The Sammie Effect Pt. 02

I was just wondering what I was going to do when Ranger called me.

"What's up Ranger?"

"Kip! It's Mom. She took off. I think my father must have said something. I think he's been messing with her head again."

"What do you mean?"

"He messaged me on my account. It was cryptic. He kind of inferred I was his and you weren't going to get me or Mom."

"Okay bud, take a breath. Can you send it to me?"

"He deleted it right after he sent it, but I took a screenshot. I'll send it to you."

I opened it as soon as I got it. The guy was good. Nothing he said was a direct threat. He didn't even use names. But it was clear he was trying to destroy Willow and the kids again. What a prick.

Jason, her ex, was a psychiatrist. They met in college. It had taken Willow a while to realize she was just a trophy to him. He became increasingly mentally abusive as time went on. And he was good at it...he was trained. He wasn't just a narcissist, he was a cruel, vindictive asshole.

"Okay Ranger, here's what I need you to do. See if you can contact your mom for me. Whatever he's said, she won't answer my calls. I'll have Sammie call your sisters and see if they have gotten anything from Jason and make sure they get evidence before he deletes it. Can you do that bud?"

"Yes. I'll call you as soon as I get anything."

I filled in Sammie and she got to work right away. She was furious. Soon we had gathered a few images of his manipulative messages. All of the kids were worried, and I was struggling to figure out my next steps.

Then Ranger called back. I could tell he was upset and struggling to talk. I finally got him to calm down.

"Ranger, it's okay son. Just tell me what you know."

"She wouldn't answer my calls either. But she...she texted me."

He paused, clearly hesitant. I urged him.

"And?"

"She said everyone should leave her alone. That she's not ready to come back. She didn't say where she was. She...she said...she said to tell you she can't be with you anymore."

I thought I was going to pass out. Then I heard Ranger saying my name. I vaguely remember thanking him and hanging up over his protests. I thought I'd overcome my issues, but I felt the familiar walls going up. They felt good...safe. I didn't know what else to do.

At some point I remember Sammie talking to me, telling me to talk to her. She came into focus, and I could see the look of concern on her face.

"Dad! What?! What's wrong?"

I told her about the text Willow sent Ranger. She never hesitated.

"That's bullshit Dad! Jason got to her. We've got enough already to know he threatened to ruin her practice and as much of her life as he could. He knows she's still fragile. He said he'd drive the kids away from her too. What an ass! Like that could ever happen! So. What are you going to do?"

It took me a moment to realize she was talking to me. Finally, I stuttered out a response. I barely recognized my own voice.

"I... Nothing. She doesn't want to see me anymore."

I never saw the slap coming. She rang my bell! My face was stinging. But she wasn't done. The shouting began.

"Snap out of it! She runs, you hide. Enough! It ends now! Go after her, Dad! If you've learned anything...go! Go get the woman you were meant to be with! Go get my mom!"

She was so angry she was shaking. Tears were running down her cheeks.

The fog lifted. I felt ashamed that I'd let it cloud my mind. I set my jaw, stood up, went into my bedroom, and pulled out a duffle bag. Sammie was already picking clothes out and putting them on the bed. I had enough for a week. My mind was churning as I tried to figure out my next move.

Sammie was talking a mile a minute. I, of course, was used to it by now. She was going to continue to gather facts from family and try to paint a better picture of when this had started and just exactly what he had done.

She kept the chatter up as I went to the garage. I had a powered ramp installed in the bed of my truck and used it to load my bike. I then put the cover on and strapped it down tight. After I threw my bag in, I turned to kiss my daughter goodbye.

"Where are you headed Dad?"

"I have a hunch. I'll call you when I find her."

"That's the man I love!"

With that I was off.

I cruised the street slowly, scanning the beach. It was sunset. I'd left Maine the previous morning and stayed the night in Virginia. I made two calls while on the road. The first was to my lawyer. The second was to the private investigator he recommended.

I'd given him two tasks. The first was to see if he could locate Willow. I helped by telling him where I thought she was. He'd called back within an hour and confirmed my suspicions. He'd made a few calls and told me what hotel she was in.

The second task would take some time. But I had my priorities right. First, take care of the woman I love. Second...well, it would come in due time.

I didn't get a room where she was staying. Mainly because they were full. I'll admit that I was still a bit unsure though. Years of no self-confidence leave lingering effects. But I kept remembering the first night we made love. She had said, 'Don't let me go'. I was clinging to that.

I didn't see her that night and finally resigned myself to getting some sleep and trying again in the morning. I had to trust she'd still be here. Despite being both physically and emotionally exhausted, I had a tough time falling asleep.

The next morning, I cruised up the beach again, it was before sunrise, but there was enough light to see. I knew she was a private person and would prefer the beach uncrowded. I decided to park the bike and walk. I probably looked a little ridiculous. It was already warm, but I had on jeans and my leather jacket. I had decided to forego the chaps though.

I walked to where the sand met the pavement and saw her. She was a few hundred yards up the beach, but I just knew it was her. I started to walk to her. She was facing out to sea, awaiting the impending sunrise. I was sure she couldn't see me approaching.

Finally, I could see her stiffen as she realized someone was nearby. She'd probably heard my boots in the sand, it was very quiet. She slowly turned. Don't ask me how, but she knew it was me. There was no surprise at all in her eyes.

I held out my arms. I saw the smallest hint of a hopeful smile and then she was pressed against me as I enveloped her. We held each other for a long time, I felt her crying softly, but it didn't last long. I just kept softly repeating,

"I'm not letting you go."

Back in her room, I lay there spent, listening to her hum in the shower. All was right again in my world. Actually, it was better than ever. I thought back to that morning.

We watched the sun come up and then sat down in the sand. She was beautiful in jeans, a flowy top and sandals, but a little chilly, so I gave her my jacket to wear. We talked. She apologized, I did too. She said she wasn't running from me; she was running from her past...and was tired of it. I came clean about almost giving up on us. I told her about the slap. She smiled and said she wished Sammie had been there to slap her and we could have avoided all this. I said that it seemed to have worked out.

We were back in a place we both loved. She sighed. Then it all came together in my mind. That moment of clarity you may never be lucky enough to experience.

"Willow?"

"Hmmm?"

She looked up at me with those big brown eyes and made me even more sure.

"I love you."

"I love you too Honey."

"Then let's do what people in love do."

She laughed.

"Here on the beach? I must say it's tempting, but I'm not that wild."

"Yes. Here on the beach."

She looked at me like I was crazy for a second, then I could see the puzzled look form.

"Marry me."

"What?!"

"Willow Clark. Will you make me the happiest man ever, by agreeing to marry me?"

"YES!"

And then she burst into tears. I may have shed a few myself.

We ended up back in the room and talked. I told her about everything the kids were doing. I finally convinced her to let me handle Jason. I promised her he would never hurt her, our family, or her business, and definitely never change my love for her.

We agreed we wanted to start someplace fresh. I suggested right where we were. She sighed.

"Kip, I know we do okay, but we can't afford this. If we move down here, we'll be five rows back from the water, we may as well not bother."

"Sweetie, it's time for me to finally share my last 'secret' with you."

Her face went from shock to smiling as I told her about my wealth.

"At least you know I didn't agree to marry you for your money!"

Then we got a little spontaneous. We got on my bike and cruised around until we saw something we liked. I called the agent, Janice, using the name and number on the sign. She was there in twenty minutes. She was good. All dressed up and not even looking sleepy although it was still early on a Saturday morning, and she must have had to scramble to get here. You didn't list high-end properties without a little sacrifice.

We were glad we did call. She actually had something to show us that had no sign. Inside, Willow looked around. I watched Willow. The agent watched me watching Willow. We all knew this was it. Two hours later we had offers in.

That's right, offers, as in two. She had shown us two, side-by-side, four-bedroom houses, on the nicest stretch of beach. They were brand new, except for the final finishes. The original owner had run into financial difficulty and put them up for sale. They were mirror images of each other. Both were designed better than we could have imagined. All we'd need were paint, appliances, and furnishings.

We asked her to keep an eye open for office space for a practice for Willow. Willow described what she needed. I thought Janice was going to burst. At least we didn't have to apologize for getting her out of bed. She thanked us and said she'd find something.

Finally, we went looking for a ring.

Well, the plans are being made. Willow is here with Sammie and I at the rental house in Maine. She left her practice and packed up everything. It's in storage until we can get the houses finished. I've been down once with Willow and Sammie, and all the women have been down two more times.

Willow is also fixing up her new office that Jancie managed to find right on the island. Yes, even though she knows she doesn't have to, she loves what she does...loves helping people. And damn, some of the ideas she gets make for some fun nights!

She's picked one of them for us to live in. The other will be for guests. We can even rent it if we need to. They are going through websites looking for furniture. I just got off the phone and finally got their attention.

"Hi girls. I've got a job to do. I think it'll be my last one. I should only be gone for a couple of days. I assume you've got everything under control? If so, I can head out now and make a flight."

"Where's the job Dad?"

"Boston."

I sat in the seedy bar in Roxbury, the kind of place that doesn't have a sign, or a Facebook page. Nope, no yelp reviews for this place. It actually wasn't as bad as some dives I'd been when I started in the Merchant Marine. I was waiting for Jason. He'd been given my description, and I was betting on him having no idea who I really was. I hoped he wouldn't recognize me from the kids' social media posts.

The PI had dug up a lot on my fiance's ex. He was into hookers. And he liked the ones he could get kinky with. Not easy to find if you were trying to maintain appearances. He had managed to find a few pimps that were discreet over the years. Thanks to my PI calling in a few favors, he thought I was a new guy that could set him up for some twisted fun. I already had enough to ruin him. This was personal though.

I saw him walk in. He looked surprisingly calm walking into a place like this. He was dressed too expensively, and I doubt he realized it. He spotted me and came over. He sat down and actually set his phone down on the table next to him. Great, now I didn't have to ask him for it.

I grabbed it before he could react.

"What the fuck!"

"Calm down. I'm just making sure it's turned off."

It was and I set it back down. He relaxed again. I really didn't want him recording our conversation.

"So, what do you have for me?"

"Jason, do I have a deal for you."

The smile left his face as he realized I'd used his first name, which he hadn't given, trying to protect his identity. I plowed on while he was off balance.

"You are going to leave Willow, Ranger, and Rowan alone. Completely alone. Forever. Along with everyone they know. You will not..."

"Who the fuck do you think you are? How do you..."

My hand flashed out, grabbed him by the back of the head and smashed it down on the table. I heard the crunch of his nose as it hit. The table we were at was very small. I'd picked it on purpose. I'd kind of expected his attitude...kind of hoped for it.

I released him and he quickly pulled his head up, his hand going to his broken, bloody nose.

"I'm going to..."

"You're going to sit and shut the fuck up until I'm finished. If you don't, things are going to get a lot worse for you. Nod if you understand."

He looked around and noticed no one had even looked our way. No one was calling the cops. No one cared. That hadn't cost me as much as I'd feared it might. He realized he better do as I say. He nodded.

"Good boy. Now, to be clear. You will never contact them, never post anything on social media. As far as you are concerned, they don't exist anymore. You barely do to them anyway. You won't EVER do anything to hurt them, emotionally, physically, or financially. Do yourself a favor and forget about them."

He was looking at me and I could see he was still a little angry. I mean, who the fuck was I to mess with HIM? I let him know.

"If you don't do as I'm telling you, either spelled out or implied, I will destroy you."

I put my hand on a folder that was on the table. I didn't need to slide it, just draw attention to it.

"This is for you. Go ahead, take a look."

He slowly took the package and opened it. He pulled out the contents part way and went pale. He should have. It contained pictures of him with prostitutes in some remarkably interesting positions. There were copies of complaints filed against him as a doctor, including women he'd paid off to stop filing against him for unwanted sexual advances.

"It's a thick package Jason, you've been a very bad boy. Go ahead, keep it. It's your copy. If you piss me off, copies will be sent to lots of people that you don't want to have it, the least of which is your current wife. I know you don't plan on keeping her, but her daddy has money, and he'd use this to do a lot worse than I would."

"Oh. And if you flush your life down the toilet anyway, which I certainly hope you do, and you get an idea that you've got nothing to lose and come after her or anyone she knows. I will end you. Slowly."

As I was saying l this, I could see reality sink in. He's really been careless. His ego is incredible. By my last statement he was trembling, not with rage...but fear.

"Now. Get the fuck out of here."

He almost tipped the chair over as he scrambled to leave. He didn't even take the folder. Gee, I paid to have that copy made. Ungrateful ass. As I left, I slipped the bartender some cash and thanked him for his discretion. He took the money and didn't even look at me.

I hadn't even gotten out of the truck when Willow and Sammie burst into the garage to welcome me home. God I could get used to that. After hugs and kisses I was regaled with progress on the wedding plans.

Later, while Willow was in the bathtub, Sammie walked into the living room. I was just thinking that sharing a tub with my sexy wife-to-be would be way more interesting than a rerun.

"How did the job go?"

"It went well...quick."

"Funny, while you were gone, Willem called me, asking me if I'd like a job working with him."

Willem and many others had noticed Sammie's aptitude for the job. But I knew where she was going with this.

"Really?"

"Yes. I asked what you thought about it. He said he hadn't asked you. When I asked if he was on the job in Boston with you, he claimed there haven't been any issues, anywhere, for three weeks."

I just raised my eyebrows.

"So, where were you?"

"Boston."

She looked at me. I sighed. She was my daughter. I didn't know how she saw through me so easily, but she always did.

"I was ensuring our growing family's safety and happiness."

"How'd it go?"

"Well."

She just smiled and walked away. We never spoke of it again.

The sunrise is beautiful as always. This moment of peace and solitude is a great time to reflect before the chaos starts. I'm guessing it'll be a bit late starting this morning given how late everyone was up last night.

Willow and I celebrated our tenth anniversary yesterday. The family is here, but big enough now we actually had to rent another house to fit everyone. We were lucky to find one within walking distance. Once everyone is up, we'll congregate here. Willow and I are both fifty-five now and I can't believe my life.

I will never forget the wedding on the beach, surrounded by our crazy little family, held together by love and affection. The weather was perfect, and the rising sun was beautiful. There had been some groans from the kids when they realized how early they'd have to get up, but a twelve-hour reception that started with brunch at a fancy hotel in Savannah, a catered BBQ at three pm, and finally ended with an oceanfront bonfire complete with hot dogs and smores seemed to have everyone agree it was worth it.

We've had highs and lows, like any family. I'm going over the big ones in my head as I watch the surf and sip my coffee on the master suite balcony. Willow is still in bed, wrapped up loosely in the sheets. A glance over my shoulder gives me a view of a lot of leg and one exposed breast. We had a great anniversary dinner followed by another incredible lovemaking session. She still hears the most interesting things from her clients. Either that or she's secretly reading erotica. No need to be secret about it, we gotta keep it fresh!

Naturally, Sammie moved down with us all those years ago and after some research enrolled in one of the local colleges and finished her degree. Did she become a tech wizard like me? No. She majored in child and adolescent counseling and now helps kids navigate some of the messes the adults in their lives get them into. No one is a better example for them than her.

After her first year, we bought her a two-bedroom condo in the historic district. It doubled as a place for her mom and me to crash if we hit a bar or two while in town. She still spent a lot of time at the beach though. And it was no surprise she wasn't alone very often.

She and Fergus decided they really were compatible. They don't look it though. He's actually six foot seven and three-hundred and twenty pounds! Ranger guessed close that night she met him. The man is as solid as a rock. But he really is a soft-spoken, gentle giant. He finished his PhD two years after our move and is actually a professor of history at the university.

Willow and I were thrilled when they announced their engagement. I was touched when Fergus asked me for my blessing first. It was so hard keeping that secret. They've been married seven years now. They have three children and she's about halfway along with number four. This one will be a boy, tying the count at two of each. They want five, and Willow tells me she's not so sure they'll stop there.