Crossed: Book Two (A NEW ADULT ROMANCE) (4 page)

No word from Tyson, or Cody, or Marcus all week. Nicky comes and we have a great time spending our days at the resort and our nights drinking wine under the bright Montana moonlight.

Three more days pass. Nicky’s gone.

The coffee pot beeps and the coffee is ready. I’m ready for it as well. I pour a cup, sit at the table, and as I start into the copy of The Sun Also Rises I found on Cody’s bookshelf, my phone rings. I almost spill my coffee everywhere when I see that it is Tyson.

“Hi Kase. It’s Tyson.”

“Yeah, I know. Where are you?”

“Well, I can’t say, but I needed to call and let you know that they need me for two more weeks.”

My heart sinks. Feels like it will fall out of me if I don’t grab my chest to hold it.

“Two more weeks. That’s a whole month, Tyson. Where are you going? Why do you have to stay?”

“I can’t say right now,” he replies, “I’ll tell you all when I get back. I have some good things in store for us, Kase, when I get back. I can’t wait to see-“

“-Well, I might not even be here. I can’t wait around forever Tyson. I need to get back home and find a job and get my life going again. I can’t just sit around your cabins, your ranches, your… wherever you’re going to drop me off next. What about kids? If that happens, they’re going to need a dad. A dad who is around Tyson… not like my dad.”

“Kasey, don’t do that. I told you I need more time and this all will settle. Things are going to be fine for us.”

“I don’t want fine, Tyson. I want good. Or great. Or, how about spectacular? Fine might be okay for you but I have dreams you know…” I trail off and start wiping the tears away from my eyes. I hang my head down and my hair dips into my coffee. I don’t care.

“Kase, listen to me. We are going to be great- spectacular even. We’ll get there. I promise. I just need some time. And I’ll be home with you, always. You have to understand, if I come now, we’ll get nothing. We’ll have nothing going forward. Things might get taken away. The cabin…”

“I don’t care about that. We can have nothing
together
and I’ll be happy. I thought you would be happy. I just can’t do more time, Tyson. I can’t just sit around anymore. You need to tell them, whoever they are, that you’re coming back to Montana. Or…” I take a deep breath, “I’m going to leave.”

“You don’t understand Kase, my commitment, my promise that I made. I have to keep that. My word means everything to me. Integrity, Kase. I have to keep that.”

“Then you don’t want to be with me. I get your point.”

“Of course I want to be with you. I want to be with you always, every day. All the time. But I have commitments too. They’re going to pay off for us. I know it.”

“I don’t care about the payoff Tyson. I care about you. I want you back here, not the payoff later. I don’t care about the money. We’ll get money when we need it. Somehow. I just want normal, Tyson. Can you give me that?”

“I can… I just… Kase, come on, you have to understand where I’ve been and where I’m coming from now. Our time is coming soon.”

“Well soon isn’t enough,” I say dropping further into the chair. “If you don’t get on a plane and get back here in two days, I’m gone. I’m leaving. I’m out of your life. I can’t do it Tyson.”

I hang up the phone and fall further to the floor. I lay there for a long time...

…and listen as my phone rings. And rings.

*****

Two miserable days go by and no Tyson. No nothing. I can’t even believe it. But I am resolved. I pack the few things I have, grab the keys to the Tahoe and pick up my phone.

“Hello,” the voice on the other end answers.

“Dad, it’s me Kasey.”

“Hi Kase. I’m so glad you called. It’s good to hear your voice again. Sorry I had to leave so quickly last time we saw each other. I wanted to chat with you more, but-“

“-Dad, let me talk for a minute. I’ve never asked you for anything in my life. But, I need your help now. I’m giving you a chance to get back into my life, at least in some way. I’m kind of in a bind here. I’m stuck in Montana and I need to move. Need to get out of here. I can’t stay at the ranch any longer.”

“Can’t stay at the ranch? What do you mean? It’s gorgeous there and Tyson will be back in a few weeks.”

“I know. That’s the problem, Dad. I just can’t do that anymore. I can’t keep waiting around for him to be here anymore. I thought I loved him. I thought it was going to be great, but I don’t see that happening now. It’s not playing out that way.”

“Oh Kase, I’m sorry. You know how I feel about Tyson. I love that guy. But I want to be here for you. God knows I owe you.”

“Yeah, let’s not get into that. The point is, here I am. And I am asking for your help. I need an out. I need a place to stay for a while, away from Tyson. And I need your commitment that you won’t tell him where I am. I need a simpler life, Dad. Can I count on you
this
time?”

“Yes. Yes. Absolutely, you
can
this time. I want to be here for you. I want to.”

“So, I need a place to go. I can’t stay here and I don’t want to go back home to North Carolina. Tyson will probably head there looking for me in a few weeks when he finds out I am not here at the ranch any longer. Where can I go, Dad?”

“Oh Kase, this is complicated. Let me think for a minute. Let me… think some things through. I am not with Tyson now. We’re in different places, but he’ll be asking me…”

“Yeah, I get that, but I don’t need the details. I need an answer and your commitment to support
me.”

“You’ve got that, Kase. You have my word this time. I promise.”

“Okay, so where?”

“Okay, listen, give me a minute to arrange some things and I’ll call you back with a location and arrangements to get there. Just give me a few minutes, okay?”

“Perfect. I’m counting on you Dad. Please don’t let me down.”

“I won’t, Kase, I promise you that.”

“Bye Dad.”

The flight to Sea Island is about four and a half hours. Enough time for me to get through a good chunk of Cody’s book.

The condo has been vacant for less than a month. It is clean and tidy when I get there, but there is barely anything in it, except a small table in the kitchen. When I walk over to it, I see a typed note. It is brief and all it says is, “Furniture coming tomorrow. Kitchen is stocked.”

I do like the fact that wherever I’m ending up these days, there is plenty to eat. That’s one thing I haven’t had to worry about. I have nothing to sleep on tonight, so I take a stroll down the street looking for options. I find a sporting goods store nearby and find a sleeping bag that will do. And I’m good to go.

The furniture comes the next day and I’m set.

Now what? Here I am in Vancouver, don’t know anyone, and don’t have anything to do. Is this what I really wanted?

I tell myself it is.

A few days go by and I’ve learned the city, as far as I can tell. There’s nothing overly exciting to me, but it does seem very livable. The place is nice, the mountains are gorgeous, but it sure is different when you don’t have a friend to share it with.
Do I call Nicky? Nah… she just took a week off… Okay, well…

I take the book to the post office and insert a paper with the location of the Tahoe written on it and send off to Cody. He’ll probably be getting back to the ranch just after this arrives, so there shouldn’t too much of a stir when he finds me, and his SUV, not there. I overnight it to be sure.

Two days later, my phone rings and I don’t recognize the number. I hesitate, but answer it anyway.

“Kase, don’t hang up. Just hear me out,” Tyson says.

“What is it?” I say uninterested.

“Kase, I’m coming to see you. I’m leaving tomorrow and will be there by dinner time. I want to have dinner with you and just talk.”

“I don’t think we really have much to talk about. It’s not working out between us. I’ve moved on,” I say, knowing that the sting of those words will ripple through him for a while.

“Oh Kase, don’t… listen, I just want you to know that I left. I left Mexico for you. I couldn’t do it right away after we talked, but I got over myself, my pride, my sense of commitment and I left. I left it behind.”

“You did what? Now what are you going to do? It’s too late, Tyson. I told you I can’t do it.”

“I know what you said. But, I can’t let you go. I’m coming to see you.”

“Tyson, why did you do that? I can’t do it. I’m passed that point.”

“Do you know what I just did? Do you know what I’m saying here? Do you know what I just gave up? Unbelievable. I’m doing everything for you now,” he says.

“I can’t believe it,” I say, “I give my dad one fucking chance and he fucks it all up. I can’t believe he is doing this to me again. What the fuck?”

“It wasn’t your dad, Kase. It wasn’t. I haven’t talked to him at all in the last week. I saw the package you sent to Cody. It was stamped out of Vancouver, Kase. It simply was. I’m doing this for you, and
this
is the reaction I get?”

JESUS
. Disbelief shrouds me.
How could I possibly have been so stupid? I sent him a package telling him exactly where I am. I can’t believe I did that. Just can’t believe it.

“Tyson, you can’t.”

“OH, JESUS CHRIST,” he says.

I hear sounds in the background. Loud crashing sounds. Loud cussing. Things being broken. And then silence. Click…

The uneasiness sets in and it’s a painful day from here on out. I don’t know what to do now.
What is he going to do? Should I stay here or leave?

I ask myself a lot of questions that night and really don’t get anything in the way of sleep, or answers. It’s so complicated. Even more complicated than before. I’m trying to go the other direction and
he
is fucking it up now.
I want to just scream.

I pick up the phone to answer, “Hey Nicky, what’s going on?”

“Marcus called and told me what is going on with you and Tyson. I wanted to call you right away and find out how you are doing. It sounds terrible. Please tell me it’s not that bad.”

“Way to ease into it Nick. Thanks for being so sensitive. Is this all just gossip to you?” I reply.

“Sorry Kase, you’re my girl so I just thought…”

“Yeah, I know, don’t sweat it.”

“So, where are you? I heard Vancouver. Is that true?”

“Yeah, that’s where I am. I tried to keep it a secret, but screwed that up. It only lasted as long as it takes for a package to get from Vancouver to Big Sky. Real genius I am.”

“Oh, really. The package? Hmmm…. Yeah, the package…”

“What’s that mean?” I inquire.

“Well… I don’t know… if I didn’t know ya better… sounds like somebody maybe… well… yeah, somebody wanted someone else to know where she was.”

“No frickin way. I had no such intention.”

“Yes, you did,” She presses.

“
NO,
I didn’t.”

“Yeah, ya did.”

“Holy shit, Nick, you’re not going to support me either?”

“Come on Kase. Why not? Everybody loves Tyson. Everybody loves you. You guys are great for each other. He’s a frickin GOD for crying out loud. Have you looked at him lately? And you told me yourself, ‘he’s the perfect gentleman.’”

“Yeah, well, I’m not so sure about that anymore.”

“You are living in a fantasy world Kase! He just ended his multi-million dollar agreement with the US Government to be with you. For nothing. For nothing but
you
. That is something my dear.”

“Multi-million? I knew he had something-”

“-
Something
? Did you see the cabin, the cars, and the things he doesn’t really have to worry about? There’s a lot of money there, Kase. And he’s letting go of it for you. Because you couldn’t wait. Two years. That was all.”

“Aw Nick, you’re making me sound like a real fucking jerk here. I’m not that bad am I?”

“No, you’re fantastic. Sometimes we just all need someone to help us see what’s going on. No big deal. You know I’m here for you.”

“I know you are. It’s just all so damn confusing. It’s not a straight line, my life. And along comes Tyson and everything is so straight forward with him. Marcus told me he gets what he wants out of life, and I’m fighting that. Probably because I can’t get all the things I want to get out of life. I’m all crossed up right now. I just don’t know which way is up or down. I’m trying hard Nick, but it’s so hard sometimes. You know, right? You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

“Kasey, you love him. And you need to stop this and get on with loving him. He loves you and you guys need to get together on this. That’s where I am.”

“I just… I just don’t know anymore.”

“Well, I can’t come out there this time. I can’t get any more time off. I’d be there right away if I could. You know that.”

“I know Nick. I’ll just call you back soon. I don’t know if I just need some time or what.”

“Just don’t complicate it Kase. Guy loves girl, girl loves guy. It doesn’t have to be so hard.”

“Then why…” I start to say and then, “Just call me back tomorrow to check on me. Okay?”

“Of course.”

“Promise me you’ll do that.”

“I will.”