A Hope and a Chance(56)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Hope, I don’t have a choice. I haven’t had much time to think about this, but I assume he wants me to be out of the picture until this deal is finalized,” I explained.

“Do either of you see how convoluted this is? I don’t care about his freaking deal. He takes everything from me. First he broke up my family, and now he’s ripping us apart,” Hope screamed.

I tried to grab her, but she pulled away. “He doesn’t even know about us, Hope. Would you please just listen to me?” She refused. Instead she buried her face into her hands. “Nothing between us has to change, baby. We can talk every day, and I will find a way to come home on the weekends or something.”

Buffy put her hands on Hope’s shoulders and started rubbing her back. “In the meantime I can keep talking to your dad. We’ll get Chance home as fast as we can,” she assured us.

“No! This can’t be happening. He saved me. He saved me last night and this is what happens? I don’t understand.” Hope sobbed harder, and it was excruciating for me to hear it. I watched her petite body shaking, not knowing what I could do to take the pain away.

I knelt down in front of her. “Hope, look at me.”

She finally looked up past her tear filled eyes. “There isn’t anything you can say to make this better. My father has done nothing but hurt me, and now he’s taking the person that I love the most away from me.”

“I know. Please just calm down. I know that things seem horrible right now, but we’re still going to see each other. I’ll call you every day. The months will fly by and then I’ll be home,” I explained. “I promise that I’ll come back for you.”

My heart was breaking even more seeing her reaction to all of this. I wanted to walk in that house and punch that bastard in his face. His daughter needed support, but instead he was torturing her, and he didn’t even realize how much.

“I’m going to head into the house. Hope, don’t be too long okay?”

The shades were down in the pool house, so that Hope’s father couldn’t see in if he were outside. “Hope, I love you. I promise you that we’re going to get through this. I swear it.”

She fell into my arms and I let her cry. I could feel pain washing over me, so I held her tighter, trying to think positive, even though I knew we’d just hit yet another huge hurdle. “Why can’t we just leave? We could run away, and they wouldn’t be able to stop us,” she suggested.

I wished it were that easy. “Hope, you’re not eighteen. I could be charged with kidnapping.”

“I would assure them that it wasn’t true.”

As much as she pleaded with me to understand, I knew how the law worked. “Baby, it’s not that simple. I know it feels like it’s a good idea, but I promise you that it isn’t. If I take this job then I can come home to you. If we run away, we’ll never be able to be a family. I don’t want to lose my sister, and I know you don’t want to be away from your mom. Please try to understand.”

While I held her tight in my arms, we both went through the motions of saying goodbye. This wasn’t easy, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to walk out that door when I knew she was so distraught. After all, Hope had changed me, giving me a reason to want to live. The idea of losing that was tough on me. What if she found someone else? She was young and beautiful, with a friend who liked to flaunt herself around town. Hope didn’t know what Rylee had done with Trevor, but I did. She wasn’t someone I trusted with my girlfriend.

To prevent any further repercussions, Hope retreated back to the main house, leaving me to pack alone. I can’t say that I didn’t lose it a couple of times, imagining how my life was fucked up yet again. It didn’t matter where I turned, because somehow I was always in the line of fire. This time I was losing more than my self-worth.

I was facing the fear of losing Hope.

33

When Chance told me he had to leave, I felt like my whole world was crashing down on me. Buffy and I drove him to the airport and we both cried as he left to board his plane. I spent the entire ride home pleading with her to help me get him back. I begged her, but knew there was little she could do. My dad had his mind made up, and according to Buffy, this deal was the biggest he’d ever been involved in. It was so large that it would allow him to retire early.

I understood my father’s reasoning for wanting to keep the peace temporarily, but I couldn’t accept that he’d sent Chance away, and neglected the fact that I was assaulted. A crime had been committed, yet he’d done nothing.

I wished that there was a way to prove to my dad that he was destroying me. More than anything I wanted to tell him that we were in love, and that he was breaking my heart.

Chance called us once he’d made it there safely, and later that night before he went to sleep. He met his new boss, and had checked into the motel where he’d be staying at.

That first evening he called me to tell me he was going to bed, I immediately broke down, just hearing his voice. I closed my eyes before saying anything, imagining that he was only ringing me from his cell phone in the pool house. “I miss you so much, already.”

“I miss you too, baby. The time is going to pass by quickly. Before you know it I’ll be home. I promise.”

“You shouldn’t have even left, Chance. I can’t believe this is happening.” My sobs kept me from being able to continue. I had to take a few breaths to control my emotions. “I wish you were holding me.”

“Close your eyes. Don’t say you are and you really aren’t. Seriously, just do it.”

I followed his directions, feeling like it was a stupid idea. “Okay. They’re closed.”

“Can you feel my arms around you now?”

“No.” I refused to play this juvenile game. This wouldn’t solve the emptiness in my heart.

“Hope, please just appease me. Close your eyes and imagine us being back on that beach, the sounds of the waves are crashing as we look out at the setting sun on the horizon.” He paused a second. “Are you with me?”

I nodded with my eyes shut, even though he couldn’t see me. “Yes,” I whispered.

“Good. Can you feel my arms wrapped around the front of your body? You’re leaning against my chest, and your body is so warm, baby. The wind keeps whipping your hair around, and the mist of the incoming waves are causing it to dampen.”