Any Way You Want Me by Yuwanda Black Page A

navigated for miles and
miles and miles on end. You're absolutely right, I do believe in butterflies
and sunshine. I believe in love — and I won't let anybody make me feel bad
about that or take that dream away from me."
     
               
"And the thing is, I know you love me Gatlin, or you're on the verge of
it. But you just won't let yourself trust that what we could have is real. And
I refuse to spend my life trying to prove it to you or make you believe it.
Life is just too short for that."
    .
. .
     
               
" I believe in love — and I won't let anybody take that dream away from
me."
     
               
Kylie's words reverberated over and over again in Gatlin's head as he lay in
bed that night … and as he interviewed yet another perp for a story, as he
turned up the police scanner to listen to the latest horrific crime to happen
in New York.
     
               
Had he become so jaded by his work that he'd forgotten that butterflies and
sunshine did exist, as evidenced by this gorgeous spring day New Yorkers were
currently enjoying? Or was there something deeper going on?
    .
. .
               
               
"Stop it. Stop hitting my mom!" Gatlin yelled, jumping in front of
his mother to prevent his father from landing another blow.
     
               
"This is between your mother and me boy! Move outta the way," his
father said in his drunken slur.
     
               
"Gatlin, go to your room. It's okay, honey. Mama's ok."

            "No
you're not okay. You're not mom. I'm not leaving you," Gatlin cried, his
seven-year-old voice cracking with fear as he did his best to drag his mom from
the room.
     
               
As his father's fist prepared to land on his mother again, Gatlin kicked his
father in the groin. He doubled over in pain, shouting, "You miserable
little piece of shit! I'll kill you for this! I'll kill you, do you hear me!
I'll kill you!"
     
               
Gatlin's mother ran to his father's side. "Honey are you alright? Are you
alright?" she said, wiping blood from the side of her lip with one hand
while she consoled his father, who continued to writhe in pain on the floor,
with the other.
    .
. .
               
               
Gatlin had mentally catalogued hundreds of these types of memories from his
childhood. But this particular one stuck with him more vividly than the others.
And he wasn't sure why until Kylie had said to him, " I believe in love
— and I won't let anybody take that dream away from me."
     
                When
his mother had gone to his father to comfort him, instead of coming to him as a
frightened, desperate 7-year-old, he realized the power that love had. His
mother had loved his father beyond all rhyme and reason — even beyond her
child, he thought.
     
               
He didn't realize it, but that had been the moment he'd stopped believing in
love. Love hurt. It was cruel. It wasn't kind. It wasn't loyal, or it was loyal
to the wrong people.
     
               
Sitting on a bench in Central Park on this sunny spring day, a butterfly landed
close to him, providing a much-needed break from his tortured past. It flapped
its colorful wings slowly back and forth, as if it was content to just enjoy
the warmth of the sunshine.
     
               
Gatlin stared at it. He'd never observed a butterfly before … ever. Just like
he'd never seen and felt real love before. Ever.
     
               
I can't lose her ,
he thought. I just can't.
     
                The
butterfly took flight as he stood to leave.
          
    .
. .
               
               
Can Kylie trust that what's between them will blossom into real, everlasting love,
or will Gatlin's painful past always be a barrier to their happily ever after?
               
    ###

Chapter
1: That's