The Fight Within (34 page)

“You dedicated yourself to someone who
wasn’t
dedicated to
you
,” the woman continued, moving away from the prickly topic lest she explode in tears.

Treasure…be strong, just be cool…

Madeline kept right on and on, pounding her pain with the beats of her words, utterances coated in the thickness of truth. Fraud or not, she was spot on, and there was simply no denying it.

“You helped your former lover a great deal, but he helped you little. He took. You gave. The reciprocity was nonexistent. He left you with nothing but his last name.”

Sean’s grip grew a bit tighter around her frame, as if to say,
‘Baby, it’s okay…’
And she needed it, despite the brave face she continued to put forward.

“You both have met in this lifetime, at just the right, pivotal moment.” Madeline gripped her hand a bit harder, and then took Sean’s hand again in her other. From one palm to the other, she took turns staring down at their hands. She placed them side-by-side, reviewing them more carefully.

“You have hang ups…”

Treasure blinked ever so slowly, as if falling under an incantation.

“He’s younger than you in earthly birth age, but he is spiritually
older
than you, Treasure, much older. You are the youth. Sean is the elder. What some people fail to realize is that many May-December romances, as they are coined, are not the result of superficiality, mid-life crises, or other negative ideas. No, they are about two souls being drawn together, to assist and learn from one another.” She gently released their hands, then made their fingertips touch. “Each of you is helping the other grow. Age is something that
we
prescribe. It is not a divine intervention. There is no such thing as definite time in the infinite universe. Our bodies age, but our souls are on their own schedule, and when they get older, they actually improve. This is why I say your ‘lover’,” she said, quickly nodding in Sean’s direction, “is older than you, because he
is
…despite his quirky sense of humor and at times uncouth, immature candor.”

Sean burst out laughing, seemingly pleased that the psychic picked up on such a thing.

“He, too, has been hurt. He has been hurt quite badly.” Sean quickly looked away, evidently not wanting the spotlight on himself. “Don’t fight each other, don’t resist.” She made him face her once more. “Follow your hearts. You always fight now, Treasure.” She loosened the grip on her hand a bit, then Treasure wanted to withdraw within herself. “You fight because you believed you
hadn’t
fought hard enough the first go round, so now you are trying to do it again, the right way, but at your own expense.”

TRUTH. HURTS.

“The first time Sean and I met…” Treasure swallowed, then took notice of her hand shaking ever so slightly. “I had plans to address, to…” She took a deep breath, accepting that the woman was right, regardless if it was a lucky guess or not. It was happening; she was stepping up to the plate—front and center. “… To address the person that I felt had wronged me. You see, he left something behind, something I needed gone right away. It wasn’t…that the trash was left…but what the trash
was
…what it represented.” She lifted her chin a bit higher and stared at the woman. “It was like…I’d failed again.” Her lips remained slightly parted as a tear streaked her cheek. “I tried to do something to free myself and instead, the pain, hurt and failure returned like a jagged boomerang, threatening to tear me apart once it came back around. It was a reminder, yelling at me, saying, ‘Look, Treasure! You can’t even do
this
right!’” She quickly swiped away more budding tears before they had the chance to fall. She hated the entire moment! This moment that had her falling a bit a part, stepping into the truth of the situation, and opening up big and wide—full exposure.

“You never told me that…” Sean whispered, his look serious as he ran his free hand softly along her thigh.

“Speaking to this man was the
bravest
thing you’d done in a very long time,” Madeline offered. “Don’t keep second-guessing it, don’t be ashamed. Your past is your past. You threw away the parts that no longer served you, a long time ago.” She offered a pleasant smile. “You must let all of that go. Be uninhibited, and trust him. And trust yourself, too. You’re very smart as well. You’ve got a good heart and are an excellent mother.”

“I don’t feel so excellent sometimes,” she offered dryly.

Those words simply came out. She was falling in love with what Madeline was saying, because it was factual, concrete, real and organic. The truth. After all, this was the reason why she’d fallen in love with Sean, too…

The man proved real, tangible, and warm to her soul. He had lost his need to dress up. The man wore no getups, masks, or anything fake. He was simply himself…

Her damn heart spoke before her mind could corral the pouring emotions, and though she donned fear like a coat, over that layer had settled a sense of relief.

“I know. You want to succeed at everything you do, but lately, you feel like a walking disaster. That has not been good for you, but it helped you accept this man, give him a chance.”

“What do you mean?” Sean asked.

“Because she was more vulnerable, it made her
more
open, her mind more accepting. You see, when we are at low points in our life, sometimes those low points have good outcomes that we don’t understand at the time. Sometimes,” she shot an all-knowing look at Treasure, “we have to get real low to the ground, so that we are then able soar higher than we ever imagined we could. And we appreciate the beautiful sky a lot more once we’ve been left for dead on the cold, hard ground.”

“So basically, she settled. I was her last resort?” Sean burst out laughing and slapped the table, not seeming to really care, but enjoying the butt of his own joke nevertheless.

“No, not exactly, because her
desire
for you is genuine,” Madeline corrected with a rascally grin, seeming to enjoy the banter. “Despite how we arrived where we have in life, once we are there, our choices are reflections of what is currently in our heart. It doesn’t matter how this came to be, only that it
did
.”

“Well,” he said with a shrug. “That’s an interesting way to look at it. I’ve learned something here. I liked this…yeah, you’re pretty damn good. I’d even say you were worth the money.”

This caused all of them to laugh a bit more.

“So, what now?” Sean questioned on a sigh. “Any parting words of wisdom?” He grinned.

The psychic released their hands and looked at both of them, studying the pair.

“You’re doing what you’re supposed to do. Just go with the flow, don’t fight it.
This
lifetime, I want you two to make it. You both deserve it.”

The woman stood from her chair and handed each of them a mauve business card with her information scribed across it in white before escorting them back to the front of the store. They followed behind, lagging a bit, their footsteps in unison, as if both loathed to leave the safety of the place.

“Well, thanks.” Sean read the card then slipped it into his jeans pocket. “Thanks a lot.”

“You’re welcome.” Madeline smiled a bit wider as she shook his hand.

Treasure slid the business card in her purse, while sizing up the woman out the corner of her eye. Then, the psychic gently took her by the arm, leaned in close, and whispered, “He’s the
real
deal… Let go, and just
be
…”

‡

“T
here comes a
time in a man’s life when—”

“Sean.” Treasure rested her forehead against the man’s chest as they stood from their barstool seats. They’d popped in for a late night coffee in Dunkin Donuts. Throughout their time there, he’d had her stomach forming thick loops of laughter, doubling over just so, going on and on about the less finer things in life. She never brought up the reading they’d had an hour earlier, and he didn’t, either. The words had been said, and no more was needed.

“I was just getting to the good part.” She slowly lifted her head, rested her chin in the gulley between his collarbones—and falling a little more in love. After a few moments, they met eyes. He stared down at her, smelling like caramel and strong coffee all rolled into one delicious fragrance.

“You put caramel in your coffee. I’m telling.” She snickered as she ran her fingers slowly along his chest, catching the fabric.

“People already know my dirty little secret.” His smile kinked to the far left, drawing her further under his green-eyed spell.

“Did you want a coffee to go before we leave?” he offered, his gaze never straying from hers.

He wrapped his hands around the small of her back, layered her forehead with gentle kisses, then peered down into her eyes once more, making her mind turn to a damn muddled mess of incomplete thoughts. Her pussy swooned over the damn fool over and over, saturating, her lower lips swelling up like cotton submerged in water.

“Nah, I’m fine.”

He nodded and removed his worn, light brown wallet from his back pocket, but she placed her hand across his, stopping him in his tracks.

“Let me do it. It was my idea to come here.”

He hesitated for a moment or two, then stepped back a bit, conceding. After she’d paid their tab, they walked out the place, the intoxicating scent of fresh, hot, gooey donuts wafting behind them. The gutters smoked from a recent downpour as a burst of warmer air tickled her lower legs. They took a few steps, hand in hand, their fingers sliding against one another as if making love all on their own. The silent movement ceased when the man slowed to a crawl and pulled her to him, locking her in place like a child on a rollercoaster…only the steel bar across her belly was his hard, warm body… And oh, how she wanted to take a ride…

“Do you know how beautiful you are?”

Before she could respond, he pressed his lips into hers, almost knocking her off her feet. When he turned her loose, she resisted being set free, and tied her wrists securely behind his neck, drawing him in once more, refusing to be banished from her current post. He’d wear her like jewelry, for she demanded to be his new human necklace.

“Mmmm…” They mutually sighed, tasting each other’s kiss.

I want him so damn bad…

And like the psychic, it was as if he could read her mind.

“Baby, come home with me tonight,” he said smoothly, his tone wrapped in the most sincere of packaging. He presented a mischievous smile as he gleamed in her eyes, then raised her arms a bit in the air while pressing his palms into hers, turning their affections into a sweet slow dance. Those words left his sexy, slanted mouth, dripped from his tongue like water for her dehydrated self, causing her erotic pause. So she melted into the invitation, becoming one with it for a second or two.

“I want to, but…” Her mind resisted, but her damn body pushed her harder and faster into the man’s open arms.

“What? The kids?” His brows bunched ever so slightly, yet true concern mixed with his expression. “I thought you said they were out all night, would be gone until late tomorrow?”