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“Hey dad, you remember Jake?”

“Yeah, we met at the hospital after the
wreck.”

“Do you mind if I take a walk with him?”
Julie knew her dad wouldn’t mind, but she thought it would be
polite to ask.

“Of course, how about I head home. If Jake
doesn’t mind bringing you later?”

“I don’t mind. Dan, I’m still praying for
you.”

Dan slapped Jake on the back and went to the
counter to pay for the ice cream.

“I don’t really have a car,” Jake leaned in
and whispered to Julie.

“I still think you got it covered.” She let
her head fall back on Jake. She tried to hold in the tears, but
they flowed freely. Jake held onto her shoulder and let her cry.
Dan walked over and took her hand. It felt good to finally let it
out.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“For what, baby? It’s okay to hurt.” He wiped
his hand over her tear soaked face. “Go have some fun with Jake.
It’ll do us both some good.”

Jake took her hand as they walked down Main
Street. Julie felt like she was betraying Trucker, but she had made
her peace with him. It was time for her to move on.

“Julie, his dad and his men had nothing to do
with the wreck. It was a complete accident. I swear. They also
promised Trucker to protect your dad.”

“He’s safe?” She pulled herself over on
Jake’s arm, and let out a deep breath. She never realized until
that moment, she was terrified of losing Dan too.

“Yes.” Jake kissed her head, easing her
nerves with one of his many tricks.

“I still don’t understand. Larry threatened
me.” Her nerves might’ve been calmed but her questions still needed
to be answered.

“Gorgeous, how can I explain this. We all
have a time to be born and a time to die. Larry learned your mom’s
time was drawing near.”

“How?”
Did he have a direct line to the
Angel of Death?

“He saw the Angel of Death around her.”

Crap, he does.
“Okay.” Julie clung to
Jake. After everything she had learned the last few months, she
couldn’t understand why knowing there was an Angel of Death scared
her so much.

He thought if he warned you, when she finally
passed on, it would scare you and you would leave Trucker for
good.” He kissed the top of her head. “He called your dad in early
that morning to keep him from being in that car too. They had no
idea you would take his place. Larry never wanted to hurt you. Just
rid you of Trucker’s life.”

“How is he?” It hurt too bad to say his
name.

Jake shrugged his shoulders. “He’s been
better. He’s been spending all of his time at the pond. I’m
surprised it’s still a pond to go to.”

“Oh.” She wanted to go to him. Maybe, she
could take a drive up to the pond one day. Who was she kidding, she
was sure she was no longer welcomed there.

“Why did you leave? I know you guys are made
for each other,” Jake asked and stopped dead in his tracks. He
turned to face her and wrapped one of her curls around his
finger.

“I love him more than anything. I can’t do it
anymore. I can’t put anymore hurt in my Dad’s eyes.” She raised her
head so they were facing each other. “I can’t fight what’s in him,
Emily, and my sanity for the rest of my life.”

Jake couldn’t argue with that, but they
belonged together. She was born purely for Trucker.

Jake turned Julie’s hand and looked at her
wrist. “Where’s your bracelet?”

“At home,” she answered and hung her head to
avoid his stare.

“Sweetheart, I know you don’t want to wear
it, but it’s for your protection.” Jake put his finger under her
chin and raised her face so she had to look at him.

“It’s not what you think. I could get passed
it and wear that symbol but . . .” Her eyes shot over Jake’s
shoulder so he would not see the tears in her eyes. “The clasp is
his symbol. I can’t wear something knowing it means that I’m his
girl when I’m not, and in some ways never have been.”

“Little lady, that’s where you’re wrong.
You’ve been his girl since the first day he laid eyes on you and
will be his girl until the day he dies.”

“You can’t say that.” She shook her head, the
thought was more then she could bare to think.

“I can, and I’m positive about it too. I know
how his kind thinks. I know him. Even if you fall in love with some
other lucky guy, get married, and have tons of babies, you’ll still
always be Truck’s girl.” He pushed her hair behind her ear and
wiped a tear from her cheek. His touch reminded her of Trucker’s.
Julie finally felt it, her heart breaking. Trucker warned her, that
you needed emotions to be human. He was right because she had been
a heartless monster. Now she had lost the one person she wanted.
She might always be his girl, but how could he ever trust her
again. He didn’t leave her when she needed him the most. She left
him.

Jake saw the emotions on her face and knew it
was time to show her where her home truly was.

“You ready to go home, beautiful?”

She shoved her tear filled face into his
chest. “Yes.”

“Close your eyes tight.” He kissed the top of
her head to calm her and took her on what she believed would be her
last dip in the magic pond. She rode through space not in the arms
of her monster, but in Jake’s as he finally took her home.

To

Trucker gripped the vodka bottle tighter. He
was back at the pond. It was the one place where he felt close to
her. Fuck, it hurt to remember. It hurt worst to forget. The way
she looked as she stood at the front of that church telling her
mother goodbye left deep gashes in him. Every time he pictured it,
he wanted to destroy someone. The only tree left standing at the
pond was the weeping willow they always laid under.

Julie was the only one who knew who he really
was. He would have run, too. Why would anybody in their right mind
what to build a life with a motherfucking monster? He was the star
of many of nightmares. Not a damn love story.

The sight of Jake appearing, holding his
angel in his arms twisted his insides so damn hard it was
earth-shattering. Jake stepped away from Julie and nodded his head.
Trucker found it hard to believe she had come to see him. She was
so damn perfect. Too damn perfect. Her curls had an extra bounce to
them, and the puffiness of her green eyes told him she had been
crying. No. She was crying because of him. An angel should never
cry over a demon. He fucked-up everything he touched. Why did he
ever believe he could protect her? He stood up, fighting the sway
his body wanted to take as the earth moved around him. He chucked
the bottle he was holding and closed his eyes. He had to face his
angel drunk.

“Open your eyes, Angel.”

Her eyes fluttered open. She looked around as
if she was confused as to where she was.
Fuck, she didn’t want
to come. She hates me.
He tried uttering her name but she broke
through his daze with a few simple words.

“I’m sorry, will you ever talk to me
again?”

The pain in her voice was not lost on him.
She wanted to be there. She wanted to be with him. Not only did she
want him, she was worried he no longer wanted to be with her.

“Always, my love,” he said and reached out
his hand for her.

She crawled up him, slung her legs around his
waist, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her tight and
carried her to the weeping willow, the only tree still standing. He
sat down on the little clearing of grass and pulled her over on
him.

“Julie, I’m royally screwed. I was born with
more burdens than any human should ever have to bear. But I’ve
always handled them, but do you have any idea what it was like to
be beaten for days until you finally change, having a father that
is incapable of love, your only worth is some predestined future,
seeing that same father beat your mom daily, and know she stays for
two reasons; one, she is addicted to his blood, and two, because
she wants to protect her children. Scared to death that the only
person you could possibly ever love is going to walk away, but just
as scared, she is going to stay and get hurt because of you.”
Trucker was drunk, and saying things he had never even admitted to
himself. “My life was in complete darkness, and one glorious day, a
bright light broke through and started shining in the deepest,
darkest corners of my life.” He needed to stop but he wanted Julie
to hear every word he was saying.

“The world falls at my feet. All I have to do
is look at a girl, and she will start undressing. I don’t want
that. I want the one that will tell me no, will tell me when I am
being a screw up, the one who sees the true me, the one who makes
me want to be a better person, the one who makes it worth fighting
this evil in me. I have never deserved you, but hell, baby, I need
you more than I need air to breathe.”

Tears started running down her cheeks. It
wasn’t right, his sweet angel crying over him but damn, it felt
good. She owned him. No one should have the power to control
someone like him, but she did have the power to control him.

“I should have known better than try to hold
an angel in my arms. You are too damn good for me. Hell, you are
too damn good for anyone. But there is nothing I want more. I love
to see you smile, hearing your laughter makes everything inside of
me feel whole. All the shit in my past, all the evil in me fades
when I’m around you. You have a light inside of you that it is so
fucking bright it would bring anyone to their knees. I was a empty
shell before you. I was so cold. Please stay, and know there is
nothing that will keep me from loving you.”

She froze. He didn’t know if he would survive
if he lost her. Losing her would break him forever.

Trucker dropped his head into his hands. No
longer able to look her in the eyes.

“Truck,” came from Julie’s sweet voice. She
wrapped her arms around him. “I love you. Right now, I can’t make
heads or tails of life, but I do know I want to figure it out with
you. I don’t want to be cold anymore either.”

The vodka and multiple shots of tequila where
screwing with his head. She couldn’t have said what he thought she
said. He forced himself to raise his head and saw his precious
angel was crying. She clung onto him as if she was scared of losing
him. He wrapped her tightly with his grasp and buried his face in
her curls. She smelled simply mouth-watering. His teeth partially
extended. He clamped his mouth together. They had so much of each
other to explore before he bonded with her.

“Baby, I will never let you feel cold again,”
he said against her neck.

“Good, because you are the only one I want
keeping me warm.”

He tightened his grip on her and fell back
against the willow tree, cradling her in his arms. She was here to
stay. He smiled, knowing he was not losing his angel. He buried his
face in her curls. His scent was intoxicating. They were finally
home.

Thank you for taking the time to read the
story of Trucker and Julie. I truly hope you got as much enjoyment
out of reading it as I did writing it.

J.W. Phillips

My lover is mine, and I am
his.

Song of Solomon
2:16

Ways to Contact the
Author

Email her at
[email protected]
. She
will personally answer emails as quickly as possible.

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at:
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Goodreads.com at
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18718606-finding-home

ABOUT AUTHOR

J.W. is a stay at home mom with 2 on-the-go
kids, an amazing husband, and 1 lovable dog. She lives in a small
town in Tennessee, where she enjoys writing, reading, and talking.
She was told from a young age that her dreams of writing were
ludicrous. However, after a talk with her daughter she pulled out
her old laptop and rediscovered her desire to tell stories. She
doesn’t consider herself an author, more a teller of tall
tales.