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Read the Prologue: Love's Long Road
Read the Prologue: Love's Long Road“Denver, I don’t want to do this,” she said.
“You don’t have a choice. I’m not ready to be a father to my children or anyone else’s. You should have thought about precautions a month ago. I’m not even sure it's mine. Now, get in there and take care of it,” he growled.
“Don’t put this all on me. It was your responsibility, too. Of course it’s yours. There is no one else,” she shot back. “Still, I don’t want to do this.”
“I don’t care! I made the appointment, and I paid for it. Now get out of here!” he shouted, giving her a shove. She scrambled out of the car and walked towards the abortion clinic. She stepped inside and walked up to the desk.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked.
“Yes, my name is Lakelynn Lane. I have an eleven o’clock appointment.”
“Okay…yep, there you are. Have a seat and someone will get you when it’s time.”
“Thank you.”
She sat in the clinic waiting room, a gigantic knot in her stomach. So much had happened since her dad and brother had passed away in a car accident three months ago. She never dreamed she would be in this position. Her mind drifted back to when she got the call.
It was a Friday night and after a long week; she wanted to stay home and chill out with some ice cream and a movie. Her dad, Frank, and her twin brother, Luke, were heading out to the bar to see a local band they liked. Her boyfriend, Denver Carrington, was an hour away visiting his parents. She and Denver were planning to go out Saturday night for dinner and then go dancing. Like any other time, she sent her dad and brother off and then settled in for a cozy night.
Around nine o’clock, her phone rang, and she answered. It was the police informing her that there had been an accident. A drunk driver crossed the line and hit her dad’s car, causing it to spin out of control and go over an embankment. It had rolled several times and when they arrived on scene, there were no survivors. She could still remember dropping her bowl of ice cream on the floor, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to comprehend and breathe. After hanging up with them, she called Denver, and he told her he was on his way.
The next few months were a blur, going through papers and completing things. She found a picture of someone whom she thought was her mom and her birth certificate, which was now horribly faded and not in good shape. She put both items in her purse for safekeeping. Denver was amazing through it all, helping her sort through things and decide what to do. They had been together for five years; she couldn't believe it. He was so caring and helpful, she couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend.
Then they had the reading of the will and everything changed. Her dad had left his security firm, Lane Enterprises, for both of them to run together. Denver had been his right-hand man and Lakelynn also worked there, so it seemed like the perfect arrangement. They had to learn how to work together directly and also be a couple. At first, things were great. The company was thriving, their clients were happy, and they were growing more and more every month. They often took romantic getaways on the weekends, and their relationship couldn’t have been stronger. Frank thought of Denver as another son, and she figured he hoped Denver would propose to Lakelynn soon.
As the months wore on, Denver changed. She wasn’t sure what was going on and he wouldn’t tell her. He started becoming more distant, working longer hours, and they argued a lot. They never saw each other anymore and their weekend getaways were now non-existent. One day, they were arguing in a meeting room at the office and he slapped her across the face. She was stunned. She immediately left and went home. Of course, he apologized later and swore it would never happen again. Then he whisked her off that weekend for a very romantic getaway.
Things were good then for a while and then two weeks ago she found out she was pregnant. She would not tell him, but he saw the stick on the back of the toilet just after she took the test. He had barged into her bathroom to wash his hands after a can of soda erupted all over him. She thought maybe that would change things and he would be ecstatic to know he was going to be a dad. Instead, he was irate and accused her of cheating on him with one of their security officers. He swore up and down that the baby wasn’t his and that he was not ready to be a father. That was the last straw. Lakelynn knew she had to get away from him before he did anything else to her.
Over the past few months, she had been making plans. After the accident, she stayed in her childhood home. She knew her dad hid wads of cash all over the house and where each hiding place was. She raided all of them and put it in her purse. Next, she packed a suitcase of clothes with a few folders of important papers and put them in the trunk of her car. Denver always picked her up when they went out somewhere, so he wouldn’t know what she was up to. She also bought tickets to all three nights of the Grantland Steele concert in Salt Lake City that was coming up. Lakelynn knew she would make her getaway soon, but she wasn’t sure when. Today was the day.
“Lakelynn Lane?” a female voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up.
“Yes?”
“Follow me, please,” the woman smiled as she led Lakelynn back to an exam room. She handed her a gown and told her that the doctor would be in soon before she shut the door behind her. Lakelynn took the gown and threw it in the trash. This wasn’t happening. She opened the door a crack and peeked out. Looking left and right, she saw an exit sign at the end of the hallway. She checked again to make sure the hall was deserted, and then made a break for it. Thankfully, the clinic was on a busy street, so she could hail a cab almost immediately. The exit sign was at the back of the building, so there was no way Denver could have seen her escape. He was waiting in his car in the front parking lot. She jumped in and slammed the door.
“Where to, Ma’am?” the driver asked.
“1040 Green Moss Lane,” she said. “Hurry. Please.”
“I’ll go as fast as the law allows,” he said, pulling out and merging into traffic.
Lakelynn’s mind was racing as they sped along the streets, heading for the other side of town. She kept looking behind them to make sure she couldn’t see Denver’s car. The traffic behind them was bumper to bumper across three lanes, so there was no way he could catch up. Plus, he wouldn’t know what taxi she was in. She allowed herself to breathe a small sigh of relief. Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into her driveway. She thanked the driver, left him a big tip, and jumped out, heading for her own car. Lakelynn jumped in, started it up, and peeled out in a cloud of dust. She weaved her way in and out of traffic, heading for the highway. This was it. She was getting out of here.
Denver Carrington sat in his car, waiting for Lakelynn. Unsure of how long this could take, he opted to go in and find out. He had to be at a meeting in an hour. He got out and strolled up to the clinic, walking in the door.
“Can I help you, sir?”
“Yes, my girlfriend, Lakelynn Lane, came in for a procedure about forty-five minutes ago. I was just wondering, how long will this take? I have a meeting to get to in an hour.”
“Well, the entire visit can last a few hours. Let me look her up and see how far along she is in the procedure. Just a minute,” the receptionist said, typing on her computer. Her face took on a puzzled expression. “Hey Sally?”
“Yes?” a voice from down the hall answered.
“I’m looking up one of our patients and the computer isn’t showing her progress.”
“Let me see,” Sally said, coming out and looking at the computer. “Huh. Let me check with Jackie.”
“Okay. Just a minute sir,”
Denver shifted from foot to foot impatiently. Christine, the receptionist behind the desk, gave him a sympathetic look. Sally came back a few minutes later, a look of bewilderment on her face.
“I’m sorry, sir. She’s not here. Jackie took her back and gave her a gown, and then left so she could change. When she went back, Miss Lane was gone.”
“Gone?!” Denver repeated.
“Yes sir,”
“Thank you,” he said, running out the door. He sprinted across the parking lot and jumped into his car. This was not happening. A half hour later, he pulled into Lakelynn’s driveway. Her car was nowhere to be found.
Lakelynn drove down the highway, cautious of her speed and the other drivers. Traffic in the summer was always heavy because of tourists and summer events going on. She was heading three hours away to Salt Lake City and the state fair. She had tickets to see her favorite country music singer, Grantland Steele, for the next three nights, and she knew that getting lost in an enormous crowd was almost a guarantee that Denver would never find her. At least it would give her three days to think about what was next.
Suddenly, her gas gauge turned on, alerting her she was low on fuel. She glanced at a sign that was coming up that said ten miles to the next gas station. Lakelynn panicked. There was no way she was going to make it. Despite meaning to get her stupid gas gauge fixed, she completely forgot about it with everything that had been going on. She slowed down and merged into the right lane, then pulled off to the side of the road. She sat there for a minute, trying to figure out what to do next.
Just then, a red pickup truck pulled off behind her. Lakelynn felt her muscles tense, and she locked the doors and rolled up her window. She watched as a young man in a white t-shirt and jeans walked up to her. He was around her age with spikey blonde hair, green eyes, and an adorable smile. She rolled down her window a crack.
“Ma’am, do you need some help?” he asked.
“No, I’m fine,” she blurted.
“If you were fine, I don’t think you would sit along the highway. You out of gas?”
She sighed. “Yes,” she said, looking at him sheepishly.
“It happens to the best of us. My name’s Tyler, by the way,” he smiled. She rolled down the window a little more and shook his hand.
“Lakelynn,”
“That’s a beautiful name. Well, Lakelynn, I’d be glad to take you to get some gas for your car.”
“I’m good, thanks,”
“So, what are you gonna do? Make your car into your new home? Pitch a tent of metal and stay here all night?”
“Good point.”
“Can I at least take you where you’re going?”
“You think I’m going to get in a truck with you and let you take me somewhere? Not likely.”
“Okay, I can understand that. What if I told you I’m a police officer in my hometown?”
“Tell me another one,” she shot back.
“No, I am. Let me prove it to you. Hang on a sec…” he said, punching a contact in his phone. “Hey chief, it’s Tyler. Nah, we’re good, everything’s fine. Hey, I’m trying to help a young lady alongside the road and I thought you could verify with her I am a police officer. Here,”
Lakelynn took his phone. “Hello?”
Hello, this is Police Chief Lance Cross at the Peachtree Police Department in Peachtree, Illinois. Ma’am, I can verify that yes, Tyler is an officer, as he says. One of our best, I might add. Everyone loves him in our little town
and I can assure you he is trustworthy, and will get you anywhere you need to go.”
“How do I know you’re not just some random person?”
“Look at the contact name on his phone. I’ll wait.” She took the phone from her ear and glanced at it. It read Peachtree police department. She put the phone back up to her ear. “Can I call this number back to make sure?”
“Suit yourself. Talk soon.” Lance smiled and hung up. Lakelynn dialed the number back.
“Peachtree police department, chief Cross speaking. How may I help you?”
“Thank you.” Lakelynn said.
“You’re welcome, Ma’am. Can I talk to Tyler again?”
She handed the phone over to Tyler.
“Do you have your badge on you?” Lance asked Tyler.
“Yes, always.”
“Did you show her?”
“No,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his badge. He handed it to Lakelynn to look at. She glanced up at him, a sense of peace washing over her. She felt like she could trust him.
"Yeah, I will." I better get back. I have a lot to do tonight. "You too," Tyler said, hanging up his phone and looking at her.
“So, where are you headed?”
“The state fair grounds in Salt Lake City.”
“Perfect, me too.” Tyler smiled.
“Okay, let me get my stuff,” she said, unlocking the door and climbing out. She grabbed her purse, went back to the trunk, and pulled out a suitcase.
“Don’t you need gas for your car?”
“Nah, I can leave it. It’s better this way. Let’s go,” she smiled brightly as they headed towards his truck. He unlocked the doors, and she climbed into the passenger side and put on her seatbelt. A minute later, they were on the road.
Tyler wasn’t sure what to make of this woman. There was definitely something going on if she had a suitcase with her. Who goes to the fair with a suitcase? Oh well, it didn’t really matter. It’s not like he was going to see her again. They would arrive at the fairgrounds, go their separate ways, and that would be it. Regardless, he was glad he could help her get to where she needed to be. Lakelynn breathed an inner sigh of relief as they sped down the highway. She didn’t know what she would have done if Tyler hadn’t shown up, even if she was a little cautious of him at first. They rode in silence the rest of the way to the fairgrounds.