His Runaway Queen

Chapter 5

Ellie's POV

My alarm started going off way earlier than it really needed to, but I wanted to talk to Preslee before she went to school. I ran to the bathroom and then went and slipped back into bed. I wasn't ready to be out of it yet. I grabbed my phone and dialed Michaels number.

"She is eating breakfast. Why are you up so early?"

"So, I can talk to my daughter before school, now give her the phone."

"Hi mommy." she said between bites.

"Hi baby girl, how did you sleep last night?"

"Good. Uncle Mikey and I watched a scary movie last night."

"You watched a scary movie? What movie did you watch?"

"It was Casper, not scary sis," I heard Michael yell in the background, and I had to chuckle to myself.

"It had a ghost. It was scary."

"Did you do your homework last night?"

"Yes, mommy."

"Uncle Mikey is going to send me a list of your spelling words and we're going to have a spelling test tonight so I will know if you studied or not."

"I did mom."

"OK, put Uncle Mikey back on the phone."

"Hey, did you read those letters yet?"

"No and I already told you I wasn't reading yours. It's not my business but I will go overnight it to you."

"Really I don't care what it says. Just read it."

"I do care, and I don't want to know. I will overnight it."

"OK, what are you doing today? I want to make sure that you are safe."

"I'm going to work on cleaning out dad’s house. My realtor is sending over a moving crew who will take everything and donate it. Anything in particular that you want from the house?"

"No, just send it back here whatever you think either one of us would want and then we can go through it. I should have gone with you to help."

"We've been down this already. I needed you to stay with Preslee and dad left everything in my name so you can't sign for shit."

"I know but still you shouldn't be doing it alone."

"It's ok. You're going to be late, kiss my girl and I'll call you later."

"Later," he said and hung up.

I rolled over in bed and groaned because now I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. I rolled out of bed and went and took a shower and washed my hair. Getting out I wrapped a towel around my hair and dried my body. I knew today I would be packing s**t and going through things, so I grabbed a pair of leggings and a sports bra. Maybe when I was done, I could hit the gym. I didn't get a workout in yesterday, so it had to happen today.

I threw my hair in a braid and finished getting ready. Grabbing a zip up jacket and putting it on I headed downstairs to the restaurant in the hotel lobby for some breakfast. I stopped by the hotel's gym first to make sure it had everything that I wanted but not even close. I would have to find a gym that had day passes and go there. Most places offered that.

Getting to the restaurant I slid into a booth next to another girl that was by herself. She was on the phone and being rather loud about it so I couldn't help but overhear her.

"Girl, he was amazing in bed, even that drunk but he was like a damn ghost. Gone with no trace of him when I woke up."

It was a few seconds when she started speaking again, "I know what a one-night stand is but damn I want another before I leave. I have looked all over this town, but no one seems to know who Tate is."

I froze when she said that. Could it have been the same one? I mean that isn't a super common name but then she said something else that made my blood run cold, "Girl, his friend Reign, I would let both of them hit it at the same time. They were f*****g hot. I can't not try. I'm only here one more night."

"Can I get you a drink?" The waitress asked, pulling me out of my thoughts and my eavesdropping.

"Yes, coffee and water please. I'm ready to order as well." I told her and she just nodded at me, "2 egg whites, a side of avocado and whole wheat toast please," I told her as she wrote it all down and walked away.

The girl behind me must have gotten off the phone while I was ordering my breakfast because now, she was quiet. Damn I was hoping to get information from her. I may have been trying to avoid Tate but that didn't mean I wasn't looking for other people. I had a plan in place to take care of the three men who hurt me and changed my life forever.

My hand instinctively went up to my chest where I had the worst scar from that night. I always made sure that I wore something that covered it up and if I didn't, I had perfected putting a bandage on it and not being able to tell. This was one of a thousand reasons I don't date or sleep with anyone. I don't do questions about it. I also had scars on my back and my thighs but the ones on my back I didn't care about, they were small and random and the ones on my thighs were always covered with clothes.

The waitress came and put my food down in front of me. I quickly ate and threw some money on the table and stood to leave. Stepping out of the restaurant I made sure there was no one out there that I knew and when the coast was clear I went to my car and took off for my father's house.

Walking into the house still felt weird, like I shouldn't be here, but I needed to shake that feeling and get this done. I started by taking all the pictures off the walls and boxing them up. I didn't know what I would do with them, but I didn't want to throw them away. As I was finishing with all the pictures someone started knocking on the door.

Opening the door, it was the movers. I let them in and explained that they could start with the furniture and that all of it would go and everything in the kitchen. They got busy and I went to my father's room. It was in pristine condition like always. I went through his drawers and the only thing I found was a jewelry box. Opening it I found my mother's wedding ring. It was a simple set and not very big. They got married before my dad had made a name for himself and didn't have a lot of money. She stuck by him through his long hours and tedious work schedule to only leave him after he had made it and was able to pick and choose his cases saying she couldn't do it anymore. She walked out of all of our lives that day to never be heard from again.

It was a hard time for all of us and I wasn't sure my father would ever recover but as time went on, he went back to his normal self but started working more and more. I guess to fill the void of her being gone. I took the box back downstairs and threw it in my purse.

Deciding I had enough of going through s**t today I left the house and told the movers to lock up when done. I still needed to find someone to sell his cars to. He had his everyday car he drove and a classic something. I wasn't sure, I never really cared. I quickly googled gyms nearby and found one down the road from my hotel.

Walking into the gym I noticed that it wasn't huge and there weren't a ton of people around. I liked that. I purchased a week's pass and went straight to the treadmill. I put in my earbuds and turned my music on and started my daily run.

An hour and half later I was cleaning off the last machine I used. When I turned to throw my towel away, I ran into a solid wall of someone and when I looked up, I was greeted with that same panty melting smile from the airport.

"OK now I really feel like you should go to dinner with me. It's fate." He said not moving out of my way and kept a smile on his face. And man, what a smile it was. All straight white teeth and dimples in cheek and he knew how nice of a smile he had too.

"Fine but just dinner. A girl has to eat, and I'll pay for myself."

"Seven tonight. Have you heard of Whites?"

"No but I can google it. See you there," I told him, stepping around him.

I had to leave before I talked myself out of it. I could go to dinner with a man. A very good-looking man. I had a few hours before I was supposed to be there.

I got up to my room and pulled the envelope out of my purse and sat on the bed. I ran my hand under the seal, tearing it open and pulling out the piece of paper. It was folded neatly. I took a deep breath and unfolded it.

Ellie,

There are so many things in my life that I will never understand and one of them was you leaving. I would have helped you, no matter what. You never had to do this on your own. I am proud of the women and mother that you've become. I don't ever want you or your daughter to worry about a single thing. There is a trust set up for her and when she is eighteen, she can access it. You also have a trust that you can access now. Go see my partner at the law firm, he will help you with it.

Please know that I never wanted you to leave and that I love you very much. Whatever you do, do not come back to this town. There is nothing good here. Leave and don't look back, just like you did last time.

Don't worry, there is a trust for your brother as well.

Love,

Dad

As soon as I was done reading the letter, I grabbed my phone and called Michael.

"Hey, sis."

"I read my letter," I sobbed out. I felt like such an ass for keeping his grandchild from him. From keeping me from him.

"And?"

"He knew about her. He knew about Preslee and set up a trust in her name."

"Wow. I wonder how he found out."

"I don't know but I am the biggest asshole. I kept him from her. She could have had the chance to have him in her life and maybe if she did it would have changed the outcome of his life."

"Ellie, he had a heart attack. We couldn't have done anything about that."

"I know but he wrote these letters for a reason. What if he was thinking about suicide?"

"I highly doubt that. He probably did it in case something happened. You know him, prepared for everything."

"I have a date tonight also and now I feel like I shouldn't go."

"Say what? A date? You will not cancel because if you do, I will bring Preslee down there and kick your ass."

"No, you wouldn't."

"Try me and find out. You do so much for everyone else. Right now, you are kid free, go enjoy yourself and have a nice dinner with a man."

"Fine. I have to go, and I will call before my date to talk to Preslee."

He laughed and just hung up on me. I knew it was a mistake telling him about my date, but he needed to know in case this went south.

The thought of canceling still sounded good. It had been so long since I had been on an actual date. I was a teenager. My life had taken a complete one eighty after we left, and I found out I was pregnant. I was so depressed at first and then slowly came to terms and started to make a new plan. I had always wanted to be a lawyer like my father but with no money and a baby on the way that went out the window. I had decided I wanted to help people. I was never scared when I left because I knew they couldn’t find me or didn’t want to find me but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t happen one day and I didn’t want to be scared when and if it did. After I had Preslee, I enrolled in a self-defense class, and it changed my life. It was like a calling and that instructor helped me so much. She not only taught me how to protect myself, but she helped me get things up and going for my gym.

I sighed and headed for the shower deciding that I was only going to get this chance once. I wasn’t looking for anything more than a nice meal and good conversation. I could do that.