Severing Ties (Book 2. Ties)

18. Vision

Anger was not a sufficient enough word to describe how I felt. Was I meant to destroy everything that I came into contact with for the rest of my life? Sometimes I really hated myself. I hated myself at that moment, but I also felt sorry for myself.

*****

I went to a local nursery with my aunt where she was going to choose an abundance of things that were to be planted in one of the multitude of gardens located on the property of the mansion that she and my father inherited from my grandparents. The acres of land were already filled with thousands of flowers and trees. My aunt was going to plant fruit canes that were able to be planted in December. Before she added the changes, there was the hedge maze that was extensive, tranquil, and allowed you to think. There were gardens filled with flowers of every color that had been trimmed for the winter. Then there was a place that turned into woods; I never went near that side, for obvious reasons. Never in my life would I go into the woods after the near-death experience I had a few years back. Aside from the trauma-reminding woods, there was so much beauty around that house that compelled you to take a stroll everyday you were there.

I walked along my aunt's side, watching her observe the things that had grown from seeds into beautiful things you could not look away from. She selected fruits that would be arranged by her go-to landscaper, so they would grow and produce from the winter to the spring. Usually landscapers brought catalogs, but Aunt Joy said that pictures were insufficient to really appreciate the flora. Thus our trip to a nursery with the landscaper following us around and writing things down on a notebook. After finishing my aunt's errands there, we went out for lunch at a bistro that felt homey. We ate and went back home.

On the way back to the house, Tamonash called me to tell me that we were not going to be able to hang out until Wednesday, the day he would be leaving New York for two months. I pretended to be okay with not going out with him on Tuesday. The truth was it really bothered me and upset me that we were only going to have one day to spend together. I was going to miss his company greatly.

So since my Tuesday plans were cancelled, I went out with my aunt and uncle to dinner. I was a third wheel the whole day because Ezra worked most of the day and was not in the mood to go eat out. Even though I was the third wheel, Joy and Peter made me feel like I wasn't. So I honestly did not feel out of place, thanks to them. I went straight to bed that Tuesday night and laid awake until two in the morning. I kept thinking about Tamonash and everything he did for me.

Tamonash was someone who put others before him. And I liked the care he put in for people and their needs. He was successful professionally. He was beyond attractive. There was nothing wrong with him, except he traveled a lot. Otherwise, I found Nash to be perfect. And with those thoughts I drifted to sleep.

Wednesday morning at 9:07 a.m., my uncle was knocking on my door. I groggily told him to come in. I sat up in bed with my white comforter around me that made me feel like a princess.  

"Sorry to wake you, Mackenzie," my uncle said as he walked inside the room. He sat at the edge of my king-sized bed. "Your boyfriend is here."

His words took a few seconds to register in my brain. But when they did, I looked at Uncle Peter with horrified eyes. "What's he doin' here?"

My dark-skinned uncle shrugged his shoulders. "I do not know specifically, but he said he is going to take you out."

"Did he say where?"

Peter shook his head. "I'll let you get dressed, darling."

"If only I knew what to wear." My uncle chuckled before closing the door.

I did not know how casual my outfit should be. I opted for black, thermal tights paired with a maroon T-shirt dress with long sleeves. Since there was a lack of snow outside, I put on black leather boots. My hair was straight like always, so I left it alone. He knew that I was not a make-up wearer, and my skin looked fine aside from the bags under my eyes. So I just grabbed my thick black coat and a black beanie and walked downstairs to meet him. Tamonash was sitting in a couch on his phone. As soon as I stepped through the threshold he looked up, even though there was no way he would have been able to see me come in. He simple knew I was there; it was odd.