homas put a lot of effort into “fate”. And he would’ve gone anywhere, moved anywhere, to make sure that he had his chance.
He let her set the day, the time, and the place for their first date. Because, after their wedding, he wanted her to think she had at least one choice.
They met for coffee.
And, for both of them, it was the beginning of the end.
1
It took her forty minutes to get home from the grocery store.
The trip should have only taken fifteen tops, but Grace learned to vary her routes back to the apartment complex. She took two different turns, getting stuck in the middle of a construction mess that prolonged the return journey.
On the plus side, she doubted she was followed. With his temper and impatience, Tommy would’ve had Boone turn around to miss the traffic if he wasn’t the one stalking her from behind the wheel.
Not that he seemed to have found her in Dayton yet. It was only a matter of time, though. When she changed her phone number last, it barely took him three days before the repeated calls started up again. Waking up to ninety-seven missed calls, countless voicemails—ranging from cajoling pleas, angry demands, and thinly veiled threats that the police thought were too vague when she reported him—plus the texts she stopped reading months ago had taught her to keep her phone on airplane mode around the clock. She had the phone in case of emergencies, and used it as infrequently.
Why bother? Ever since Tommy Mathers came into her life, she quickly learned she didn’t have one to call her own anymore.
The phone number she’d had since she was a teen wasn’t the only thing she’d been forced to give up. After the security at her last two homes proved to be child’s play for Tommy, finding an apartment that was nondescript but difficult to sneak into was her only requirement when she was forced to move once again.
Three places in seven months was crazy. Then again, she discovered, so was Tommy.
And if he didn’t take the hint and finally give up? Grace would be certifiable before long, too.
Even though it meant walking close to half a mile every time she left her apartment, she always parked in the farthest lot behind the row of apartment complexes. Her car was registered under a former neighbor’s name—one of the only people she knew who understood that being stalked by Thomas Mathers wasn’t flattering, but terrifying—and it was a different make and model from the car she kept at her parents’ when she first met Tommy. After what he did when he found that one, Grace wasn’t taking chances on this car. It was the only escape she had if she had to pack up and flee into the night with little warning.
It wasn’t as if she could rely on anyone else for help. Not now. Not in the beginning, either, really.
Her parents thought she was being stubborn. Before she realized what a true threat he was, Tommy convinced her to take him home to meet her mom and dad. They fell for his devoted act hook, line, and sinker. The way he doted on her, the way he absolutely oozed charm, the way he vowed he would marry their daughter and she’d want for nothing for the rest of her life.
It was only their third date. Talking about wedding plans with her parents should’ve been a huge warning sign. Unfortunately, Grace continued to see him for another three months before she decided to get out.
That was more than seven months ago. He’d been chasing her ever since.
The dancers in her old company thought she was ridiculous. Any one of the females—and half of the male dancers—would give their left foot if it meant they caught the eye of Thomas Mathers, billionaire businessman.
None of them understood. The innocent, honest businessman facade was the biggest act of all.
A pang tore through her as she popped the trunk and started to gather up her groceries. With the success of her dance company, staying one of the principal dancers made it too easy for Tommy to find her. He bought a box at each show, leaving tokens for her in her dressing room, even waiting with Boone at the stage door every night, no matter if the company was touring on the road or stationed in the city.
Tommy always knew where she was, no matter what.
At first, Grace thought it was amazing how his devotion to her extended to supporting her in her career. Before Tommy, she barely went on any dates, even resorting to using an online dating site to meet guys because her training left her with so little free time. She never thought she’d find a man who understood her love of ballet.
Turned out, she didn’t. Tommy didn’t show up at all of her performances because he was a ballet aficionado. He showed up because he was the type of man who wanted to control every aspect of her life, including her work.
So she gave that up, too. She had no choice otherwise. Her fellow dancers were on Tommy’s side, and with her name getting top billing as a principal dancer, it was only too easy for him to track her down and try—again—to win her back to his side.
Tommy Mathers had charm, he had looks, and he had money. He was also intelligent in a way that scared her to her bones. He knew what to say and how to say it, acting remorseful in one moment and demanding in the next.
The first time she tried to break it off, he bought her a diamond necklace and begged her to give him one more try. She fell for it, and found herself locked in the bedroom of his penthouse apartment after she gave in and spent the night.
Tommy was gone—with her tucked safely in his home, he left to take care of business—and he had two goons guarding the door in case she tried to run. Which she absolutely attempted the minute she accepted that, despite his promises, he was never going to change.
It took three days, as well as giving the damn diamond to a housekeeper in exchange for helping her escape, before Grace realized that if she wanted Tommy to leave her alone, she was going to have to make him. Trapping her in his apartment was the last straw. She finally understood that his so-called love was nothing but an unhealthy obsession with her and this crackpot idea that she was destined to marry him.
Taking nothing but a suitcase of clothes—and stopping only long enough to clean out her savings account—Grace took off running. She was sure, once she was out of his reach, Tommy would let her go.