Country Mile

JUST AROUND THE CORNER

Adam kicked up gravel as he stormed across the yard. His mind was all over the place, jumping from Anne, to the girls, to the business opportunity he nearly lost. He came to a sudden stop when he realized just how angry he actually was. Looking down at his hands, he saw the tremor the pounding of his heart caused. The one thing he swore to himself above all other things when dealing with his girls, was that he'd never handle them with angry hands.

Turning around, he walked away. Without thinking of where to go, his feet brought him to where the grass was burned. Looking up at the roof, he imagined the terrifying sight of his youngest dangling off the side. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe the utter stupidity. He looked to the window and thought of how awful the situation must have been for Anne.

A desperate emotion swelled up within him and he strode back into the house, back to her.

He opened the bedroom door so quickly Anne jumped in the seat and a surprised expression flitted across her face as she hadn't expected him back so quickly.

Kneeling down in front of her, Adam took her by the hands.

"I do my best to lay out clearly what I want and what I expect," he said. "I don't mince my words or leave things up for interpretation 'cause that's how things go sideways. That's how people get hurt. This is the second time you've crossed a line with me, and when I attempted to handle it, you pulled away. You gotta understand that I will never force you to do somethin' you don't agree with. I feel like you agree in theory, but when the moment comes, you don't agree with any of this at all."

Anne looked down at her hands cradled in his, but remained silent.

"Do you?" he asked softly. "Can you look me in the eye and say you agree? 'Cause I already said I'd respect your decision either way, but I need to know that I ain't gonna be forcin' you to do somethin' you really, deep down, don't wanna do."

A tear rolled down her cheek and she took a shaky breath before looking up at him. "When you said I needed to think about whether or not I want this life with you, all I could think about was how I don't want this to end us."

Adam reached up and wiped away her tear. "Aw, honey. I ain't goin' nowhere. I didn't mean this literal life with me, I meant this way of livin'. I meant this.. this lifestyle. I need clarification 'cause you can't say you're okay with this, but turn around and fight me on it. I don't feel comfortable with that at all. I will respect your decision either way, but I just gotta know what it is we're doin' here."

Anne reached up and cupped her hands on his face, her thumbs stroked his stubbled cheeks and she gave a watery smile. "You're a man of your word, Adam Prescott, and there was once a time that you said this lifestyle was what you required from a partner. So really, do I have a choice?"

Placing his hands over her's, Adam turned his head and pressed a kiss into each of her palms before looking deeply into her eyes. "Of course you do. Don't you see how much has changed? How you've changed me? Anne, the only thing I need from you is to love me and let me love you in return. We can work through everything else. But this uncertainty... we can't have that. Same page, remember? That ain't just for the girls' benefit, but ours too."

Nodding her head, she took a deep breath. She looked into his vibrant blue eyes and her vision blurred. She blinked the tears away and spoke as confidently as her emotions would let her. "Adam, I enjoy this lifestyle, but you need to understand that things won't always be black and white. I come with a whole mess of muddled greys. There will be times when I agree with things, and times when I won't. You need to understand that just because I don't agree with some things, doesn't mean I disagree with everything. It doesn't mean I'm secretly feeling forced. I would tell you."