Finding YOU Finding ME (You & Me Trilogy Book 2) (13 page)

“But
I’m…” Mom started to say.

“Mom,”
I said. “Look at me. You have to think positive about this. You’re doing
everything you can to be a better person. You’re going to a support group for
drinking. You’re trying to stop, and you have for a while now, right? That’s
what you said last time we talked.”

“But
I failed as a mother. It’s on the records,” she said. “I failed to protect you
from almost being raped by that psycho boy back home.”

Billy?
Mom was referring to Billy?

“It’s
not your fault, Mom.”

“His
parents attended our church. Your father was counseling their whole family
about Billy. We just never knew he was out to get you the entire time.”

“Mom…”
my head was reeling. I didn’t want to think about Billy and how long he
tormented me in school…so much so that I shut down whenever a boy wanted to
touch me. “Mom, let’s not talk about him.”

“But
it’s on the record, Sam. Your Dad and I put Billy in jail, in juvenile court,
for attempted rape and assault. You didn’t know at the time what happened to
him, and we made up a story about him moving away with his family, but after
what your father heard through counseling with his family, he thought it was
best to put him behind bars.”

My
mind woke up. “What did Dad hear?”

“He
didn’t know who the girl Billy was talking about, but he was obsessed with a
girl he knew, and he said she was a walking orgasm waiting to happen, and he
wanted to teach her a lesson for leading him on and…”

“That
Son of a Bitch!” I said. “That was all in his sick mind.”

“Baby…Honey,”
Mom said. “I’m so sorry. Your father and I should’ve known it was you. We
should have protected you from that sick kid. The way he described you, it was
a completely different person. We thought he was being teased and led on by a
cruel girl in school, one of the pretty popular mean girls who liked to step on
boys’ hearts. That wasn’t you at all!”

“Mom…”
I was trying so hard not to cry. “You have no idea what he put me through…”

Mom
reached over and hugged me. “I’m so so sorry, Sam. I’m not worthy to be your
mom, but I’m so damn proud to be.”

Now
I had tears in my eyes. “Mom, it’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself.
But you have to kick this drinking habit. It’s not good for anyone. That’s not
to say you can’t have something in moderation, but Mom, you can’t get to the
point where you’re drunk and…oh, I better stop. You know what you have to do,
Mom. When you get up to tell the judge your side of the story, remember…you’re
doing everything you can to be a good responsible parent. You love Nydia, and
you’ll do everything to protect her and keep her safe.”

“I
love you, too, Sammy Baby,” Mom said, tears streaming down her face.

“Oh
no, we can’t be crying, not now, not before the hearing,” I said, taking out
tissue paper from my purse and handing it to her.

We
were standing in front of the double doors to the Courtroom, but I can see the
ladies’ room to the side. Collins was way behind us, still talking on the
phone. I took Mom’s arm and led her to the restroom. “Mom, we have to freshen
up. No tears, no looking tired or incapacitated. We have to look our best, be
positive, and upbeat. We’re going to win this!”

Mom
glanced over at me while applying fresh lipstick. “You know what you just
sounded like?” she asked.

“What?”
I asked, applying lip gloss, then brushing out Mom’s hair.

“That
blonde lawyer girl from that movie…
Legally Blonde.
So positive! I adore
Reese Witherspoon.” Mom said.

“Well,
it worked in the movies…maybe it’ll work right now,” I said, leading Mom out of
the restroom and headed back to the courtroom.

Collins
was standing there with a tall gentleman with grey hair and a nice dark
tailored suit.

“Howard,
here they are. Mrs. Sullivan and her lovely daughter Samantha Sullivan.”

Howard’s
charcoal grey eyes appraised us both, but landed on my mom’s eyes. “I can see
where the lovely daughter gets her loveliness,” he said smiling charmingly at
my mom. Did my mom just blushed?

Collins
and I exchanged looks, and his lips turned up at the outer edge, suppressing a
smile. I didn’t expect Collins’ lawyer to be that handsome and distinguished
looking.

We
both glanced back at my mom and Howard. They were busy talking about the case,
but it seemed there was some serious chemistry going on between them.

OMG,
I could not believe what I was seeing…

“So,”
I walked up to Collins, wanting to kiss him for bringing a guy like Howard here
to help my mother out today, “where did you meet this riffraff off the
streets?”

“Off
the streets,” Collins said, noting my sense of humor.

“Think
this guy is a tad too plain-looking for the courthouse?” I asked.

“I
should’ve gone with a modeling agency, but at least Howard’s from one of the
top law firms. He’s the one who’s been working on getting my Tate out of jail.”

I
took Collins’ hand, squeezing it. Collins had been working on that for a while
now, and was about to have his brother released to him when he stopped all
procedures. “If you don’t mind me asking, how is that going?”

I
didn’t mention anything else about Tate, and how finding out about him and
Collins’ plans for him and me, nearly drove us apart a few months ago.

“Tate’s
out. Just like that. Seems like he’s been out for a while now, when I was in
Europe.”

“How?
How did he managed that when you’ve been trying for years…”

“Simple.
My good-for-nothing deadbeat dad got him out. He’s still his legal guardian,
and with all the framework Howard had built up for the release of Tate already
in his files, all my dad had to do was sign some papers, then Tate was free to
go.”

Collins
stared blankly ahead, his mouth grim.

“Why
aren’t you happy about that?” I asked.

“Because…”
Collins let out a deep breath. “Tate is well…complicated. I wished I got to him
earlier in his life before he turned out to be the asshole that he is now. He’s
reckless, easily-influenced, hormonal, smart, and diabolical. Unfortunately, I
see everything that I was when I was living off the streets on my own as a
teen, in him. If I can turn him around…he can have a better life.”

“So
why the glum look?” I asked, putting my arms around his neck to kiss him softly
on the lips. Why did Collins looked so distracted and tortured all of a sudden.

“I
hear he’s gotten into some bad circles already…thanks to my asshole father. I
don’t know what my father is planning, springing Tate out of jail like that.
I’ve never heard from my father since I got out of jail, and that was a long
time ago. He wanted me to join in his crime ring, but I refused. For obvious
reasons. I’d rather go on living on the streets than join him. Thank goodness
the man who helped me become the man that I am today came by later in my life,
like it was Godsend, and helped me pick my life back up.”

“You
can still do that with Tate,” I said.

“I
wished I could, but from what Howard tells me, Tate is pretty hardened. He was
much harder than I ever was. I was in jail briefly mainly for loitering because
I didn’t have a place to go, but Tate…he’s doing hard time for robbery,
assault, and carrying a conceal weapon.”

“You’re
leaving something out,” I said, my intuition kicking in.

Collins
smiled. “My smart and sexy Valedictorian…I knew you were more than a pretty
face.”

“Well,
what is it?” I asked, looking at him directly in the eyes.

“Attempted
murder,” he said.

My
mouth flew open. This was the boy Collins was originally going to have me tutor
when he got out?

“I
know, Sam, I should have warned you, and I know better now that it’s not fair
for me to expect you to help me with such a troubled kid as him. He’s
dangerous, and it was a dumb idea of mine to think he can be trusted around
someone like you.” Collins kissed me on my lips softly and then firmly. “Once
he gets a whiff of you, he’d be all over you, Baby. I’m making sure there is no
way that he does.”

“Collins!
You overestimate me. I’m not some kind of siren or she-devil who lure men
away…”

“You
are to me,” Collins said. “And judging from every man I’ve seen next to you,
you have that pull…”

I
playfully hit Collins in the shoulders. “Oh come on. That’s because you’re
biased, and I love you for it.” I kissed him.

He
deepened the kiss with his tongue, “I love you,” he growled. “I can’t wait to
get this over with so we can go back to what we were doing last night.”

“You
do, huh?” I said.

“I’m
feeling pretty ‘lucky’ after this,” Collins said.

“We’ll
see,” I said, walking off. “Time to head in. Hope we’re all pretty lucky
today.”

Chapter
16

           
I
t was strange seeing Dad in court sitting on a
separate table from the one Mom and Howard sat on. Collins and I sat in the
back.

            I
was wondering where Nydia was, but glad she wasn’t here to see how Mom and Dad
would be acting or to hear the accusations that would come up. She was still in
kindergarten. She didn’t need to hear anything that would be said here today.

            There
were a scattering of people in the room. Some people from church, including
Pastor Michael, who sat in a chair on my father’s side. His warm eyes met mine
when he turned around to see me sitting at the back of the room. He smiled, and
there was a look of longing on his face as he looked. Then he noticed Collins
sitting next to me, his face grim, his eyes shooting daggers at Michael for
even giving me a too friendly look. I haven’t talked to Michael for a while,
since Collins came back.

            Michael
got up and came over to the row in front of me and said, “Sam, I haven’t seen
you in a while.”

            I
don’t know if that was for Collins’ benefit or mine, but I smiled. “I know. I
haven’t been to Dad’s church ever since this started. It’s awkward you know,” I
said.

            “Tell
me about it,” Michael said. “Both of your parents are good friends of mine. I
don’t even want to get into the middle of it, but your father asked me to come
today. So here I am.”

            “I
know my parents want to keep everyone from church from finding out,” I said.

            “Unfortunately,
the truth is, there will be some talk, but I’ll try my hardest to divert any
embarrassing gossip away,” Michael said. He looked over at my Dad, sitting
there, looking so composed with his lawyer. “You do know that after this, your
Dad’s going on vacation. I’ll be running the church until he gets back.”

            “No,
I didn’t know that,” I said.

            “He’s
going to take some time off, spend it with Nydia, take her to Disneyland and
all the places she wants to go. Be more of a Dad to her.”

            I
gulped back some tears. Dad never wanted that with me. I knew why, too. Mom
told me a few months ago that I was never his. No wonder why he’d always
treated me with indifference.

            “Sam,”
Michael leaned in closer so he can talk to me in private. “I could really use
your help at church while your father is gone. You know the procedures, you
know the music, and you can help run the youth group while I take over your
father’s duties. Without you, I don’t think I can handle running the youth
group, choir, and run the entire congregation.”

            “I’m
starting school at UC Irvine,” I said.

            “You
are?” Michael’s obvious joy couldn’t be contained. “You’re not going to
Stanford?”

            “No,”
I said.

            He
pulled me into a hug, which made Collins stand up. “Congratulations on UC
Irvine,” Michael said. “I knew you’d amount to something…”

            “Oh,
stop,” I joked.

            “So
would you at least think about it, especially now that you’re staying in the
O.C.?” Michael asked, ignoring Collins, who was staring Michael down.

            “I
will,” I said.

            “Good,”
Michael said, his eyes caressing me. He walked back to his seat, and stared
ahead.

            “You’ll
think about what?” Collins asked, leaning into my ear so I can feel his warm
breath tickle my skin. I shivered. Even that sent thrills down my spine.

            “About
helping out at church,” I said.

            “You’ll
be too busy,” Collins said, taking my hand.

            “School
doesn’t start until Fall,” I said.

            “You’ll
be too busy with me,” Collins said.

            “Why?
I have Sawyer House, but other than that, I’ll have more time to help out.”

            “No
you won’t,” Collins said.

            “Why?”
I looked over at Collins, and he bit his lips while looking down.

            “Because,”
he said, running his finger around my hand. “You’ll be helping me with my
subsidiary in Europe. You’ll come with me there. We’ll go on a cruise before
then. I want to show you around, let you see my chalet in Switzerland, my
chateau in France, my villa in Italy. I want to show you a little more of my
world, Baby.” He brought up my hand to kiss the knuckles, and then leaned in
again to whisper. “I’m so crazy about you, Sam, I can’t see straight. And I’ll
do anything to keep you from spending your time at your father’s church,
‘helping’ that young pastor friend of yours who only want one thing, and you’re
too innocent to pick up on that.”

            “Michael
wouldn’t do that. We’re just friends. But you’re serious about going to Europe
with me?” I asked.