like that was normal for her dogs. “Come on, girls. Let’s go for a walk before bed.”
Fortunately, they both came running and she shut the front door. She tried to act natural and headed down the block. As soon as she was out of sight of the house, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Luke, hoping he wasn’t so angry with her that he wouldn’t pick up.
“Emma, what’s up?”
“I think someone’s inside my house.”
“Where are you?”
“I stepped outside with the dogs. We’re at the corner.”
“I’ll be right there. And I’ll have a cruiser head that way.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll call you right back.”
He hung up and she waited, staring at the street, then at her phone. When it rang, she hit the button.
“I’m still here on the corner.”
“No movement?”
“No.”
“Don’t move from your location. Do you have your gun on you?”
“In my purse.”
She heard wind sounds, knew he was driving.
“I’m staying on the phone with you. If he comes out, take the damn gun out and point it at him and tell him you’ve already called the police.”
“You know it’s Vaughn,” she said, surprised by how calm she was.
“Yeah. I know it’s Vaughn.”
She looked down the street, toward the house. No one was coming toward her. “I knew he wouldn’t stay away.”
“I’m only a few minutes from there, Emma. Stay calm, breathe, and focus on your surroundings.”
She made sure to turn around and look down the other street, just in case he had sneaked out the back door and climbed the fence to head the other way.
When she saw Luke’s truck coming up her street, she exhaled and hurried down the block toward her house.
He climbed out of the truck, Boomer with him. At the same time, the police car pulled up.
“You and the dogs get in my truck. Lock the doors. We’ll check inside.”
She nodded and put the dogs inside the truck and locked the doors while Luke and the other officer went inside.
It didn’t take more than five minutes for them to come out with Vaughn, handcuffed. The officer put him in the police car, along with a black bag. Luke spoke to the officer for a few minutes, then came over to Emma, who unlocked the truck and slid out.
“He had a bag with him, Emma, with a gun and duct tape. I think his intent was clear.”
“Oh, God.” She started trembling and Luke pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. He stroked her hair.
“He’s done for. I’m sure his bail will be revoked, and he won’t get it again. He’s not getting out this time. You’re going to be safe.”
She clutched Luke’s shirt, not sure she’d ever feel safe again.
“Thank you,” she mumbled against his chest. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’ll always be here for you, Emma.”
She closed her eyes and held on to that.
“You need to come in with me and make a statement so we can do a report. Are you up for that?”
She nodded. “That’s fine. Let me put the dogs up.”
He took her hand and they walked inside. Nothing looked disturbed, but she still shuddered.
“I hate that he was in my house, touching my things, walking on my floors.” She looked at Luke. “Where did you find him?”
“In your bedroom closet.”
She shuddered again. “I should have just gone in and shot him. Then I’d be rid of him forever.”
“You are rid of him forever, Emma. Do you know how many laws he broke tonight? Not only violation of the terms of his bail plus the restraining order, but breaking and entering, attempted kidnapping. He’s going away for a long time, and he’s not getting bail this time.”
She still didn’t feel safe. But she went down to the police station and made her statement, as did Luke. She had a cup of coffee—decaf this time. Her nerves were already on edge, and she didn’t think she’d need any caffeine. Her parents came down and sat with her while she finished up. Luke said he’d be a while, so her parents drove her home and stayed with her until Luke showed up. When he did, they both hugged and kissed her and left because Luke promised them he wasn’t leaving her alone that night.
She took a shower and they sat on the sofa, her back to his chest. She stared at the wall in front of her, thoughts of the past coming forward to assault her.
“For so long, he controlled everything about me. How I dressed, what I ate, how I was supposed to behave. In the beginning, I confused that with love. I was young and he was older, more worldly. I thought him paying that much attention to me was love. After a while, I was just too weak to fight it. Then, at the end, I plotted ways that I would escape from him. I’d lie awake at night and think of how I could get away from him. I guess I had never really escaped. I was never really free of him.”
Luke stroked her hair. “You were free the moment you walked out of his house and never looked back. Vaughn’s problem was that he couldn’t let you go. That was his problem, Emma, not yours. He’s the one that’s sick and twisted. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
What Luke said made sense. “I guess you’re right. Sometimes it’s just so hard to let go of the mistakes you’ve made, especially when they keep coming back to haunt you over and over again.”
“I think we’re all haunted by our pasts to some extent, until we let them go.”
She turned to face him. “Are you still holding on to your past?”
He picked up her legs and wrapped them around him. “I was. I was so dejected and humiliated when Becca walked out on me and divorced me, and I was determined to show the entire town that I didn’t give a shit. I convinced myself that I’d never fall in love again, that no woman would ever matter to me again. It was so easy to go through one woman after another, disregarding their feelings. In fact, it felt kind of good. Like payback, you know?”